Why We Are So Fascinated With Celebrity Bridal Outfits

All celebrity weddings leave behind unwanted byproducts like terrible hashtags and microscopic assessment of the celebrity bridal outfits. While most of us were gushing over the achingly beautiful wedding photographs of Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, many were busy in minutely inspecting every shred of clothing and jewellery they chose to wear on her big day(s). Even her bridal dupatta with Sanskrit blessings inscribed on it earned a column of its own in a leading daily. However, after every celebrity wedding, the bridal wear becomes a hot topic among fashionistas, to-be brides and all poor masterjis who have to put up with the task of replicating those fine cuts and tailoring on second or third copies.

❤️ pic.twitter.com/arIntwadPg

— Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) November 15, 2018

In a nation obsessed with weddings and all that glitters in their wake, it doesn't come across as a surprise that people care so much about what a celebrity bride chose to wear for her wedding. Bridal clothing is a huge market in India. Every bride needs at least one ostentatious dress, traditional or glamorous, for her wedding day. Many also change into different garments for various ceremonies. And as it is with fashion in our country, even bridal wear is susceptible to celebrity influence.

What film stars, models or rich and famous brides wear for their wedding becomes instantly desirable among the "common" brides. Which is why every celebrity bride's outfit receives so much scrutiny on social media these days.

SOME TAKEAWAYS

• Many people are busy minutely inspecting bridal outfits that Deepika Padukone chose to wear on her big day(s).
• Her bridal dupatta with Sanskrit blessings inscribed on it earned a column of its own in a leading daily.
• This fascination with celebrity bridal wear has fueled aspirations of millions of brides across towns and megacities. 
• To spend a fortune on one piece of garment, just because a celebrity bride wore it, may seem unreasonable to many.

The bridal wear of so and so in such and such film has been a very critical topic of discussion among teen girls and to be brides. But as social media and paparazzi culture entered our lives celebrities as people became more accessible. Which means that today we can obsess not just over Deepika Padukone's bridal wear in Padmaavat, but the one she wears for her own wedding too.

This fascination with celebrity bridal wear has fueled aspirations of millions of brides across towns and mega cities.

Every to-be bride desires a Sabyasachi or Manish Malhotra garment for her big. There is an entire industry which produces fifth, sixth or seventh knock-offs of celebrity bridal outfits. Every saree shop across country carries them, giving two hoots about ripping off a high end brand. The fascination to get one is visible on the faces of the would-be brides, carrying photographs of product they desire in their smartphones. They inspect every stitch. Minding every gota and only when the tempers threaten to burn the entire shop down, do they choose whatever suits their needs.

But then what is the utility of a bridal wear after the wedding day? Is the sacred shadi ka joda meant to be encased in a glass case for the remainder of the lifetime? How many times do women actually wear their bridal clothes once the wedding is done and dusted with? To spend a fortune on a single piece of garment just because it is vaguely similar to what Deepika Padukone or Anushka Sharma wore on her wedding day, may seem unreasonable to many. But from the gaze of these common brides, it is their one chance to be extraordinary, even if it is for that one special day. The bridal suit may eventually end up being buried under a mound of mothballs, forgotten and shrunk, due to expanding waistline. But for many women, it is a cost worth paying to feel like a diva on her big day. No one can argue that whatever memories that one bridal dress has the power to create can trump all the logic and critiquing we have to offer.

Also Read: Policing Online Content Censors People’s Right to Choose

Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is a writer with the SheThePeople team, in the Opinions section.  The views expressed are the author’s own.