An elaborate bridal creation showcased at Celebrating Vivaha

Downturn? What downturn?” The words, thrown casually across the desk by bridalwear designer Ankur Batra, have you nonplussed for a moment. He is outfitting a groom-to-be in a regal ensemble in all-black — a knee-length jama with a chest-hugging bodice and flared skirt worn with a long-sleeved robe called the choga that drapes freely around the bodice. Dressed thus in raiment for which price is on request, the groom-to-be looks straight out of a Mughal-era portrait. The unwritten covenant, of course, is that the bride has something equally ravishing in store for her.

Batra and his designer partner Amita Shukla, are the faces behind the exclusive fashion label, Ecru, which is favoured by royals of the Middle East. And right now they have a cache of about 150 trousseau orders to deliver before October ends.

(From top) Mannequins dressed up in lavish ensembles at The Tarun Tahiliani Couture Exposition; Sabyasachi’s bridal collection is inspired by the Mughal and Avadhi royal looks as well as paintings by artist Ravi Varma; Pix by Rupinder Sharma, Actress Yuvika Chaudhary models a pink lehenga by Neeta Lulla

The cash registers are ringing. “The times are so good and busy that we don’t see a vacation on the horizon anytime soon,” sighs Shukla.

“In the midst of a mighty economic downturn, the bridal industry seems to be thriving. For an increasing number of people are going in for extra-lavish celebrations and have no qualms spending big bucks to make their weddings affairs to remember,” says Tarun Sarda, CEO of Celebrating Vivaha, one of the most popular wedding expositions going. He pegs the industry at a chunky Rs 1,25,000 crore and one that is seeing a 25 per cent growth annually.

So you thought that love in the times of recession would be tough and that the wedding buzz would be about budget brides? Now hear this: Romance is recession-proof. Batra says: “You might get married a second or a third time. But nothing can approximate that first experience of getting married.”

If the wedding business seems to be growing bigger by the year, consider what Sarda has to say: “Everybody wants a piece of the wedding industry pie.”

Bridal shows are the new order of the day. And if a few years ago there were just three well-known bridal expositions doing the rounds — that’s Bridal Asia, Celebrating Vivaha and Bride & Groom — many more have jumped onto the bandwagon. Call them fairs, fetes, celebrations and what have you, but would-be brides and grooms are making a beeline for them.

And there’s a market for everyone, says Divya Gurwara, CEO, Bridal Asia, which happens to be the oldest and biggest of them all. “As long as the exhibitions know their target audience, they are going to do just fine,” she comments.

The latest edition of Bridal Asia that concluded last month had some 55 participating designers (including Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Rina Dhaka, Ritu Beri and Neeta Lulla among others) while the total exhibitor count crossed the 80-mark.

Gurwara admits that the going at the moment is good, though last year the industry did witness a phase of controlled buying. “And now one can actually feel festivity in the air. We had a footfall of about 25,000 people over a period of three days this year,” she says.

But the newest-kid-on-the-block is Tarun Tahiliani Couture Exposition by none other than designer Tarun Tahiliani. The ultra exclusive fair was held in the precincts of DLF Emporio, Delhi’s super luxury mall. Tahiliani recreated sets from an Indian wedding with mannequins wearing his lavish ensembles for occasions such as the puja, mehendi, sangeet and shaadi.

“Through this exposition we are trying to highlight the effort that goes into adorning the bride and groom,” says Tahiliani.

Another opulent shindig, Ultimate Luxury Weddings, opened in Delhi with the ultimate in luxury all under one roof. “Next year we go to Mumbai and thereafter we hope to take it to foreign destinations,” says Parineeta Sethi, director, Ultimate Luxury Weddings.

Rina Dhaka’s bridal line is dominated by intricate embroidery on fabrics like tulles and French chiffons; (Above) Ritu Beri’s creations are about all-out flamboyance; Pix by Jagan Negi

Sethi invited the crème de la crème of brands — totalling just 35 exhibitors (including seven fashion designers) — to showcase their repertoires. The list included established names like Manish Malhotra, Raghavendra Rathore, Ritu Kumar, Ashima & Leena and emerging designers Charu Parashar, Joy Mitra and Gagan Oberoi.

There were limited edition watches by Harry Winston, Versace dinner service sets, a multitude of dream wedding destination options, the perfect honeymoon destinations and even pre-nuptial spa treatments. Leading wedding planner, Vandana Mohan, was also at hand to offer her expertise.

