Red, pastel or ivory: choosing your bridal colour
How skin tone, the time of your ceremony and the venue’s light should guide the colour you choose.
Storing your bridal lehenga after the wedding
Air it, fold it in muslin and refold it every few months: how to keep zardozi bright for years.
Most brides pack the lehenga into its box the night after the wedding and do not open it again for a year. By then the folds have set, the metal thread has dulled and there may be a mark from a spilt drink. A little care in the first week prevents all of that.
First, air it. Hang the skirt inside out over two chairs in a shaded room for a day, so sweat and perfume can evaporate. Never put it in direct sun, which fades velvet and pastel organza within hours. Check for stains while you do this; food and turmeric marks should come to us within two weeks, before they set.
Then wrap it. Fold the skirt along its panels, not across the embroidery, and lay a sheet of white muslin between each fold so metal work does not rub against fabric. Wrap the whole outfit in a plain cotton cloth. Avoid plastic covers and coloured cloth, which trap moisture and can bleed dye in a Jaipur monsoon.
Store it flat in a trunk or a deep drawer, with a few neem leaves or a cotton pouch of cloves rather than naphthalene balls, which can tarnish zardozi. Every three or four months, open it, refold it along different lines and let it breathe for an hour. If you would like us to do this for you, we clean, steam and pack outfits from our own brides for ₹2,500.
