For these second-time brides, style went beyond the Instagram moment

Just over a decade ago, when getting married for a second time was still viewed with judgement, most of it directed towards women, a Tanishq ad campaign featuring a woman remarrying created a stir as it challenged the traditional notions of nuptials. It was a beautifully executed film, the bride wearing a pastel sari and gold jewellery, her daughter by her side as she walked towards her groom. A decade later, having attended a few of my friends’ second weddings, I believe modern India is finally moving towards not only normalising second weddings, but also celebrating them. And while outfits still play a central role, the reasons for choosing them are different. Three second-time brides share what they wore and why.

More in control

Designer and actor Masaba Gupta, who married Satyadeep Misra, her co-actor from her Netflix show, Masaba Masaba, in Mumbai in early 2023, opted for a court ceremony and then a reception for her inner circle at heritage Art Deco bungalow Kathiwada House. “It was a familymoon: my father came in and my sister-in-law was here from Los Angeles, and it was just our nearest and dearest. A real circle of love.” Her first wedding, to producer Madhu Mantena, was also at the registrar’s office, but was followed by a four-day affair, including a sangeet and mehendi held at venues such as the JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, ITC Maratha, and The St. Regis Mumbai. “We had guests from Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dubai fly in. It was quite a grand affair,” she recalls. That time, she opted for bold fashion statements and bespoke creations from other designers. For her second wedding, she designed her own outfit: a pink and lime-green lehenga with gold embroidery, worn with two dupattas, layered, repurposed necklaces, and vintage hair pieces. The multihyphenate who also has her own beauty brand, LoveChild, opted for understated, fresh make-up. She says that this time around, she had a very clear vision of how she wanted to look and was far more relaxed. That’s evident in all her pictures; there is just this magical, radiant glow. “I think the first time, it’s more about the idea of fantasy,” she says. Having recently launched her own bridal line, she has also dressed a few second-time brides and finds that they are clear about what they want, will stick to their budget, look for bridal pieces that can be repeated, and prioritise comfort.

Not so serious 

Fashion retail consultant Aparna Badlani, who was married for the second time in 2015, says “It’s a beautiful feeling to be in love and have a partner to spend your life with. I did have my share of apprehensions initially, especially since I came out of a very short first marriage that left me quite scarred.” Her second wedding was a simple Punjabi ceremony at a temple in Mumbai, followed by celebrations in Sri Lanka for friends and family. “My wedding outfit was bespoke, since I wanted to wear a very simple, handwoven lehenga designed by my friend’s label, BodhiTree. It was a morning wedding and I wanted to keep the colours light and the look simple and elegant.” She adds, “The rest of my wedding was ​basically​ a pool party, a cocktail party, and a sundowner on the beach. Shopping for these was a breeze. Comfort was a key factor in all the ensembles. I chose Savio Jon for my pool party, Amit Aggarwal for the cocktails, and Priyadarshini Rao for the sundowner.” While it was a smaller wedding than her first, it felt more like a celebration to her. “My only advice to a second-time bride would be to choose comfort above all, because the first one might have been a blur, and in the second one you want to live each moment and enjoy it to the max.”

A tribute

For fashion editor Nonita Kalra, the choice of what to wear was clear. “I love saris. They’re the only thing I feel myself in apart from my uniform of black dresses!” For her wedding to her long-time partner, Bhriguraj Singh, in 2018, the then-editor of Harper’s Bazaar India could have had her choice of designer saris, but instead, she opted for one that used to belong to her grandmother. She recalls, “When I got married the first time, I chose a cream tanchoi for my Anand Karaj. For my second wedding, a civil ceremony, I chose another cream sari, but with a deeper meaning.”

For her reception, she brought out another heirloom, this one from her mother’s archives. “Before my mother’s wedding, she went to Banaras and commissioned this gorgeous black and silver sari. It fit me in so many ways. The fact that it was black (a colour I wear like a uniform), its weight, the silver zari: all of it spoke to my personal sense of style. Interwoven in it were the memories of my mother wearing it in possibly the chicest manner. She would wear it low, wound tight around her hips, and pull the pallu up tight, flat against herself. It looked almost like Audrey Hepburn’s Givenchy gown in Breakfast At Tiffany’s. I wore it much the same way, as a tribute to her memory. That day, I felt beautiful.”

Being older and wiser, second-time brides look beyond the photographs or that social media moment. They will not be so easily swayed by Instagram, a designer, or the expectations of others. As Kalra says, “I think, if you know your style and are comfortable with it, you stick with it.”