Soha Ali Khan married Kunal Khemu this weekend in what was, by Bollywood standards, a fairly private wedding. The few pictures that have emerged of the wedding show Bollywood stars in designers like Manish Malhotra and Sabyasachi Mukherjee. While the bride is glowing, fashion lovers this side of the border can’t help but ask — is this the best of Indian bridal fashion? Bridal fashion is certainly very different this side of the border. While the outfits chosen by Soha Ali Khan’s wedding party and guests show an emphasis on fabric and bold embroidery, our designers focus on silhouette, delicate embroidery and craftsmanship. The bride chose a plain gold choli with a gulabi pink lengha for her reception. For those of us used to elaborate bridals, this looks overly simple. Designers like Misha Lakhani or Sanam Chaudri have churned out hip, young looks that are a little more 'bridal' than this.From Sania Maskatiya’s Ara Ornament collection to Bunto Kazmi’s timeless creations, wedding season in Pakistan saw plenty of stunning outfits this year.

So we can't help but wonder: If Soha et al had shopped on this side of the border, what might they have chosen to wear?While Kareena’s sari was suitably subtle compared to the bride’s outfit, this Misha Lakhani sari may have worked better. Soha Ali Khan’s mehendi outfit from Ritu Kumar was underwhelming. This Nomi Ansari ensemble would have been a good bet. Soha’s sister Saba would have shone in either of these lengha cholis by Sania Maskatiya and Nomi Ansari Amrita Arora would have looked trendier in this Misha Lakhani kaftan or this Sania Maskatiya ensemble Neha Dupia and Konkona Shen Sharma are both young women who can carry the trendiest outfits. This Sanam Chaudri outfit or this Sania Maskatiya one would be striking on either of them. Karisma and Kareena look lovely in Manish Malhotra respectively but this stunning Elan outfit would also suit either of them Other beautiful Pakistani outfits guests could have chosen to wear for a distinctive, fashionable look.

Follow her on Twitter @karachistaIf you've been invited to your first Indian wedding, you may be curious about what's going to happen. We enlisted the help of Indian wedding planner Suniti Patel, of Lamhe Bridal Consultants in New Jersey, to get answers to some commonly asked questions about Indian weddings.A: Brighter is better. Don't be afraid to wear a bold color—that will help you fit in with the Indian guests who'll be dressed in vibrant colors and eye-catching jewelry. If you don't have a traditional sari or lengha, don't worry—a jewel-tone dress with a shawl is appropriate too. A: A traditional Indian wedding lasts an average of three days. On the first night, a priest will often perform the ganesh pooja, a ceremony that usually happens at home with only the couple, the bridal party and close relatives in attendance.The second day begins with a mehndi ceremony. For this, the bride and her female friends and family members will have intricate henna patterns drawn on their hands and feet.

That evening, the sangeet takes place. Every wedding guest is usually invited, and it involves an introduction of the couple's families, mingling, a meal and dances or other performances.On the third day, the main ceremony, cocktail hour and reception take place. Shark Tank Weight Loss PillYou may be invited to the last day of the events, or to any part of the three-day celebration. 2 Bed House For Sale Peckham RyeYour invitation should clearly state what you're being asked to attend.My Toilet Seat Is Always ColdA: One of the first things that might surprise Western guests is the baraat, or groom's procession. For this, the groom arrives to the ceremony on a decorated white horse. Guests dance around him to the beat of a dhol, an Indian drum.

After that, the bride and her family greet the groom, and the couple exchanges floral garlands to wear around their necks to symbolize their acceptance of each other.For the ceremony, the priest, groom, bride and bride's parents sit beneath a mandap, a canopy similar to a Jewish chuppah. The ceremony starts off with the kanya daan, in which the bride's parents give her away. Then the couple joins hands and circles around a small, enclosed fire (the agni) in a ritual called the mangal phera. Then the couple will take the saptapadi, or seven steps, as they vow to support each other and live happily together. Finally, the groom will apply a red powder to the center of the bride's forehead and tie a black beaded necklace around her neck, symbolizing she's now a married woman.A: It's a fun party! If you don't know bhangra, a Punjab folk dance, expect to pick up the moves fairly easily. But don't worry if you're not comfortable learning new dances—you'll most likely hear contemporary Western music at the reception too.

