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