Gowns that make wedding day special - Times of India

Speak of turning adversities into opportunities and Julie Singh's improvisation on her husband's business wins hands down. Lal Singh, who was nominated for the Citizen Nagpur 2012 award, is famous in the city for stitching denim apparels. His business began to plunge with readymade jeans at competitive prices flooding the markets during the last decade. "Our business was reduced to even less than half. It was at that time I decided that I should try making wedding gowns and baptism dresses for young brides and girls," says his wife Julie about her venture Juliet's Bridals.

It is hard to believe that in this narrow bylane of Mohan Nagar, at a functional looking shop, wedding gowns and baptism dresses that can compete with the best in western catalogues, are stitched. "For the past 12 years, we are into making wedding gowns, baptism robes, communion gowns, headgears, wreath veils and gloves," says Julie.

It is not just Christian brides who are placing orders here. Parsees for their Navjot ceremony and even Hindu brides who wish to wear something different for events with a western theme, sit and discuss designs with Julie. She first draws it all out and then plans it for them in terms of shades and embellishments.

"For Christian weddings, the colour is always white as it stands for purity," she says and adds that now there are colour codes at weddings. "So the dresses of the bridesmaid, best man, flower girls are done up in the colour of their choice," she informs.

The material used is fine net with embroidery and lace hat vary very slightly to keep in tune with the traditional patterns and designs seen on these gowns. "We buy the best of the material from Dubai as it is strong and durable. It is made available to us in Mumbai and we pick yards of it in different designs," Julie says.

A single gown can have up to six layers in silken taffeta and stretchable satin. Upper part of the gown has long sleeves and a tight fit. The lower part is flowing and often has a long trail. "The designs vary according to the weight of the bride. Long trails help to give a slimmer look and multi-layers of the gown give a fuller look," she informs.

Once the gown is put together, embellishments and details are added. "Tiny flowers made from satin ribbons, beads, stones, braids are put on the dress to give it a bridal touch. A matching bouquet made with artificial flowers is also prepared that the bride holds in her left hand," says Julie.

The Singhs have outsourced many of the related jobs to old Christian ladies in the locality who are good with needle and thread. "They make these artificial net flowers and bead embellishments for us throughout the year," says Lal Singh. A single gown can take up to a week to complete but Singhs have at least six to seven persons working on one dress and so are able to deliver two to three every day during the wedding season.

"If we have to work on the entire theme of a wedding that would include dresses for bridesmaids, best man, page boys, flower girls and even the boys and girl's family then it can take up to a month for a single family," Julie says.

With orders lined up for the wedding season, which began in November and will go on till late February, the Singhs are busy these days. "We are perhaps the only one in Central India doing this kind of work. People come from Bilaspur, Gondia, Chandrapur and other places to get their dresses stitched here," says Lal. The orders are time-bound and time consuming. "Even discussing designs and themes takes a lot of time," adds Julie who is already planning gowns for weddings to be held in summer.

A high end gown prepared by Julie can cost up to Rs 10,000. "I give them ample time to pay me. For the poor, I give concessions and also a facility to pay on a weekly basis. After all, this work is like a service to the church," she says.