Category Archives: Jewellery

5 Colours & Fabrics for Winter Weddings

5 Colours & Fabrics for Winter Weddings

Hi guys,

Continuing the bridal series, today’s topic is the fabrics and colours that are perfect for weddings in the winter season. Fabric is the most important when it comes to Indian ethnic wear; also it should be something you are comfortable with, because comfort is most important when it comes to the heavy wedding attire.

The Mumbai Bride Diaries: Final Bridal Pictures, Indian Bride, Gujurati Bride, Cory Walia Bridal Makeup

There are different options to choose from like organza, mal, suede, silk, crepe, chiffon, georgette, etc. It is quite confusing for a bride to be honest. However, fret not, let me list down the best options for you according to the current wedding season.

1. Organza

Organza is one of the most fluid fabrics and it falls beautifully. It is perfect for the sleeves or as the top layer of your skirt/ghagra/lehenga. It looks amazing as a jacket or cape too. Zardozi work looks beautiful on the organza fabric.

2. Silk

One of the most used fabrics in Indian ethnic wear is silk. There are different types within silk like raw silk, cotton silk, etc. Raw silk looks the best when it comes to choli or the blouse. You can even wear an entire anarkali or ghagra choli of silk.

3. Crepe

Crepe works well for sarees and tunics. Crepe sarees look beautiful, even on curvy women as it gives shape and definition to the body and does not make one look bulky. Long crepe jackets are also a good option for winters.

4. Mal

Mal fabric is the softest and most comfortable for any attire. It is perfect for daytime weddings, though it is slightly on the expensive side, but, for days when you have to be out for a ceremony whole day, mal fabric outfit would be your best bet.

5. Velvet

Velvet is also a perfect fabric for winters. You can add it on the choli’s sleeves or as a thick border for your bottoms.

Coming to colours now…

1. Powder Pink/Blush Pink/Onion Pink

Pastel shades of pink are “in” this season and they look beautiful. Matched up with contrasting colours like navy blue and purple for the bottoms or borders, it makes the outfit stand out.

2. Bright shade of yellow

Oh yes! The sunshine yellow with floral print and appliqué style looks beautiful. Add gota patti border and it notches up the outfit. It is perfect for your mehendi/chooda ceremony. You can easily buy the fabric border and get it stitched as per your design.

3. Ivory/Toasted Almond

Now, ivory is not something you can wear for your functions as light shades are not really considered a good sign by some, but, you can definitely include it in your trousseau. Match it up with a bright red in a saree or anarkali and stand out, on a silk base.

4. Tangerine

Tangerine/Orange is my favourite! Bright orange paired with sunshine yellow/pink looks beautiful. You can go for a lehenga/anarkali in those shades with dull gold zardozi work on it.

5. Emerald Green

Emerald/jewel green is also “in” this season. It compliments lighter colours and makes for a nice contrast. Polki jewellery looks beautiful with an outfit that has a hint of green.

What are your favourite fabrics and colors for winter weddings?

#WeddingDiaries & My Idea of Untraditional Wedding Twists

#WeddingDiaries & My Idea of Untraditional Wedding Twists

Hi guys,

I did a video with TBZ recently as a part of #WeddingDiaries where we shot a small video talking about weddings & the untraditional bride & her untraditional wedding twists.

Let me tell you little more about the Wedding Diaries

Wedding Diaries inculcates the view of the modern bride while still keeping the rituals and traditions intact. It is about the new-age bride who likes to have fun, plan her wedding, takes major decisions of her life, is independent while still being romantic. While she stands up for her own self and rights, she is not rebellious. Lastly, a woman who loves jewellery.

Don’t we all love jewellery and relate to the modern bride described above?! While I got married last year, I definitely relate to this modern new-age bride who wants to balance both things and likes a mix of both the worlds.

Of course we all want or would have liked something untraditional or different in our weddings. For me personally, I like to keep the wedding affair private and would have loved to have spent my special day with only my close friends and family. But you know as the norm goes, the entire extended families and age-old friends and family friends are invited, some are invited just because they invited our families when their son/daughter got married.

