Lehenga Measurement Chart: How to Take Measurements for a Lehenga

A made-to-measure lehenga is only as good as the numbers it is cut from. The good news: getting them right is not difficult if you know what each measurement means and where people usually go wrong. This guide lists the measurements a lehenga, blouse and dupatta need, with tips for each.

Before you start

• Use a soft cloth tape, in inches.

• Measure over a thin top, not over a kurta or a thick bra.

• Wear the bra you'll wear with the blouse, or one like it.

• Keep the tape snug and level, not tight. You should be able to slide one finger under it.

• Stand naturally and breathe normally. Don't pull your stomach in.

• Ask someone to help. Several of these are very hard to measure on yourself.

Blouse measurements

1. Bust: around the fullest part of the chest, tape level all the way round your back.

2. Under-bust: just below the bust, where the band of a bra sits.

3. Waist (for the blouse): where the blouse will end.

4. Shoulder: across the back, from the edge of one shoulder to the other.

5. Blouse length: from the top of the shoulder, over the bust, down to where the blouse should end.

6. Armhole: around the top of the arm, through the armpit. A common mistake is measuring too tight.

7. Sleeve length: from the shoulder point to where the sleeve should end.

8. Sleeve round: around the arm where the sleeve ends, and around the fullest part of the upper arm.

9. Front and back neck depth: how low you want each neckline, measured from the base of the neck.

Lehenga measurements

10. Waist (for the lehenga): where you will actually wear the skirt. Many brides wear it a little above or below the natural waist, so decide first.

11. Hips: around the fullest part, with your feet together.

12. Lehenga length: from where the skirt will sit at the waist down to the floor, wearing the shoes you'll wear on the day. This is the measurement brides most often get wrong.

Also useful

• Your height, and the heel height you plan to wear.

• Any changes you expect before the wedding, so the designer can plan for them.

The commonest mistakes

• Measuring over clothes, which adds inches.

• Pulling the tape tight to be "a bit smaller". The outfit will be tight too.

• Measuring lehenga length barefoot, then wearing heels.

• Letting the tape slip down at the back when measuring bust or hips.

• Mixing inches and centimetres.

Three easy ways to get your measurements to us

At House of Daisy we make this as easy as we can. Our measurement page offers three ways, and all of them end with a short video check before anything is cut:

1. Your local tailor fills in our measurement sheet, in Hindi and English. This usually gives the best numbers.

2. Measure yourself with our step-by-step guide, one number per screen, with the commonest mistake named for each.

3. Come to our showroom on Golf Course Road and we measure you. A measurement visit takes about 45 minutes.

Why the video check matters

Even careful measurements can contain a slip, like a 32 typed as 23. Before your lehenga is cut, we go through every number with you on a short video call. It is the simplest way to make sure the first fitting is a happy one. Read more in our made-to-measure bridal lehenga guide and what happens at your lehenga trial.