The short answer is: YES! We would love it if our guests, both of Indian and non-Indian descent, embraced the culture and opted for eastern outfits! We don't consider this cultural appropriation, in fact we consider it cultural appreciation. There are few opportunities for most of us to wear colorful and elaborate Indian fashion, so we definitely encourage all of our guests to partake if they would like to!

Also yes! We want our guests to feel comfortable and included. It is in no way required to dress in eastern clothes for the Indian events.

Many cities have Indian clothing stores. We encourage you to check them out, and ask us or your friends of Indian descent for advice on what to wear! There are also quite a few online retailers that have a great selection of Indian clothes. While we don't have first-hand experience with these retailers, we recommend checking out the following for options:

No colors are off-limits for Indian weddings! The bride will be wearing red, but guests can also wear red if they desire. White is also fine to wear, but bear in mind that simpler white Indian outfits are typically reserved for funerals and mourning - so if you're going for white, we recommend picking something embellished.

Women's clothing typically includes lehenga (skirt and top sets), kurta set (pant and shirt), and saree (draped cloth 'dresses'). If you are not familiar with how to drape and wear a saree, we encourage you to select a lehenga or kurta. You may notice that many women's outfits are midriff-showing; this is perfectly acceptable in Indian party-wear culture, so feel free to pick a midriff-showing style! However, if you choose such a style, we would prefer high-waisted options (or draping your shawl in a way that covers your belly-button). For men, the most common style would be a kurta set. Nehru jackets are also common, and can be worn with a kurta set or on top of Western clothing.

The only off-limits styles are the styles that are intended for brides and grooms. Bridal sarees and lehengas are usually very elaborate and highly embellished; if you have any question on if your selection is "bridal," feel free to ask! The styles intended for grooms are typically called "Sherwani," so it is best to avoid those styles.

Yes, there is time built into the days to change out of Indian clothes for the western events. The Indian events are scheduled in the morning, whereas the western events are scheduled in the evening. Of course, if you'd like to stay in your Indian attire, that's fine too!