Whether you’re a bridesmaid or just a guest, you need to look your best at an Indian wedding ceremony. It’s not just for you but it’s the Indian wedding etiquette which requires you to do so.

Though there’s no restriction on what to wear at an Indian wedding, you might face issues while choosing the perfect Indian wedding guest outfit considering the different customs and rituals in Sikh, Hindu and Muslim weddings. The challenge here is that you have to look good while keeping up with the dress code of Indian weddings in different cultures. 

B Anu Designs is here for the rescue with this guide on Wedding guest outfits for Indian Wedding Ceremonies for all types of weddings including Sikh, Hindu, and Muslim weddings.

Let’s dive right in!

The right Indian wedding dress for a female guest

Before you make any decision on what exactly you’d wear, keep a few Indian wedding wear etiquettes in mind: 

• Go for the theme! There might be several events you’d attend as part of a single wedding ceremony. Prepare for them accordingly. Your Indian-American friends are more likely to have wedding functions that are more familiar to you. You’d only need to think about the right outfit when it's a traditional ceremony representing their faith as Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs. You can read more about different Indian wedding functions here. 

• Showing your legs or too much of cleavage in an Indian wedding ceremony whether it’s Hindu, Muslim, or Sikh is not considered good while you’re free to show off your belly which is exposed in most of the traditional Indian outfits. 

• You would also need to cover your head for certain rituals at the wedding where the dupatta or drape/veil comes in handy. 

• Some people believe that wearing black and white for an Indian wedding ritual is inauspicious but it doesn’t hold true for most of the Hindu and Sikh weddings. Instead, a lot of brides and grooms are choosing to wear white as their wedding attire these days. For Muslim weddings, it might apply to certain groups of people so you can avoid these in that case. 

• While in Hindu and Sikh weddings, all colors of the rainbow are accepted in addition to white and black. For Muslim weddings, bright green and pink are most favorable as they are considered auspicious. 

• For a Sikh wedding, wear something that won’t restrict your movement when you need to sit on the floor folding legs like a tight or small outfit would do. Sikh weddings generally occur in their place of worship which is a gurudwara that might require you to sit on the ground for a long period of time. 

• You’d be dancing, sitting, and standing for long periods of time depending on the kind of event so it's utmost important that you’re comfortable in your wedding attire. 

• Nothing is too much. If you like to get all decked up for parties, this is your chance! You are free to wear heavy jewelry and do a lot of makeup for the event as that’s how everyone is seen in Indian wedding parties. You can wear a bindi with your Indian wedding outfit to complete the look. 

Wedding Guest Lehengas 

If you are aware of Indian fashion, you know the relevance of lehengas in Indian weddings. It’s generally what the bride wears. It’s the best outfit to be worn to an Indian wedding as its suited to the etiquette of Indian weddings. 

Mendhika Lehenga

You can also rock a lehenga to your friend’s wedding looking like a snack. Here’s a list of trends for lehengas you can follow to choose your perfect dress for Indian weddings:

Lehenga with Asymmetric Hemline Skirt 

Asymmetric hemlines are in trend in western dresses and the same goes for the Indian fashion industry which is getting more and more inspired by the international fashion trends to deliver stunning Indian wear for weddings and festivals. 

Asia Lehenga

Solaris Lehenga

You can take inspiration from our ‘Sunshine Collection’ with the bright yellow Asia and Solaris lehenga. Both have a lehenga skirt with an asymmetric hemline and an indo-western fusion blouse with a bow (Asia) and applique work (Solaris). It can be customized in any color and makes for the perfect summer wedding dress for a guest!   

Irina Lehenga

This lavender pastel lehenga has such an asymmetrically designed hemline that gives an easy-breezy flowy look to the outfit complimented with the silver embroidered blouse with extensions. If you plan to dance the night away at the wedding, this is what you need. 

Lehenga with Cape Top

Cape tops weren’t so trendy as wedding wear before they were brought in the limelight by the stunning Mira Rajput who wore an Anamika Khanna cape gown in her wedding Reception at Delhi. 

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But how come no one took notice what an impressive modern Īndian outfit a cape makes when fused with a lehenga, dhoti pants, gown, or palazzo? The good thing about them is that you don’t have to worry about carrying a drape with a cape top. 

