Bengali brides usually adorn a vibrant red or a crimson Banarasi saree woven in silk with intricate golden embroidery and a rich brocade zari border. The bride also wears a silk dupatta called chunni over her head. This is similar to the veil worn by Christian brides and something like a tiara known as mukut. This is pinned on her head over the silk chunni.
The bride is considered to be an incarnation of the goddess of wealth – goddess Lakshmi. She is opulently decked in heavy gold wedding jewelry comprising of a necklace, nose ring, earrings, tikka and anklets. The designs are usually unique and have motifs of flowers, peacocks or butterflies. The wedding jewelry is supposed to bring good luck and charm to the bride and also signifies the continuation of wealth after marriage; hence the heavy wedding jewelry. The bride usually wears three types of bangles namely – Shankha - a conch shell bangle, Pala – a lac bangle and Loha- an iron bangle. These distinguish a Bengali bride from brides of other communities and also signify the marital status of Bengali women.
The most unique feature of a Bengali bride is the artistically painted design of white and red dots on her forehead just above the eyebrows which extends to her cheeks and the chin. This enhances her look and makes her look like a princess. A big red bindi in the centre of her forehead along with the sacred vermilion and skillfully applied alta on her hands and feet, completes the look of the Bengali bride.
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