Summer Wedding Style: Italy to India

June 18, 2012 No Comments by Teca

Concluding our feature on Wedding Style…

Guest Post by Sloane DiCroce

There’s no doubt that wedding season is in full swing, and after attending an Italian wedding a couple weekends ago, my own thoughts on weddings became a little clearer- sometimes, less is more. Being Italian, the general consensus for any kind of event is usually the bigger the better. Every culture and religion has their own set of rituals and traditions.

Of course, I am rather biased on the subject, having attended numerous of my relatives weddings (relatives, I should mention, I have not met sometimes until the actual day) but Italian weddings seem to be somewhat comparable to the reality television show, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. If you are unfamiliar with the show I can sum it up in a couple words- big, expensive, and sparkly. And the food, the food is never ending. Course after course is served- pasta, fish, meat, antipasto, more fish, vegetables, salad, dessert, wedding cake, and of course the midnight buffest. Throw a bottle of red wine in between each course, do the math, and it’s a miracle everyone is still alive by the end of the night.

How to work off the thousands of calories one might ask? Dancing. In a more contemporary/traditional Italian wedding, the first twenty minutes are your typical top 40 songs, with a couple of hits from the 90’s to get every guest on their feet such as Everybody Dance Now and Celebration, which somehow always leads to the formation of a congo line. Then, what follows, is a good hour or two of real Italian music, which is either very emotional love ballads or quick-paced polka songs. The music choice is to cover all the generations that are at the wedding, and give everyone a chance to dance to something they actually recognize. Regardless of the music, everyone loves to dance, and as I looked around the dance floor, there was so much love celebrated for the new married couple. As the bride twirled around her new husband in a beautiful fitted Vera Wang gown with silver beading gathering from the top of the bust to the ground, I started to get a feel of how the fashion at weddings has changed.

In terms of style, what I noticed is a wedding is an event that can really allow for any shape and cut of dress, suit, or jumper, which is what I so comfortably rocked. From mini body wraps to floor length gowns, silk to cotton, cream to pin stripe, flats to chunky wedges, wedding attire is often the easiest outfit to choose because the accessories can dress up any design. Although, keeping it simple is just simply not an Italian philosophy.

One culture I have yet to deeply explore, but have always been interested in is the Southern Asian ethos. Many designers this season, Chanel’s 2012 pre-fall, is taking from the influence of Southern Asia and integrating such styles like beautiful beaded bright colored silk saris, and dramatic gold headpieces, embellishments and jewelery.

If you plan to attend a Southern Asian wedding, do your research on the custom and consider dressing very modestly but there is no need to sacrifice style. Wear rich colours and plenty jewels, you will fit right in.

Here are some looks to provide you with inspiration for the next South Asian wedding you attend.

This is what the Bride Looks like, kinda hard to outdo her!