Getting The Wedding Lehenga - What to expect on your visit to Sabyasachi for your Bridal Lehenga | #TSDBridalDiary

Friday 22 June 2018

Hey lovelies!
This post was long due! A lot of you who had been following my bridal series, not only wanted to see more pictures of my bridal lehenga but also wanted to know my bridal lehenga shopping experience at Sabyasachi.

The first time I started thinking of getting married, I dreamt of being a Sabyasachi bride. I think he is one designer who has taken Indian traditional wear to another level by giving it a modern take with his distinct style. And ever since I saw his designs at the ramp during my initial years of fashion blogging, I absolutely fell in love with his design aesthetics and I always envisioned wearing one of his designs.


So, last December when I decided to take the plunge, the first thoughts I had in my mind were about the wedding lehenga. Having only two months in hand till the wedding date, I was kind of in a dilemma that would I even get a lehenga on time or not as usually designers take a minimum of two months to deliver a custom lehenga.

My First Visit for Bridal Lehenga Shopping :
So in the second week of January, I decided to pay a visit to the heaven of bridal couture - Mehrauli - where all the leading designers have their stores; with my mom and my bestie.

When I called to take up an appointment at the Sabyasachi, Anita Dongre and other designer boutique s in the vicinity - I was told an appointment is not needed, and you can visit anytime of the day to check out the collection. (PS : Sabyasachi store is closed on Sundays and they don't do Billings post 6pm)

Sabyasachi store in Mehrauli
I visited a couple of multi-brand boutiques like Kayra and Carma but I didn't find any bridal lehengas to my liking - as they had designs more suitable for a mehendi or engagement function.

So, we finally decided to visit Sabyasachi before checking out other designers in the area. Now, I had been to the flagship store before (for the launch event) but I didn't know then that I will be visiting the place again to finalise my wedding lehenga.

The Sabyasachi Mehrauli space is no less than royalty - the opulent space has two wings - one for bridal couture and jewellery, while the other wing has ready-to-wear saris, kurtas, menswear and other collections by the designer.

While the ground floor of the bridal wing has lighter lehengas and stunning range of sarees, the bridal heaven is on the first floor with all the designs that you have seen on the ramp or on his social media accounts available there.

The lehenga I tried during my first visit
Price Range : 

Now, here's one bummer, if you have always wondered what is the price of a Sabyasachi bridal lehenga - you should keep in mind before visiting the store that the lehengas apt for your D-day are priced above Rs 3,00,000.  So, in case you have a budget lesser than this, you should ideally check out Aza Fashions or Carma - both the multi-designer boutiques keep the lower-priced lehengas from Sabyasachi (priced between 1.5-3 lakh rupees).

Even the bridal lehengas in Mehrauli store are in two price ranges : the raw silk lehengas with intricate zardozi work are priced between Rs 3,00,000 to Rs 7,00,000. But if you are looking to buy his famous velvet lehengas, the prices start at Rs 7,00,000 and go up to Rs 20,00,000 or more for his exclusive couture pieces.

Designs :

All what you see in the store is all what you get! Precisely because all the designs launched by Sabyasachi are available in store and major customisations are not done. You will find each design in two-three color options and the sales assistant will help show you more designs that can be made available on request on their iPads. But don't expect to get a completely new design made or any major customisation to be made to a design you like (at least that's what I was told as they only offer size customisation but any other alterations are not allowed).

After going through the collection, I finalised the below lehenga which is from the designer's Devi collection. I always wanted a lehenga that had all-over work in a monotone color. While this lehenga was available in a red and a deep wine colour as well - my mom, my bestie and even the sales assistant agreed that I looked much better in this bright pink color. 

Final trial of my lehengas
Now, after shortlisting this lehenga - we decided to visit the other designers also the same day. We visited Anita Dongre, Manish Malhotra, Sulakshana Monga and Carma that have their flagship stores in Mehrauli - but honestly no other lehenga grabbed my attention and my heart kept going back to the Sabyasachi lehenga.

