Summer time in India may come across as hot, hazy, humid and even scorching in some cities, as temperatures skyrocket to 40 degrees, the same way the season hits us in Pakistan. Despite this, the preceding months have been quite busy for the Bollywood brigade as we experienced the very opulent and lavish wedding ceremonies of some of the most prominent Bollywood celebrities in this time. This ranged from the classy and sophisticated fairytale wedding of power couple Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli to a low-key affair between Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi, top model Milind Soman’s traditional Maharashtrian wedding to Shriya Saran’s private ceremony, and then of course, the eagerly-anticipated wedding of Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja. Sonam lets her comfort take the lead for all her trendy costume choices. This way, she has never looked a tad bit uncomfortable at any event – it usually comes to struggling with the straps or pulling the corset up, like we see so many actresses doing these days As much of the fanfare revolved around all these weddings, particularly Anushka Sharma’s and her grandiose attires, it is the 32-year-old glamourous queen, Sonam, who took the crown for the best-dressed bride of the year. The fashionista that Kapoor is, I particularly liked how the actress chose the designers of whose work she was familiar with and had worn quite a few times already, rather than opting for those who were most in demand. This is exactly the reason why Kapoor stands out on all the red carpets, as she lets her comfort take the lead for all her trendy costume choices. This way, she has never looked a tad bit uncomfortable at any event – it usually comes to struggling with the straps or pulling the corset up, like we see so many actresses doing these days. For instance, let’s take a look at her mehndi outfit, designed by Anuradha Vakil. Kapoor has worn this designer on a number of occasions earlier, and he is familiar with her sense of style and drapes. Kapoor opted for a peach and grey lehnga. The subtle colours enhanced by muted gold borders made for a beautiful outfit. She kept her hair open and wore just earrings for her jewellery. Simplicity redefined! I loved the minimal and bare makeup look that Kapoor carried with grace and aplomb. On her Sangeet function, she followed an all-white theme, while everyone else sported shades of ivory in some form or other. Kapoor wore an Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla ivory and gold outfit, which took 18 months to come to life and looked every bit as stunning. The Chikankari lehnga had different designs on each panel of the skirt and was paired with a backless blouse, with the most beautiful detailing. She chose heavy traditional jewellery with crisscross Mogra gajras in her hair, setting trends for the gajra on mehndis once again. Kapoor, once again, chose Anuradha Vakil, and this time for her big day, the wedding ceremony. She chose the traditional red unline contemporary brides, opting for whites and pastels. The outfit had lotus motifs and broad borders on the lehnga, paired with a double dupatta. The border on the second dupatta was different from the side directly on the head, which was a simple border, whereas the side which was flowing behind her had a broad border with intricate work. On her reception, Kapoor amazed the onlookers as she stepped out looking smart and peppy in a copper-grey lehnga designed by celebrity fashion designer Anamika Khanna. Now, one would usually choose bold and vibrant colours for the reception, but being a true blue fashionista, Sonam went for earthy tones. The full-sleeve blouse featured stripes at the hem, which she wore with a chevron printed lehnga. She accessorised her outfit with a heavy four-tier diamond neckpiece and rounded off the look with a dewy sheen, light smokey eyes, bold red lips, and hair that were styled in a sleek, straight manner. Once again, choosing Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla, Kapoor wore a white Chikankari kaftan for her wedding bash, which was attended by the who’s who of the industry. Simple and regal, Kapoor remains the most stylish bride of Bollywood to this day. Published in Daily Times, June 7th 2018.