Now if you get a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume and extravaganza of these exhibitions, you can always check into a boutique bridal fete such as Aza which has been holding an annual leisurely affair in Mumbai. The store has a complete makeover during this time with candles, diyas, gajras, mehendiwallis and churiwallis in attendance. That’s when Aza owner, Alka Nishar, puts up an exhibition of lehengas, saris and kurtas from labels such as Anand Kabra, Anamika Khanna, Azara, Manish Malhotra, Pallavi Jaikishan, Sabyasachi, and Varun Bahl.

Meanwhile Celebrating Vivaha, the other wedding couture exhibition that started in 2003 in Delhi and consequently became pan-Asian with a Dubai edition, has added a few more cities to its list. This year onwards Celebrating Vivaha will be held in Ludhiana, Indore, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Says Sarda: “Mini metros and small towns are not lagging behind when it comes to availing luxury.”

Instead of scrimping on costs, the designers are pulling out the stops and making the clothes more flamboyant and exclusive. A top trend for the season is the no-holds-barred opulent look. It is captured by Batra using key ingredients like pearls, mukaish, badla, dabka, sequins and resham, on exquisite lehengas, gowns and saris (prices on request).

Opulence works well for Sabyasachi Mukherjee too. He is inspired by the old-style Mughal Gharana, Avadhi Royalty and paintings by Raja Ravi Verma. So his lehengas, angarkhas, saris and kurtas are woven out of traditional Kanjeevarams and Benarasi resham brocade.

Take a cue from Ritu Beri whose special experimentation this time is with Kanjeevaram silks which she has fashioned into lehengas. “There’s also flamboyance with diamantes and sequins complemented by feminine cascades of flounces, ruffles and gathers,” she says.

A bridal outfit at designer boutique Aza’s annual bridal fete; (Above) Gaurav Gupta gives a contemporary look to the bride with frothy underskirts in sheer net; Pix by Jagan Negi

But the price of looking good is that brides (usually) must bear with the discomfort that comes with heavy-as-heavy can be bridal finery. No more of that, says designer Rina Dhaka. “You don’t have to struggle getting round in outfits that make it difficult to get off/get into a car or even in fabrics that dig into the skin,” she promises. To that end she has used the lightest of fabrics like tulles, nets and French chiffons.

Since the bride isn’t thinking twice about getting the best, a slew of younger bridal designers have also put on their thinking caps to unleash new looks.

The young guns suggest that the Indian bride lose her coyness and transform into a well-toned, jet-setting bride who revels in her sensuality. So bridal dressing gets an extreme makeover under their able guidance and you can expect tantalising bare midriffs, figure-hugging bodysuits and fishtail gowns. Gaurav Gupta, the young designer from Central Saint Martins, London, for instance, is all for revealing the midriff (but he throws in the veil as a cover-up).

Another designer who brings the essence of his evening cocktail dresses into his limited edition line of bridal outfits is Raakesh Agarvwal. “I have opted out of the usual motifs and settled for jewellery-inspired references. You would discover an earring-like motif on a particular part of the lehenga and a neckpiece-inspired motif on another part of it,” says Agarvwal.

Anand Kabra, a young designer from Hyderabad, lets the influence of the city’s old Nizami culture reflect in the workmanship. His forte lies in the contemporary cut and drapes and on incorporating the traditional telia rumal (fine Andhra cotton that can pass through a finger ring) and heavy silks into his collection of bridalwear.

Following the recently concluded Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, Agarvwal has been busy taking orders for his limited edition bridalwear in silk jerseys, specially manufactured brocades and customised sequins. The lehengas start at a lakh and scale upto even Rs 8 lakh-Rs 9 lakh.

Value additions however are a must. Kabra, who keeps the floor price around Rs 35,000 and the top tag at Rs 1.5 lakh, makes the craft more intricate, the embroidery finer and the fabrics luxe. Gupta meanwhile adds three dimensional embroidery, peacock and lotus motifs and architectural organza flowers on colours such as deep purples, brass golds and mango yellows to his designs. They carry his signature touch too — his detailed and intricate draping.

And sure enough, the designers are shrugging off all talk of an economic squeeze. Says Beri: “You cannot design if you keep such constraints in hand.” Neither is Batra talking of cost-cutting or lowering the price tags.

So are you ready with your orders? Let the celebrations begin.