For a bride, her wedding day is the most special day in her life. This is a day she dreams of, thinks about constantly, and makes hundreds and thousands of plans about. Of course, what she will wear on her special day will take the most important place in her mind. A bride will naturally have a desire to shine and glow like a precious gem on her wedding day and the clothes she will wear must reflect this wish.
A typical wedding in Bangladesh will last for four days and the bride will wear a different set of clothes for each occasion. ‘Gaye Holud’, ‘Gaya Holud’, ‘Bou-Bhaat’, and Bou Baran are just some of the ceremonies that form a part of a typical Bangladeshi wedding. A bride chooses her clothes very carefully, with the help of her close relatives and friends. In Bangladesh, as in several other parts of the world, the wedding attire of a bride and a groom will reflect the traditional clothes of those regions. A bride will wear a traditional Bangladeshi sari, and the groom will wear a Kurta-Pyjama or a Bangladeshi Sherwani. You may have heard already that the Sari is the traditional garment preferred by women in India and in Bangladesh. The garment can be described as a long five meter piece of unstitched cloth, which can be draped in any of the several preferred styles available.
A bride can choose to wear a Lehenga/choli for any of the rituals associated with the Bangladeshi wedding. This is a stunningly crafted long skirt worn with an exquisitely embroidered short blouse. A dupatta covers the blouse in elegant folds. The groom can wear the traditional sherwani or long jacket teamed up with pajamas. He can accessorize the garment with a matching turban, or a stole, and mojaris and juttis, the traditional footwear for men.
I was talking to the mother of the bride at a Bangladeshi wedding I attended recently, and she told me that there are several varieties of bridal saris in Bangladesh: Jamdani, Tangail, Muslin, Rajshahi Silk, and Mirpur. The Jamdani variety is known for its versatility and its stylishness. Each sari is unique and special because of its exquisitely crafted designs and this is the preferred attire of choice for a Bangladeshi bride. Tangail saris are produced by traditional Bangladeshi weavers and each piece is beautifully crafted and gorgeously designed. Muslin is one of the oldest and finest cloths ever produced and was the preferred cloth worn by Queens of the past. However, the British managed to kill the Muslin makers, so the secret of this exotic cloth has been destroyed forever. Rajshahi and Mirpur silk are fabrics created out of the cocoons of silkworms. They are rich and look stunning. These are fabrics much preferred by brides and grooms alike for their traditional wedding attire.
Most brides in Bangladesh love to dress in red for their wedding, and red is the color preferred for the bridal attire. Teamed up with rich gold jewelry, the bridal attire will do full justice to the wearer and a Bangladeshi bride will look stunning on her big day! The groom most often chooses the color gold for his wedding attire, and he teams it up with a stunning stole or turban in red and gold.
My first experience of a Bangladeshi wedding was incredible, and I was amazed at the traditional wedding attire worn by the bride as well as by the groom. After all, a wedding happens just once in a lifetime, and it is worth spending a little on oneself to look great, don’t you agree? In all, it was an unforgettable experience for me, and I was reeling from the impact of all the gorgeous and stunning colors and designs displayed by the bride and groom and their respective families.
If you ever get a chance to attend a Bangladeshi wedding, make sure you do not miss it! It was to me the experience of a lifetime, and it will be the same for you too!
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