For many brides, their wedding day is a unique opportunity to honour their heritage, often through fashion. Such was the case for Indian-American bride Dr Jasmine Singh, a psychiatrist based in California.
“Even as a child, I knew – without a doubt – that no matter who I married, or when I married, I would have a Sikh wedding ceremony, and I would wear a traditional red Indian lehenga with gold embroidery,” she explains. “My mother has countless photos of me as a little girl dressed in a tiny red lehenga, adorned with a gold mathapatti (bridal headpiece) and haathphool (hand jewellery), and proudly wearing a bold red lip.”
“The first piece I selected was the necklace, followed by the earrings and then the bangles – my mother insisted I include Sabyasachi polki bangles,” she says. “Then came the custom mathapatti, nath (nose ring), and haathphool. Somewhere in between, I found myself gravitating towards a floral motif lehenga from the Red Collection in the Heritage series. I waited before making a final decision, wanting to be certain. Shortly after meeting Sabyasachi in person during a visit to Los Angeles, I knew it was the one.”
One of Jasmine’s pieces, the traditional Indian head chain mathapatti, was inspired by one of Sabyasachi’s first famous brides, the actress Anushka Sharma – though she wanted hers to feature South Sea pearls, to match the rest of her look. “I was told by the Sabyasachi jewellery director that any changes such as this would have to be approved by Sabyasachi Mukherjee himself,” she explains. “I was delighted when I learned that he had signed off on the changes. The piece was also custom made to the measurements of my head, which I thought was a great attention to detail, as it was custom-fitted to frame my face perfectly from ear to ear.”
Indeed, Sabyasachi as a rule does not allow customisation, so it was up to Jasmine to convince him of her vision for the lehenga too. “After explaining my reasoning, some customisation was allowed,” she shares. “I discussed with him that I wanted my second veil for my head to be different from the first that would be wrapped around my body, so that it could add more visual interest, which they agreed to.”
One particularly special touch was the floral motif on the skirt – a brand new design. “It resonated with me on a personal level – my name is Jasmine, after all – and it beautifully complemented the wedding’s setting,” she explains. “Alongside my production team, we built a custom structure on my family’s estate, nestled within the estate’s gardens, and centred our design concept around an enchanted garden of wildflowers. This lehenga echoed that vision perfectly, and wearing it felt like stepping into a dream I had helped create.”
The Sabyasachi team also crafted a custom silk organza palla for the ceremony, finished with gold sequins and a tilla thread border. “In Sikh tradition, the groom wears the palla, which is handed to the bride by her father – symbolising the start of the couple’s spiritual journey,” explains Jasmine. “Sabyasachi graciously completed this bespoke piece in record time, and it arrived just days before the wedding. I was later told it had only been made once before – for the Indian actress Katrina Kaif – making it all the more meaningful.”
Unsurprisingly, a lot of craftwork went into Jasmine’s lehenga, which was hand-stitched and embroidered with traditional gold and silver threads, while the borders of her two veils featured handmade kiran fringing in hand-beaten gold and copper. “My lehenga arrived in California a few weeks before the wedding,” recalls Jasmine. “The first time I wore it was late at night, with my mother by my side. I slipped it on – it fit like a glove – and when I saw myself in the full-length mirror, I cried. I was on the phone with Sabena, the head of Sabyasachi, and she was deeply moved by my reaction. In that moment, it truly felt like my vision and dream had come to life.”
With so much love and detail going into the look, it’s unsurprising that Jasmine intends to wear the pieces again. “I believe fashion should be both enjoyed in the present and preserved for future generations,” she says. “And I don’t think preservation should come at the cost of fully experiencing the joy of wearing something now.”
For her, the entire process was a pinch-me moment. “I see myself as someone who embodies two cultures: born and raised in the United States, yet deeply in touch with my Indian heritage,” she says. “That duality, what I call biculturalism, can sometimes bring difficulties with identity and with managing the two opposing cultures, but sometimes the juxtaposition can be beautiful, and that is something I find in Sabyasachi’s designs: a rare and beautiful balance.”
