Indian Grooms outfits are as important as brides. We are sharing some of the most common mistakes Indian Grooms will make on the Sikh or Hindu Wedding day.
Some of the major mistakes grooms make while styling their Indian wedding are: wearing a sherwani without a kurta underneath, wearing a pre-made turban when other options are available, and not breaking in punjabi juttis and putting the palla on the wrong shoulder.
Indian Groom Attire includes:
- Sherwani or Achkan with Palla or Shawl
- Pagri (Turban)
- Jutti (Wedding Shoes)
- Jewelry (Malla, Shera, Kalgi)
- Most grooms will be walking in with a sword.
One of the biggest mistakes a groom will make the wedding look is:
1. Sherwani without a Kurta Under
- One of the most common mistakes grooms will make is to get a sherwani and not get a kurta to wear underneath the sherwani. Usually, off the rack, sherwanis will be just jackets and there is no kurta under.
Now why is this a problem? When you are sitting at the ceremony at the Mandap or the Gurdwara, the whole crotch area is visible since sherwanis open up in the front. The whole purpose of the front kurta is to cover the area when you sit.
Also, some grooms will be wearing a white round-neck T-shirt under the sherwani since there is no kurta. That white shirt will show in your photos which really takes away from the elegance of the outfit. If we are planning to wear a white shirt under the sherwani please get a v-neck instead of a round neck. A V-neck white shirt should not pop out from under the sherwani.
We highly recommend getting a kurta with sherwani from the Indian wedding designer. Here is a link to some of the local Toronto-based designers who can help you with sherwanis.
2. Pre made turbans
- In Toronto, New York, or Vancouver, we have a big pool of Indian communities who can professionally tie a turban on the groom on the day of their Sikh or Hindu wedding. However, there are still about 20-30 percent of the weddings where grooms will be getting a pre-made turban with their sherwani.
From our experience, pre-tied turbans never fully fit the groom's head and you can see that in the images. Also, some of the pre-tied hat-style turbans have a dated styling. We understand if you are getting married in a city where there are not a lot of options to hire someone who can tie a custom braided turban. You can always look at videos on YouTube, ask your dhol player or some family member. We have even seen grooms getting custom turban tied and then hot glued them to bring with them for their destination wedding. It definitely adds more value to have a custom-tied turban than a pre-made one
Pro Tip : Sikh wedding grooms we recommed to put back the kalgi after there anand karaj (Sikh wedding ceremony) so we have the groom dressed to the best for thier post wedding photoshoot.
.For the grooms who are getting custom turbans fabrics:
For Sikh weddings - Please wash the fabric a minimum of one or two times before your wedding so the fabric is not too stiff.
For Hindu weddings - The Hindu wedding Safa or turban are sometimes worn without washing. Washing the fabric will make it easier on your head but really depends on the style you're going for.
3. Break into the shoes (Jutti)
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We highly recommend wearing your wedding shoes before the week of the wedding a couple of times inside your house. These shoes are handcrafted usually and you need to break in these shoes. You do not want your shoes to be uncomfortable at your wedding so wear them a couple of times before the wedding.
4 Pin the Palla
Shawl or Palla with the Sherwani - When it comes to palla or shawl keep in mind that is the most important accessory of Indian Grooms attire. Usually, the groom's sherwani is more in the beige or off-white colors with minimal embroidery. Your palla or shawl is going to be the accent piece that will highlight your sherwani. The reason for that is the bride will be sitting on the left side. For Sikh weddings, the bride always sits on the left and for Hindu weddings, the bride starts by sitting on the right and then moves to the left.
At Sikh weddings, you have to pin the shawl to the right shoulder. During the palla ceremony, the father of the bride will be taking the palla or the shawl from the groom and handing it over in the bride's hand. If the palla is on the left shoulder then the palla will keep falling.
In Hindu wedding ceremonies, usually, there will be a separate fabric, usually pink which will be used to tie the knot between the couple.
Pro Tip - Rings for the groom
If you are planning for a regal Maharaja look, we highly recommend getting rings for your hands. We have studied portraits from Indian Royalty and they always wear a lot of rings on their hands.
Usually, most Indian grooms do have a Kirpan and most grooms will be renting it. Please keep double check couple of weeks before which kirpan you are getting. We have seen grooms getting a rental kirpan a day before the wedding and it is so beat up. There is literally visible tapes on it or even the kirpan has fabric coming out of it. Sword or Kirpan is one of the most fashionable accessories so please make sure it matches your outfit and looks as royal as you do at the wedding.
Hope these tips help our Indian Grooms and we are so looking forward to photographing your wedding. Wish you all the very best in planning your Indian wedding attire. Check out our upcoming blog on the Mistakes brides make while planning their wedding outfits. Here is a link to another blog where we talk about Indian Bridal mistakes - Link