10 Gorgeous Sarees for Engagement That Will Make You the Most Beautiful Bride-to-Be! (2019)

Engagement is one of the most important and the first official function that a girl experiences as she starts off on the journey of getting married. Marked with celebrations and festivities, the woman dresses up in her best which highlights her personality, beauty and elegance. Typically engagement sarees are richly embellished and stunning, reflecting the importance of the day. They may be in pastel shades or in darker colours depending on the preferred style of the bride and the choice of fabrics selected. If you have time on your side then plan and execute your shopping at least a couple of months ahead of your engagement by looking through the latest trends and narrowing down your options.

Choose a saree which is comfortable, easy to carry, and matches your skin tone. It is important to choose the right colour, with the trending shades being the pastel palette aside from the usual maroon or red shades. Equally significant is your choice of saree fabric. Consider the weather conditions. Summers warrant light-weight fabrics while wet/winter seasons call for heavy sarees.

Usually brides don the myriad shades of maroon or red for their wedding functions, however with changing times, the colour preferences have changed as well. Here are some colours you can experiment with, to look your best and stand a class apart from the crowd! Beige is a classic and one of the most neutral colours to dress up which will never be wrong to pick. Versatile in the way it is combined with accent shades of orange, red or pink, beige can be carried off royally, more so, when monotones of antique gold laden fabric is used for creating flares or falls.

Royal or midnight blue is considered a modern, chic and elegant colour that works well with crepe, georgette or silk sarees and with a touch of silver, gold or red, it adds to the visual appeal of the saree. Yellow is a vibrant and cheerful shade that enhances the joy quotient of the bride-to-be and attracts more happiness improving the ambiance around. Combined with red or pink accents a yellow saree comes out to be a traditional rendition of ethnicity and contemporary style.

One of the most feminine colours of all times, pink works for all occasions, and you can choose lighter shades of the colour with a beautiful pattern of silver/gold zardozi work. The softer shades of pink will make for a lighter appeal without any additional accent hues. If you have a pale complexion, then add a beige highlight to enhance the pink. Pink suits all complexions, thankfully. Then other colours like emerald green or a fusion of green with a highlight, or silver accents will look regal as well.

It is best to buy the right fabric and design to give you the best and perfect look for your engagement. If you’re heavier on the bottom half of your body then choose fabrics that are breathable and lightweight, like a chiffon or georgette saree which will balance your body’s features and to enhance the visual appeal further, drape it in a seedha pallu style. If you’re voluptuous around the bust and stomach area, then silk would look the best on you. Just be sure to wrap it a little higher with a longer blouse to cover your chubby areas. A saree with heavy embroidery, contrasting blouse or bold print will add to your personality.

If you’re built is slender and you are short in height, then go for heavy silk/cotton or net fabrics to appear taller and fuller, in pastel shades, thin edging, avoiding heavy borders and large prints. Choose a blouse with puffed sleeves to mask your thin hands. If you’re one of the lucky ones with a tall and slim figure, you can carry off anything between a cotton, silk, tussar, chiffon or georgette saree with heavy borders and big and bold prints.

Kanchipuram Sarees are heavier compared to other silk sarees with intricate designs and gorgeous patterns, but no less a masterpiece! It’s a popular belief that a South Indian Bride’s trousseau is incomplete without a Kanchipuram Silk Saree, a thought that’s catching on with most other Indian cultures as well. Suitable for nearly all kinds of occasions and celebrations Kanchipuram Sarees are distinct, in terms of the rich use of colours and fine zari work that adorns these sarees with beautiful motifs and patterns. The Fuchsia Kanchipuram Saree from Utsav Fashion is made in art silk, with the drape woven elegantly with zari and resham work in floral motifs and highlighted with fringes. It comes with an unstitched art silk blouse in the same colour. The Fuchsia Kanchipuram Saree is priced at Rs.4,698.

An essential part of any Indian woman’s traditional wear is an Embroidered saree, which is a subtle option in comparison to embellished sarees, in terms of an elegant ensemble. Some gorgeous styles incorporated in the gamut of embroidered sarees are cutdana work, stone work and bead work that are interwoven with embroidery. The Teal Green Art Silk Saree is a styled monotone from Panash India which is designed with stunning resham and zari embroidery, adorned with sparkling stones and sequins and comes with an unstitched pink blouse with heavy work also in art silk which can be custom made to 44”. Measuring 5.3m and weighing 800gms, the Teal Green Embroidered Saree comes with complimentary fall and edging, priced at Rs.2,791.

Banarasi Silk is a fine variant of silk that owes its origins to the city of Varanasi and is immensely popular all across the country and in the world. A fusion of different cultures, Banarasi Silk is one of the most traditional forms of Indian designs in the apparel industry as is renowned for its inspired designs from the Mughal era, adorned with intricate floral and foliate designs, or strings of leaves called Jhallar. With a unique set of heavy gold work, small delicate figures, metallic visual appeal and fine weaves, Banarasi silk sarees are as popular today as they were in the good ol’ days. The Purple Party Banarasi Silk Saree is a self-designed silk saree in Banarasi style and measures 5.5m with Baluchari work and it comes with a purple coloured blouse measuring 0.80m, priced at Rs.2,910 and available on Craftsvilla.

