(From top) An ethnic ensemble from Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s Chand Bibi collection; Nikasha Tawadey’s beach wedding look includes patiala salwars paired with short kurtas and stoles; sari- inspired, draped ensembles by Anupama Dayal are perfect for the beach bride

Beach fashion is the proverbial no-brainer. You just dress down to your bitsy bikini and, if you like, for cover-up, throw on a sarong. But when the words ‘beach’ and ‘wedding’ come together to form “beach wedding” — and that too your own — dear bride-to-be, you are treading on tricky grounds.

And no, you don’t wear a flimsy kaftan and neither can you show up in a traditional heavy-as-heavy-can-be lehenga and hope it won’t be an overkill.

You’ll have to tread the middle street.

With exotic destination weddings being today’s catchphrase amongst hip couples, the designer brigade is leaping to your help to put together creative wedding wear meant primarily for the beach, the sun and sand.

“The key look is a fluid one that allows you to get drunk in your wedding clothes and even fall asleep on the beach. Because, let’s admit it, that’s what ends up happening,” laughs fashion designer Anupama Dayal who caters to an impressive crowd of beach wedding clients.

The blue-eyed boy of Indian fashion, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, points out that two very vital elements act as ingredients of a beach wedding. “Count in a lot of humidity and sand (and, of course, a lot of fun). The idea, therefore, is to wear something light,” he says.

But light and floaty does not mean gowns “only”. You can still be an ethnic bride floating around in a saris or lehenga — but you’ll have to make sure that they have been tweaked right to make you one with the beach.

Mukherjee, for instance, is all for keeping tradition alive. “Choose an ivory and red sari. Or go for a coral red instead of a maroon and a lemon yellow in place of a loud yellow,” he suggests.

It calls for a whole lot of experimentation so you’ll have to give the wedding rulebook a miss and throw some conventions to the ocean breeze. Rest assured that you’ll end up having a lot of fun planning the perfect beach wedding ensemble.

In Vogue

According to the designers, the hot favourite look for the beach hinges on whatever is draped and fluid. And you’ll want to look all fluid and dreamy when you are sashaying down the sands for the wedding ceremony.

Sari-inspired draped numbers are a rage among beach-bound young brides. Dayal has put together such draped ensembles while teaming them with bustiers and stoles and scarves. “They are not too daring, but at the same time, they flash a leg often — just to be a little naughty. The idea is to preserve the demureness of the Indian bride while allowing her to be playful,” says Dayal.

If comfort is the key for a bride, designers are paying attention to it big time. Calcutta designer duo Ekta Jaipuria and Ruchira Kandhari have gone for wraparound lehengas with mermaid cuts and tiered skirts for their label Ekru. Look out for their pre-pleated saris too.

“The voluminous Patiala salwar and starched Banarasi dupattas have been resurrected,” says boho-chic designer Nikasha Tawadey.

(Top) Suhani Pittie offers beach-friendly, gold-plated collars as neckpieces teamed with crystal-studded cuffs; (above) Rocky S goes for drapes and minimal embroidery

Meanwhile, even as you play around with silhouettes, don’t forget to keep it minimal. Too much embroidery is a clear misfit on the beach. It would appear as incongruous, Sabyasachi Mukherjee says, as a Mexican home in Mumbai.

And remember that Whites Only do not a wedding make — even if it’s a beach wedding. Colour is a key trend today, says designer Rocky S. He says: “Bright earthy tones work perfectly for the night and pastel shades for dawn.”

To go with the theme, make liberal use of fresh flowers in your hair. Advises Mukherjee: “Instead of roses, go for mogra and replace marigold with frangipani. You can never go wrong with them.”

Couturier Touch

The do-it-yourself touch is crucial to the beach wedding theme even when you are shopping for designerwear. And getting your wedding wear to look beach-perfect becomes easier when you have designers offering a completely personalised look.

The best piece of news is that their designs aren’t too expensive what with the use of natural, lightweight fabrics and significantly less embroidery and embellishments.

Tawadey holds discussions with the bride-to-be and decides on the outfits depending upon her personality, her vital stats and her comfort factor. “There may be a lot of opinions flying around, be it from the bride’s mother or her relatives. That’s the time to focus on only what the bride has to say,” says Tawadey who has woven in a romantic story around relaxed resort weddings in her collection ‘Siuli’ (a small, pretty orange-white flower). The colour palette is essentially white and crème coupled with yellows, haldi and rusty reds going into corals.

Hers is a line of feminine silhouettes with side-tie details in tunics, asymmetrical hemlines with net frills and gota lace. She teams Patiala salwars with short kurtas, plays with ombre-dyed lycra silk churidars and also experiments with kalidar kurtas cut on the bias.

Ekru’s designs are high on threadwork on lightweight fabrics

White and crème coupled with yellows, haldi and rusty reds dominate Tawadey’s Siuli beach wedding collection

Woven Banarasi silk, chanderi, muslin, silk chiffon and georgette are worked upon with subtle embroidery like chikankari, antique mukaish and karchobi. The motifs are delicate like little buds in love knots and blossoming flowers. Tawadey’s kurtas start at Rs 5,000 while prices of lehengas go up to Rs 50,000 and more.

