On your dream day, you want to look like the queen. You may have spent hours on Pinterest and Instagram finding your perfect outfit, or you may be starting your search from scratch. Finding your wedding outfits can be stressful, especially given how many events South Asian weddings can have plus all of the outfits for your parents and siblings. A common question that comes up is should I travel across the world and go wedding shopping in India?

You’ll find couples who say absolutely, it’s worth it to travel to India, and other couples who say that they found everything they wanted in the US or Canada and are glad they didn’t make the long haul trip. I chose to go to India and purchase several of my outfits, but I also found several of my outfits in the US. Wedding shopping in India can be insane and exhilarating as Sheila Marikar described in From Ride Share to Rickshaw: Adventures of Wedding Shopping in India. I’ll start this piece by including the pros and cons I’ve heard from couples about wedding shopping in India and then end with tips and top stores to visit in Delhi if you end up visiting the wedding capital of India.

Finally for all those couples and guests wanting to shop virtually for their Indian wedding outfits either online or in Texas, please visit our incredible lehenga, saree and clothing vendors. 

Pros

• Greater variety
• Greater value for money
• Save money if you are buying a larger volume of outfits (e.g., for family as well)
• Latest trends
• Get treated like a royal bride (get your samosa chaat & filter coffee while you look at clothes)

Cons

• Stressful (have to bargain, deal with Delhi traffic & dust, escape from street hawkers)
• Chaotic (visit many shops in limited time, deal with the hot & cold weather)
• Long-distance to travel
• Really need someone who knows the market to take your around

Notes about Shopping in Delhi:

• While Delhi can be an expensive city to shop in, it’s also the Indian wedding shopping capital, given the local designers, inspiration from the North and South and of course, Bollywood!
• Pricing can be as little $200 and as high as $5K for an average outfit
• If you are looking for Sabyasachi or another high-end designer, you can easily find yourself paying more than $8-10K for an outfit
• Wedding shopping in India can be extremely exhausting and frustrating, so I highly recommend you plan your stops out in advance. Below are my recs around Delhi based on personal experience and tons of research:

For Women

• South Extension
  • Frontier Raas: Huge collection for all budgets, including lehengas, sarees, and gowns for family members
  • Roop Sari Palace: Reasonably priced lehengas
  • Aza Fashions: Multi-designer couture collections
  • Meena Bazaar 
  • Kala Shree
• Chandni Chowk
  • Ram Kishan Sarees: Designer inspired at $1K and up
  • Om Prakash Jawahar Lal: Couture brand that provides a wide range of lehengas and gowns
  • Asiana Couture: Fresh & contemporary designs, aimed at the "NRI" bride with beautiful lehengas that start at $2K and above
  • Kamal Bhai Saree Sangam: For those looking for more budget-friendly options
  • Sudhir Bhai Saree Wala: Modern + traditional looks at budget-friendly prices

 For Men

• South Extension
  • Seirra Thakur Label: Approachable menswear for grooms, groomsmen, and guests
  • Study by Janak: Silk and casual wedding kurtas, sherwanis and other options for men and groomsmen
  • Manyavar: Well-established Indian clothing brand with moderate selection of men's wedding and casual wear. Easy to order online or visit the Houston location and purchase everything from the sherwani to the matching juttis. 
  • Diwan Sahab: Couture for men as they offer wedding sherwanis, tuxedos, and other indo-western options

Need help with planning your dream Indian wedding in Dallas, Houston or Austin?

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