Help with Saree Going to traditional Wedding in India

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Jul 5, 2007
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Hi. I have been invited to a wedding in India. By the grooms side. The color is pink. I have picked a beautiful pink Saree from a website. I have a few questions if anyone could help.

1) When having the Saree made, Should I have the Saree stitched to the petticoat? I have no idea what I am doing so this *seems* like a good idea. I really don't know the family and might have to rely on staff at the resort to help me.

2) the blouse. It says it comes unstitched or stitched. Can I take an unstitched blouse to my alterations guy and he will know what to do? i am in the USA and in my area I doubt he has worked on many sarees. I am very large chested and I am not sure if it is better to order the shirt unstitched and show him a picture of what it is supposed to look like or send all the complicated measurements to the company and then hope he can alter what doesn't fit right.

Thank you.
 
Hi. I have been invited to a wedding in India. By the grooms side. The color is pink. I have picked a beautiful pink Saree from a website. I have a few questions if anyone could help.

1) When having the Saree made, Should I have the Saree stitched to the petticoat? I have no idea what I am doing so this *seems* like a good idea. I really don't know the family and might have to rely on staff at the resort to help me.

2) the blouse. It says it comes unstitched or stitched. Can I take an unstitched blouse to my alterations guy and he will know what to do? i am in the USA and in my area I doubt he has worked on many sarees. I am very large chested and I am not sure if it is better to order the shirt unstitched and show him a picture of what it is supposed to look like or send all the complicated measurements to the company and then hope he can alter what doesn't fit right.

Thank you.

Congrats, how exciting!
I worked in India for 6 years so I'll help as much as I can...
My best suggestion would be to go ahead and buy the outfit you like and look for a store locally that sells East Indian clothing and have them make it for you - ask them first if they will do this as usually they prefer you buy from them but some will not mind at all.
The Choli (top) is quite fitted, most experienced tailors with these garments do pleats inside the seams to give you extra fabric to allow for future adjustments, see if the supplier you are buying from would to do this for you too but be sure to let them know your exact measurements as you said you are busty and you want to be sure they'll supply enough fabric.
If not, I'd get it unstitched if you can find such a store locally or ask your alterations guy first what he would prefer you order.
Staff or family will help you put it on when you get there, do not worry, don't get the lehenga (skirt) stitched to anything, it's not that hard at all and I usually pin the dupatta (shawl) at the shoulder myself to keep it secure, many ladies there do.
Have a great time!
 
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Congrats, how exciting!
I worked in India for 6 years so I'll help as much as I can...
My best suggestion would be to go ahead and buy the outfit you like and look for a store locally that sells East Indian clothing and have them make it for you - ask them first if they will do this as usually they prefer you buy from them but some will not mind at all.
The Choli (top) is quite fitted, most experienced tailors with these garments do pleats inside the seams to give you extra fabric to allow for future adjustments, see if the supplier you are buying from would to do this for you too but be sure to let them know your exact measurements as you said you are busty and you want to be sure they'll supply enough fabric.
If not, I'd get it unstitched if you can find such a store locally or ask your alterations guy first what he would prefer you order.
Staff or family will help you put it on when you get there, do not worry, don't get the lehenga (skirt) stitched to anything, it's not that hard at all and I usually pin the dupatta (shawl) at the shoulder myself to keep it secure, many ladies there do.
Have a great time!

Thank you soooo much. I just ordered it. It is so pretty. I didn't have it stitched to petticoat as you suggested. I am sure someone in India will help me with it. :P I also got unstitched blouse. I'm going to start looking for a seamstress in my area tomorrow. Here is a picture of it. The groom is my hubby's co worker in another country. So I don't know them at all and honored to be invited. Trying to be as traditional and respectful as possible :smile:
 

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Thank you soooo much. I just ordered it. It is so pretty. I didn't have it stitched to petticoat as you suggested. I am sure someone in India will help me with it. :P I also got unstitched blouse. I'm going to start looking for a seamstress in my area tomorrow. Here is a picture of it. The groom is my hubby's co worker in another country. So I don't know them at all and honored to be invited. Trying to be as traditional and respectful as possible :smile:

Absolutely beautiful! Enjoy the wedding and make sure you get some practice wearing and walking in the sari. It's not the same as wearing western clothes and will get some getting used to. It sounds very very exciting and would love to see photos of the wedding!:smile:
 
Absolutely beautiful! Enjoy the wedding and make sure you get some practice wearing and walking in the sari. It's not the same as wearing western clothes and will get some getting used to. It sounds very very exciting and would love to see photos of the wedding!:smile:

Thanks for the tip !!! Hadn't even thought of practice walking. :P
 
Thank you soooo much. I just ordered it. It is so pretty. I didn't have it stitched to petticoat as you suggested. I am sure someone in India will help me with it. :P I also got unstitched blouse. I'm going to start looking for a seamstress in my area tomorrow. Here is a picture of it. The groom is my hubby's co worker in another country. So I don't know them at all and honored to be invited. Trying to be as traditional and respectful as possible :smile:

This is gorgeous! I'm so jealous, I wish I the opportunity to wear something like this. I'm sure you will get plenty of help once there.
 
