The Traditional Bengali Bride’s Outfit: Grace and Heritage

The dress a Bengali bride chooses is a beautiful symbol of tradition, beauty and the spirit of Bengali Mujhe. Complete with symbolism and adorned with tradition, her dress is an aspect that profoundly adds to the manipulation of the experience to make it one that no bride psyche will allow her to forget; the wedding day.The traditional bridal dress of Bengali bride involves a **Banarasi saree** wherein they prefer the color red, maroon or crimson symbolizing prosperity, love and joy. Eastern Indian craftsmanship in intricate ‘zari’ work of Banarasi specially gold or silver zari humanized patterns of flowers or royalties.

The heavy embroidery and rich fabrics enable this saree to be a hall mark of royalty and classical elegance. In the bridal trousseu today, young brides try fuchsia, dove or even ivory but none have as much panache as the red Banarasi.The other accompaniment for the saree is bridal jewelry and this most commonly uses gold. Favorite ornaments include the **shonar mukut** which means gold crown, **chur**-bangles and the **nath** which is the nose ring. Topping the entire look, the **tikli** (forehead ornament), multiple **ratanchur** and many chiks give her an exquisite neck ornament.

Every piece of jewel carries ceremonial importance it symbolizes luck, blessings in one’s families and marital status.Hair and makeup are also an important component of Bengali bride dressing from head to toe. The groom also follows tradition where the lady’s hair is pulled back into a bun or into a ponytail and is complimented by a floral ornament, common flowers are rose flowers, red and white.

The alta that gives a red hand and feet look to the heroine and chandan on the forehead adds on to the god gifted fairy look that was given.To sum up, the apparel of a Bengali bride—whether it is Saree, Lehenga or Salwar Suits is not just an ethic wear or a dress or a costume, it is the pride of the Bangal region, a reservoir of culture, traditions, social issues as well as symbolic representation, which makes the bride look like queen as she should on the day of marriage.