This is something I do not really relate to, though I convinced my parents to keep it short somehow but still the number of people were not very less. While I know of friends who have had weddings which more than 1000 people attended. That gets a bit too much, the bride and the groom themselves do not know half of the people.

I recollect one such incident from my own wedding, where an uncle came and gave us a bouquet, clicked a picture with us and was congratulating and saying some random things while we both were thinking he is from the opposite side and when he went, I asked my husband who he is and he said he thought the uncle was from our side 😀 Yes, such incidents are common when the wedding involves too many people.

Also spending lakhs and lakhs and having a grand reception, etc. is also something I do not relate to and thankfully both sides of parents agreed with us on this. We went for a good, long honeymoon and we would rather spend on a nice holiday than a reception.

Some other fun, untraditional wedding takes would be like the bride coming on a ghodi and wearing a pheta or something like that 😀

Follow TBZ here and let them know your untraditional wedding twists with the #WeddingDiairies

FB – https://www.facebook.com/TBZTheOriginal/?fref=ts

Twitter – https://twitter.com/TBZ1864

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tbz1864/

What is your view of an untraditional wedding? Do let me know in the comments below.

The Art to Picking the Right Engagement Ring for Brides and Grooms

The Art to Picking the Right Engagement Ring for Brides and Grooms

Hi guys,

Continuing the bridal series, today we are talking about the right engagement ring for the brides an grooms. Here are a few pointers which will help you pick the right engagement ring:

Establishing the budget: Decide a budget and stick to it more or less when you go ring shopping. The jewellers will try and show you expensive ones and solitaires, if it is something that does not fit your budget, don’t even look at those!

Find the perfect size: Get your ring finger sized first and go for the closest match, but make sure it is neither too tight nor too loose. Definitely not loose, it can be slightly rolled if it is bit tighter.

Ring band: There are so many different metals used for rings these days, most common being yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, platinum, and silver. You can even go for a mix of metals.

Quality of diamonds: When choosing a diamond, you have to check the four C’s i.e. Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat Weight. Choose a diamond keeping in mind all these four characteristics.

Shape of diamond: You can go for round, oval, pear, heart, princess, there are different shapes to choose from. Shape of the diamond matters the most, even before everything else. Princess cut is the most common and something mostly people opt for.

Setting of diamonds: That is the main part again, if you opt for one big stone, you can for solitaire or Tiffany setting. If you have smaller stones, then you can cluster a shape or even mix the smaller clusters around the main, big solitaire.

Shape of ring: Keep in mind your hand shape, length of fingers and what shape of ring would look best on your fingers, before finalizing a ring.

The same rules apply when buying diamond rings for both brides and grooms, just that the shape of the diamond is not much of a concern for the groom as mostly it is the square setting and shape.

A couple can also opt for platinum bands if they prefer or even get it personalized by engraving their initials or date or place tbey met.

What do you think? Do let me know your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Mumbai Bridal Diaries: One Stop Destination for the Brides-to-Be

Mumbai Bridal Diaries: One Stop Destination for the Brides-to-Be

Hi guys,

If you have been following my bridal series, you would have seen a lot of posts related to my wedding. I complete one year of my wedding exactly in a week 🙂

I know exactly how a bride-to-be feels and the thousands of mixed emotions she goes through. And planning her own perfect wedding is what every bride dreams of.

I myself have gone through numerous blogs and wedding magazines, taking inspirations for hair, makeup, jewellery, different kinds of ethnic wear for trousseau,etc. Every bride wants to be different coz things get repetitive easily with styles getting very common these days.

With just weeks or months left until the wedding, a bride’s heart is filled with excitement and anxiety. With the big-date getting closer, you may find her wishful and enthusiastic one moment and then getting nervous the very next second.

