Not every bride is the same. There is someone who is a trendsetter. There is someone who is a trend-follower. There is the minimalist bride. There is the bride who wants to go all out. Some brides want to take their time in making a purchase while some buy on the spot if they like something. And then there is the entire bridal party – the mothers, the mothers-inlaw, the sisters and the distant aunts – who all weigh in too. So, what is supposed to be a pleasurable experience, at times can be very harrowing. It is the jewellers’s prerogative then, to understand the bride and how she thinks before presenting her his offerings. We are not saying that these are the only kind of brides you’ll ever meet, but we are saying that it is highly likely that any bride who walks into your store, may fall under one of these categories.

Type -01  The Individualist

This bride has a mind of her own. Sure, she listens to her near and dear ones, but when it comes to signing off on a piece, it is her opinion that matters. The Anushka Sharmas and the Deepika Padukones of the world don’t influence her – she wants to make a statement of her own. “These brides have done their homework. They’ve gone through Instagram and Pinterest before coming to us. So, they exactly know what they want,” says Ishu Datwani of Anmol Jewellers. Unlike earlier, an independent bride is also involved in every aspect of the wedding. “Over the years, the jewellery needs of a bride have changed quite a lot. This is due in part to the couple’s increased involvement in all aspects of the wedding itself. Unlike earlier where the family decided the clothes and jewellery of the bride, today’s brides want to be involved at every stage from the curation of their outfits and jewellery to the selection of venues and caterers,” opines Biren Vaidya of Rose.

This bride, who has her own thought process, is also someone with a strong sense of personal style. She could’ve done her background and research, but ultimately tends to wear what looks good on her. “These brides want to wear jewellery as per their personal taste. For me personally, if I show a piece that Anushka wore for her wedding to a client, she will not be sitting with me the next time. They want to make their own statement. It’s their ego that comes into play. They don’t want the replicated look. When a celebrity wears something, it is all over social media and everybody starts wearing the same piece,” says Devashish Kamdar of Occasions Fine Jewellery.

Over the years, a bride’s taste has evolved in a way that she doesn’t want huge chunky pieces of jewellery, which can be worn only once or twice and then kept in the locker for the rest of her life. We recommend big pieces, which have versatility, and can be worn in different ways. Brides don’t want to come back later saying they’re bored of their jewellery. They want jewellery that is simple and everlasting. Light greens and pastels are still trending and pearls and emeralds never go out of fashion Snehal Choksey, Shobha Shringar.

What she could wear: A lot of offbeat gemstones like corals. She loves colour! Everybody loves a beautiful piece of jadau jewellery, but with this bride, there’s no such thing as showing too many options. Give her all you’ve got!

Type -02 The Traditionalist

She is someone who could be relatively younger – falls in the 22-25 age bracket. This bride is likely to be swayed by her mother’s choice. She could be someone who sticks to the rulebook, a conformist. They also tend to go for classic styles – gold jewellery for the mehndi and diamonds for the more important functions like wedding or reception. “A bride who wants to look traditional might go in for jadau either for the mehndi or the wedding. If she is going to wear diamonds for the wedding, then it is highly likely that she would wear jadau for the mehndi,” says Anil Sankhwal of JH Jewellers. A bride who wants to look completely traditional is also someone who wants to keep everybody happy. “The mother and mother-in-law may want her to wear something that is elaborate, to showcase everything they have, especially during the weddings. She might do so for the wedding, but might choose to go for simpler pieces during other occasions,” says Meha Bhargava, Style Inc., of Style Inc., an image consulting company that deals with wedding styling as well as personal shopping.

These brides also like to go in for an over the top look. “They want heavy pieces and they want to wear everything possible. Maang tika, haath phool, nath - the works,” says Puja Shah of Aurus. Indian weddings are also becoming bigger and grander these days, and the number of events in a wedding allows the bride to showcase as many looks as possible. “For sangeet, she could wear fusion jewellery and for wedding, she could go in for an elaborate piece that is very traditional looking. For reception, it is always diamonds with coloured gemstones. A pure white look (white diamonds) is something these brides have been embracing for a very long time,” says Sanjay Gupta of Tibarumals Jewellers.

Traditionally mehendis and small pre-wedding functions used to be occasions for traditional gold jewellery, however, today’s brides prefer bright and colourful clothes as well as jewellery. We recommend sets that use brighter gemstones that will go well with pastel outfits - like pink sapphires, Siberian emeralds and corals.At the sangeet or cocktail, brides usually wear Indo-western gowns and thus prefer diamond jewellery with precious gemstones like emeralds or rubies depending on the colour of her gown. Finally for weddings, brides definitely go with a jadau set that would go perfectly with a sari or a lehenga Biren Vaidya, Rose.