Dayal too gets heavily involved in the styling and designing the bride’s dresses. “I give her six to seven garments since they are not hideously expensive. In terms of prints and colours, I would recommend three bright colours, one white/ crème and two floral prints. Instead of plain saris and lehengas, I design sari-inspired, draped ensembles,” she adds. She prices them between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000.

Dayal’s look for the beach is fluid in chanderi, georgette and chiffon while the hues are Indian colours like flaming orange, bright pink and red.

Mukherjee gives a wide berth to velvets and silks and goes instead for cotton, muslin and khadi for his ensembles. He is unapologetic about giving a very Indian touch to wedding wear even for the beach as he picks out elements from his entirely handcrafted Chand Bibi collection. The kalidars, saris, lehengas, angrakhas and ghagras (ankle-length flared skirts) have surface ornamentation in the form of hand-embroidery, Moroccan gara work, intricate aari, gota work, vegetable dyeing, block printing and tie-and-dye.

At Ekru, the beach wedding outfits (priced between Rs 18,000 and Rs 1 lakh) are designed keeping in mind two different audiences. “The young girls in the 18-28 age group prefer lehengas in mermaid cuts and tiered lehengas that look like gypsy skirts, while the other age bracket of 30-40 years like muslin saris in a combination of off white and gold or silk muslin saris contrasted with lime green, emerald green and fuchsia pink blouses for a dramatic look,” says Kandhari.

Trinket Talk

Perhaps the most exciting part of preparing for a beach wedding is putting the accessories together. And by the way, most beach brides don’t think along the lines of being laden with gold on their wedding day.

Designers say that the bride can play around with a whole lot of jewellery — that ideally should be waterproof. Therefore think metals like copper, steel and silver, none of which react adversely with water. “In fact, the reaction of water with copper gives it a beautiful, vintage sheen,” says jewellery designer Suhani Pittie.

Pittie has a line in steel, copper and silver for the beach that is priced between Rs 2,000 and Rs 14,000. So, if there are chokers studded with mother-of-pearl and crystal and gold-plated collars, there are also plenty of intricately worked mesh bracelets and cuffs. They all have one thing in common — what she calls ‘strong cultural references’. “Let your jewellery tell a story. Jewellery has to have a strong DNA,” she notes.

According to the Hyderabad-based designer, the bride would also do well to mix precious stones with non-precious stones for some colour.

“For instance, jewellery with pearls, sapphires and green onyx would be perfect. Pearls and sapphires would make sure that everyone knows who the bride is while the green onyx will add a touch of quirkiness. The bride can wear cuffs, gold or silver, but with an old Mughal motif on it for some reference. The neckpieces too should be spiced up. Instead of having the normal back clasp in the necklace, the bride can get it designed so that it extends all the way down her back and ends in a tassel,” adds Pittie.

Tawadey on the other hand matches the chic look of her collection with vintage beaten brass accessories (from Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000) — necklaces and anklets — that add a quirky touch on the beach.

Now, on the beach it gets windy — and how. So, opt for hair accessories such as fresh flowers or even flower clips crafted out of fabrics, crystal pins and vintage brooches. For customised hair jewellery, step into Pittie’s studio in Hyderabad or consult the Calcutta-based Ekru.

Last, but not the least, let’s not forget the bride’s slippers. Shoe designer Rina Shah makes hers with ankle supports and zippers to bring maximum comfort to the bride while she is stepping daintily around on the sand. “Stilettos are a big no. I’d recommend gladiators and flat sandals with some Swarovski crystal or brooch embellishment. Pay a lot of attention to your shoes and get them customised for the wedding,” she says. Shah’s shoes are priced between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,500.

Or go for Dayal’s wrap shoes that are flat and made from leftover fabrics from her collections. She has kitten heels (or short heels) in the pipeline that can also be worn during the pheras. The footwear is included in the price that she quotes for the wedding ensembles.

And if you are to go by designers like Tawadey and Rocky S, you might as well chuck the footwear and go barefoot. Adds Rocky S: “After all, that will add to the exotic beach theme.”

The must-haves

A beach wedding demands multiple outfits in your suitcase. Go for natural fabrics that breathe. Rocky S warns that you have to take the heat and the sand into consideration. “The fabrics should be soft and flowy with minimal ornamentation. Also, the ocean inspires breezy days, so if you feel your dress is all over the place, you would probably want outfits that are pinned securely,” he says.

Ruchira Kandhari says that some outfits that the bride should add to her bulging suitcases include maxi dresses, knee-length dresses, light lehengas and mermaid skirts with dressy cholis.

A bride’s best bet in jewellery would be some pieces made of wood which are not too expensive, silver and steel, or plastic and acrylic. Also add a lot of cuffs to your jewellery box. They can take an outfit a long way.

And while you are at it, don’t bother with carrying heavy make-up. You don’t want goop on your face what with all the humidity that a beach promises. According to Mukherjee, you can even give the base a complete miss and use kajal and a little bindi for a charming effect.

Chand Bibi Collection pix courtesy: Pabitra Das