Pearls carry an oriental legacy with them given their early origins in China. Available in an assortment of colours, shapes and sizes pearls are typically used to embellish in the intricate process of embroidery work and were typically used to serve the royal apparel in Europe, Russia, India and China amongst other countries. Pearl work usually presents different floral motifs, plants, animals and geometric patterns, making for stylized wear. The Embroidered Georgette Saree in Yellow colour is created in faux georgette fabric, adorned with beads, zari, stones and pearl work and includes an unstitched blouse in same colour and fabric, priced at Rs.4,277 on Utsav Fashion.

Used as embellishments, Sequins are made either of metal or plastic and can be stitched onto the fabrics in the front or just to give a decorative appeal to the hems. In India, given its rich cultural heritage, the art of sequins embellishing is anything from grand to quirky, adding a festive appeal to the any apparel. Typically round, small and flat in shape, sequins are also available in other shapes, sizes and colours and can work well on fabrics like cotton, silk, georgette and other synthetic materials. For weddings and other special occasions sequins work with zari or zardozi work complement the fabrics. The Cynosure Multi-Colour Sequence Work Saree comes in Net fabric in sky blue colour with an unstitched blouse piece with exquisite work at the back and on the front neckline. The Cynosure Multi-Colour Sequence Work Saree is priced at Rs.2,090 on Joodeal.

In fashion for centuries now, Sheesha/Abhala Bharat or Mirror embroidery is an art form that uses mirrors in different shapes which are attached onto fabrics through embroidery work. Used on different fabrics like georgette, chiffon, cotton, silk, crepe and more, Mirror work has its origins in Gujarat. Traditionally, before using mirrors, coins, beetles, tins and silver were used as elements to adorn sarees, but now if not mirrors, then reflective luminescent metal pieces of different shapes and sizes are used. The Stylish Yellow Colour Georgette Mirror Work Saree is embellished with mirrors and gold zari work along the borders and comes with a Dhupian unstitched blouse with similar but heavy mirror and zari work through the blouse fabric, priced at Rs.1,349 on Sareeo.

Gota Patti is another style of Indian embroidery work that has its roots in Rajasthan. Using the applique technique small pieces of the zari ribbon are attached to a fabric with the hems sewn down to create gorgeous patterns. Gota work is usually used widely in South Asian weddings and formal apparel. The work also known as Lappe ka kaam or Gota Kinnari is a kind of metal embroidery and uses metals like silver, gold, copper, etc. The work is most preferred for an elegant, stylish and ethnic appeal and the metallic threads are cut into fine pieces forming strings that end up transforming simple designs to intricate floral motifs, leaves, birds or geometric patterns. The Peach Gota Patti Saree is a light peach fabric in georgette with hand embroidered work in gota patti and zardozi motifs all over. It is paired with a fuchsia pink blouse in dupion fabric with similar embroidery on the sleeves and front and back of the blouse. The Peach Gota Patti Saree with Fuschia Blouse is priced at Rs.4,200 on Label Kanupriya.

Dori work is known for its creative essence that comes with a gorgeous variety of Indian embroidery, that’s crafted with a strong cord/thread covering the whole gamut of zardozi stitches and couching stitch work with an ensemble of assorted and finest quality of threads, that enhance the designs, motifs and style used on the sarees. With a wide variety of metallic rich and shimmering coloured threads the patterns and motifs created cast a mesmerising effect on the sarees. Paired with gold or diamond jewelry, the Dori Work Sarees look really elegant and beautiful for special occasions both in traditional and modern settings. This dusty pink net saree comes adorned with intricate dori, embroiderywith pearls and thread work with an unstitched blouse in same fabric and colour priced at Rs.12,120 on Saree. The saree has a lovely elegance to it with exquisite work on the borders and on the blouse neckline.

Applique work is centuries old and has been used to adorn fabrics with a designer element, transforming a simple saree into a stunning collector’s item. The process involves attaching colourful patches of fabrics onto garments or linen, or adding tissue applique motifs, replacing the conventional gold borders or drapes, making for a unique contemporary twist to an otherwise plain saree. Applique work includes a wide range of tussar silks, kanchivaram, banarasi, organza, net or chiffon silk sarees, infused with diverse floral motifs, zigzag borders, nature-themed shells or leaves on a base of different colors like soft ivory, pastel shades, bold dark colours and with intricate embroidery work. The Brown Silk Kota Applique Work Saree comes with a contrasting orange and pink border, with applique work on the drape and an unstitched orange brocade blouse, priced at Rs.7,400 on thesstudioonline.com.

Crafted out of a special fabric, Jacquard Sarees are a big hit with women for their elegant woven patterns, which are weaved into the fabric directly. Available in primarily brocade, damask and matelassé patterns, the Jacquard sarees are very popular for festive occasions. The Designer Jacquard Saree in pink colour is a Banarasi Silk saree in a self-designed pattern with dull gold and parrot green border measuring 5.5 and comes with an unstitched blouse piece in pink and parrot green colour with zari work on it. The saree drape is highlighted with fringes at the hem giving it a royal look and feel. The Pink Silk Designer Jacquard Saree is priced at Rs.2,700 on Craftsvilla.

Beauty is an essential part of any bride-to-be’s dressing up process that exudes a lovely glow to her persona, without making her look gaudy or artificial. Here are some quick tips to help you keep track of your beauty regime in time to make for a gorgeous bride-to-be on her Engagement Day!