What to Wear to an Indian Wedding: A Style Guide From Top Designers
You're invited to your first Indian wedding, and you're not quite sure what to wear. Dressing for the many vibrant functions of a multi-day Indian celebration can feel overwhelming—especially if you're not familiar with traditional attire or customs. That's where we come in.
To help you confidently navigate the Indian wedding guest dress code, we spoke to five leading Indian fashion designers and experts. Here's their best advice on how to dress for each event—so you can blend in respectfully, stand out stylishly, and feel comfortable along the way.
A typical Indian wedding begins with a mehendi—a lively, pre-wedding ritual where henna is applied to guests' hands and feet. This vibrant daytime event sets the tone for the rest of the wedding celebrations, making it a great opportunity to wear bright colors and breathable fabrics.
'When dressing for a mehendi, you must balance comfort and style. This event is the most colorful and usually follows the palette of the henna ceremony—olives, yellows, oranges, and mustards,' notes celebrity stylist Akshay Tyagi. 'For men, a nice tone-on-tone look always works best. I recommend a solid base tunic with multi-tone embroideries paired with trousers. For women, this event allows for a lighter-weight option, so often an outfit with separates, like a tunic with flared trousers (sharara) or straight trousers (salwar) with a chiffon or organza long scarf (dupatta), is the most versatile option.'
A sangeet is a musical night of dance, performances, and celebration with family and friends. It's also the perfect occasion to show off a stylish and expressive outfit that moves with you.
'For women, I would pick silhouettes with voluminous sleeves and sweeping skirts draped with motion in mind, letting you twirl freely and own the dance floor. For men, I love a statement jacket in metallic tones like copper or bronze, brought to life with pearls, mirror work, and traditional motifs reimagined,' says artist and designer Maheka Mirpuri.
When it comes to Indian wedding guest outfit ideas, the sangeet is your chance to embrace contemporary Indian fashion. 'What makes a look unforgettable is the details—embellishments that shimmer like modern heirlooms, accessories that hold personal meaning, and an effortless updo to stay cool through every beat,' adds Mirpuri.
The wedding ceremony is the heart of the celebration and often calls for the most traditional attire. Whether the wedding is Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, or Jain, vibrant colors, rich fabrics, and intricate embroidery are standard.
'If it's your first time attending an Indian wedding, the best option for women is to wear a lehenga or a sari in vibrant colors with intricate embroidery. For men, a sherwani (coat-like tunic paired with trousers) or a kurta-pajama set (long, loose tunic paired with trousers) is always a solid choice,' says Tarang Arora, creative director and CEO of Amrapali Jewels.
Jewelry is also essential to completing the look. 'To complete the look, women can pair their outfit with a layered Kundan necklace or a choker made of emeralds or pearls, depending on the color and pattern of their outfit. Adding jhumkas (traditional Indian earrings) will bring the whole look together. Men can wear a pendant featuring big stones like emeralds or even a brooch with a floral or nature-inspired design,' Arora adds.
If you're searching for Indian wedding attire for foreigners, this is the moment to go all-in with traditional looks while honoring the significance of the ceremony.
After the ceremony, many Indian weddings conclude with a formal reception. Some guests wear the same outfit from the wedding ceremony, while others opt for something a bit more modern or glam.
For women, when in doubt, it's always safe to wear a sari. However, draping one can be tricky if you're unfamiliar with the technique. A pre-stitched sari offers a convenient and stylish solution.
'The most versatile silhouette for an Indian wedding is a pre-stitched sari. They look like normal, elegant sarees, but are ready to wear,' says designer Tamanna Punjabi Kapoor. 'You can never go wrong with a sari in nude or ivory. I would also advise the embroidery to be such that it could work for all wedding functions—so not too traditional and not too modern—just classic embroidery with beautiful threadwork, pearls, sequins, and small crystals. Pair it with a small pearl choker, which works well with almost everything, and don't forget a diamante bindi (decorative forehead dot).'
The final touch to any Indian wedding outfit is your hair and makeup. In 2025, Indian wedding makeup trends are all about a dewy glow, bold lips, and fluttery lashes that complement richly embellished outfits.
'Indian wedding makeup is all about that glowing, 'just-got-back-from-the-spa' skin with a dewy, natural finish that'll make you look radiant all day,' says Pooja Lalwani Tamang, makeup artist and founder of FitFace. 'Bold lip colors like fiery reds and deep plums are back, giving that pop of drama while keeping the eyes soft and defined with killer winged liner and fluttery lashes.'
When it comes to hairstyles, soft, bohemian textures are in. 'Think romantic, boho hairstyles with loose waves, braids, and flower crowns for that 'effortlessly gorgeous' vibe.'
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Akash Mehta is the CEO and Co-Founder of Fable & Mane Davey Matthew is a New York-based celebrity hair stylist As a leading publisher of fashion, lifestyle, and beauty content, is committed to highlighting the best products in various categories by personally testing the latest and most innovative products, interviewing countless experts, and vetting customer-loved items. For this piece, contributing fashion & luxury editor Moriah Polk consulted a celebrity stylist, a hair care expert, and fellow beauty editors to select the best products. She also tested several dry shampoo products herself and pored through customer reviews.
USA Today
2 days ago
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Like Dahl-Wooley, she had no community supports or role models for being anything other than a heterotypical female while growing up. She always felt out of step with peers, she says, and then had her first relationship with a woman at age 26. They were open about their relationship, and Kagigebi faced workplace discrimination. When what became a four-year legal battle took a toll on her health, she found vital support through PFLAG in Fargo, North Dakota, and turned to Native knowledge for healing. In the 2000s, she learned to make Ojibwe porcupine quillwork and birchbark basketry with elders. She puts her own twist on her baskets and containers with designs that tell of finding your own path, and depicting rainbows of color through quills, beads and ribbon. On one birchbark basket, she depicts her tribe's origin story with blue and red ribbon representing the men and women who came from the stars. 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They might discuss ways to stay safe or use humor to cope with traumas many have experienced. Additional events might include an art show or gender-affirmative wardrobe clothing drives. He recalled a teen calling him one day, crying with gratitude because he saw Dahl-Wooley and his husband together in the community, laughing and living normal lives, which gave him the ability to see a future for himself. He was also recognized in an Oregon grocery store line by a young man who had needed help and found a video of Dahl-Wooley giving one of his talks online. 'People are paying attention whether you realize it or not,' he says. 'Sometimes just a little difference can save a life.' Kagigebi and Dahl-Wooley each hope that more visible 2SLGBTQ+ elders and younger 2SLGBTQ+ people such as the artists in the upcoming exhibit will make it easier for others to find their way and to better embrace the unique gifts they bring to the world. 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