FLOWER POWER

Once a supporting act, florals now take centre stage, acting as style anchors at weddings. By RAVISHA MAROO

- RAVISHA MAROO

The first chat between a bride and her florist? It’s almost always about the varmala and the phoolon ki chadar to echo her ensemble.

Some opt for side-slung sashes, others wear their varmala like a shawl. But the brief? Keep it contemporary, lightweight and Instagrammable.

Be it a delicate white tagar mala with soft rose detailing on the sides (as seen on Alia Bhatt) or a Thai-inspired mala crafted from white mogras and medium orchids, the varmala has been reinvented. So has the bridal bouquet—it’s speaking to a new generation of brides who are thinking beyond Pinterest clichés where every floral decision has now become a styling opportunity.

“Bouquets are making a gentle crossover into Indian weddings, with brides preferring them for the sangeet, cocktail, varmala walks—it’s more about the reveal than tradition,” says Anuja Joshi, founder at Interflora. You've probably seen hand-tied bunches of tulips competing for attention with Internetfamous calla lily bouquets, looped into circles reminiscent of L'alingi London's famous bejewelled clutches.