Hi. I have been invited to a wedding in India. By the grooms side. The color is pink. I have picked a beautiful pink Saree from a website. I have a few questions if anyone could help.



1) When having the Saree made, Should I have the Saree stitched to the petticoat? I have no idea what I am doing so this *seems* like a good idea. I really don't know the family and might have to rely on staff at the resort to help me.



2) the blouse. It says it comes unstitched or stitched. Can I take an unstitched blouse to my alterations guy and he will know what to do? i am in the USA and in my area I doubt he has worked on many sarees. I am very large chested and I am not sure if it is better to order the shirt unstitched and show him a picture of what it is supposed to look like or send all the complicated measurements to the company and then hope he can alter what doesn't fit right.



Thank you.


So cool that you're invited to go to a wedding in India! I'm Indian so I'll help you out.

Don't have it stitched onto the petticoat. The petticoat is meant to be separate so that you can wear it with other sarees as well.


In the US there are some saree shops that allow you to bring it unstitched and they will make it for you. I live in NYC so my mom sometimes brings unstitched blouses to Jackson Heights in Queens which is basically little India and has a lot of Indian shops there. If there are no Indian saree shops or tailors near you then I suggest you buy the blouse stitched and then have your tailor alter it if it does not fit. Usually Indian tailors leave extra fabric on the inside of the seams so that you can have your tailor make the blouse bigger if it is too small. This is called "silay" in Gujarati ((I think Hindi as well I'm not too sure lol)). But it is always best to ask your tailor what he or she is comfortable with. If they know how to make the blouse then ordering unstitched would be a much better option.

Enjoy the wedding!! I'm sure you will look stunning!
 
So even though I'm Indian, I can't tie a sari to save my life [emoji12]. I get all mine "stitched" or belted. That way, it's just like putting on a wrap skirt, the pleats are already made and stitched and I just have to arrange the pullo (portion that drapes across the chest and over the shoulder. The petticoat is still worn separately underneath, it's not attached to the belted sari. It's best to have a tailor do this according to your measurements since it depends on what height of heels you're wearing etc. If you live in an area with a large Indian/Pakistani community close by, I'm sure their is a shop or tailor that can do this for you. Here's what a stiched/belted sari looks like ImageUploadedByPurseForum1459465641.257954.jpgImageUploadedByPurseForum1459465658.791531.jpgImageUploadedByPurseForum1459465671.955796.jpgImageUploadedByPurseForum1459465681.236887.jpgImageUploadedByPurseForum1459465694.626110.jpg


(Please excuse the messy closet lol [emoji85])
 
And that's a beautiful sari you picked out! Enjoy your wedding! We've had 3 back to back weddings in my family (March, this weekend and then May) lol, I've been shopping like a mad women!
 
I think you'll have a grand time, and how nice of you to travel all the way there to attend the celebrations! My family is East Indian. You've picked a wonderful celebratory color that looks beautiful. I agree that there will be help there from one of the many "aunties" who are family or close friends. I suggest you let the groom know that you'll need some help from a friend or relative prior to the wedding. That way they can budget a little time for that. Totally agree with practice walking - the person who helps put the sari on you will adjust the pleat length to accommodate whatever height shoes you are wearing. It's amazing to me that the same six yards of material (nine yards for a very traditional, old-fashioned sari) can be draped and folded to accommodate any height, any body type - it's a beautiful outfit!

And I can confidently say that at Indian weddings, more is more, so wear lots of fun jewelry, liven it up. Enjoy!
 
Thank you soooo much. I just ordered it. It is so pretty. I didn't have it stitched to petticoat as you suggested. I am sure someone in India will help me with it. :P I also got unstitched blouse. I'm going to start looking for a seamstress in my area tomorrow. Here is a picture of it. The groom is my hubby's co worker in another country. So I don't know them at all and honored to be invited. Trying to be as traditional and respectful as possible :smile:

What a beauty! :love:
Please do share pics when you return, I would love to see, you are going to look stunning...
 
So even though I'm Indian, I can't tie a sari to save my life [emoji12]. I get all mine "stitched" or belted. That way, it's just like putting on a wrap skirt, the pleats are already made and stitched and I just have to arrange the pullo (portion that drapes across the chest and over the shoulder. The petticoat is still worn separately underneath, it's not attached to the belted sari. It's best to have a tailor do this according to your measurements since it depends on what height of heels you're wearing etc. If you live in an area with a large Indian/Pakistani community close by, I'm sure their is a shop or tailor that can do this for you. Here's what a stiched/belted sari looks like View attachment 3316747View attachment 3316748View attachment 3316749View attachment 3316750View attachment 3316751


(Please excuse the messy closet lol [emoji85])

Thank you. the pictures really helped me to understand. I just took it in to a seamstress very familiar with Sarees. She is going to sew the pleats in for me. Thank you again for all the pics. Very sweet. :smile:
 
I think you'll have a grand time, and how nice of you to travel all the way there to attend the celebrations! My family is East Indian. You've picked a wonderful celebratory color that looks beautiful. I agree that there will be help there from one of the many "aunties" who are family or close friends. I suggest you let the groom know that you'll need some help from a friend or relative prior to the wedding. That way they can budget a little time for that. Totally agree with practice walking - the person who helps put the sari on you will adjust the pleat length to accommodate whatever height shoes you are wearing. It's amazing to me that the same six yards of material (nine yards for a very traditional, old-fashioned sari) can be draped and folded to accommodate any height, any body type - it's a beautiful outfit!

