5 tips to keep in mind while shopping for your bridal trousseau

So it's time to get all prepped up now and one of the biggest task for the bride and her family in brown families is preparing the great Indian bridal trousseau..
For us its more like gifts parents wish to give us in the form of clothes, accessories, jewelry, bags, shoes, perfumes, cupboards, suitcases, dinner sets, 325 types of crockeries, microwaves, blender, toaster , waffle maker.. Everything I 'might' need in the future and certain things i might just throw away.. And the most weirdest thing they want to gift u is lingerie.. Oh yes ..u heard me right.. Lingerie.. Indian parents don't want to keep that factor personal and are probably way too kinky and want to prepare you for your sexcapades with ur to be husband..

I recently went to Ahmedabad to shop for a part of my bridal trousseau.. That's Indian suits and sarees.. Ahmedabad is supposed to be the Mecca of Indian wear and oh I wasn't disappointed with what I saw and what I bought.. And it just made me heave a sigh of relief that for atleast a few days mum shall keep mum and stop bickering about the never ending shopping as I could tick off a lot from my list..

But with personal experience I would like to share with y'all 5 essential tips to keep in mind while shopping for all those Indian stuff 

1. Ask a friend whose style you trust and is honest enough with u.

It's very important to have someone who understands you and your body type and helps you decide what looks good and what doesn't in the most honest way. I made this mistake and regretted it in a big way.  I had the quintessential annoying aunty accompany me along with my mom.. Somewhere in between shopping trips, a not so good friend also joined me and her opinion didnt matter much but she somehow just convinced me to buy stuff I wasn't too sure about and now I have a few things I believe I m never gona wear and I wasted a few thousand bucks ..all thanks to her.. I made a mental note of never meeting her ever again but the damage is done already.

2. Never buy anything without trying it on.

Yes I agree that trying tons and tons of things is quite annoying but u have to hold on and make yourself do it. You need to be completely sure whether something looks good on you or not because you got to stay with it forever. Buy it only if u r 100% sure. Leave it even if u have 1% doubt towards it.. Chances r you might not end up wearing it too much 

3. Never shop on an empty stomach.

I think the title says it all.. An empty stomach might make you cranky and cantankerous and you might just find yourself dismissing most of the good stuff just because the fuel hasn't reached your brains yet. It is equally important to stay hydrated.

4. Shop during off season.

Shopping during off season has a lot of its benefits.
A. You get the personal attention from all the salesmen of the shop since they don't have much customers to attend to
B. You end up getting great stuff which are gonna be launched in the next season. The new and fresh stock might just become yours
C. The biggest benefit is cheap bargains.. Since its off season you can demand for great discounts and you can buy the stuff u like for a lot more cheaper rates than it is actually meant to be.

5. Be proactive and start early.

This might reduce a huge amount stress from your shoulders. When your major shopping is taken care of, you can sit back and relax and sip your coffee. You can also start getting your bridal outfits made early as well so that you are not stressed out when your wedding date is coming closer.. A survey suggests that 78% brides face stress because their shopping is still pending or because their bridal outfit is not yet ready. Hence avoid this stress and start early so that you can finish well before time.

Major tip for all you brides to be: 

just sit back and relax..

delegate work.. Don't take a pile load of wedding work on your shoulders,its practically impossible to get everything done alone 

and if it doesn't happen like the way you want to ..don't fret.. Chances are no one shall notice but you and the stress on your face shall be noticed by everyone!!

Whats your definition of an Alpha Male??

So it was Bae's birthday a couple of days back and we decided to take a day off in the middle of the week.

We decided to go on the outskirts and take a small sojourn. Hence, Alibaug got planned. We drove till there, had a lazy lunch at The Radisson Blu (its a mindblowing place to relax and rejuvenate) and we took a dip in the pool and had a couple of beers with a beautiful climate as a backdrop. So all in all a good life.

