10 Genius Ways To Wear Your Shaadi Ka Joda Again And Again!

We spend hours and days and thousands of rupees on our dream wedding lehenga because after all, it’s our day. So much effort goes into how it looks, what colour it is, the cut and the work on it. Some brides want to go for a traditional red while others prefer pastel shades or hues of pink. But the one looming thought at the back of every bride’s mind is- ‘I’ll only wear this once in my life’. Well, that’s not true. If you do want to reuse your wedding lehenga, we’ve got several ways you can redo the look and wear it for a bestie’s or relative’s wedding. Of course, you won’t be able to wear it just as is because it’ll be too bridal and you don’t want to steal the bride’s thunder. So check out these ways to revamp your shaadi ka joda for a more wearable look.

1. Reduce the volume

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Bridal lehengas have a lot of volume. Remember, you forced the designer to add extra layers of frill and two more kalis to add volume to your look! After the wedding, take your lehenga to a good tailor and ask him/her to cut out the kalis or remove the extra layers of cancan from under the lehenga. The moment the volume of the skirt is reduced, it just becomes a lot more wearable.

2. Anarkali to the rescue

Anarkalis will always look less bridal than lehengas even if they are equally embellished. A good tailor can help you convert your wedding joda into an anarkali suit. Depending on the style of the bridal set, you can either stitch up the blouse and lehenga together, add a belt at the waist and have your suit ready. You can even attach a simpler top to the lehenga and have a brand new anarkali suit! Go through your mom’s closet to find a simple dupatta to complement your suit.

3. Spice up your style!

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Winters call for pairing your lehenga with a jacket or a long kurti. It’s also a great way to tone down your wedding lehenga since a part of it will be covered, thus reducing the bling factor. Get a semi-sheer kurti or jacket to match the wedding skirt. Keep it simple with a basic border or piping on the sleeves and neckline. Also, this is one style that flatters every body type.

4. Pairing is crucial

Your wedding lehenga, blouse and dupatta are all heavily embellished or intricately embroidered. Reduce the bridal feel by pairing the lehenga with a plain solid coloured blouse and dupatta. It’ll tone down the look of your outfit and you’ll be able to wear it again. Also, avoid pairing the lehenga skirt with bridal colours such as red, maroon or green. Tone down the look with lighter hues.

5. Mix it all up!

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One wedding outfit can be mixed and matched to give you three different outfits! Pair the heavy dupatta with a plain salwar suit. The blouse can be matched with a nice sheer saree from your mom’s closet. You can also wear the blouse and dupatta with a plain raw silk skirt in a contrasting shade. You can even mix and match two or three lehengas to give you so many completely different outfits. If it’s too colourful, go light on the jewellery and makeup and voila, you’re ready to slay!

6. Dupatta as a saree!

Yup, no kidding, my mum did that to her wedding dupatta. It was an extremely pretty dupatta with thick borders and booti work all over. And of course, a wedding chunari is long enough to be used as the pallu of your saree. Get a piece of cloth in the same colour as the dupatta (you could try out a contrasting colour as well) and wrap it around your waist while making pleats. Tuck in the dupatta and slide it over the front as a pallu. Alternatively, you could even stitch the dupatta and cloth piece together. Pair it with the wedding blouse and you’re all set for your bestie’s cocktail!

7. Cut up the borders!

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Uh huh, we know this sounds horrible! But if you are a hundred percent sure that you just won’t be using your lehenga again, well then, this is not too bad. Cut up the borders and motifs of the lehenga and use them on a plain saree or suit. Similarly, you can even use the dupatta and blouse borders for making new outfits. 

8. Ooh that blouse

The blouse of your wedding lehenga will obviously be gorgeous. With all that zari work and embroidery, it may be a little too heavy to wear it with anything except a plain saree but you can even pair it with flared palazzo pants or a sharara. For your first Diwali after the wedding or your friend’s sangeet function, this is a great idea. If it’s a shade of pink, you can even pair it with ombre yellow and orange garara pants for a day function.

9. Skirt it up

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Now again, this requires some amount of chopping off but don’t worry cause it won’t be too much. You can even get the lehenga folded upwards and stitched if it’s a brocade lehenga and doesn’t have too many embellishments. Pair it with a shirt like Anushka Sharma did in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and own that indo-western look. This midi length looks great with pumps and bold, gold earrings.

10. Leave it as it is…

Let go off the heavy bun and the elaborate jewellery. Style your hair in natural curls, put on just a pair of earrings and keep your makeup light. Change the draping style of the dupatta and we’re sure you can rock the wedding joda without looking like a bride all over again! 

Till you decide what to do with it, it’s important to store the lehenga in perfect condition. Here are some tips you can follow to preserve your expensive lehenga and keep it looking new for years to come:

1. Before putting it away, scan through the outfit and see if it needs re-finishing of embroidery or some threads which are frayed or even if some sequins or beads have fallen.
2. We would suggest getting the outfit dry cleaned before you pack it away. Sure you’ve only worn it once but a piece as exquisite as your bridal outfit requires to be spotless and clean before being put in a suitcase. 
3. Don’t hang it on a hanger because it’s embellished, fold it carefully and put it into the case you bought it in.
4. Use an acid-free paper or a muslin cloth to wrap your precious lehenga carefully.
5. Store the box away from sunlight or at any place where there are chances of moisture seeping in. Also, be careful of termite and rats. You don’t want them ruining your special outfit, do you? 
6. Let it out to breathe once in a while and check up on how it is being kept. It’s a great excuse to get sentimental about the happiest day of your life too!
7. Don’t forget to throw in some pieces of cloves or cedar oil balls to lend a sweet smell to your clothes.

Featured Image: Infinite Memories

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