Every girl dreams about her wedding. For every bride, her wedding is a vital and significant day of her life. She wishes to look the best on her wedding day as marks the beginning of her journey from a girl into womanhood. She wants to be an epitome that symbolizes beauty and elegance.

Solah Shringar refers to sixteen adornments of an Indian bride that contributes to complete her beauty. There are many rituals that are associated with the wedding day. The solah shringar consists of sixteen different types of accessories for the bride that enhances her beauty right from the head to the toe. The solah shringar gives a complete makeover to the bride giving her a stunning look. The solah shringar is a way to bless the bride in her new married life.

Bridal Solah shringar

The bridal shringar begins with washing the bride’s hair. Her hair are first oiled properly and then washed. They are then styled as per the wedding dress and adored with flowers and other accessories. Flower is one of the solah shringar. Then she wears her wedding dress. A red colored saree with heavy embroidered is considered auspicious for the wedding.

The maang tikka a hair accessory is mostly wore on the center part of the bride’s hair.  Mandoria is other regional hair ornaments which consists of a strand of pearls, tied across the forehead on either side and can usually be seen on a Maharashtrian bride.

Sindoor is applied on the center part of the bride’s forehead by her husband on the wedding day. It defines her as a married women.

Kajal is used to highlight the bride’s eyes and makes it more attractive and beautiful. Other facial makeup is also done.

Bindi is an important shringar for the bride as it is a symbol of a married woman. It shows her dedication towards her husband and is considered very scared as per the religion. It a red dot of vermillion on the center of the forehead.

She also wears a nose ring in her left nostril. It gives her a traditional and ethnic look.

Her ears are adorned with ear rings. They are very beautiful and heavy as well so they are supported by a chain.

Necklace of different size and lengths are worn by the bride. It symbolizes prosperity. The bride also wears a floral garland. Mangalsutra is considered the most auspicious accessory in the bride’s shringar.

The bride wears a baajuband or an armlet on her upper arm to present more authentic and traditional look.

The bride wears colorful matching bangles and bracelets. Bangles are other important accessory for a married women. Bangles of various colors mostly red and green are worn by the bride. They are accompanied with gold or ivory bangles.

The bride wears eight rings in both the hands called the hathphool that has a centralized flower and it covers the upper part of the hand. There is a chain that is connected to a bracelet. The bride also wears a thumb ring called the aarsi that has a mirror embedded on it.

Kamarband is a waistband that is tied on the waist line of the bride. It is made of gold and has beautiful designs. This enhances the look of her wedding outfit.

The bride applies mehndi on her palm and feet. It is considered an essence of love and is applied to strengthen the bond of love. It is believed that the darker the color the deeper is the love of the husband. It is an important pre-wedding ceremony

Silver anklets are worn on the ankle that has tiny tinkling bells at the end. They emit sweet pleasant sound when the bride walks. Her toes are adorned with toe rings. The feet are also decorated by applying mehendi or alta on it.

Lastly itar is applied to give a good fragrance and keep the bride fresh.