Real Bride: Pretty and Sweet Bride in an Off-White Lengha by Aava Photography

Sana and Sharik
I love the bride in my next feature, you know why?  Beause she is wearing my latest favourite hair trend, the barette and rocking it with sexy curls, exactly how I pictured a bride would wear it. Also, her dress, with it's sleeveless, princess cut neckline, and off-white colour, is not quite desi, and not quite western, so the whole thing really works.  Doesn't her husband look so happy?  He came all the way from Cali to whisk her away from Manchester.

These images were shot by Masoud Shah of Avaa Photography, who comes highly recommended by the bride, who praised him for his ability to make her ability to make her feel at ease, and capture the essence of her wedding day. 

The Accesorized Bride: Tiaras

My daughter has decided that at an upcoming wedding, she will ask the mehndi artist to draw a castle on one hand, and a prince and princess on the other.  I am hoping that by completely indulging her obsession in everything princess I will bore it out of her.  If not, I suspect that this next look will be right up her alley someday (I can hear my husband's heart racing at the mention of his little princess' big day).

Image Sources: Dress from Khubsoorat Collection/ Purity Hairband from Bees London/

 Vintage Flower Tiara from GlamGal/ Ritaaza Tiara from Kyle's Jewellery.

Personally, I'm a fascinator girl myself, but for a fusion princess, this gown from Mani Kohli's Khubsoorat collection, with its princess seaming and delicate blue white colour could only go with a tiara.  Understated and elegant, this medieval-inspired gown is a lovely choice for a registry event.

p.s. this post was inspired by a look back at all the British royal tiaras of the past two decades over on This is Glamourous!

The Enquiring Bride: The Wedding Boutique from Exclusively.In + 10% off for Aaina Readers

When I started this blog, I wanted to make Indian and Pakistani Bridal Fashion and design accessible to the North American Desi bride, who is passionate about her heritage, and wants to connect with it in an informed way.  Part of that for me has always been covering the best of Indian fashion, which I think is essential for the trendsetters who I hope read this blog amongst their daily dose of style inspiration.

I am not comfortable with extravagance, however, and I don't think over-the-top spending is the way to go, even on your wedding day.  I think that most of the intelligent women who this site is dedicated to would agree with me, since in my experience, the wealthiest people I know are also the ones who spend their money the wisest. 

Ritu Kumar Bridal Fashions available at Exclusively.In

So while I encourage brides to scour the web for the best in desi fashion, I want to help them make the best purchases too.  This is why I so love The Wedding Boutique from Exclusively.In.  If you haven't already heard of them or seen their advertisements, Exclusively.In is a web-based company that specializes in members-only sales of the best in Indian Fashion, Art and Travel. 

They've decided to give brides-to-be access to the exclusive relationships with so many of the best in Indian bridal fashion by creating their exclusive wedding boutique.  Here, you can score a beautiful Ritu Kumar bridal lengha at an amazing price, get a hold of that Aishwarya Rai inspired Jewellery Collection from Art Karat, or find the perfect sherwani suit for your guy!  Each item is available for viewing on the site, and if you need more information on details or sizes or alterations, you can contact the staff at Exclusively.In and they will walk you through the whole thing.

To celebrate the launch of their collection,  the staff at Exclusively.In are offering Aaina readers a special invitation by clicking here, and a discount of 10% off which you can get by entering AAINA2011 at the checkout!

***UPDATE: This coupon code expired on May 4th.  Thanks for all those who expressed their interest!***

The Bride's Lookbook: "Prelude" Bridal Beauty Shoot by Sharon Nayak featuring TanishQ Bridal Jewellery

I find myself returning to Sharon Nayak's work for inspiration time and again because her shoots are always beautifully styled, the collaborations with TanishQ feature some of the best bridal jewellery ideas on the market, and let's face it, nothing says bride to us desis like a shy, but glowing girl in a pretty dupatta.  I find her work to be consistently inspired and inspiring and I can always count on the fact that a visit to her photoblog will rev my creative brain. 

This latest shoot from Sharon is aptly named "prelude" for the moment of quiet, buzzing anticipation that comes before any bride's walk to her marriage ceremony. You can literally feel excitement around this bride as she puts the finishing touches on her outfit. To see more images from the shoot, check out Sharon's Behance Profile.  Sharon has started her own styling, fashion and photography consulting firm, Sharon Nayak Consulting, which you should definitely see for more beautiful pics.

Designer Bride: English Garden Party Inspiration from Maria B. for the Traditional Bride

I am trying to avoid royal wedding hype...kind of...a little.  But my daughter is hugely into the princess myth at the moment, being five, and while I am waiting for her to grow out of it, I figure, why not indulge myself.  Besides, as a blogger, I consider it part of my job...haha.  But seriously, I think we can expect to see a move towards traditional decor in the wedding industry, and while I find that South Asian weddings tend to fall behind a bit in catching up to what's current, I know for a fact we will be seeing more and more traditionally inspired weddings in the next few years.

Source: Maria B Bridals Via South Asian Bride Magazine.

Maria B. presented this collection about two seasons ago that was shot with a pretty garden party theme, and I think it's really good reference for brides thinking of going this route for a bridal shower or some other pre-wedding fesitivity. The whole look was styled by Asma Mumtaaz, and I think the fact that it's still on point after two seasons is proof positive that this is a classic look that will give you great photos to enjoy for years to come.

Real Bride: Sana's Baraat from K Bridals Photography

One thing I enjoyed about looking at the pictures of my latest Real Bride feature is that she clearly has an amazing eye for colour and pairing.  If you look at all three of her events, not once has she chosen a typical colour but each time they've been perfectly approapriate for the occasion and beautifully acessorized.  The lengha she wore for her baraat reception is no less perfect, and the diamond jewellery chosen to complement the outfit works beautifully.  Also, check out the makeup.  GOR-geous!

 These images are courtesy of Kashif of K Bridals Photography, who will be in London from May 8th until the 31st and is taking bookings, see his facebook page for more info.  To see more pictures from the mayoun and mehndi of this bride, click here and here.

Real Bride: Sana's Mehndi from K Bridals Photography

Thanks to Kashif at K Bridals Photography for these images, you can check out the mayoun by clicking here.