Pastel Bridesmaid Lehengas: Palettes That Look Planned, Not Washed Out

Pastels are the favourite for bridesmaids at day weddings, mehndis and garden functions. They look soft and fresh in daylight and sit gently beside almost any bridal colour. The risk is a group that blurs into one pale block in photographs. A planned palette avoids that.

Five pastel palettes that work

1. Blush, rose and dusty pink

Three shades of one colour. Romantic, and very clear in group photographs.

2. Mint, sage and pistachio

Fresh greens for a mehndi or a daytime wedding in a garden.

3. Lilac, lavender and mauve

Cool and calm, lovely beside a pink or ivory bride.

4. Powder blue and ice blue

A cool palette that looks especially good in daylight.

5. The full pastel mix

Peach, mint, lilac, powder blue and lemon, one colour each. This is the "same style, different colours" look. Read the three ways to match.

How to stop pastels looking washed out

• Add one deeper shade in the palette, such as dusty rose with blush, or sage with mint.

• Use a contrast dupatta or border, in gold or a slightly deeper tone.

• Choose fabrics with texture: organza, net with sequins, or raw silk. Flat fabric in a pale colour photographs flat.

• Add light embroidery such as sequins, mirror, gota or thread. It catches the light without making the outfit heavy.

When pastels work best

Pastels are at their best in daylight: mehndi, haldi, a day wedding or a morning pheras. For an evening reception, deeper colours usually photograph better. See bridesmaid lehengas for a day wedding and day or night wedding colours.

Pastels beside the bride

If the bride is in red, pastels make her stand out beautifully. If she is in pastel too, give the bridesmaids slightly deeper shades so she stays the lightest, brightest outfit in the frame. More in bridesmaid colours for a red bride.

Getting a pastel group made

Many of our ready pieces are pastels, from the crop top lehenga collection to Indo-Western sets, and our designers can make them in your palette. Start a bridesmaid and family order about four weeks before the first function. Each person sends her own measurements, and there's no minimum group size.