What she could wear: Classic pieces with a lot of diamonds. She loves elaborate, timeless pieces like jadau with meenakari

Type 03 -The Smart-One

These brides see value for money in everything. They don’t want to invest in impractical, chunky pieces that they can’t wear in the future. They are likely to go in for layered looks, where they opt for pieces that don’t have to be necessarily put away in the locker. “Over the years, a bride’s taste has evolved in a way that she doesn’t want huge chunky pieces of jewellery, which can only be worn once or twice and then kept in the locker. We are recommending big pieces, which have versatility, something that can be worn in different ways. A big necklace can be worn later as a choker, where the pendant also can be worn with a chain later on,” adds Snehal Choksey of Shobha Shringar.

When a bride walks into Puja Shah’s store, she asks them an important question: if they want to wear the jewellery in future as well. “Unlike clothes, jewellery has a high monetary value. So, brides think twice before investing in a heavy piece. They may want to wear it in future as well,” adds Puja. Rose, known for their elaborate bridal jewellery in diamonds and precious gemstones has also witnessed a change in brides’ mindset when it comes to locking away jewellery after the wedding is over. “These brides prefer jewellery in their trousseau not only for their wedding but pieces that have multiple uses. Hence, the concept of layering jewellery has become quite popular so that brides can wear individual pieces on a more regular basis,” adds Biren.

Earlier brides were in the age bracket of 22 and 25. Now the average age of a bride is between 25- 27 years. Their thought process has evolved. Earlier, elders would decide what to buy but now days the girls have their own mind. They don’t succumb to any pressure. A lot of this has to do with the economic strata they belong to as well. Depending on the monetary background, even if she is modern, when it comes to her wedding ceremony, she always likes to go Indian where uncut diamonds work very well. For cocktail, we see diamond chokers and necklaces and for mehndi, a lot of these girls are willing to only wear a pair of earrings and nothing else Ishu Datwani, Anmol Jewellers

What she could wear: Practical, lightweight pieces – with larger gemstones but less volume.

Type 04-The Minimalist

Subtle says it all for these brides. She is likely to wear a saree from Raw Mango with a choker. They wear jewellery for their own satisfaction, rather than pleasing other people or showing off what they have. “Brides who are minimalists like to get into the finer details. They like to wear necklaces with perhaps a single line of polki. They are not wearing jewellery to show off but it is just an extension of their personality. They want to know what technique is used to craft the jewellery, they check whether there is meenakari or nakshi work at the backside of a necklace. They care about the minor details that may not add to the drama. They like the subtle luxury,” adds Puja.

Jewellery for these brides is not decided in isolation. If their outfits are elaborate, then jewellery is definitely a mere accessory to make the outfit shine. “The trend has changed from elaborate designs to simpler pieces that have more value for money and something that can be used even after the wedding is over. The set she wears during her wedding could be heavy, but the rest are all functional,” adds Anil. Brides who like to be subtle are also particular about craftsmanship. “They tend to go in for pastel colours in soft tones of pink and green. These brides like a simple necklace with rosecuts as well,” adds Devashish.

Brides who are minimalists like to get into the finer details. They like to wear necklaces with perhaps a single line of polki. They are not wearing jewellery to show off but it is just an extension of their personality. They want to know what technique is used to craft the jewellery, they check whether there is meenakari or nakshi work at the backside of a necklace. They care about the minor details that might not add to the drama. They like the subtle luxury Puja Shah, Aurus

What she could wear: Handcrafted pieces, pastel coloured gemstones and meenakari. Classic necklaces with rosecut diamonds.

Type 05- The Revivalist

Many brides walk into a jewellery store with an heirloom piece wanting to give it a complete overhaul. Some are entire sentimental about the piece because it is a gift from their grandmother, while others simply want to change the piece to suit the current times. “ We recently had a client who came to us with a piece of jewellery that her grandmother had bought for her when she was young. It was pretty delicate to be worn on the wedding day, but the piece had sentimental value. So, we made her a long necklace to match the choker. The old piece was classic without much design value. When a bride comes to us wanting to change a piece, we usually play around with the beading or the stringing. For example, if she brought something with pearls hanging in a necklace, we would probably add big rubies to it,” adds Devashish.

