Bridal fashion, Guest essentials, Tools and Tips

6 Game Changing Things That Make Dressing Up For Indian Weddings A Breeze

by Raj Desai | 6/3/22

All products listed were in stock and priced as shown at the time this was written. Dulhan may be compensated for some of the following recommendations.

There’s nothing like the excitement of getting ready for an Indian wedding. Glittering lehengas and saris. Luxurious jewels that sparkle in the light. The clink of bangles. The chime of anklets. Magical!

And then you trip over your sari pleats. Or permanently stain your new outfit with henna. Or get a bruise from the rhythmic bops of a tikka against your forehead (what can I say, my dancing’s dangerous).

via GIPHY

So yes, getting ready for an Indian wedding may be magical, but it can also be a (literal) headache. But despair not! Over the years I’ve learned a few tips, tricks, and products to help you avoid risking life and limb in the name of good South Asian fashion. Here are the most helpful six.

Hypafix For Mehndi

Using Hypafix tape for mehndi is so genius that I can’t believe someone didn’t think of it sooner. Gently wrap your dried mehndi in it to prevent premature flaking and get a deeper, darker stain. More importantly, Hypafix makes dried mehndi removal seamless. Just unwrap and even the most stubborn of flakes will come right off.

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Price: $11.80+

Sari Saheli For Sari Pleats

It’s common knowledge in my household that I will stubbornly spend hours of quality get-ready time pleating my sari, adjusting the pleats, pinning it together, unpinning, re-pleating, readjusting…you get the idea. I can never get it right. Oh, but the Sari Saheli! The Sari Saheli changes everything. Perfect pleats, every time, in a matter of minutes.

Price: $14.95

Dupatta Drape With Fashion Tape

Unlike many of the women in my family, the art of the safety pin eludes me. My pins are visible, injury inducing, and do shockingly little of what I actually intend for them to do. After pricking myself with a safety pin over and over again, I started to wonder—why not use fashion tape instead? Not for saris (I’d stick with the safety pins for that), but definitely to drape and style your dupatta.

Word of advice: test a small piece of the fashion tape you’re using on your dupatta to make sure it won’t damage the fabric.

Price: $10.75+

Attach Dupatta To Your Hair

Dupattas aren’t just hard to keep styled on your shoulders, they’re also hard to keep on your head. I can’t be the only one who gets irritated by the inevitable and repetitive slip, fall, pull routine.

The lovely founders of Made by PG (the makeup artists who did my wedding hair and makeup) came up with a pinning hack using safety and bobby pins to keep your dupatta on your head, neat and secure.

STK Kit For Tikka Setting

I’m really excited about this one, because nothing is more annoying than a tikka that flies all over the place. I had a dance teacher tell us that clear nail polish is great for this, but from personal experience it can be a hit or miss.

I personally love the STK Kit, which is specifically designed for Indian jewelry setting. It comes with a small comb for parting, a hook to loop your tikka through your hair, and adhesive to secure it to your forehead. Easy!

To order, send a DM via Instagram.

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Price: $13.99

Ear Chains For Heavy Earrings

Indian jewelry can be heavy. So heavy, that the night of my sangeet I thought my ears would rip from the weight. Little did I know that you can get extra support from ear chains (also known as sahare or kaan chains).

There are 2 different kinds – one that loops around your ear lobe, and a longer one that clips in your hair. From simple gold chains to kundan embellished ones, you’ll undoubtedly find a style to seamlessly match to your existing jewelry set.