MothersMandapMusings: Part2

As a follow-up to my previous blog, I’d love to share our journey in selecting the perfect outfits for the bride, groom, bridesmaids, and all of us—the main characters in her wedding. It was implied that she picks her look first, and the rest of us coordinate or contrast to complement her style.

First, decide where to shop

My daughter had been browsing Instagram for inspiration, so she had a rough idea of the types of outfits she wanted for the reception. With limited time, she debated whether to shop locally or in India. She visited Indian wedding boutiques in the Bay Area, sometimes with me. There were factory-produced options in Fremont and Sunnyvale, but they didn’t appeal to her. The boutique stores, like Frontier RaaS and Swati Couture, offered more designer pieces, though their selection was limited. So, she decided to explore the LA scene for more options.

In parallel, we researched wedding outfit shopping in India—browsing the internet for information and consulting friends who had done this before. Most people strongly recommended shopping in India, so we narrowed our options to three cities: Bangalore, which I was most familiar with, and Bombay and Delhi, which were new to me.

Based on advice from friends and insights from Reddit, Delhi stood out as the best choice. It offered the widest selection of outfits; all conveniently located in one area. We were told that the prices in Delhi were also more affordable—often 1.5 times cheaper than in Bombay or Bangalore. However, we discovered that this is likely true for low to mid-range outfits under $500. However, for high-end designer pieces starting at $2,000, prices remained comparable across the U.S., Delhi, Bombay, and Bangalore. 

Start by making a list of everything you need to buy. Then, set your budget for each type of outfit and map out the best places to shop accordingly. 

Delhi Shopping experience

Credit: One of my daughter's friend Bharati and her mom, Rachana were instrumental in guiding us on our Delhi shopping experience.

A bit about Delhi—there’s Old Delhi, home to the iconic Chandni Chowk, a bustling wedding bazaar, and New Delhi, where the posh designer boutiques are concentrated, mostly in the Mehrauli area, right behind Qutub Minar.

In New Delhi, there are two key shopping hubs here: Ambatta One and Dana Mills. These areas house renowned designers like Sabyasachi, Manish Malhotra, Ritu Kumar, along with lesser-known names such as Mahima Mahajan, Avinash Mishra and others.

For a curated collection, Pernia Pop and Aza Fashions are two large multi-designer stores, offering a variety of styles in one place. Pernia Pop was our favorite—if you're short on time, just head there, you can’t go wrong!

We had just five days to shop in Delhi, so we had to make every moment count. Realistically, it takes 2–3 days to get familiar with the shopping areas, and at least two trips to the stores to finalize the right choices. We stayed in an Airbnb in Green Park, Delhi, which gave us easy access to a variety of shopping areas. 

I got a mixed bag of advice from my friends. One set told me to shop in Chandni Chowk since it’s a historic icon of Delhi and a popular wedding bazaar. Another set warned me to stay away from it. I decided to judge the Chandni Chowk shopping experience for myself. Unfortunately, we picked the worst possible day to visit—January 1st—and the place was absolutely packed! The experience was frustrating, to say the least. We did manage to buy a saree and give a blouse for tailoring, but escaping the crowds took hours. 

Determined to experience Chandni Chowk properly, we decided to return on a regular day to pick up the blouse and explore the market without the chaos. True to its reputation, the wedding bazaar is great for costume jewelry and wedding essentials like décor and favors. This is probably a great place to shop for low range dresses. That said, save yourself the hassle—most of these items are now available on and other sites I found on Instagram.

If you do a google search, you will find other recommended shopping areas in Delhi for jewelry, ready-made blouses, and low to mid-range outfits include Lajpat Nagar’s Central Market, Sarojini Nagar’s Babu Market, Greater Kailash’s M Block Market, Karol Bagh’s Gaffar Market, and Shahpur Jat’s Fashion Street. However, we explore the following and loved the experience.

Greater Kailash’s M Block Market is great for Indian outfits you can wear to pre-wedding events like Mehndi and Haldi, as well as jewelry—both costume and real. It’s easy to navigate, so you can quickly find what suits your style and budget. This place also has a row of shops with ready-made blouses, and tailors who can customize them for you within hours. 

Another area we loved was Rajouri Garden. Similar to M Block, but bigger area, it had a wide range of shops for jewelry, wedding outfits, party wear, fusion wear, and even tailors who could create custom outfits. We did most of our non-bridal shopping here.

Then there’s South Ex, home to popular wedding outfit stores like Frontier RaaS, Manyavar, Kantakala, Naali, and more. We shopped for men's clothing for the groom and the father of the bride at Manyavar, and picked up bridesmaids' sarees at Frontier RaaS, which offers pre-pleating as a service. Frontier RaaS has a good collection of Wedding outfits from sarees to lehengas.

Our Recommended 5-Day Wedding Shopping Itinerary

• Day 1 & 2: Prioritize the main event - reception and wedding wear. Shortlist 2–3 stores per day and give yourself at least 3 hours at each to try outfits. Factor in the commute time between stores as you make your daily plans.

• Day 3: Finalize and purchase your wedding attire. Then, head to Greater Kailash or Rajouri Garden for pre-wedding outfits. If you see something you love, buy it immediately!

• Day 4: Shop for the rest of the family.

• Day 5: Wrap up with jewelry and accessories.

• Day 6: Relax and enjoy the moment—you’ve earned it!