On our way to Alibaug, in the middle of this awesome picturesque drive..we ofcourse struck a lot of conversations and one very interesting conversation was What is an alpha male of today.
One thing led to another and we realised that we both have two completely different definition of an alpha male.
The topic led to mild conversation which got converted to an argument to a debate and thankfully not a fist fight thankfully (Alpha males dont do that you see).

Opinion 1- Mine:

An alpha male is somebody whos rough, rugged and tough. Like someone who knows how to change a flat tyre and also how to set up a tent. Someone whos loves to go camping, offroading and someone who takes those daredevil kinda road trips. Someone who loves to trek, hike, hitchhike, rappel, climb a gigantic rock,etc. Someone whos not scared of adventure and wouldnt think twice before taking a risk like jumping off a cliff or jumping off a plane.
Ofcourse apart from being confident, sharp, street smart and intellectual to hold on a coversation for as long as hes holding on to his beer.

Opinion 2- His

He believed that an alpha male is someone who takes fancy and appreciates the finer things in life. Like someone who has finer taste in clothes, finer tastes in his scotch, a love for his fine and fancy watches or pens or suits or shoes.
Someone who would love to take care of his woman and show utmost chivalry. Someone who believes that safety comes first no matter what and taking such silly risks is not a way of life but a way of death.

Ofcourse we mutually agreed to some part like having confidence, being intelligent, having a sharp personality and respecting elders.

Whats your take on it? Who according to you is the perfect alpha male?? Any name that comes to your mind?? Any particular trait or traits you believe that makes a man an alpha male??

Whats YOUR definition of an alpha male??

6 months to go!!

Ok

So here I am, 6 months to go for the D-day!!

And there is so much I want to get done.

Lose weight, get fit, meet my long lost friends, take a couple of bachelorette trips, take a couple of solo trips, go for a trek, drink till I drop and blah and blah and blah.

But all I am left with is, lets get your outfits done.. lets book the venue.. did u see the doc for that pimple, stop going out- u r getting tanned, lets book the vendors for your wedding and lots and lots and lots of blahs..

It seems as if my personal world has come to an end, its come crashing down.. There is no me as a person who I am, a person who loves traveling, a person who loves eating some delicious food, a person who loves outdoors. The only role I have to don is of a bride-to-be.

I am so tired, literally tired..phew of people asking me how are my wedding preps going.. where is your wedding, when is your wedding, what are you wearing, what did you shop.. OMG as if people have forgotten that I have a life, I have a career too. Ofcourse thats not as important as my wedding so who would care to ask me about that.

The typical conversation with the big fat quintessential aunty:

Aunty enters house
Fills my mouth with a laddoo (aunty, I have to lose weight..remember??)

Aunty: How are wedding preps going??
Me: They are going .... (gets cut off by mom)

Mom: I tell you, girls these days think they can manage the whole wedding by themselves. They just dont get time. Everyday they just wanna keep working. No time to shop for this and that and this and that. I m the only one in this house whos going mad.

Me: (silently agrees)

Aunty: Yes Beta, you should start focusing on your wedding preps now. Start doing your shopping. Think of it as an exercise, you anyways have to lose weight (ya right, you just shoved in a laddoo in my mouth) so take your wedding shopping as an excuse to exercise.

Me: But aunty, its not funny. I dont get time. I have work to do as well

Aunty: Exactly what I m telling you. Now this is your work. Nothing else matters. Your fiance will take care of everything else.

Me: (Gives the most horrendous look a feminist can ever give, thinks of 100 ways to throw this fatass out of my house but eventually decides to walk out of the room)

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: Girls these days,..I tell you.. They have taken all the responsibilities of the men and expect their men to cook.

Auntyyyyyy... shuuuutttt uppp

Yes guys..this is a blog of a bride gone mental..

A bride to be who is driven mad by the Indian society.

Marriage is good but wedding is one hell of an experience.

I m excited yet nervous. I am totally in love yet scared. Life is gonna change and for good but what is in store for me.. No one knows.

See my journey unwind..