Engagement Saree and Lahenga

The engagement is the prelude to what is to follow next which is, roughly put: this is the first moment of the rest of your life. Growing up girls harbour many desires about what they want in their own wedding and those desires take flight from the thought of being engaged to that special person. Engagement in the South East Asia does not just refer to the act of being proposed and slipping on the perfect engagement ring, it involves a lot more.

I am going to write three hubs or articles on the topic of wedding. The first one, as in this one, will deal with engagement and the second one will deal with the wedding and the last but not the least will deal with walima which means the party after the wedding party which is usually thrown by the groom. I categorize wedding into three different types of colours. The first part, the engagement, should reflect a very innocent and pure vibe and hence the colours that I denote to engagements are white, offwhite, golden, pastel colours like light pink, peach or baby blue. Any light colour as long as you steer clear of bright or dark shades. I will discuss the bright and dark colours in my subsequent hubs on the wedding saree/lahenga and the walima (after wedding party) saree/lahenga.

Although engagements are originally regarded as the man proposing the lady which is accepted by the act of accepting the ring, in South East Asian culture it involves a lot more. Engagement not just only denotes the exchange of engagement rings and the beginning of the period between promise to marry and the actual day of the wedding. It is a statement of promise made by the man and the woman which is announced to the friends and relatives of the couple. Engagements are celebrated in a rather grand fashion in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh which also provides with a platform for the soon to be groom’s friends and families to mingle with the friends and relatives of the soon to be bride.

A lot of thought and planning plays part in order for the engagement party to happen. However, the most important detail about the whole engagement ceremony right after the engagement ring itself is the engagement dress of the soon to be bride. The event of the engagement will take long hours to arrange but will happen and end in a couple of hours time and will only remain as a wonderful memory which is captured by the means of beautiful engagement photographs and videos. For beautiful photographs to be captured it is necessary to choose the right engagement dress be it an engagement saree or lahenga. Although there are no set rule about the colour to wear, however I like to paint a picture of the entire wedding starting from the engagement by the means of the bride’s attirement.

Clothes can help to paint a beautiful story of the bride’s journey from an innocent maiden to the full maturity that she obtains through the means of marriage. That is the reason why I prefer the idea of light, pastel colours on the day of the engagement. It sends a message that the girl is still unknown to the world of marriage and comes as an angel. The story is applicable on every woman, it is not necessary that she has to be a woman who was never married. It is a story about a woman and her man. The man with whom she has decided to take the journey of life. Past does not matter. Engagement is the beginning of a new journey and it should begin with a pure and innocent vibe.

The engagement saree or engagement lahenga does not have to be extravagant. In fact the engagement should reflect a sense of freshness and openness. Sarees and lahenga or even salwar kameez are appropriate for engagements in Bangladesh or Pakistan or India.

An excellent choice of colour for engagement saree or lahenga is white or off white or golden. Engagement sarees or lahenga in white based material gives a very fairy tale like feel to the engagement. Sarees are generally very feminine, hugging all the right portions of a feminine body and that combined with colours like white/offwhite/golden is a very feminine and fresh combination. Adornment by the means of jewellery other than the engagement ring should be kept to the minimum as the engagement party’s main focus should be the engagement ring and the bride’s saree or lahenga. Following are some beautiful photographs of beautiful engagement lahenga and engagement sarees.

Engagement sarees or lahengas in shades of pink and peach is a very girly choice. And girly is what the bride wants to feel on her engagement party. Baby pink or peach saree or lahenga with the right make up is a great combination for engagement. Light purple is another shade a girl should keep in mind for her engagement. Purple is also a very feminine saree colour. Following are a number of very pretty and feminine sarees and lahengas in pastel pinks and peaches suitable for the occasion of engagement.

Light Green is a very fresh and earthly colour. Pastel green engagement saree or lahenga would give the bride a very mischievous look, almost like a girly elf. At the same moment it would help paint the picture of the bridal journey. Pale yellow is also a great choice for engagement saree or lahenga for South east Asian engagement as it gives a feel of the garden. Baby Blue is a fantastic choice for engagement sarees and lahengas. It gives the feel of the sky and the blue blue pacific on a sunny day. Following are some very unique engagement sarees and lahengas in pastel greens and yellows and blues.

The Last thing I would like to advice is to steer clear of colours like red, maroon and bronze for the engagement. Keep the makeup and the jewellery light and you are going to have a wonderful engagement party that will awe the guests.