Christian Louboutin Jeweled Slingback

Hi ladies! Our last shoe post was all about comfort and style for the practical bride. The Sari-Clad Bride has already given you advice on what you should look for in bridal shoes if you love your feet more than your shoes. But we have to say that if there can be exceptions to the Octet rule of atomic bonding, there are exceptions to our rules as well. Plus, our readers have spoken! You wanted to know about the lavish and just plain outrageous (in a good way of course!) styles for bridal shoes which will make your guests do a double-take at your feet! So here are some of those exceptional exceptions. We do have to warn you: such envious action does come at a price!

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Let’s face it ladies; with all the heavy dresses and jewelry we have to wear on our wedding day, it’s no easy feat  to walk in 6-inch heels as well. It’s uncomfortable enough to have all that on along with the makeup and a hairdo under the very bright flashlights of cameras, on top of which we have to be careful of our every move in order not to undo the dupatta on our head or the folds of our sari. At the end of it all, us modern brides want to be able to dance our night away, and those of us without a D.S. degree (Dancing in Stilettos), need alternatives! So I say “No!” to high heels and “Bring on the low and mid heels please!!”

What you should look for while shopping for comfy bridal shoes:

• A medium heel: Perfect for adding a few inches to your height without overwhelming you.

• A cone-shaped heel: Provides more support than pencil heels.

• The slip-on style: For easy access, since various South Asian wedding rituals require the bride to put her shoes on and off.

• Avoid ankle straps: As we usually like to wear anklets (nupur/payalias), shoes with ankle straps may get in the way.

• Open toe/open front: Makes your feet look less official and more fun and flirty. Not to mention,      you don’t want to cover the gorgeous henna/mehndi designs!

• Bejeweled front: With all the decorative clothes and jewelry to wear, an ornamental touch in the front is more than enough to make a fashion statement.

www.piperlime.com

The Bandolino Quitarah evening sandals ($34.99) are a good example of all of the above. Note the medium cone-shaped heel and the jeweled details on the top – this may not be something right out of Vogue, but it will definitely work with a bridal sari or lehenga. We love is that it’s also leather!

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INSPIRATION
Read more about Karisma’s wedding here.

Gorgeous Karishma Kapoor on her wedding day

A modern take
We love the simple halter top and intricate skirt on this lehenga–perfect for a modern bride’s reception look.
Where: Silkthreads
How much: $1495.00

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Kolkata–the “it” place to shop in India– has been a wedding shopping destination for years.  Brides from all over the Western world and South Asia go to Kolkata to do their wedding shopping.

Here are the Sari-Clad Bride’s top shopping destinations in Kolkata;

Park Street courtesy of India Mike

Courtesy of James Nichloas Sears

• Park Street: For major wedding sari shopping for the bride, mother of the bride, sisters, and close family that you need to gift saris, you can rely on Park Street for a one-stop shopping experience.  On the Sari-Clad Bride’s recently Kolkata shopping spree, Park Street was her favorite destination. In two days on Park Street, we bought over 30+ beautiful saris from stores such as Sarovar, Savera, Rangoli,  and several other stores.  Additionally, you will find stores for designers kameezes along Park Street. Just a simple stroll down Park Street will cover all your bases for wedding sari shopping! Read more

One of our favorite beauty bloggers and makeup artists, i♥makeup, has provided The Sari-Clad Bride with a few tips on packing up your beauty and skincare products for your honeymoon. Enjoy!

Okay ladies, the big day’s over, and now you’re ready to jet off on your honeymoon with your hubby dearest. Most of us tend to give our clothes, shoes and accessories too much importance and forget skin/hair care essentials. Here’s a quick list of what you should definitely have ready.

Make-up Bag Essentials:

1. Foundation/Concealer/Powder: Since you’re going to be relaxing more, don’t worry about full-coverage foundation. Instead opt for a tinted moisturizer like Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer–it gives you the right amount of coverage, gives your skin that extra boost of moisture, and includes SPF 20.

lauramercier.com

If you feel you absolutely need concealer, my favorite one that goes on flawlessly is Benefit Erase Paste. It’s strong enough to cover anything, from pimple scars to undereye circles; Benefit’s got you covered. Go over the tinted moisturizer to finish off your look with Make Up For Ever Duo Mat Powder Foundation. It goes on like a dream, stays on the whole day, and also gives you that extra bit of coverage. Now, I know there are some of you who love their foundation and aren’t willing to let go that easily. To you ladies, I bring Revlon Custom Creations Foundation. I know you’re probably wondering why am I recommending this one. Well for starters, this has 5 shade settings in every bottle, which range from light to dark within each color family. It’s a perfect honeymoon essential because your skin will change in tone if you’re out in the sun all the time, and instead of cursing at your skin for not matching your foundation anymore, you have up to 5 shades to play around with to match you perfectly. Finish off with powder after.

2. Eyebrows: Us desi women tend to think that we don’t need to fill in our eyebrows. That is the biggest myth around town. Some are blessed with dark eyebrows, but some of us have to rely on eyebrow fillers. I love using brown eye shadow to give my arches a natural look. I would recommend M.A.C Espresso Eyeshadow. Now, the great thing about Espresso is that it triples as a great crease color, and it makes a gorgeous eye liner when you lined with a damp eye liner brush. Even if you decide you want to go the au naturel route make sure you fill in your eyebrows, they give your eyes so much more depth and instantly make them bright. Read more

The Sari-Clad Bride recently had the opportunity to go shopping for gold in New York City –exact location: the infamous Jackson Heights a.ka. Desi Central! There are probably twenty or more jewelry stores in this Queens neighborhood and competition is fierce. The Sari-Clad Bride was on a mission to help her friend, Syeda, shop for bridal jewelry for her last-minute wedding the very next day (look out for a post on planning a quickie wedding, coming soon)!

We discovered a few jewelry shopping basics;

• Bridal sets prices depend on karat, weight, color, intricacy of design, and whether all-gold, semi-precious and precious gemstones.
• Gold sets with gemstones are usually more expensive.
• This summer, the price of 22-karat gold varies between 32.5 dollars per gram to 36dollars per gram–depending how well you could bargain (in which case, taking along a particularly annoying Auntie might help!).
• Tip: Pay in cash and you won’t have to pay taxes, which can be a hefty sum, considering the thousands of dollars one set costs!

Here are some traditional, 22-karat bridal sets our friend, Syeda, tried out.

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Pohela Boishakh

Every year, on the first day of the year, Bengalis all over Bangladesh and India celebrate Pohela Boishakh–the Bengali New Year.  This day is filled with food, songs, new saris, etc.  However, one tradition that I learned about during my recent trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh was that of ‘Hal Khata’.  Hal Khata, which literally translates to ‘New Notebook’ in Bangla, is a custom in which jewelry buyers pay up all their debts to jewelry stores on Pohela Boishakh.  In order to show their appreciation, jewelry stores invite their customers for a feast on Pohela Boishakh, which occurs mid-April of every year.

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