Silk Sarees for Wedding

By weight, fall and sound. Real silk is heavier than it looks, falls in soft rounded folds rather than sharp creases, and makes a faint rustle when rubbed. A blend creases more sharply and feels cooler at first touch. In photographs, look at the sheen: silk has a deep, changeable lustre that shifts with the angle, while a polyester blend has a flat, even shine. Each product page states the fabric, and that is the honest check.

For a wedding or reception, a heavier silk with zari work - the weight is what makes the drape look ceremonial. For a puja or a daytime function, a lighter silk or a chanderi-silk blend in a traditional colour with a simple woven border, which reads correct without being heavy to wear for hours. Weight, not price, separates the two occasions.

Dry clean, without exception if there is any zari, embroidery or a woven metallic border - water dulls metal thread permanently and can shrink silk unevenly. A plain silk saree can be hand washed cold by someone who has done it before, but the first wash is where most sarees are ruined. Never wring it, never dry it in sun, and press on the reverse with a cloth between the iron and the silk.

A cotton petticoat rather than a satin one, tied tight - silk slides against smooth fabric and grips cotton. Pin the pleats at the waist as well as at the shoulder, and use a belt-style pin under the pallu if the saree is heavy. Starching is not the answer for silk; friction is. Most drapes that come loose do so at the waist within the first half hour.