So it turns out I didn’t need to go to Edison, NJ and pay buchoo bucks for an outfits. I found an internet retailer/wholesalers that sells at below retail costs and has a Black Friday Sale! Best part, they are located about 15 miles from my parents house so I can pick up what I ordered today! Because its was so inexpensive ($30 a sari) I was able to purchase two and a Kurti. I bought an emerald green silk and a black chiffon with sapphire bead work. I like having options, the blouses are even sized to fit my bust! They ship all over the world and I figured I would share them with you:
Of course I won’t know the quality until I pick them up but I hope they are nice!
PS If I hate the blouse and the way it shows my belly would it be terrible to just wear a shirt instead?
There are ways you can wrap it so you can barely see the stomach. I’m self-conscience about my stomach and my mother-in-law helps me wrap it to help me “hide” it. And make sure you have safety pins on hand!
Depending on the colour/design of the sari you could probably wear a plain black (or other suitable colour) t-shirt instead of a blouse. After seeing a friend do this when she forgot her matching blouse, I tried this… I had borrowed the sari from someone and the blouse wasn’t my size. It seemed to work fine and it can cover more stomach than the blouse might. Hope you have fun dressing up!
Here is hoping you like it when it is in your hands!
As the others have said you can wrap it so it covers your tummy!
I don’t think the shirt would be an issue if you didn’t like the blouse, however be sure to find something that looks nice with and suits your saree…
Maybe you could find a nice sleeveless top in a store in black or green?
Good luck!
I hope A is going to help you wrap it ANNNDDDD have you got super blingy jewelry?
One thing I have notice is that in India not outdoing the bride is not a concept that is present!
Ive wasted many hours browsing sarees online! Love looking at them. Hope we get to see some pics when yours arrives
Personally, I dont like the way it looks to have a tshirt underneath. I would go the route of trying to tie the saree to hide your stomach. Also if you are able to get the blouses stitched, maybe in the future, you can get them a little longer.
Gonna go check out that site now. Let us know if the blouse is sized correctly too. I would probably not trust it and order a size bigger. Of course, Im always paranoid because nothing fits me right!
I thought of one thing… do you have a petticoat? Its an underskirt that you need to tuck the saree into at the waist. You probably already know that, but just thought of mentioning it in case.
Jubee,
Don’t worry about your tummy showing up…I know south asian guys like belly with a deep navel…they are real crazy about them…so nothing to bother,,
Black Friday internet sales are, by far, the greatest new on-line invention. No stampedes, no early morning alarms–Hope the wedding [and belly disguise
] was a success!
The sari went well, except I kept getting my heals stuck to it when I sat down! The belly was well hidden, A did a great job of wrapping it for me, we practiced for a couple hours trying each one on figuring out which was best. I think its so funny that both of us were so concerned with my belly, seemingly every woman there had her gut hanging out!
I have to say, seeing a blonde woman wearing a sari must have been a shock, I got so many stares and quite a few women telling me how pretty I looked, apparently men were also looking but I didn’t notice! I was too busy checking out all the bling!
I have some crappy pictures from my phone I will post when i write my blog about the whole experience!
Can’t wait for the pics.
The first time I wore a saree I remember people asking me “Do you know how to wear a saree?” And I was like, hmmm, duh, I have one on, but it is pinned everywhere to keep it in place, how do I answer this…do I look that clumsy in it that it looks like I don’t know how to wear it?
Later I figured out that “wear a saree” is desi English for what I would phrase as “put on a saree.” Answer is still no to this day.
As an Indian woman writing this, it’s very nice to know that women from a different culture have tried out the sari!
For a new-sari-wearer, it does take some practice to become adept at (or even manage), the art of draping a sari. So, the first few times, it would surely be good to have someone (experienced with sari-wearing), to help out. As for substituting a blouse with a t-shirt, that’s not a bad idea, so long as the t-shirt ‘goes’ with the sari. As a novice-sari-wearer myself, I find a sari that is neither too heavy (difficult to manage) nor too light (too airy), easy to carry.. Wearing the right kind of sari (read – print, colour, material, design) and wearing it right (read – drape, how it is carried) can make all the difference, and can turn even a not-so-pretty looking girl into a belle and make her the cynosure of everyone’s eyes.
Which reminds me, about 2 years ago, I was at a New Year’s party (in India), and saw a couple of young western women dressed in saris, and were they receiving approving looks from their Indian male companions. Well, I think no one in the room could ignore them..since the women looked ravishingly pretty! To tell the truth, the girls were so pretty, they would’ve looked good in any outfit, but the sari and the atmosphere and everything combined, made them stand out! : )