2024 Indian bridal fashion forecast: Insight from hot wedding wear brands for your every event!

As we step into 2024, the world of Indian bridal fashion is poised to redefine opulence, grace and tradition. Think elegant sarees paired with embroidered blazers, and regal angrakha sherwanis inspired by the Mughal-era warrior — innovative styles rooted in the rich cultural heritage that's synonymous with Indian weddings. That's what's on offer for brides and grooms choosing the perfect looks for their all-important events.

To curate this extensive bridal fashion forecast, we reached out to five Indian wedding wear brands: Chandan Fashion, Live the Collective, Mani Jassal, The New Delhi Company and WellGroomed Designs. 

Some of the designers expect their clients will stick to the traditional or maybe go for a contemporary take on classics. Others expect a rise of eclectic fusion: conventional and modern styles in a mashup that mirrors the diverse tastes and preferences of the modern Indian couple. All shared what they expect the leading wedding looks to be for 2024 — the trends, colours, fabrics and silhouettes that will dominate the wedding landscape.

So whether you prefer to stay traditional with vibrant tones in a tried-and-tested silhouette, opt for more modern pastels, choose subtle shades in a daring fit or do something altogether your own, the sartorial insights ahead promise to inspire.

The following interviews have been edited and condensed.

Chandan Fashion

For almost 40 years, Toronto-based South Asian wedding store Chandan Fashion has been a go-to for custom-made wedding outfits as well as ready-to-wear styles. Founded by husband and wife duo Jatinder Pal and Sarabjeet Singh (known as Kuki and Sarab respectively), the family-owned business now involves their children, Chandan and Chandni Singh, and daughter-in-law, Roop Singh.

The Singh family is famous for appearing in the heartwarming CBC docuseries Bollywed, which focuses on their lives as they manage their iconic bridal shop. Their latest bridalwear line, featured in the newly launched second season of the show, is a fusion between traditional styles and modern designs. 

And a few choose to go bolder still. "Can you imagine getting married in a saree with a hand-embroidered blazer instead of a veil?" Singh said, offering one example. "Or a modern pantsuit paired with a one-of-a-kind beaded blouse? Or how about a one-shoulder blouse paired with a miniskirt accented with feathers?"

Top wedding trends for 2024: "We are envisioning our 2024 brides and grooms to ask for rich silks and full-flared lehengas with hand embroideries for the ceremonies, and, of course, bling and sparkle for the reception," shared Singh, with trending looks including head-to-toe embroidered garments accented with tassels or feathers.

Details in demand this year: "Metallic greys, nudes, plums and navy blue for reception wear and, of course, the timeless reds and maroon for ceremonies."

"We are seeing bold prints coming back, geometric patterns, fun shoulders, patterned silks, hand embroideries and threadwork embroideries."

The best roka look for 2024: "Get the picture-perfect fitted traditional silk suit or pastel lehenga."

The best engagement/sangeet look for 2024: "A medium heavy lehenga in pastels."

The best haldi/mehndi look for 2024: "A sharara or gharara is the go-to for these events." 

The best wedding look for 2024: "Soft pastels or a classic red lehenga."

The best reception look for 2024: "A modern fusion gown, or a lehenga in an icy pastel colour or dark jewel tone."

Live the Collective

Co-founded by best friends Rupa Bhatt and Natasha Walia in 2018, Live the Collective houses multiple wedding designers including Anita Dongre, House of Masaba and Payal Singhal. And they have just as diverse a client pool. "Some want the traditional throughout and others want only mod," said Bhatt. "Most want a bit of both." The Toronto-based brand offers runway-worthy fashions in both styles, ensuring there's something for every bride and groom.

Top wedding trends for 2024: Bhatt's prediction for 2024 is that brides and grooms will opt "for more comfort and individuality in their looks" so they can both be themselves and enjoy themselves at their celebrations. She expects they'll opt for more minimal looks, too. "Less is definitely more for 2024. For both the brides and grooms, pared down silhouettes and styling, and earthy, muted colours are the go-to these days."

