In preparation for her wedding day, a South Asian bride will take a trip to the flower market. There, in the fragrant halls, she will select her bridal bouquet. But these flowers aren’t for holding—instead, the blooms will adorn her hair, which is fashioned into a single long plait at the back of her head, called a gajra. “It’s an age-old tradition,” says hairstylist Mitesh Rajani. “Any celebration would mean wearing flowers in a woman’s hair, but this style with the long braid is reserved specifically for a bride on her wedding day.”
Model Jagruthi Radhakrishna plays the role of bride here, wearing the sari her own mother wore on her wedding day, and little sister Niyathi is her doting bridesmaid. Like in most Indian homes, the getting-ready experience is multigenerational: Mother Latha, who is a bridal makeup artist in their hometown, and grandmother Bhagya Lakshmi are both there to help paint her hands with henna, fasten her sari, and place her gajra.
A family tradition: Jagruthi wears the same sari that her mother, Latha, wore on her wedding day.
“Traditionally a bride will wear mallige (jasmine) in her hair," says creative hairstylist Mitesh Rajani. “But for today, we added kankambara, an orange flower local to Karnataka, where she is from, to remind her of her home.”
The gajra, a fragrant garland of jasmine flowers fashioned into a circle, is traditionally worn by a bride on her wedding day, a custom that dates back to 1500 BCE.
Latha on her wedding day, with Bhagya; both wearing the saris that are worn by Jagruthi and Niyathi in this portfolio.
