Peranakan traditional wedding dress

photo courtesy Wyndson 

 During my last stay in Singapore a few months ago I visited the Peranakan Museum and was really impressed with the amazing examples of peranakan handicrafts: beadwork, jewelry and textiles. A whole chamber of the museum was dedicated specifically to Peranakan weddings and I have to say that their wedding ensembles are one of the most beautiful, colourful and rich ones that I have ever seen. First of all, who are the Peranakans? The term Peranakan generally refers to people of mixed Chinese and Malay/Indonesian heritage. Many Peranakans trace their origins to 15th century Malacca where their ancestors were thought to be Chinese traders who married local women. The Peranakans were also known as Straits Chinese as they were usually born in the British-controlled Straits Settlements of Singapore, Penang and Malacca. They combined the elements of the Chinese, Malay and sometimes European culture into their own.

Wedding dress with a twist

Today is a bit different post. Different in the way that I am not showing off one of my outfits but just modelling for someone else. And it is not just an outfit but a wedding dress! And not a typical wedding dress but one with a twist. First, it is not white but ivory; second, ivory is combined with purple. And purple is not the colour that one would associate with bridal dresses.

Anarkali maxi dress and post-quake wedding

On Sunday we attended a first post-quake festive event: a wedding at our neighbourhood. The party was cancelled but they decided to go ahead with the ceremony after all. Of course, there was no music and dancing, no fancy food. Everything was organised in a quiet, homely manner. I still had not felt like dressing up but for the ceremony I simply had to. And I am glad I did, it really cheered me up. And though there was still tension on the faces and in the eyes of those who came for the event, it was really nice to get together, to forget for a while about what everybody has been through recently. I think people needed it.

Indian wedding party

In the beginning of December we were invited to a wedding in Jaipur. This Indian city is like a dream itself and to attend a wedding there would be like to find oneself in a fairy-tale. I especially want to see a groom arriving to the bride's house on an elephant. The invitation, actually four of them for each day of the four-day-long celebration, is one of the most beautiful I've ever received.

Traditional wedding costume and headdress of Europe

I have told you about traditional wedding costumes of India and Sri Lanka, about unique bridal jewelry of Indonesia, Nepal and Morocco. They are so beautiful, exotic and unique that honestly, the European white wedding dress seems a bit plain and boring. But...it has not always been like this. For most European countries a national costume in its most decorated form was worn as a bridal dress and some garment was added to indicate the girl as the bride, usually it was an elaborate headpiece. And what headpieces they were! A variety of colours, fabrics, textures and even precious jewels was used for bridal headdress.

Bride and groom from Bulgaria

In Bulgaria complicated arrangements of woolen braids and bunches of flowers were fastened between the bride's own hair which was plaited in a dozen or more braids. In parts of the Sofia region a bride would wear a huge halo of flowers and bunches of feather grass and her face were hidden by a curtain of numerous thin plaits hung with coins. And in Pleven region brides wore impressive halos of coins. A bridegroom would be distinguished by the white towel placed over one shoulder or around his neck and the posy of flowers or the wreath on his fur hat.

Wedding dresses of Russian celebrities

There is a picturesque little place in South Russia near the Black Sea Coast where in the late 19th century a royal winery was founded. The place is called Abrau Durso and in June on the territory of the Abrau Durso factory an exhibition of the wedding dresses of Russian celebrities was organised. I want to show you a few of them. As you can see on the photos, not always the traditional white dress is chosen, many brides preferred different colours and unusual designs.

This dress in light lilac colour from designer Zuhair Murad is decorated with thousands of Swarovski crystals

Bridal jewelry around the world

photo courtesy Jon Wason

What are the most traditional bridal jewelries in Europe and America? A tiara, a pearl necklace, maybe a bracelet, but of course, the most important of all, a wedding ring, a symbol of eternity, union and completeness as well as an emblem of strength and protection. But it is not so everywhere. In other countries there are other important bridal jewelries that every bride is supposed to wear on her big day to ensure the success of her marriage.

Mongolian wedding dresses

Quite accidentally I found these photos of wedding dresses for the Mongolian brides. I was amazed by their beauty and unusual design which combines traditional and modern elements. Very feminine outfits.

Wedding dresses through the 20th century

1890, Canada

Wearing white dress for a wedding is not that old tradition as it may seem. Actually, the fashion for this colour for the bride's outfit came only at the second half of the 19th century and thanks to Queen Victoria. In 1840 she married Prince Albert wearing a white gown and it came as quite a surprise because in those days white wasn't that popular colour in which to be married. Blue was generally the favourite choice for bridal wear because traditionally it was associated with purity and the Virgin Mary. It was also a symbol of fidelity and eternal love. Wedding gowns were seen also in greens, browns, yellows, and even black, if the bridegroom was a widower.
Soon after the queen's wedding women all over Europe and America began wearing white wedding dresses as well. And in 1920s Coco Chanel introduced a stunning new design: a knee length white wedding dress with a long train. And this strengthened white colour as the colour of a bride and nowadays it's very rare for a bride in Europe or the United States to get married in a colour other than white.
Look at these brides of the past in their beautiful white dresses. It is interesting to see how the gowns' design has been changing with the time.

Such different Indian brides

photo credit  Raj Kumar

When being asked about an Indian bride most people would portrait her in red sari with lots and lots of golden jewelry. That is a typical image of a Hindu bride. But in reality it is not quite so because in different parts of India brides wear different kinds of clothes, ornaments, and adornments that are usually typical of the area. A Rajasthani bride would wear a lehenga, a Punjabi bride would wear a salwar-kameez, and a Maharashtrian bride would wear a nine-yard saree. The costume is usually in shades of red, pink or mustard. Like her clothes, the bride's ornaments also differ according to local tradition.

Wedding costumes of Sri Lanka

These photos of the happy "just married" couple I took while on holiday in Sri Lanka. They were Christians and so the bride wore a traditional white dress decorated with beads and the groom's outfit was a really simple one as you can see.

Marwari brides and grooms in traditional dress

There are many Marwari people living in Nepal and I was lucky to be invited to a few Marwari weddings. The Marwari are an Indian ethnic group that originate from the Rajasthan region of India. Their weddings are colourful and joyous and the bride's and groom's outfits are just awesome. The groom usually wears achkan, jodhpuri or sherwani - traditional man's suits, turban and Rajasthani jootis on the feet. The bride wears heavily embroidered ghagra-choli (long skirt and blouse) mostly of red colour but it can also be orange, yellow, pink, maroon. There is also a lot of jewelry adorning her: rakhi for forehead, ear danglers, necklace, bangles, anklets, toe-ring and stone-studded nore-ring.

Nepali brides and grooms in traditional dress

I've been lucky to attend many Nepalese weddings. And here are some photos of "heroes" of any wedding - brides and grooms. I suppose in any country these two have to look spectacular because it is their day and the eyes of all the guests are on them.
The traditional Nepalese outfit for the groom is Daura Suruwal. It used to be the official dress during the Rana regime. You will not confuse Daura Suruwal with anything else because it is made of a special fabric, dhaka. The groom wears mathching dhaka topi (a hat) and shoes along with a patuka (a belt) wrapped around his waist. Honestly, for me it is just too much speckled. Some tuck a khukuri in the belt while some not.