"For brides, more form-fitting lehengas, capes and veils are a well-needed departure from the traditional lehenga formula," Bhatt added. "We are loving the handheld net bridal veils and loose, hair-down vibes, making for the best type of sartorial drama down the aisle."

For grooms, Bhatt shared that the focus is on fabric and individuality while keeping things tonal, tailored and textured. "The days are long gone of forced colour matching and loud embellishments."

Details in demand this year: "Organza is definitely having a moment … the flow of the fabric yet natural stiffness makes it a standout feature drape for bridalwear and even grooms' accessories," said Bhatt.

In terms of colours, she noted that gold, pearl, champagne and ivory are trending for day functions. "For evening events, warm sequins and rich cocoa hues are making a move to the top. Think Gatsby-era glam — in lehenga form."

The best roka look for 2024: "Threadwork and organza."

The best engagement/sangeet look for 2024: "Pearl work and watercolours."

The best haldi/mehndi look for 2024: "Playful and colourful."

The best wedding look for 2024: "Modern red and gold."

The best reception look for 2024: "Cocoa and sequins."

Mani Jassal 

Mani Jassal, who founded her eponymous brand in 2014, thinks that traditional, modern and fusion styles all have a place at wedding celebrations. "The beautiful thing about South Asian wear is you have multiple events that can express all of your moods quite literally," she said.

"Brides may be feeling more traditional for their wedding ceremony, but for their reception, they may want something completely modern, and for their pre-wedding events, maybe something that is a fusion."

The Toronto-based designer's edgy, sexy and unorthodox styles are sure to win approval from rebellious brides who want to express themselves freely without shedding their cultural identity.

Top wedding trends for 2024: "Things are headed in a more sparkly direction," Jassal said. "Lehengas will still be in for ceremonies, but for receptions, you will see more fitted silhouettes like mermaid skirts [which] will be sexier and more daring."

Details in demand this year: Jassal's upcoming bridal collection will be avant-garde. "I would almost call it alternative bridal," she said. "There is a lot of use of red, but in the most unconventional way possible. I have said goodbye to your traditional lehenga silhouette and am trying to do something new and more daring."

The best roka look for 2024: "Something maybe more minimal in embroidery and prints, perhaps a plain, raw silk, classic skirt and top with a statement dupatta in shades like blush, mint, hot pink or even red (if you aren't planning on wearing red to your wedding ceremony)."

The best engagement/sangeet look for 2024: "Opt for something like a sari or mermaid skirt with a bustier."

The best haldi/mehndi look for 2024: "Something more comfortable since you will be sitting in it for a few hours during mehndi application. You can make the look more fun by opting for our digital printed tops and skirts. Go with something sleeveless and leave the dupatta behind."

The best wedding look for 2024: "I would do something in red for the wedding day … when else do you get to wear red in such a bold way? I like to keep the wedding ceremony look a little bit more traditional with gota patti or Lucknowi work."

The best reception look for 2024: "Anything goes! The week is finally done, and it's time to express yourself freely no matter what any auntie has to say about it. Be sexy. Choose the outfit of your dreams. Make it glam! … I love black, white, gold, champagne and powder blue for the reception."

The New Delhi Company

Based in Vaughan, Ont., The New Delhi Company was founded by Gaurav Sawhney and his family 20 years ago. "As a brand, we work with classic, timeless looks, so our brides and grooms tend to be looking for that when they come in for their appointments," said Sawhney. The label's aesthetic veers toward pairing high-quality fabrics, embroidery and stitching with contemporary cuts. "We bring tradition in a way that feels, hopefully, a bit ahead of the curve," he said.

Top wedding trends for 2024: "I expect to have a few of our 2024 brides opt for powerful lehenga shapes with literally no embroidery — the kind of bridal garment that makes everybody's jaw hit the ground because 'she knows how to stand out from the crowd.'"

"For grooms, we're finally in a time where they really care about their ceremony attire and they care about achieving a great fit," he said. "I think we'll see further exploration of garments that feel more nostalgic, showcasing cuts that our grooms have never worn before."