I would be sharing a lot of more bridal posts on fabrics to buy, how to plan your trousseau and engagement makeup, etc. So stay tuned for more on my Mumbai Bridal Diaries 🙂

#BlueBookFever- Bluestone.com

#BlueBookFever- Bluestone.com

Hi guys,

Bluestone.com has launched their New Blue Book. You ask what is it about. It’s a theme based jewellery lookbook/style guide which consists of different lines of Bluestone.com jewellery along with pictures, styling and all other details. The Blue Book is based on 3 themes – WEDDING BELLS, COSMO CULTURE and LOVELORE.

About BlueStone: BlueStone is India’s leading online jewellery brand that houses high quality fine jewellery in exquisite designs. With a user-friendly shopping experience, BlueStone is a one stop destination for everything jewellery, given any occasion. Established in 2011, BlueStone has built a large family of loyal consumers both in India and abroad. Some of the investors being Ratan Tata, Kalaari Capital and Accel Partners. A vertically integrated firm, BlueStone prides itself on an excellent customer service and distinctive craftsmanship.

BlueStone houses more than 3000 unique designs for an individual to choose from. These designs are crafted to perfection with utmost care for our customers who also have the flexibility to customize the product’s gold colour or diamond clarity to suit their needs.

With an in-house award-winning design team that pays great attention to detail, each piece is a symbol of perfection. Also, with its cutting edge innovation and latest technology usage, BlueStone makes sure the brilliance is well reflected in all its jewellery. The company offers some of the industry first options to its customers like the 30 Day Money Back Policy, Lifetime Exchange on all its products, BlueFew Loyalty Programme and Free Home Try On.

The brand BlueStone stands for “Pure Jewellery For Real Love” – a wide range of contemporary jewellery to trigger spontaneous expressions of love appropriate to every moment in a real relationship. We believe that the need for jewellery is a cry for romance, and jewellery is best bought in a close huddle with your loved one.

About The Peacock Collection: (Check on their site HERE)

Name: Blue Feather Collection

Tag Line: From the Royal Gardens

Inspiration: “Since we are all royal, in our own special ways.”

About ‘The Blue Book’: BlueStone celebrates the launch of Blue Book, a contemporary, stylish and a gorgeous Look Book that aims to showcase how the jewellery can be worn in the trendiest manner. The Blue Book, as we love to call it is a one of a kind jewellery style guide that will make sure you look a stunner from dawn to dusk! After seeing this, you may want to change your outfit “but not our jewellery”! This Blue Book captures the essential jewellery style guides for three occasions… Festive, Romance and Work Wear.

I received this super cute hamper from Blue Stone. It has adorable love notes, two packs of King and Queen cards, joint coaster, diary, The Blue Book and this pendant and earrings from the new Peacock collection.

I loved the designs, presentation, styling of The Blue Book, one of my favourite looks is this one..

And how adorable are these pendant and earrings from the peacock collection..

Here is how I styled the jewellery..

You can check out The Blue Book online here or follow them on their social media to know more about The Blue Book and the new collections.

 Online Blue Book – http://www.bluestone.com/bluebook.html

 Facebook – https://facebook.com/bluestonejewels

 Twitter – https://twitter.com/bluestone_com

 Instagram – https://instagram.com/bluestone_com/

 Pinterest – https://in.pinterest.com/bluestonedotcom/blue-book-first-edition/ (The Blue Book Board)

 Have you shopped from Blue Stone yet? Did you like this new Peacock collection and The Blue Book edition?

Accessories from Confusion Fashion Accessories

Accessories from Confusion Fashion Accessories

Hi guys,

Remember the accessories I showed you last time from Confusion Fashion Accessories, see HERE. Read all about them in the previous post or at confusionfa.com

This time, I got a few more pieces to show you guys.

Pearl and Mesh Haath Phool

If you have seen the previous haath phool and how I was obsessed with it, you have to see this one. I absolutely love this haath phool/hand harness and have been wearing this a lot! This is slightly different coz it has a mesh and pearl kada on one side and then connects with the ring, unlike the usual bracelet.

Pearl Drop Earrings

These cute pearl drop earrings which I wore in my youtube video HERE, I love how small and light they are yet look pretty, they are kind of ‘jhumkas’ which you can wear with not only your Indian outfits but also fusion Indo-western wear. I have worn them with my maxi dress.