Sometimes, it is not just the bride; it is the bride’s mother too. They come in asking to tweak a piece of jewellery gifted to them by their mother-in-law to give to their daughters. “One customer came to me and she brought a heritage piece made for the Maharaja by a European jeweller. She wanted to break it to give it to her daughters, and I remember convincing her not to do it as it was a very important piece. But we broke it eventually. Lot of heirloom pieces are plain gold or something that is studded with a lot of gemstones. Sometimes a bride come to us, asking us to melt the gold and make an entirely new piece. It happens quite often,” says Anil.

The trend has changed from elaborate designs to simpler pieces that have more value for money and something that can be used even after the wedding is over. The set she wears during her wedding could be heavy, but the rest are all functional pieces. Comfort is most important. A very heavy earring is something they are not comfortable with. Even if it is for a couple of hours, they don’t want to buy it. They would much rather wear something that is practical but also looks nice Anil Sankhwal, JH Jewellers

What she could bring: Heavy pieces in gold that are not great in design

Type 06-The Quality-Conscious, Know-it-All

These brides have probably walked into five stores before coming to you. They have read everything there is to read about jewellery. They have travelled the world and know what is in trend. They don’t mind spending the extra money as long as they get good quality, which means pieces that are everlasting. These brides are more focused and they probably already know what they want. “These brides are very quality conscious. They are very particular about how the piece falls on them, about the shape of the piece etc. to convince a person who can’t make up their mind is almost impossible, better to keep quiet and let them choose the piece. But for someone who is particular, it is the role of a jeweller to ensure that the jewellery fits her well and she is given what she wants. Brides from affluent families are extremely well informed. They know gemstones and all the mines they come from. However, the awareness of diamonds is much more than colour gemstones,” says Anil.

Bigger diamond sizes and bigger gemstones are popular with brides. Emeralds and rubies have always been a favourite. Some brides prefer pastel colours and even corals, but later they change it to red or green, as these tones with south sea pearl go with any outfit. We also work with a lot of tumble beads. Brides want to wear jewellery as per their personal taste. If I show a piece that Anushka wore for her wedding to a client, the client will not sit with me the next time. They want to make their own statement. They don’t want the replicated look. When a celebrity wears something, it is all over social media and everybody starts wearing the same thing Devashish Kamdar, Occasions Fine Jewellery

Earlier it was all about wearing large, heirloom pieces that belonged to their mothers or grandmothers. Now, brides want to be more glamorous. We just worked with a bride in Udaipur, who wore this very unconventional piece with a lot of gemstones for one of the functions. A lot of them are wearing pieces that are not run-of-the-mill. When it comes to weddings, it is about showing off – she is wearing three sets of necklaces – a choker, a slightly longish necklace as well as a long haar. But for other functions, brides tend to take it easy! Pastel meenakari is very in and navratan jewellery has also become very popular Meha Bhargava , Style Inc.

Type 07-The Celebrity Lover

Thanks to big Bollywood weddings and films like Padmaavat, brides tend to follow footsteps of their favourite celebrities. They curate looks of who they want to look like and bring photo references to the jeweller. “This is more common in brides from a tier 2 city like Pune. A Bandra bride from Mumbai doesn’t come with references of celebrities,” says Ishu

Case in point, Anushka Sharma. When the star got married, the popularity of jadau jewellery rose overnight. Brides from tier 2 cities also have more aspirational levels and they tend to resonate with celebrities. “They want exactly the same piece what the celebrity is wearing. We try to give them a match, however, we modify it a little bit according to the bride’s structure and personality. Anushka Sharma’s choker was a big hit,” says Snehal. Social media is also a game changer when it comes to what the brides want to wear. “When Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor got married, it was all over social media. Brides came in asking for the naath Deepika wore and the gutta pusalu necklace Sonam wore,” says Sanjay.

Brides these days are opting for something that is minimal and wearable. They consider layering and pieces that can be worn later. They are more sensible and independent. They tend to wear traditional pieces for wedding and contemporary pieces for other functions. They prefer wearing jewellery that define them. Girls today know how to strike the perfect balance. During sangeet, a bride is likely to go in for fusion pieces and for reception; we recommend diamond jewellery with a hint of colour gemstones. Comfort brings the best in brides, so, we suggest classic pieces with larger stones, not necessarily large in volume Sanjay Gupta, Tibarumals Jewellers

What they could wear: Jadau jewellery made popular by the celebs!