“Bridal jewelry is bought once but worn for a lifetime.”, says Prasun Jalan from Urja Jewels.

A Vintage Celebration

The wedding season has just breezed by and we have all seen our fair share of beautiful brides, excellent grooms, and all the stylish friends and family members.  These days it’s not just the families that have a hand in planning a perfect wedding. The bride and the groom also take active participation in voicing what is a perfect day for them and planning the same. You will also notice that as the years go by Nepali brides have been taking an all out approach on their big days.

Since the topic wedding is up.  We cannot - just cannot miss out talking about the clothes and jewelry. Clothes and Jewelry are among the first things that come to mind when you are planning out your big day. We have all heard and talked a lot about the jewelry picked out by brides. You just might have noticed the brides leaning more towards the regal antique look.  The trend on wedding jewelry is taking a trip down memory lane to the antique jewelry. Big statement pieces that look like a chore to be carrying for hours on end are all very in this wedding season. There are a couple of reasons why brides along with everyone involved in the wedding are opting for the antique look. 

The brides pick their jewelry base the clothes they pick and since the fashion industry is taking a modern approach to the the traditional wedding attire and the jewelry simply followed the suit. The antique trend was influenced from Bollywood and Hindi TV serials. Now you can lie about it or admit it but we do pick up on Indian Trends.  Now let’s get this straight; Antique jewelry doesn’t only mean heirlooms passed down by the generations. Of course that definition will always exist, but the definition of antique is now an inclusive one. Antique now also means big, exaggerated, bold pieces. These pieces are huge, dramatic and demand attention. 

Bulky embroidered bangles, thick chain bracelets, cocktail rings, huge nose ring, maang tika the size of your forehead, and many more tick all the boxes that define an antique jewelry. The bigger, the better may as well have been their motto!

What have the brides chosen this season?
Mr. Prasun Jalan from Urja Jewels has been an expert eyes and ears in the jewelry front in Nepal. He helped us in on a few secrets on what have the brides, grooms as well as friends and family of 2018 have been choosing for their wedding functions. 

The Wedding Day
No bridal wear is complete without jewelry and especially gold jewelry. This has been and still is the pick for the day. Brides prefer to wear yellow gold or white gold jewelry over other metal jewelry. Although, the other metals like rose gold, platinum are increasing in popularity. The stones that enjoy the gold casing are Polki-Kundan, Emerald, Ruby, Diamonds or colored stones. Brides have their preferences but they don’t really experiment with styles for their big day, they go for time-tested classic styles like the multi-layered necklaces. Multi-layered necklaces with four to five layers add a royal look to your wedding attire. Kundan, mirror work, precious stone, pearl, and pacchi are some of the stones would increase the grandeur of multi-layered necklaces. The classic multi-layered pieces like the Chandra Haar are being swapped out for the antique pieces like - Mattarmala.

Bridal chokers have seen a rise in 2018. One reason for their overnight popularity is bridal chokers are visible - ending where the blouse line starts - without being buried in the wedding attire. Besides the neck pieces, head jewelry has been a big hit this wedding season. Another trend blooming this year is wearing bigger Maang Tikas. Unlike before, brides now want to match their maang tika with the other pieces they select.The brides want them to be huge and visible. The brides now choose to dress up their fingers in huge cocktail rings. The design of these cocktail rings have a vintage touch to it. Brides go for big rings that complete their outfit and jewelry choices. 

Pre and Post Wedding
The brides take a more traditional approach on the wedding day, but it is a different scene for the events pre and post wedding. They choose antique jewelries with a modern splash in them, be it with the design or the stones. 
Brides reserve the rose gold and platinum jewelry for these events. “The brides choose to flaunt light jewelry on day time events like Mehendi and Haldi. They prefer statement pieces like a chandelier earrings, Chaand Balis or a big maang tika” says Prasun. “The reception parties now have modern feel with the brides choosing colors other than red. So they opt for small antique jewelry or diamond jewelry.”, he adds.  

The Groom’s Choice
These days grooms choose to be fancy with their attire too; some grooms even coordinate their outfit with the brides. The antique pieces grooms choose to flaunt are simple pearl necklaces or a Polki single hand necklace. They go for the simple golden chains and brooch on their Dhaka Topis to add that regal touch to their outfit.  Another jewelry men go for are golden diamonds studded cufflinks, simple gold bracelets and antique cocktail rings.  

Friends and Family
The friends and family of both the bride and groom choose designer jewelry. The younger generation - sisters of the brides and the friends choose simple but modern pieces. They visualise jewelry as an accessory and want the perfect jewelry for a specific occasion. The older generations, however, pick out the antique favorites like Mattarmala. They opt for classic and time tested pieces with a subtle hint of modern designs.