Our favorite of all these is lehenga with a cape top. Here’s the reason why:

Katrina Lehenga

You can steal the spotlight at any wedding function with this 3-piece lehenga that has a net cape with an ornate floral pattern. The hot part about this outfit is the sweetheart neckline blouse which adds the spice to the conventional good-girl look. 

Juliette Cape Lehenga

This long cape top with a silk tassel skirt will make for the perfect dress for a wedding party in India. The embroidered cape has a look that is modern yet traditional. 

Golden Girl Lehenga

Who is not a fan of velvet tops/blouses? They are perfect for winters and have a splendid shimmery look suited to the wedding vibes. Thus when velvet meets the cape style, it makes for the perfect dress for Indian wedding guests. 

Sophia Lehenga

Lehenga with Corset Blouse Top

Who said corset is only a part of western outfits? Indian fashion has smoothly adapted this glamorous outfit to produce stunning modern crop tops to be paired with lehengas, sarees, and gowns. 

Bellarina Lengha

This ravishing lilac corset blouse has been perfectly paired with a plain silk super-flared lehenga and is the perfect example of flawlessly sporting a corset blouse with lehenga. 

Bella Lehenga

This rust corset lehenga has the same blouse design in a different color and a slightly different flare in the lehenga.  

Jaal Palazzo Lehenga

This stylish galaxy pink corset bustier is simply goals for any fashion diva out there looking for some unique outfit ideas for a wedding. It has been ensembled with a palazzo lehenga and pre-draped dupatta, a completely unique fashion statement to leave an impact as an Indian wedding guest. 

One-shoulder lehenga blouse

We all can agree that one-shoulder tops are super sexy even if some of us might not like them. This innovation can also be done in lehenga blouses to get the perfect Indian wedding guest attire. 

Savannah Lengha

Sequin and pearl embroidery is an eternal part of Indian wedding outfits whether it’s for the guests or the bride.

That’s why we have here this shimmery sequinned one-shoulder top paired with this contrast colored red lehenga in a layered design.
The good thing about this one-shoulder top is that it can be reused with any of your western outfits. In the end, sustainability is important. 

Lumier Cape Lengha

When you have the fusion of a cape and one-shoulder top, you get this lovely sequinned one-shoulder cape blouse which is a great outfit idea for a wedding guest. Pair it with an asymmetrically slit lehenga like the one here to make the perfect modern Indian outfit for a wedding. 

Gucci Lehenga

This one-shoulder ruffled blouse paired with chiffon silk lehenga is all you need to break the dance floor at your friend’s wedding. For a superb Indian fusion look, pair it with a statement choker necklace, dangling earrings, and knee-length boots, and no one would be taking their eyes off you. 

Masala Chai Lehenga

Pairing boots with a lehenga is a new trend we see in Indian wedding guest dresses and if it’s done right, you’d be in the limelight as the fashion diva of the show. 

Eros Lengha

One-shoulder ruffle tops can be paired with a matching lehenga to make for a simple outfit for a wedding.

Lehenga with Fringe Crop Top

Fringes and ruffles are the biggest trends in the Indian fashion industry this year and that’s not without a reason. Fringe blouses make for the perfect wedding wear with the distinctive and shimmery look that they have. 

Shakira Lengha

Latest Indian wedding dresses are following this trend of nude crop tops and when we merge that with these golden fringes, we get the perfect Indian style dress for a wedding. Pair it with a heavy dupatta and embroidered lehenga to look your best. 

Liamya Lengha

This silver fringe crop top is paired with a lavender silk mermaid lehenga for those who love pastels more than sequins. Instead of a heavy drape with intricate embroidery, it has a raw silk dupatta with a stylish twist to get a remarkable Indian wedding guest dress. 

Sharara Outfit Ideas for Wedding Guest

While lehenga is the primary dress for Hindu and Sikh weddings, a sharara should be your first choice for a Muslim wedding. These days they are equally popular for Hindu and Sikh weddings due to their beauty and convenience. 