Also, knowing that we didn't have much time in hand - we decided to book my lehenga the same day and went back to the Sabyasachi store.

Measurements and Booking : 

This was my second visit to the store on the day and well right before the measurements I was told to first go purchase a full-cup underwire bra for the correct measurements of the blouse. We rushed to the M&S store in Select Citywalk, purchased a new bra just for the measurements and headed back to the store for booking the lehenga.

Finally, the measurements were done on our third visit to the store on the same day and we were told that we would get the lehenga on 24th Feb - just 10 days before my wedding. Their team usually takes two months to deliver the lehenga, so I was still lucky that they decided to make mine in 45 days.
(But honestly I would not recommend you to wait till the last minute to book your lehenga, as I was stressed out till the time I got my lehenga as it was so close to the wedding day.)

**Also, if you are a UK size L or above, you would have to shell out an extra amount for the lehenga - a fact I wasn't aware of before visiting the store and didn't read even in the posts I had earlier read about the designer's bridal collection. The extra cost could be around Rs 50,000 and can even go upto Rs 1,00,000 or more depending upon the extra number of kalis that would need to be added to the lehenga.**

Anyway, after a long day, I finally had a realisation that I was going to be a Sabyasachi bride - a dream that I had envisioned since many years. 

Just 2-3 days before the lehenga's delivery date, I received a call from the store that my lehenga was finally ready and I could pick it from the store. Eagerly, I visited next day to collect my lehenga and to my surprise - it fit me beautifully. I had lost a few kilos in these two months which made the lehenga a little lose from the waist - but the drawstrings to the lehenga made sure I didn't have to worry about it.


To my surprise, they even made a beautiful potli purse to match the lehenga and my outfit was packaged in this beautiful red trunk with Sabyasachi's logo on the top.

The Sabyasachi lehenga arrived in this beautiful trunk
Undoubtedly, I received a lot of compliments on the gorgeous lehenga - but honestly, it wasn't just for the compliments that I purchased this outfit - it was for the dream that every bride-to-be has - to look the perfect version of herself on her big day.

Here are few more pictures of my wedding lehenga and few shots from my D-day -











Before ending this post, I would surely like to mention that it doesn't matter that you wear a designer wedding lehenga on your D-day or not, but you should pick something that would not only make you feel confident but also make you feel your prettiest self.

Also, don't go by what online magazines or stylists recommend - as there is no one style or dress that you should stick to - just because it is in trend or is out of trend. You should always go out, browse different styles at places you have shortlisted and decide only once you have tried everything on. This is one main piece of advice I would give to upcoming brides.


I am really sorry for the lengthy post but hope you enjoyed reading it and hoping it would help you in your journey to pick your bridal lehenga. If you have any more queries about my shopping experience at Sabyasachi, you can leave a Comment below or get in touch with me on Instagram.

Love
Nitika

UPDATE : As I have been getting a lot of queries regarding my Sabyasachi bridal lehenga, I have added more pictures of the lehenga on my Pinterest account, you can check it HERE.

5 comments

  1. What was the cost of your entire Sabyasachi Outfit?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey! Please mail me at theshopaholicdiaries@ymail.com or DM me on instagram (@theshopaholicdiaries) - I will share with you the details :)

      Delete
    2. Actually I am getting married so I want sabyachi designer lengha I want to know procedure for appointment

      Delete
    3. Hello! During my visit, an appointment wasn't necessary and one could just walk-in to check out the lehengas. But I think due to covid-19, the stores are now taking appointments for a visit. It's best to call the store you are planning to visit to make an appointment. Hope this helps!

      Delete
  2. Hello, i am seeing your post now and i have to say: You look amazing
    i just wanted to know the price of your lehenga

    ReplyDelete

Thanks a lot for stopping by my blog and reading this post.
Your comments make my day !! : )

Translate

© The Shopaholic Diaries - Indian Fashion, Shopping and Lifestyle Blog !. Design by FCD.