How to nail your bridesmaid look like a Bollywood celebrity

Between helping your best friend pick the perfect outfit, makeup look and trousseau accruements for her wedding, it is important to set some time aside to plan your own bridesmaid look. Much like the bride, you’ll need to dress to the nines as a bridesmaid too, but remember that the role will also demand you to stay on your toes—after all, keeping your friend’s nerves in check and being her knight in shining armour to tackle any (and every) bridal emergency, from unfortunate fashion or makeup mishaps to coordinating the choreography or dealing with decor disruption, is only part of a bridesmaid’s job description.

Like all of us, Bollywood celebrities have played bridesmaid to their friends and siblings over the years as well, offering us a multitude of ethnic looks worth copying. In an attempt to make your life easier, we’ve scrolled through celebrity style files and put together an edit of sartorial inspiration for every type of bridesmaid, so you can focus on the bride. Scroll ahead for the details.

Alia Bhatt: The princess bridesmaid

Not one to shy away from attention, but also the first to spoil the bride silly—Alia Bhatt perfectly embodies the princess bridesmaid. While attending two of her closest friends’ weddings, Bhatt was spotted dancing, laughing, crying and enjoying herself in outfits that were as elegant as they were effortless.

At her best friend Kripa Mehta’s wedding to Yash Mehta in Jodhpur last year, Bhatt’s choices were nothing short of a crash course in dressing for a destination wedding. She was spotted in everything from a lemon yellow anarkali by Manish Malhotra and a shimmering lehenga by Koëcsh by Krésha Bajaj for the sangeet ceremony, to a coral Gauri & Nainika dress with a Brit royal-wedding-worthy fascinator. More recently, the actor also attended a close friend’s mehandi in New Delhi in one scene-stealing outfit after another—a sea foam blue and lemon yellow lehenga set by Anita Dongre; a floral pink lehenga with a flouncy neck top by designer Anushree Reddy for the sangeet; and a royal blue Manish Malhotra lehenga for the main wedding.

Deepika Padukone: The sexy bridesmaid

Always on top of her sartorial game, Deepika Padukone’s wedding looks make for a regular feature on every bride’s mood board—and her bridesmaid looks are no exceptions either. At a recent wedding in Sri Lanka, Padukone sported a white glamorous Sabyasachi net sari featuring sequinned flowers with a blouse that was clad in pearls. For another function, she debuted a beige sari look with a ruffled blouse. And that fuchsia Faabiiana ruffled sari, which Padukone wore with a halter blouse for Isha Ambani’s wedding, showcased one of the easiest ways to make heads turn at a wedding without stealing the spotlight from the bride.

Sonam Kapoor Ahuja: The hipster bridesmaid

If you’re veering towards a traditional lehenga for your best friend’s wedding, let Sonam Kapoor Ahuja’s choices compel to you ditch the pedantic wedding wear diktats. Whether it’s with an anti-fit Rohit Bal anarkali, styled with nothing except chaandbalis, a maangtikka and a cornrow-inspired hairstyle look, or a kaftan with a turban hair band for a destination wedding, she has taken our Instagram feed captive with her boho chic photos.

Kiara Advani: The free-spirited bridesmaid

The brand of all things free-spirited, Kiara Advani is one to lean towards unfettered and effortless wedding fashion. She has traded the blouse of her couture lehengas with both a corset and a crisp white shirt in the past, and has even debuted a sharara-style jumpsuit from Papa Don’t Preach by Shubhika. Another one of her standout looks by the label includes a strappy sequinned crop top in silver, complemented with a blue ankle-length skirt with floral appliqué work and styled with a belt bag to stash the bridal arsenal.

Sonakshi Sinha: The maximalist bridesmaid

Fusion metallic saris paired with pants or skirts by Anamika Khanna; a bubblegum pink Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla lehenga; slinky sequinned gowns by Middle Eastern designer Yousef Aljasmi—Sinha’s outfits for her friend’s weddings are like lessons in maximalist bridesmaid dressing. Think elaborate, statement-making and unconventional silhouettes that are perfect for someone who loves drama and opulence.

Nimrat Kaur: The traditional bridesmaid

When Nimrat Kaur’s baby sister tied the knot, the couple stuck to a traditional wedding, but still made sure to have some fun at the cocktail party they hosted. “We had a part on the eve of the wedding, and the next day I was so hungover that I wore dark sunglasses to the ceremony in the gurudwara. People thought I was doing this because I am an actress,” Kaur told Vogue in an interview. The actor picked an elegant ivory brocade salwar suit for the haldi ceremony, and a sea foam green understated sharara set for the main wedding.

Shraddha Kapoor: The fuss-free bridesmaid

Shraddha Kapoor has been a maid of honour for several of her friends, including television actor Karan Wahi’s sister, Eshanka Wahi, and more recently, designer Ankita Choksey. And her sartorial choices solved a myriad of bridesmaid problems—from how to use just the right amount of embellishment to how to skip the dupatta. For example, her marsala Arpita Mehta lehenga, which came with a cold-shoulder sequinned top, that Payal Singhal number featuring an off-shoulder blouse and even her pastel Abu Jani Sangeet Khosla lehenga all make for ideal bridesmaid outfits.

Also read:

Did you see Alia Bhatt’s dance performance at her friend’s wedding?

10 beauty products the bride’s BFFs should always keep handy for her

Your celeb-approved guide to wearing a sari for your summer wedding

How to set up a wedding gift registry like Priyanka Chopra’s