The news reels have been awash with the ins and outs of the Athiya Shetty and KL Rahul wedding happening today. The lead up to the wedding has been filled with speculation around what it will look like, where it will be, and who will be in attendance. Recently, when news broke out on where the wedding will be hosted — at Athiya’s father’s bungalow in Khandala— it became apparent that yet another celebrity chose an intimate wedding away from camera lenses.
Celebrating the pre-wedding sangeet night on Sunday evening, today the couple tied the knot in front of a 70 people guestlist. With the location of the wedding as their family farmhouse, all eyes were on the outfit of choice by the bride. A subtle pink Anamika Khanna chikankari lehenga in silk with zardozi and jaali work. Vogue India speaks to the designer of the lehenga on the details of the creation:
Akanksha Kamath: Athiya is such a fashion girl. She’s always had good taste and a collection of beautiful things. What was your inspiration for Athiya’s outfit? How did it seamlessly blend with her personal style?
Anamika Khanna (AK): I think my biggest inspiration to start the outfit was Athiya herself. When you think of a bride and you're looking at the setting and talking to her, you get a sense of where she's at, and that's what inspires you the most. So, I would say Athiya herself was my biggest inspiration.
Akanksha Kamath: Were there any personalization and customizations you made to fit your fashion bride?
AK: Athiya’s got extremely fine, subtle, and beautiful taste. I wanted to develop something special for her that was resonant with the fact that she was going to be the bride, but she was never going to be that bride for whom everything else takes over. She has a very strong personality, and I think she’s acutely aware of it. We created an extremely fine piece of Chikankari, as well as jaali ka kaam and Zardozi. In terms of the colour, it is an old-rose colour and even the metallic colours that we’ve used on the lehenga, is slightly burnt and old-world. It’s got that subtlety to it. Nothing is screaming for attention, and yet, it's just so her. Safe to say that it is not an outfit she will get bored of even in the coming years.
Akanksha Kamath: How was your experience working with Athiya as a bride?
AK: Athiya was very clear on her vision of what she wanted to be as a bride. At the same time, she was extremely collaborative. She was open to ideas, and we went back and forth. We worked on looks; we actually sat with them through swatches as well. You know it's very interesting when the bride-to-be knows her mind and there’s no confusion. At the same time, your aesthetics should kind of match. She could understand my language, and I could understand what she was saying. That just makes it even more beautiful.
Akanksha Kamath: What were the fabrics and embroideries used?
AK: We’ve used silks for her main outfit and we’ve also used silk organza for her veil and her dupatta.
Akanksha Kamath: This was an entirely handmade, handwoven creation. I would love to know how many hours it took to make?
AK: The outfit is a labour of love. It took approximately 10000 hours to make.
Akanksha Kamath: How did you make sure Athiya’s style came through in your clothes?
AK: Athiya's personal style is very easy, fuss-free, and still makes a statement. In some ways, it is very relaxed, subtle, and elegant. It was not hard at all. I think she resonated with what she was seeing. She had a few references; she knows our work. When somebody knows your work, they know what they are talking about. That’s how we worked. I was trying to understand her personal style and her body type - she is a tall girl and she is someone who is fuss-free in her style so she did not want cancan in the lehenga. She wanted something that would just flow on her body. We discussed what works best for her, and it's been like a journey, and I would say it's been a beautiful journey. So much so that she chose us for her travel outfits, as well as reception outfit.
Akanksha Kamath: How did you imagine the styling of the lehenga?
AK: Athiya's stylist Ami Patel and Athiya and I worked in tandem on the styling of the lehenga. I provided a few inputs on how she could drape the veil and dupatta. We kept it traditional and ethereal. Athiya is a soft bride and one that puts comfort first. So it was important that we kept that in the wedding lehenga too.
Shop collections by Anamika Khanna
Athiya's wedding lehenga sketch
Athiya's reception sharara sketch
Also read:
Kiara Advani gives an ode to bohemian chic beauty for her mehendi ceremony
First look: Anamika Khanna's new collection is an experiment in ‘shredded couture’
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