Kundan Maang Tikka

I love maang tikkas, they make you look pretty instantly and you don’t need any additional accessories when you are wearing a maang tikka. This one has kundan which makes it look all the more pretty and it has maroon enameled stone which makes it perfect for most of the Indian wear and wedding sarees.

Kundan Saree Keyring

And, last but not the least, a kundan saree keyring. I was in search of a good kundan keyring which is not very heavy since a long time and this is just perfect! It can make any saree look much more pretty and well accessorized. Key rings complement sarees beautifully.

I love all the four pieces here, if I have to choose, the haath phool is of course my favourite, followed by the earrings and maang tikka. And if I am wearing a saree, the key ring.

I really love Confusion Fashion Accessories’ collection and also the fact that they keep adding on new stuff every month. I see new collection and different, unique pieces every time I check their site.

If you are looking for some accessories for your Indian wear, definitely check out Confusion Fashion Accessories. They also have some nice house decor items. cuff links and brooch for men, etc.

What is your favourite piece? Do let me know in the comments below.

OOTD: 3 Casual Outfits (Part 2)

OOTD: 3 Casual Outfits (Part 2)

Hi guys,

Remember the 3 casual outfits I did last time (See HERE). I think it’s a nice idea to bring together some daily wear casual outfits and many of you liked the post, so I thought of continuing this series.

Here are another 3 casual outfits which I wore recently in an event or for a meeting or here and there..

Outfit 1:

The first outfit is this lovely blue,brown,white printed dress which has a tie-dye kind of effect. It comes with a belt which accentuates the waist and fits perfectly, also has a flare at the ends, love the way it falls. The dress is from Oxolloxo and it costs only Rs.518/- 😀 Steal, isn’t it? The sleeves are bell shaped and slightly long for me, I prefer folding them 🙂

I paired it with my black tasseled sling and tan brogues. For accessories, my favourite Daniel Wellington watch and layered silver dainty pieces.

One is my name pendant and the other is an infinity with love, both are from The Lieben Store on Instagram. Do check them out for some cute accessories. They have these small necklaces and rings to cute hair bands and wrist bands and a lot of other cute stuff.

Dress: Oxolloxo
Necklaces: The Lieben Store
Watch: Daniel Wellington
Shoes: Foot-in
Bag: StalkBuyLove

Outfit 2:

Second outfit is this bright coral sheer shirt with metallic gold pointed collar clips.It is from a new Instagram store called ES Collection, they have simple but classic pieces and that can be customized to your size,also a lot of sizes are available. The best part is they are quite economical too.

I paired it with white straight fit pants and black studded ballets. My Daniel Wellington watch and MK Mini Selma sling completed the look.

I wore this outfit for a casual meeting. On my lips, I have the Maybelline Rebel Bouquet Lipstick in REB04 which matched perfect with the shirt co-incidentally.

Shirt: ES Collection
Pants: Wills Lifestyle
Watch: Daniel Wellington
Bag: Michael Kors Mini Selma
Shoes: Steppings (Fashion & You)

Outfit 3:

Midi skirts are still in trend and I believe they still would be for some time,at least 😀 I love midi skirts and have 3-4 of these. (See one HERE)

I had this pretty white midi skirt with red roses print on it. I paired it with a red crop top from a red co-ordinates set and a vintage looking leaf statement necklace. My Daniel Wellington watch, MK sling and gold ankle strap heels completed the look.

I wore this to the Lakme Pro Stylist Studio Launch here in Phoenix,Lower Parel, Mumbai.

Crop top: HERE
Necklace: HERE
Skirt: HERE
Watch: Daniel Wellington
Shoes: Shown HERE and HERE

I hope you liked the outfits,let me know your favourite in the comments below 🙂

How to decide upon Indian bridal Trousseau and Jewellery

How to decide upon Indian bridal trousseau and jewellery

A lot of effort goes in wedding preparations, especially in India. Apart from the event preparations, the bride takes extra effort to decide upon her wedding trousseau and the jewellery which she will wear on the wedding day.