Details in demand this year: "For brides, we've really enjoyed playing with high-quality tissue as a fabric choice for one of our 2024 capsule collections," said Sawhney. "We've used tissue as an accent dupatta on some silk lehengas and for the entirety of other ensembles." For the groom's collection, "we're using soft cotton brocades and raw silks, and working with heavy, hand-embroidered shawls," he said.

The best roka look for 2024: "A nice salwar suit for her and a kurta for him. Nothing loud. Pure fabrics, real texture, minimal to no embroidery."

The best engagement/sangeet look for 2024: "Brides can wear a showstopper saree and grooms can wear a tasteful, raw silk sherwani to do eveningwear the Indian way."

The best haldi/mehndi look for 2024: "Bright colours that compliment haldi, instead of wearing a haldi-coloured outfit itself. Ferozi is an awesome play here. Let's play with silhouettes as well and think outside the box."

The best wedding look for 2024: "Is our couple looking for calm soulful vibes? Or are they looking to be the glam couple? Or are they looking to explore nostalgia to new depths? Ultimately, we want to see our bride and groom's personality not only shine through, but be uplifted and celebrated through their outfits in this event."

The best reception look for 2024: "Pearls, sequins and tasteful bling on a slinky lehenga for her, and a classic black tux for him."

WellGroomed Designs

Dave Singh, founder of WellGroomed Designs, says that traditional wedding wear has always been his clients' favourite and will likely continue to be. "The client wants to relive the similar vibes as when their mom got married," he said. The brand, which launched in 2009 and now has boutiques in Ontario, B.C. and California, offers both custom-made pieces as well as ready-to-wear fits that combine modern silhouettes with traditional artisanal embroidery techniques and textiles.

Top wedding trends for 2024: Singh's prediction for 2024 is that brides will "envision themselves in royal maharani looks" and grooms will be "inspired by Mughal-era warrior looks with cholas, angrakha sherwanis and belts."

For brides, "one can never go wrong with classic reds," said Singh.

As for brides looking for modern looks or perhaps looks suited for destination weddings, Singh sees them gravitating to "more romantic, whimsical pastel bridalwear in ivories, blushes and champagne gold hues."

Details in demand this year: "For the ceremony, we are seeing a huge demand in deep burgundy, deep reds, rust, copper and burnt orange tones. Even Pantone has come up with peachy orange as the colour for 2024," he said.

"For the reception, pastels and gold tones have always been a client favourite, but we are also seeing a demand for deeper jewel tones but with tone-on-tone embroidery: deep emerald, deep wine, midnight blue…."

The best roka look for 2024: "For brides, a simple, classic silk suit with some embroidery details … with sharara or churidar along with a traditional Banarasi or Lucknowi dupatta. For grooms, a silk kurta with a brocade Nehru vest, or a classic bandhgala."

The best engagement/sangeet look for 2024: "For summer brides, pastel shades and gota work, lehengas highlighted with mirrors, crystals, pipe, and resham and appliqué work. Fall brides can use some jewel tone shades like emerald green and deep sapphire blue. For grooms, a nice bandhgala in a shade complementing the bride or a classic two-piece suit with a pocket square and tie matching the bride."

The best haldi/mehndi outfit for 2024: "For brides, a Chanderi cotton suit with capris or a simple choli with a printed skirt in festive colours … and for the after-haldi event, a fun, bright-coloured lehenga choli, something with gota work or mirror work. For grooms, a cotton kurta for the ceremony time and then a change of outfit into something more fun and festive … a floral vest with a kurta or a draped kurta with churidar."

The best wedding look for 2024: "For brides, classic reds, shades of burgundy, burnt orange/rustic tones, antique gold and tonal zardozi embroideries. For grooms, ivory, champagne and beige tones are timeless. Sage green is trending for sherwanis with cholas (men's anarkali) along with an embroidered belt, metallic kirpan and matching mojadi for the Maharaja-inspired look."

The best reception look for 2024: "For brides, intricate tone-on-tone embroidery for lehengas and gowns, highlighted with Swarovski crystals. For the groom who wants to go all out, we recommend tuxedos with lapel embroidery or all-over tone-on-tone embroidery."