How To: Dress for an Indian Wedding – Men

Indian weddings are extravagant affairs, with fashion being no exception. If you’re unsure about what to wear for the festivities, follow these tips.

Traditional wedding attire for men will be a kurta, a long, collar-less shirt that can be worn with straight leg pants, jeans or even pajama pants in a pinch. If you’re in the wedding party, you should opt for either a sherwani or jodhpuri, which are types of long coats, collared and fastened with buttons. These outfits resemble western suits and have a much more elaborate look than kurtas. Family involved in the ceremony might be wearing a dhoti, which is a single piece of unstitched cloth, wrapped and worn in the traditional Brahmin way.

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If you’re looking to accessorize, consider a silk shawl around the back of your neck, tied around your waist, or wrapped in any number of ways. Muslim and Sikh weddings might require you to cover your head, necessitating a turban if you have access to one, otherwise a shawl or handkerchief will do fine if the temple does not provide one. For footwear, traditional attire dictates leather sandals, though this does not mean wearing your pair of beach flip-flops.

All of these weird names might be intimidating, but in the end you will most likely be fine wearing Western formalwear. It’s not uncommon for even the wedding party to change into suits for the main reception, with traditional attire reserved for religious ceremonies. If you’re good to wear a suit, try to throw some color into your outfit, and stay away from pure black and white, which are associated with mourning in Indian culture. Popular wedding shades are red and maroon, but you can’t go wrong with anything bright that brings a splash of color.