Considering the wedding is once in a lifetime affair, people have known to go extra lengths to make it special and grand. Go through these guidelines and make the right decision when it comes to deciding upon the wedding jewellery and trousseau which match with each other quite well.

Jadtar (Kundan) Set

Wedding is a very special occasion that requires the bride to look not only very beautiful but best as well. An Indian wedding requires the bride to be dressed up in fine apparel and in the best of jewellery, usually made of precious metals such as gold, platinum, and silver and so on. Apart from this, the jewellery worn could be encrusted with precious and semi precious stones such as diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires to name the popular ones. Amongst the wedding preparations, shopping for the bridal trousseau and accessories does take up most of the effort and time.

How to decide on what to wear on your wedding day?

White Gold and Diamond Set

There are great deals of factors that need to be discussed when deciding the wedding attire. The attire has to match with the partner’s wedding dress and the wedding theme in general. Along with the cost factor, the time of the year and location of the wedding does seem important. If it’s a summer wedding, it would best to wear light wedding attire comprising of lightweight chiffons, georgettes, crepes and other flowing materials. In case of a winter wedding, the wedding attire could comprise of silks in varied varieties such as raw silk, tussar, pure silk along with heavy brocade borders and so on.

Similarly, the wedding trousseau gets influenced by the colours of the season. For instance, it’s the pastels and bright summer shades which are preferred during the summer while winter calls for rich colours with darker hues giving a feeling of coziness and warmth.

Consequently, the jewellery is determined, which gives a great final look to the bride. When deciding upon the jewellery, gold and diamond are extremely popular and preferred. In fact, gold jewellery is often given to the bride by her parents as well as those of the groom. Apart from that, Indian bridal jewellery also comprises of jewellery sets in regional themes such as Jadtar sets, Kundan sets, Thewa sets and so on.

Gone are the days when people used to visit a traditional jeweler or request a home visit from a traditional jeweler and spend hours together deciding upon the ornaments design and final look. Today, you can look forward to shop online for jewellery and placed a customised order as well. With a plethora of branded jewellery stores having an online presence, you can browse through the umpteen collections on offer before you shop for one.

If you have found a couple of ornament pieces of your liking, you could even request for a physical inspection of the same at a store located near to your residence. Also, check out on their customer service, exchange and return policy too. You also need to make sure they provide an accurate bill relating to your purchase mentioning the exact details of your piece of jewellery including the weight, purity and carat details of the metals and the precious stones used. At the same time, you can also ask for customer testimonials which could add more weight to their reputation too. On the overall, purchasing jewellery online is quite safe and reliable too.

I would suggest going for kundan or jadtar sets in yellow gold for the main wedding function if you are a Punjabi or a Gujurati bride,temple jewellery for something with raw silk sarees,etc. i.e. if you are a South Indian bride and the white gold and diamond sets for the reception/cocktail with a gown or an Ind0-western wear for everyone 🙂

Your thoughts on Indian Bridal Jewellery?

Shop Miss A Haul: Elf, Accessories,etc.

Shop Miss A Haul: Elf, Accessories,etc.

Hi guys,

A few weeks ago I shopped from Miss A and here is the huge,huge haul!

About Miss A: Explore your personal styles. Enhance your complete lifestyle. MISS A, world’s No.1 “fast-fashion” retailer, provides an unprecedented selection of today’s fashion, always changing and always in style. Visit http://www.ShopMissA.com

The price formula that is being offered to our customer – “Everything is $1” – lets every MISS A shoppers enjoy a fun and exciting environment to shop and also makes them cherish the moment being in MISS A. It is amusing and welcoming, which allows our customers enjoy their shopping experience at MISS A.

Yes, you read that right! Everything on Shop Miss A is just $1!! Can you beat that?! From accessories, to makeup to knick knacks, you get them all for $1 each.

I bought lots of jewellery, few makeup items from Elf Cosmetics and Kleancolor, LA.Colors, etc.

