Aaina Bridal

A multi-strand necklace of faux pearls with a green stone side pendant from TAD. You can see more styles from the same designer via exclusively.in

So I ordered digital cable for my parents so my kids could watch more of their kids’ shows….ummmm yeeeeeaaah…It turns out Aapka Colours Channel is free until March.  Let’s just say, no one in my house dares to watch television in my house except for my mom.  Those darn dramas, they are mind-numbingly addictive.  Anyways, on the upside, I do get to see what everyone’s wearing, so I am mostly busy critiquing everyone’s clothes.  There’s one soap, Sasural Simar Ka, where the mother-in-law, Mata Jee, is always wearing this pearl necklace with side kundan pendant, and I really like it. It’s sort of an updated take on a Victorian look with a desi twist. What do you think, trend or no trend?  Actually, come to think of it, I have worn this look to a wedding before, but it was a slightly more western take, with a multi-strand necklace of different size pearls, a gold link chain, and a fabric flower from Aldo. Maybe that’s why I like it.

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Just wanted to quickly mention a few blogs I’m reading lately, that I am finding to be loads of fun and very resourceful.  Both are written by brides-to-be, and I hope they don’t mind me mentioning them here!

Shaza’s Scrapbook
This personal blog, written by bride-to-be Shaza chronicles her walk to the altar with detailed posts on everything from shopping in Karachi, to local eats (wedding related, no, but come one, we all need to unplug from the wedding brain for a while) I loved her post on and her review of local (halal!) eater Chipotle, which I am definitely planning on checking out next time I’m in the T dot O, since I’m really Jonesing for Mexican food these days.

Obsession99
Also another great blog, I found my latest workout-to-be here.  Like Shaza, she writes really detailed, heartfelt posts about the whole wedding planning thing.  Honestly, as someone who just started blogging about bridal fashion because I liked the pretty pictures, I really like the way brides are journalling the whole process online. When I got married, there were no desi wedding blogs (wincing as I date myself), and I was the first of my friends to go through the whole thing, and also the oldest of my sisters, so no one to relate to.  I wish I could have read obsession99, I would have known I wasn’t the only one.

Also, I’m on twitter!  I finally took the plunge deeper into the social networking quagmire and now you can follow my ramblings in 140 characters or less by using my handle, @AainaBridal.  But don’t worry, there are very few sentences I can fit into that few characters, so I won’t be too active…I think.

My blogroll should be active soon, and I’ll be adding all my fave blogs to the list for your browsing pleasure.  Alternatively, if you are a South Asian Bride with a talent for writing and have your own blog to chronicle it, lemme know so I can add you to my blog roll!!

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While perusing one of my fave resources for brides-to-be, Paklinks Wedding Forum, I came across a very pretty idea, which apparently a lot of girls wear on the mehndi in Pakistan.  I didn’t know about it, since most girls I know do the fresh flower thing.  Nonetheless, I loved it, because I love anything to do with embroidery, lace, ribbon, fabric and all that jazz.  For those who are wondering, Gota is that gold ribbon applique you see on the edge of old suits that our grandmas used to wear.  It tends to be folded over itself and restitched into a triangle then folded back and stitched and so forth until it creates a pattern of interlaced triangles.  I came across this picture of a tikka, earrings, and matching dupatta, and I fell in love.   Check out the thread on the forum for more details.

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I’ve spoken before about what I feel a romantic marriage really looks like, beyond the commercial fakery that it’s managed to become, and I think it’s  a good day as any to revisit that. With Valentine’s Day a month away, a lot of people are planning to spend inordinate amounts of money on trinkets that last ONE DAY.  For reasons that are personal, religious, and intellectual, I hate the whole thing. I’ve worked in retail long enough to know how sincere people are when they are  standing at a jewellery counter rifling through a dozen credit cards looking for one to charge their purchase to, less than two months after Christmas.  I guess that’s why Generosity Day struck a chord with me.  It’s the brainchild of Sasha Dichter, a speaker and writer in the field of corporate citizenry. Check it out, it’s worth a look.

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I don’t feature many e-shoots.  I don’t feature much e-shoot inspiration.  I think there many reasons for this…but lately I’ve been warming up to the idea, as I’m starting to see that it can actually be a totally fun way to conceive your very own magazine style photoshoot. Inspiration is everywhere, and so are talented photographers, stylists, decorators, hairstylists and make-up artists to make your vision come through.  They are also great because really, who has to wait to be engaged, or if you’re already married, they can be a great way to celebrate a new marriage, a longtime love, an anniversary, or as a gift to yourselves, because everyone in love deserves it.

I love the romantic feel of these behind-the-scenes images from a recent photoshoot that Sonakshi Sinha did in Sri Lanka for l’officiel magazine.  They have that quintissential photoshoot quality, with a  long-haired beauty, in a breezy field wearing a couture gown, that I think might be incredible to emulate. All images via Pinkvilla.

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