Bejewelled, Debonair

As we gear up for the next trail of weddings to come, it is time to shine some of that light on men's wedding accessories. There is no doubt that South Asian weddings are all about the bride, but that does not mean grooms cannot be a part of that fun, right?

The trick with men's jewellery is to practice restraint; less is more, but layering is a must for perfection — from jewelled semi-precious studded stones and pearls adorned in the form of necklaces, kalgis, lapel pins, and pocket squares!

Weddings no longer have to be all about what the bride wears for each event, join in the fun, good Sir! Let's talk about a few holud, wedding and reception looks and how to accessorise for them. 

As she is gorgeously decked out from head to toe, complementing the bride does not mean that the groom cannot add a little bling to his attire for that extra smidgen of regal glamour!

We are talking about the groom who wants to be bold and different than the rest out there. He embraces new fashion trends with a regal confidence that makes him the envy of everyone's eye. Men want to be like him and women wish they were with him — he is the quintessential groom of 2019!

Channeling a Maharaja

Long gone are the days when men were decked out head to toe in great outfits (no doubt about that), with the much-needed basic and minimal accessories. It is easy to work with any kind of three-piece suit, but what about when it comes to accessorising with sherwanis and panjabis?

The best and only rule of thumb while accessorising for grooms in the more traditional events of a wedding is to always, always channel the 'less is more' mantra!

If you are planning to amp up the chic factor, then the panjabi or sherwani must be kept simple at all costs. Like something in raw silk with small embellishments, prints, or embroidery work.

Choose a part of the body that you plan to accentuate with, preferably just one or two statement pieces, and balance out the rest with smaller trinkets.

For a traditional affair, say a holud or the actual wedding itself, accompany the soon to be better half in jewel-studded panache.

How so you ask?

Simply pair strands of pearls or semi-precious stones with a matching brooch pin to the pocket of panjabi or sherwani.

There are plenty of options to choose from when selecting necklaces from pearls, emeralds, rubies, citrine and fluorite, or even a satlada neck piece. Make sure to restrict the number of strands to a single or two of coloured stones that complements your outfit.

Imagine a two stranded semi-precious neck piece resting against monotone or a sherwani with floral patterns, that takes your groom game up to a whole other level. For a more traditional royalty vibe, go for necklaces with antique finishes in kundan, or polkis.

In many cultures, there is a practice of gifting grooms buttons made of gold to wear for the wedding day. While they look great, the best way to wear jewelled, gold, or silver buttons is to pair it with a colour that is on the lighter spectrum. The idea is to draw the focus to the buttons themselves. Another great option is to go for meenakari or uncut diamonds in the form of work buttons or cufflinks to complement your sherwani, or prince coat!

No South Asian wedding is complete without some version of a pagri for the groom. Vamp up the look of this head piece by adding a kalgi made of semi-precious stones or necklaces made studded with stones that are considerably large enough and bring out your inner Maharaja, ready to marry his queen.

For the reception or engagement, just like brides, you too, good sir can experiment with current trends and fashion options out there.

Model a brooch pin to elevate your overall groom like look. Opt for a jewelled, or simple metallic one with some fancy embellishments on it. The same options are also available if you prefer a bow tie, metal pocket square or lapel pin, cufflinks as well as shoe clips.

Do not do it all just because it is your wedding though. Go for a combination of no more than three pieces of jewelled accessories, depending on the outfit and the event, here are a few ways tips and tricks as to how you can accessorise for your wedding —

Wear white pearls for a sleek look, or for added punch, a different coloured pearl.

Try using gems that have meaning to you like your birthstone for instance, or pick a hue from the prints in your sherwani, or prince coat.

You plan on going for the Pataudi look? Pair a necklace with a matching jewelled brooch pin to your pocket and a cool pair of shoe pins. Whatever the colour scheme, incorporate match or complement the hues into your jewellery.

Playing it safe by keeping things in matched colours is boring and outdated. In order to express your own style in a cohesive manner, wear ornaments that look similar to one another. Mix and match as long as the pieces resemble one another or are in the same colour scheme.

The groom's sole responsibility attire wise at a wedding is to complement the bride and never overshadow her, which means that you cannot go wrong with a few stone studded accessories to match your bride and share the limelight alongside her.

As the fashion scene is ever changing, we can gladly say that so has the trends of what a groom can and cannot accessorise with at his own wedding event(s).

Photo: Sharear Kabir Heemel

Model: Azim, Daud & Maruf

Make-up: Farzana Shakil's

Makeover Salon

Clothing: Niharika Momtaz

Jewellery: 1972

Styling: Sonia Yeasmin Isha & Niharika Momtaz

Location: InterContinental Dhaka