Coming to the haul now, lets see what all I got 😀

Starting with makeup first, I got

  • e.l.f. Essential Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil-Plum Passion
  • e.l.f. Essential Eyelid Primer-Champagne
  • e.l.f. Essential Healthy Glow Bronzer- Sun Kissed
  • e.l.f. Essential Dual Pencil Sharpener
  • Vintage Cola Lip Gloss- Strawberry
  • e.l.f. Essential Brightening Eye Color-Day 2 Night
  • e.l.f. Essential Shine Eraser- 2 packs
  • Everlasting Lipstick-Holiday Red
  • Wizard Nail Polish Remover Pads
  • Eyelash Adhesive-CLEAR
  • L.A. Colors Shimmering Loose Eyeshadow- Chocolate Sprinkles

Some makeup brushes and tools..

  • e.l.f. Essential Smudge Brush
  • e.l.f. Essential Eye Crease Brush
  • e.l.f. Essential Eyeliner Brush
  • Metallic golden Tweezers
  • Leopard Print Nail File
  • Retractable Travel Lip Brush
  • Multi Polka Dots Cosmetic Pouch

Next are my favourite,accessories..

  • Enamel Star Open Ring- Black & White
  • Enamel Ribbon Bow Ring- Red
  • Genesis Teardop Hoop Gold Earrings
  • Andrea Filigree & Stone Shield Ring- Black
  • Bead Accent Threader Earrings- Teal (So pretty!)
  • Bridget Wrap Bracelet/Arm Cuff- Gold
  • Front & Back Turquoise Stone Earrings (My Favourite)
  • Colored & Clear Rhinestone Earring Set (12 Pairs)- Red
  • Pearl Safety Pin Brooch- Silver(Another favourite)
  • 6 Piece Flower Ring Set- Red

The statement neck pieces..

  • Genesis Luxe Collar Necklace- Gold
  • Shelby Two Tone Chain Link Necklace- Black & Gold
  • Sleek Chain Layered Collar Necklace- Silver

And some random stuff..

  • Floral No Show Socks
  • Filigree Masquerade Mask (which broke a bit in transit :()
  • Superman Locket Charm (I got confused and thought it was with the locket :/)

Yes, all of the above was for $1 each 🙂 I hope you liked my haul. And I am sure, many of you are tempted to shop now, and you should, coz it’s a steal and you save on a lot of bucks!

They have a flat rate shipping of $3.95 within US,$5.95 for Canada and $9.95 for anywhere else in the world. They use normal post and I received the package in 22-23 days. Also, they were no customs charges and I don’t think customs would be levied on them, since they are quite cheap with every product just $1 untill you are ordering something worth $100 or more.

What did you like the most? Do let me know in the comments below.

Small BornPrettyStore Haul

Small BornPrettyStore Haul

Hi guys,

I did a small haul from Bornprettystore.com, which is a site that stocks everything from nail art, accessories,makeup brushes, beauty stuff, toys,watches and even clothing. If you love nail art, you will find innumerable options and you will be stuck on the site whole day 😀

Here is what all I got:

A cute,tiny, PINK eyelash curler. I wanted to try this kind of eyelash curler since a long time and also it is quite handy to be carried in your bag.

A polka dots, pink retractable lip brush. Again it is very tiny and goes in my handbag 🙂

A beauty blender dupe (wanted to try it, lets see how it works)

A multi layered, braided bracelet. It has anchor, infinity, etc., very cute.

My favourite is this pearl tasseled hand harness. This is so pretty, I am going to wear this a lot!

And last but not the least, a Pedi Spin. Its a handy tool for at- home pedicures, comes with a polishing and a finishing plate, and 12 extra polishing pads. I know Scholl has Express Smooth Velvet Pedi but this is like 1/6th the price :p

You can get 10% off on bornprettystore.com using my coupon code ‘KKAG10’ 🙂

They have beautiful accessories, inexpensive makeup brushes and a lot of tools for nail art. The best thing is they have Free Shipping worldwide! And your order gets dispatched in a day, though it is usually sent through post, so takes about 3-4 weeks to arrive.

What did you like the most? Do let me know in the comments below.