Bollywood celebrities inspire wedding trends in Lucknow

With the wedding season on, brides in the city are busy getting the perfect trousseau. Featuring high on their list of must-haves is of course the attire they will be wearing on the wedding day. Seeking inspiration from the likes of Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra, most of them are opting for similarly designed outfits for their mehendi, sangeet and also the weddings. Take for example the case of Ridhima Seth, an employee at an MNC, who is running from pillar to post to get the same pastel lehenga that Anushka Sharma wore on her wedding. "It’s been two months since I have been looking for a lehenga like the one Anushka wore at her wedding. The moment I saw that lehenga, I knew it is going to be my wedding dress too," shares she.

Deepika Padukone’s golden Kanjeevaram, that she wore for her wedding reception, is much in demand among brides in Lucknow (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav)

So, it’s no surprise then that the replicas of these wedding ensembles are a total sell-out as soon as they hit the market in Lucknow. Shopkeepers in the city say that

Bollywood

weddings are creating a buzz and people are actually wanting to wear what their favourite celebrity wore at their wedding or for the various ceremonies.
Vipin Kumar, store manager at a popular store in Aminabad, tells us that people get photographs of the kind of lehenga their favourite Bollywood personality wore and are asking for similar ones. "The pastel colour wedding outfit that Anushka Sharma wore on her wedding day is the most in demand. We try to fulfil the girls’ demands but then woh exactly same wali baat nahi aati. The customer demands ki hamein toh same cheez hi chahiye and we have to give in to their demands. In fact, the would-be brides are ready to go to any lengths to get the same kind of lehenga made for their wedding. Also, the katan silk sari that Priyanka Chopra’s mami was wearing on her reception is in great demand these days. So we have tried to get that made and people have liked it."

The Banarasi silk sari Anushka Sharma wore at her reception in Delhi, is among the must-haves for almost all brides-to-be in Lucknow these days (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav)

Same is the case at another prominent showroom in Hazratganj. Rohit Gurnani, the owner says, "The moment any celebrity gets married and their pictures are on social media or television, we have a long queue of customers coming to buy similar saris or lehenga that they wore. Ever since Deepika Padukone wore a golden Kanjeevaram for her reception, customers have been asking us to get a similar one for each of them."
And it is not just the female celebrities who are creating wedding trends. "I’m getting a lot of demand for the black embroidered sherwani that Ranveer Singh wore for his reception from would-be grooms," adds Rohit.

Chehak (R) replicated Alia Bhatt’s (L) look from Sonam Kapoor Ahuja’s reception for a wedding in Lucknow (BCCL)

Another shopkeeper Girdhar Balani, owner of a popular store in Aminabad says, "Nowadays the brides know exactly what they want. They come with their research work like magazine cutouts and pictures irrespective of the price. Although the original costs a lot much, we sell these replicas for a fraction of that cost. Recently I sold the red Banarasi silk sari similar to one that Anushka wore on her wedding reception for Rs 20,000 to a customer."
Meenal Jain, who will be tying the knot in February will be wearing a red gota lehenga similar to one that Deepika wore for her Konkani wedding. "I simply loved Deepika’s bright wedding attire. Though I didn’t get one just like it, I got one somewhat similar to that. I showed it to my friends and they were surprised that it looks exactly the same. Bollywood celebrities have always inspired fashion trends whether in general or for the wedding season. "
Even bride-to-be Shaista Siddiqui is getting Alia Bhatt’s gharara, which the actress wore in 'Raazi,' for her wedding. "That gharara is classy and timeless. The zari work, embroidery appealed me to so much that I wanted to wear it for my wedding," shares Shaista.
- Prachi Arya