Trousseau stories, Trousseau must-haves and How to take care: Day 20 #blogchattera2z challenge

With brides, clothes and jewellery are the favorite topics of the wedding lifetime.

Yes! you read it right. It takes a lifetime to plan, prepare and execute the wedding dream.

In India, we have different communities and different traditions but all circle around giving clothes to the bride. Some have said at least 21 sarees should be given to the bride, some say 11 saree is just fine and some say anything is fine. In our house also, this was a hot topic of discussion.

How many sarees should be given? Which material saree should be given silk or cotton or net? What kind of heavy design or borders or light wear? Should give only sarees? Or maybe suit also can be included in the count?

Please note the count is very important!

When all these discussions were going on I enjoyed the pampering and the authority to decide the final trousseau. Though, I was sad somehow why this unnecessary pressure of counting and showing off everything. Parents wouldn’t listen. So, I came up with a great alternative. I asked them to give me suits and dresses instead of just sarees. Somehow they found my point sensible as sarees wouldn’t be used frequently.

Well, all these discussions aside I am excited to tell you what all I actually included in my trousseau and how my dreams of being the royal bride were fulfilled.

All my outfits to be given for the trousseau were quite planned and coordinated with my partner for every function. Even, the first days at the new house were taken care of.

1. Ghagra story you all know. My red wedding ghagra was of net and satin with zari, velvet and Swarovski work. I also got beautiful orange tussar silk Rajputi ghagra with gota patti work for Sangeet.
2. Sarees collection was the best and my favorite. Fashion is expensive for sure. But, it was totally worth it. I got georgette sarees, organza, Banarasi silk sarees. Georgette sarees were mostly bright and pastel colors with pearl, Swarovski, zari, lace, stone, gota patti works. Banarasi silk costs a fortune but it is definitely for a bride. The work was exquisite from Kolkata and Jaipur.
3. Suits for a bride today is a blessing in disguise. It’s a great excuse to not wear saree and still look like a bride. I got suits in chanderi, georgette, lace, net silk, chiffon. Did you know some of the Kundan and Swarovski work is only done in Kolkata? And gota patti and zari work in Jaipur is the best!
4. Dresses I got designed were made with looks such that they could be used as a suit if required. I got georgette and cotton dresses. Most of them have pearl and stonework.
5. Some casual clothes also😁

All these clothes are amazing to have but a tailor or a designer who understands your body type and can make everything especially blouses and kurtas in the right fit is of utmost importance. Investing in the right tailor is the right choice instead of just buying readymade ones.

With proper fitting the clothes make you look princess otherwise it’s just a waste of time and hard earned money.

I had only one designer and tailor who did all my saree blouses, ghagra blouses, suits with kurta churidar/salwar and my dresses. It’s been 5 years and I still wear the same clothes and fitting is just right. I am fat but the clothes are so perfectly designed that they reduce 5 kgs 🙂

Taking care of all these clothes was another huge task. We had got beautiful satin and muslin saree cover for each of these. It’s so important I might talk in details sometime later about how to take care.

Some quick tippers for taking good care of the clothes

• Always store sarees and heavy suits in saree cover and/or heavy duty hangers. Muslin, cloth, satin, net are good options
• Never use perfumes directly on the clothes or jewellery. Instead, put on the neck and wrist
• Don’t put naphthalene balls on wedding clothes as the work will get spoilt and turn black
• Silk saree should always be stored in satin or muslin
• Never wear blouses or kurtas without arm pads
• Take care of borders and laces as they tend to get spoilt while walking
• Choose the footwear according to work of your outfit. The border tends to get stuck, resulting in threads of the heavy design borders coming out.
• The tassels need to be wrapped in tissue or muslin before storing in covers
• The kurta and blouses with work and pads should be stuffed with cotton or tissue and stored in blouse covers or saree covers
• Use dry-cleaning for wedding clothes and not wash with water directly. Get charak or polish done if needed
• Instant cleaner for tea, oil or ghee marks is powder. It helps to soak them from the clothes and the mark tends to go after dry-cleaning
• Jewellery should be stored in cotton or wrapped in muslin to keep them safe and maintain the shine without scratches

I just can’t stop too much to write. But I have to as its a long read. So, I will post more in upcoming blogs.

Till then take care of your trousseau. Think positive and be happy!

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