Do you need to indulge in a wedding stylist?

In the midst of all the chaos that planning a wedding entails, here’s how stylists are making sure that the bride and the groom look their absolute best 

The big fat Indian wedding. You’ve seen it in movies, you’ve attended it, you’ve enjoyed it. According to a survey conducted by Wedding Wishlist–an Indian wedding registry website–in 2022, it is noted that a staggering one crore weddings take place in India every year. Not only that, the wedding industry in the country is growing at 25 to 30 per cent annually, making it the  second largest in the world, following the United States of America. These statistics are not hard to believe for all of us who have experienced this rise of nuptials in the country, more so after the pandemic-induced lockdowns.

Whether it’s a small ceremony or a ₹750 crore wedding (yup, that’s how much was spent on a wedding in the family of one of India’s largest business conglomerates) if you’re the bride or the groom, you definitely want to look your best on your big day. More often than not it’s someone from your family who helps you decide what to wear, what make-up to opt for and what jewellery to adorn your outfit with, all of which can be overwhelming and stressful. Enter wedding stylists.

This growing clutch of professional advisors is here to make it slightly easier for the bride and the groom by lending their expertise when it comes to building a wedding wardrobe. But are they worth shelling out the big bucks for? We spoke to the experts in the field to understand why hiring a wedding stylist is perhaps one of the best things you can do for your nuptials. 

Do you need a stylist?

The WedMeGood Indian Wedding Industry Report of 2021-2022 noted that almost eight per cent of the total wedding cost is dedicated towards the couple’s outfits. This makes sense since bridalwear in India doesn’t just consist of the actual outfit the bride wears during her nuptials. With at least three events revolving around a wedding, multiple outfit changes in between are a given. Whether it’s Sabyasachi or an independent label, there are a host of designers, brands and shops that specifically cater to the bride and groom.

Wedding stylist Rashi Kapur started helping other brides knowing how overwhelming the whole process of choosing the outfit is, having recently gotten married herself. “There are a lot of decisions to be made by the bride to look her best on their special day. There is coordinating with the designers, negotiating the rates, customisations, fitting and so much more. It can get quite stressful for the bride to manage it all. With my help, this is one less thing for them to worry about once I take over from them. That's the value I provide,” says Kapur, who had styled popular fashion influencer Niki Mehra Madan for her wedding festivities.

Menswear designer and wardrobe consultant Govinda Mehta, who has dressed celebrities such as Ranveer Singh and Farhan Akhtar, believes that people are too busy with various aspects of their lives and so it becomes difficult for them to handle everything by themselves. “There has come a time in our culture where brides and grooms have begun to trust the advice of a consultant, someone who is in this field of expertise. People are so busy that they are happy to entrust this guidance on someone,” says Mehta, the owner of Raisson D’Être—a bespoke menswear label.

It’s not just the busy ones living in India who need help but also the NRIs, for although they are deeply rooted in the Indian culture, may not be clued in about the latest designer collections and trends, as image consultant and wedding stylist Meha Bhargava explains. “More often than not, a person based internationally is a second or third generation of Indians living abroad. They don't know what's happening in India, where to shop, speak the language, or have the time to coordinate with the designers in real time. That’s where we come in, as someone backing them from here,” says Bhargava, whose New Delhi-based company Styl Inc mostly deals with international clients.

A not-so-easy job

Being a wedding stylist is not as easy as going to designer shops and buying things. Hypothetically, let’s assume you are the bride. You may have envisioned what your dream wedding outfit may look like, but it takes time, work and effort to turn your ‘dream outfit’ into a reality, keeping your style, your body type, your personality and the event in mind. “The way I work is that I start by understanding what my brides want to wear. I try to work with their personality to develop a moodboard of what they should wear. So it's sort of a combination of what they want to look like on their wedding event with my opinion of what would look good,” says Kapur. But that’s not all. “I also help them find the right jewellery and other accessories they might want to add, how they should style their hair and even how to drape their dupattas,” she adds.

Mehta, too, not only takes over the groom’s wardrobe but also makes sure that the rest of the family’s outfits are in sync with those of the bride and groom. “I often tell people I consult that leave your thoughts to me, let the final decision be made by me. This is also what we try to do as consultants; we guide the client and their families in how they should be looking at things through a micro-perspective. We help them sort through the large amount of information that is out there to help them identify that perfect product that speaks volumes about who they are, the choices they’ve made and, of course, that can complement the bride’s outfit to the best capability,” he says. “From the bride’s perspective, if they are looking to get that beautiful photograph, the only way we can achieve that is by controlling all the inputs that go into that photograph,” adds Mehta. 

While in pictures and on Instagram, newlyweds may look aesthetically pleasing and coordinated in their matching outfits, the job of a wedding stylist goes way more beyond getting the same coloured designer pieces and weaving in your story and style.

Nailing personal style

Let’s be honest, at Indian weddings, many often try to out-shine each other with their attire. For the bride and the groom, it’s easy to lose their personality under this grandiose of designer clothing. How difficult is it for a stylist, then, to incorporate the bride or a groom's personal style? “It's very close to the idea of building your own wardrobe. So you need to know your personal style, whether it is minimal or dramatic. Using those elements, you have to make considerable customisations in an outfit that you like. So if you are minimal, then you would probably like a straightforward cut and design. If you're more feminine, there are fabrics like lace and pastel colours to play around with. All of these things, little by little, get adapted and reflect your style and personality,” explains Bhargava.  

But what happens if the bride or the groom’s expectations and visions don’t match with that of their stylist? “Sometimes I may not agree with a client but I’m honest about it because some people come to me to understand what not to wear as well. I can't change their dream. I obviously provide my opinion, but beyond that, I try to work with their vision and make it better. I have to be flexible with my approach. I can't force my aesthetic onto everybody. I have to make them dress like themselves,” Kapur explains.

For Mehta, the most important thing is to understand the client—his likes and limitations—and then balance it with creating something that is right for each occasion. “As stylists and wardrobe consultants, we try to capture the essence of the person while creating his outfit. This comes with spending the right amount of time and listening to the client. We couldn’t be further away from the end goal if we just try to cut, copy and paste. We have to understand the person before we offer the right kind of products to him,” says Mehta, who works with at least five clients a day on an average.

If you think about it, having a wedding stylist is almost like going shopping with your bestie, only this bestie is professionally attuned to make you look your best on one of the most important days of your life.

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