A: Two of the most common misconceptions about Indian food are that it's all spicy and it's all vegetarian. In reality, it depends on which state the couple's families are from. When served in the US, though, the food tends to be North Indian, meaning you'll see a spread of naan (a flatbread) with different curries, samosas (savory pastries with spiced meats or vegetables), pakoras (fritters) and a dessert display, which typically includes cake, kulfi (Indian ice cream) and decorated sweets made from nuts. There'll often be up to four stations of chefs preparing food for guests. A: Couples usually request that there be no boxed gifts at the wedding, so guests usually have gifts shipped to the couple's home or bring an envelope with money.Although many Muslims stage a multiday celebration to mark a wedding, the traditional marriage ritual itself, called a nikah in Arabic, is simple and brief. It generally follows these steps: At the wedding, which can take place pretty much anywhere, the bride and groom are separated in different rooms.

They may or may not be able to see each other, depending on how conservative the families are. An officiant, who can be any man familiar with Islamic law, heads to each room separately. There he asks the spouses-to-be if they consent to the marriage and if they are marrying of their own free will (a representative called a wali answers the officiant's questions on the bride's behalf). The couple signs the marriage contract or license, with witnesses observing. The officiant brings the pair together and pronounces them husband and wife. A Muslim Wedding Celebration Days of lively parties often surround the nikah, and that's just what Shaila Khan plans for her wedding. In her Pakistani culture, Khan explains, marriage becomes a big issue once a girl hits post-college age, and women are often expected to wed within their own ethnicity. Khan's Mr. Right happens to be from Pakistan, and she admits that his background helps prevent conflict. "It's nice to have someone understand who I am and where I come from," says Khan, a New York investment analyst in her mid-20s.

"And I don't have to worry about my family accepting him." Though far from a typical South Asian, Khan now finds herself looking forward to a typical Pakistani wedding, featuring a week of singing and dancing, including the following events: Dholki: The wedding celebrations begin with the dholki (named after the dholk, or drum) one to two weeks before the actual three-day wedding ceremony. During this event, young guests sing and dance while beating on the dholk. The bride and groom traditionally hold their own dholki. Friends and family gather at their respective houses to practice songs and dances for the upcoming mehendi ceremony during the week of the wedding. "There's usually a whole week of back-to-back dholkis before a wedding. I've had so much fun attending them in the past," Khan says. "It's just an excuse to get together with friends and family to dance." The women closest to either the bride or groom usually choreograph the dances, and it's mostly women who perform.

The couple's families prepare dinner for the revelers, and the party goes late. Mehendi: The mehendi ceremony takes place on the first night of the three-day wedding. Usually the most festive part of the event, it's filled with noise and color, with women dressed in bright formal shalwar kameez outfits and saris, and with unmarried girls sporting long skirts and blouse outfits called lehengas. The mehendi can either be held separately for the bride and groom or jointly. A joint mehendi lends to friendly guy/girl competition while each side takes turns to outdo the other. In more conservative families, the women are kept separated from the men. The bride traditionally wears a formal yellow outfit, and, as the name of the ceremony implies, has wet mehendi (henna paint) applied on her hands that day. "The bride, along with all the women on both sides of the family, has henna designs put on her hands and sometimes her feet," Khan says. "It's basically a bridal shower, but a lot more colorful.

It's definitely my favorite part of the wedding festival and I plan on having a lot of fun on mine." It's customary for the bride to be escorted onto the stage under a yellow color dupata, or large scarf, held up by six female relatives or friends. Her head is covered and bowed, and she doesn't have much makeup or jewelry on at this event. In joint mehendi ceremonies the groom arrives at the ceremony after the bride with his entourage of guests, called the baraat. The baraat typically plays loud songs while entering the ceremony hall and is greeted by two parallel lines of the bride's family and friends. Nikah: The main wedding day is less eventful than the preceding days. The bride typically wears a bright-red ghaagra, a heavily pleated skirt with a long blouse embroidered in gold. The dupata is hung low over her bowed head and wrapped around her shoulders in such a way that her heavy gold jewelry is not hidden. This outfit is the most elaborate of all the ones the bride will wear.

"With all the gold the bride wears on her wedding day, she looks and feels like a queen," Khan says. Grooms either wear a traditional sherwani with a turban or a Western-style suit. Some grooms wear a veil of roses on their head before the bride enters. As a game, sometimes the bride's young female relatives and friends will steal the groom's shoes, returning them only when the groom pays a bargained amount of money. At the end of the night, a procession escorts the couple to the wedding car and throws flower petals on the couple. Valima: The groom's family hosts the valima, or the feast, the night after the wedding. The feast signifies the consummation of the wedding, and is roughly equivalent to an American wedding reception. "Pakistani food is very rich and heavy, so that truly makes for a real feast," Khan says. Don't get the wrong idea—with all this planning it may seem like Khan is engaged, but she hasn't slipped on the ring yet. Asks Khan with a smile: "A girl's allowed to plan, isn't she?"