And I can confidently say that at Indian weddings, more is more, so wear lots of fun jewelry, liven it up. Enjoy!
In the photo you really can't see the models feet so I purchased some baby pink KEDS style shoes to wear. I chose them for comfort. Because I have never walked in a Saree. Because after the wedding I could wear them throughout trip and I have only so much room in my luggage. I am not in the wedding party nor even know the family. I want to look nice but figured no one is even going to be looking at my feet that closely. And they look like they will be mostly hidden.

But now I am reading this is a big no no to wear with a Saree. So then I considered baby pink ballerina flats. But again read that it was also a no no.

Is my only option heels if I want to fit in? I am mainly concerned about offending people. I figured no one is going to care about my feet. Am I worrying too much? She is hemming the Saree for me to wear with flats. Can I simply pull it down a bit if I decide to wear heels? Thank you. Any thoughts appreciated.
 
Congrats, how exciting!
I worked in India for 6 years so I'll help as much as I can...
My best suggestion would be to go ahead and buy the outfit you like and look for a store locally that sells East Indian clothing and have them make it for you - ask them first if they will do this as usually they prefer you buy from them but some will not mind at all.
The Choli (top) is quite fitted, most experienced tailors with these garments do pleats inside the seams to give you extra fabric to allow for future adjustments, see if the supplier you are buying from would to do this for you too but be sure to let them know your exact measurements as you said you are busty and you want to be sure they'll supply enough fabric.
If not, I'd get it unstitched if you can find such a store locally or ask your alterations guy first what he would prefer you order.
Staff or family will help you put it on when you get there, do not worry, don't get the lehenga (skirt) stitched to anything, it's not that hard at all and I usually pin the dupatta (shawl) at the shoulder myself to keep it secure, many ladies there do.
Have a great time!


Absolutely beautiful! Enjoy the wedding and make sure you get some practice wearing and walking in the sari. It's not the same as wearing western clothes and will get some getting used to. It sounds very very exciting and would love to see photos of the wedding!:smile:

So cool that you're invited to go to a wedding in India! I'm Indian so I'll help you out.

Don't have it stitched onto the petticoat. The petticoat is meant to be separate so that you can wear it with other sarees as well.


In the US there are some saree shops that allow you to bring it unstitched and they will make it for you. I live in NYC so my mom sometimes brings unstitched blouses to Jackson Heights in Queens which is basically little India and has a lot of Indian shops there. If there are no Indian saree shops or tailors near you then I suggest you buy the blouse stitched and then have your tailor alter it if it does not fit. Usually Indian tailors leave extra fabric on the inside of the seams so that you can have your tailor make the blouse bigger if it is too small. This is called "silay" in Gujarati ((I think Hindi as well I'm not too sure lol)). But it is always best to ask your tailor what he or she is comfortable with. If they know how to make the blouse then ordering unstitched would be a much better option.

Enjoy the wedding!! I'm sure you will look stunning!

And that's a beautiful sari you picked out! Enjoy your wedding! We've had 3 back to back weddings in my family (March, this weekend and then May) lol, I've been shopping like a mad women!

I think you'll have a grand time, and how nice of you to travel all the way there to attend the celebrations! My family is East Indian. You've picked a wonderful celebratory color that looks beautiful. I agree that there will be help there from one of the many "aunties" who are family or close friends. I suggest you let the groom know that you'll need some help from a friend or relative prior to the wedding. That way they can budget a little time for that. Totally agree with practice walking - the person who helps put the sari on you will adjust the pleat length to accommodate whatever height shoes you are wearing. It's amazing to me that the same six yards of material (nine yards for a very traditional, old-fashioned sari) can be draped and folded to accommodate any height, any body type - it's a beautiful outfit!

And I can confidently say that at Indian weddings, more is more, so wear lots of fun jewelry, liven it up. Enjoy!

So even though I'm Indian, I can't tie a sari to save my life [emoji12]. I get all mine "stitched" or belted. That way, it's just like putting on a wrap skirt, the pleats are already made and stitched and I just have to arrange the pullo (portion that drapes across the chest and over the shoulder. The petticoat is still worn separately underneath, it's not attached to the belted sari. It's best to have a tailor do this according to your measurements since it depends on what height of heels you're wearing etc. If you live in an area with a large Indian/Pakistani community close by, I'm sure their is a shop or tailor that can do this for you. Here's what a stiched/belted sari looks like View attachment 3316747View attachment 3316748View attachment 3316749View attachment 3316750View attachment 3316751


(Please excuse the messy closet lol [emoji85])

I had asked a question about shoes and originally tried to quote all of you. The question is 2 posts above. Thanks. :smile: