My mother was truly stylish. Here was one woman who never knew the names of any big designers, wore flowers in her hair, and made them into earrings. Her skin glistened with freshness and innocence, even when she became a mother of two. The first colored lipstick she bought for herself was when my brother got married. But the saris she wore! Beautiful silks, chiffons, georgettes, and of course, cotton sari. She was so delicate and feminine and embodied elegance. I so wanted to be like her when I grew up.
When my wedding was coming closer, like every bride, my biggest worry was, “What will I wear?”. Ours was a civil wedding, followed by two wedding receptions, almost a week apart, so I knew I could wear something fancy and elaborate to the wedding receptions. To the civil wedding, I wanted to wear something special. If you have been a reader of this blog for a while, you would have read about how my mother has been a major influence in my life, and obviously, I missed her presence more and more as my big day came closer. I had to have her with me, somehow.
So I decided to wear one of Ma’s saris to the wedding day. My initial choice was a bottle green and dull gold sari that she had worn for her own wedding. But that sari is too delicate and very worn out from use for over 40 years, so I settled upon this gorgeous georgette sari that Ma liked a lot. Also, I wanted to wear no make-up or any noticeable accessories, as that’s how my mother dressed up all her life. I chose a very simple set of pearl earrings, and just a touch of kohl completed my look. There was no base, no foundation, and no lipstick. And that’s how I wanted to look as a bride.
My brother was pleasantly surprised when he saw me wear our mother’s sari on the D-Day. We lost both our parents not so long ago, and it was an emotional moment for both of us. That sari just made all the difference. As I drove to the court with my family; my brother, his wife, and my niece, I felt so much at peace.
I look at these pictures from that day and feel so good. Wedding clothes need not be about designers and drop-dead stunning accessories. Sometimes, as in my case, wedding clothes are all about emotions, tradition. I could have gone for a heavily embroidered designer sari, but this lovely georgette made my wedding’s memories even more special.
