Gujarati Wedding Outfits
The panetar, the gharchola, the lehenga, the sherwani and everything between — what each person wears at each function, made to measure in Vadodara and couriered anywhere.
A Gujarati bride traditionally wears a panetar for the ceremony and a gharchola after it, and many now add a bridal lehenga for the other functions. The groom wears a sherwani or a kurta set, and the sister and family dress a register below the bride. We make all of it to measure, by appointment, in Vadodara.
A Gujarati wedding is not one garment. The panetar for the ceremony, the gharchola after it, and then mehendi, sangeet and reception: five occasions, and almost nobody comes to us for only one of them. This page is the map of who wears what, with a page for each part.
Families do this differently, by community and by house, and we would rather work to how yours does it than quote you a rule. What follows is the general shape, and where we can help with each piece.
The bride: panetar and gharchola
The panetar is traditionally white or cream with a red border, worn for the ceremony and customarily given by the bride’s mama. The gharchola is traditionally red, or in some families green, with a grid of gold zari squares, given by the groom’s family and worn after the ceremony. Both are traditionally bandhani.
Many brides wear both, some wear one, and plenty now wear a lehenga for the ceremony and keep a gharchola for the reception or the griha pravesh. We make them new, or rebuild a mother’s so the bride can wear it.
The bride: the bridal lehenga
For the functions that are not the ceremony, a bridal lehenga, made to measure and hand-embroidered. Our bridal calendar runs four weeks at most, start to finish, and six to eight weeks before the wedding is comfortable.
The wedding week, function by function
Mehendi wants something she can sit in for hours. Haldi is chosen knowing turmeric stains. The sangeet is built to be danced in. The reception is the most photographed evening of the week. The engagement, roka or sagai usually comes first, and is lighter than all of them. Each has its own page with the colour, weight and fabric advice we give.
The groom and the men
Sherwanis, kurta sets, bandhgala-style jackets and Indo-western pieces for the groom, the fathers and the brothers. They are often coordinated with the bride’s colour or embroidery, and are best ordered alongside hers rather than after it.
The sister, the bridesmaids and the guests
The sister of the bride dresses a register below the bride, in a colour that sits beside hers. Bridesmaids follow a shared colour family rather than matching.
Navratri and garba
If the wedding falls near Navratri, or the family dances garba at the sangeet, the chaniya choli is its own garment, built for nine nights of dancing. It has its own guide.
From outside Gujarat, or outside India
Gujarati families in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia order this way every season: measurements on a video call of about twenty minutes, the outfits made in Vadodara, and couriered to you or to the wedding.
From the collections Pieces from the bridal collection, hand-embroidered on silk.
Every collection
Questions we are asked
What does a Gujarati bride wear to her wedding?
Traditionally a panetar for the ceremony and a gharchola after it. Many brides wear both, some wear one, and plenty wear a bridal lehenga for the ceremony and keep a gharchola for the reception or griha pravesh.
What is the difference between a panetar and a gharchola?
The panetar is white or cream with a red border, customarily from the bride’s mama and worn for the ceremony. The gharchola is red, or sometimes green, with a gold zari grid, given by the groom’s family and worn after the ceremony.
What does a Gujarati groom wear?
A sherwani, kurta set, bandhgala-style jacket or Indo-western piece, often coordinated with the bride’s colour or embroidery. We make them to measure, alongside hers.
What should the sister of the bride wear to a Gujarati wedding?
A register below the bride’s, in a colour that sits beside hers rather than against it, planned with her outfits and made to measure. The sister-of-the-bride page sets it out function by function.
Can Gujarati wedding outfits be ordered from the USA or UK?
Yes. Measurements are taken on a video call of about twenty minutes, the outfits are made in Vadodara and couriered to you or to the wedding.
Read next
Tell us the date and who you are dressing
Bring the date, the occasion and how many people. We will tell you plainly what can be made properly in the time — from the studio in Vadodara, or on a video call from wherever you are.