Clothing or jewellery inherited over generations is a priceless addition to a bride's trousseau. Here are six celebrity brides who finessed their bridal looks with family heirlooms.
Amid chaotic wedding planning and organising, all prospective brides spend several months thinking about their bridal trousseau and wedding outfits above everything else. Wedding looks are incomplete without the bridal jewellery, which not only embellishes the outfit but also goes on to take a special place in a bride’s heart for the rest of her life. The rapidly changing bridal trends and the growing list of real-life celebrity brides have given us major style inspiration, but sometimes, all the wealth and choice in the world cannot satisfy the desire for the perfect, personalised look.
The desire for brand-new custom-made outfits is often contrasted by a return to a family heirloom, such as a bridal ornament that belongs to your mother or your mother-in-law, and fits in perfectly into your dream attire for your big day. Unlike a new piece of jewellery or clothing, a gift from your mother or your mother-in-law’s own wedding jewellery not only completes your wedding day but also symbolises your generational bond with your family and the love you receive as you become the newest addition to a family. Here are six celebrity brides who finessed their bridal looks with family heirlooms.
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This beloved daughter of the Kapoor khaandaan and the Begum of Pataudi, Kareena Kapoor is an inspiration to every Indian woman. Her wedding with her long-term partner, Saif Ali Khan, in 2012, was one of the most awaited events in Bollywood, with every aspiring bride eagerly awaiting her bridal look. As her best friend and one of the best designers for Indian attires in Bollywood, Manish Malhotra was expected to create her wedding outfit. Therefore, it came as a surprise to everyone when Bebo decided to wear her mother-in-law, Sharmila Tagore’s own outfit from her nikah to Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi in 1962!
The rust-orange traditional sharara suit, heavily embroidered with gold zari with a thick mint-green border at the bottom of the sharara, originally belonged to Saif’s grandmother and, passed down over generations of Pataudi brides, was revived by designer Ritu Kumar for Kareena’s special day. All props to Bebo and Ritu Kumar for retaining the antiquity and beauty of the masterpiece.
The youngest daughter of the Pataudis, Soha Ali Khan, married her partner of seven years, actor Kunal Kemmu, in a gorgeous custom Sabyasachi trousseau. Her ivory-gold, heavily embroidered and jewel-encrusted lehenga with a light orange odhni looked elegant. However, it was her jewellery—the trademark passa and the emerald-green beaded raanihaar—that really brightened the look.
In true royal fashion, her bridal jewellery belonged to her mother’s heritage collection and has been in the family for generations, even seen on her sister-in-law before. If only we all had such royal heirlooms for our wedding celebrations!
One of the hottest Bollywood brides of 2018, Sonam Kapoor’s intimate yet high-profile wedding was the talk of the town—or at least, the talk of Instagram. As expected, the weekend-long wedding saw the bride undergo several outfit-changes, each of which was custom-made and made all of us wish we could be her at the time. Sonam being the queen of literally every kind of look, this came as no surprise to anyone, but what’s notable even about her carefully planned wedding looks was her bridal jewellery.
For her white-themed sangeet, she paired her minimalist Abu-Jani and Sandeep-Khosla ivory lehenga, adorned with intricate gold embroidery and glass-work, with vintage jewellery gifted to her years ago by her mother. The gorgeous kundan choker, earrings and maang-tikka set has already been worn by her on the Cannes red carpet and is something that carries a special significance for her.
India’s sweethearts, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh’s luxurious destination wedding was the biggest cultural event of 2018. The entire country waited for the highly private affair to finish so we would be able to finally catch a glimpse of the celebrations, and most of all, style icon Deepika Padukone’s outfit choices. True enough, she did not disappoint, with every single outfit custom-made by the king of bridalwear, Sabyasachi.
However, for one of their grand receptions, Deepika chose to forego the custom outfits and instead donned a plain gold kanjeevaram saree which had been gifted to her by her mother and was a limited-edition creation from Bangalore-based heritage label, The House of Angadi. While her classic white full-sleeved blouse and her contrasting emerald-green choker and earrings set were still designed by Sabyasachi, it was her saree paired with the sindoor that really transformed her into an ethereal bride.
Actress and director, Konkona Sen Sharma is known for being different from the mainstream in her choices of films as well as her red carpet style. Usually seen in cotton, khadi or linen sarees and handloom suits at the red carpet and promotional events, Konkona’s intimate wedding to actor Ranvir Shorey also reflected her minimalist and monochrome aesthetic.
She complemented her gold silk lehenga with matching kundan jewellery set that she inherited from her grandmother, which included earrings and layered necklaces. Deviating from the traditional North Indian as well as Bengali norms, she was a sight for sore eyes as a simple yet elegant bride.
Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi had extremely hushed and private wedding celebrations, but Neha managed to steal the show with her sophisticated blush pink Anita Dongre lehenga. The look was completed by a gorgeous kundan pearl choker set, but what really stood out among the jewellery was the vintage ring worn by her, which was a gift from her groom. The heirloom ring, which belonged to the Bedi family and was a symbol of her acceptance into the family, made her bridal jewellery even more special.
All the outfits worn by a bride over the course of her wedding, along with the jewellery, remain her most cherished possessions for the rest of her life, but nothing can be more special than a piece of jewellery or clothing that has already been treasured by a family over time. By incorporating heirloom pieces into their bridal outfits, these celebrity brides have made their custom-made designer looks a bit more personal and contributed to the legacies of their families.