Sharara with Peplum 

Amia Sharara

Sharara can be paired with a spaghetti striped long peplum kurta which finishes just at the point where the flare of the sharara begins. An amazing wedding dress idea for guests!

Sharara with Kurti

Chandini Sharara

For conservative gatherings, you can go for an elbow-length kurta with subtle embellishment like this ivory pair in gold sequin embroidery. The sharara has a fringe style that is unique and suttle. 

Sharara with Crop Top and Jacket

Fashion freaks have devised new ways of merging western wear with Indian wear to provide us with amazing wedding outfit ideas for guests.

Simone Sharara

This attire features a bustier blouse with a jacket paired perfectly with a sharara. A comfortable yet chic wedding guest outfit! 

Dhoti pants

Dhoti is a traditional Indian garment that has existed for years and got fashionable with time. Dhoti pants are the result of the innovation that has been done with the traditional dhoti garment. They make for the perfect Indian outfit for any wedding guest whether it's a Punjabi, Hindu, or Muslim wedding. 

Dhoti pants with a crop top and jacket

Jasmine Dhoti Pants

Ever fell in love with a Disney princess outfit? We did! That’s why we designed this stunning Indian adaptation of the Disney Princess Jasmine.

The blue Jasmine dress has been converted to a gold dhoti pants set here to give out the wedding vibes you need in a wedding guest dress.

Crop tops look stunning with dhoti pants and that’s why we have this gold silk crop top in the outfit. The open pink jacket further complements the look. 

Dhoti pants with one shoulder crop top and drape

Princess Dhoti Pants

We have already seen how lovely a one-shoulder crop top looks with lehenga. We get an even trendier and more glamorous look when it's paired with dhoti pants. When paired with a drape, it gives out the perfect elegant vibe you need in your Indian wedding dress. 

Dhoti pants with stylish kurtas

Crop tops aren’t the only options you have to pair with dhoti pants. If you’re looking for something unique, you can choose tops and kurtas with extraordinary cuts and designs. 

Beverly Dhoti Pants

For instance, this elegant dhoti set has a peach silk half peplum top which is asymmetrically longer on one side. 

Navy blue is a lovely color to be worn at an Indian wedding ceremony and just like gold, beige and pink, you’ll find a lot of wedding wear being designed in the navy blue color. 

Here we have another example of a stylish kurta you can pair with your dhoti pants. It’s a high low kurta in navy blue with silver embroidery. We see a contrast color pairing here with stunning golden Patiala dhoti pants which is simply gorgeous. 

Amber

We’ve seen the different kinds of dhoti pants and what distinct style tops they can be paired with. Here comes another uniquely designed dhoti pants in the Aladdin style. 

It has been paired with a matching peplum kurta which is nicely flared. An elegant and simple outfit for a wedding party!

Jacket Style Indian Dresses

Jackets are capable of elevating the beauty of any outfit and make for a great attire for winter weddings. They eliminate the hassle of carrying a drape with any Indian inspired dresses for wedding guests to give comfort with style. 

Jacket Style Lehenga Set

Isabella Lengha

A jacket with subtle embroidery of thread work and sequins can be used as a statement over a plain lehenga crop top. The key here is to pair it with a very simple lehenga which has little to no embroidery like you see in this white Indian wedding dress. Pair it with heavy jewelry and bright makeup to get the best out of this look.

Anjali Lengha

Shrug Jacket with Fringes

Nila Lengha

This red net jacket shrug has beautiful fringes to accentuate the look of the whole outfit. It can be paired with an embroidered halter neck blouse like this or a bustier blouse for the best results. 

Short Ethnic Jackets

Short sheer jackets can elevate the look of a saree, lehenga, or dhoti pants. Matching the colors is important in this case.

But if you want to have a color contrast, make sure your lehenga and crop top also have contrasting colors that can be brought in one piece through a bright stylish jacket. 

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Read Also: Peplum Blouse Back In Fashion (2020): Ethnic with a Modern Touch

If you’re wondering where you can get all these outfits from, check our website. And if you have a better idea of what you’d want to wear for the event, get it customized from us! 

That’s all from our side. We want to hear from you now. What ideas of wedding guest dresses do you plan to try this season? Tell us in the comments below!