Once upon a time, I wanted to be a princess. I watched Sleeping Beauty glide across the ballroom in a pink gown, gold tiara perched on her head, so I would tie a bedsheet around my torso, letting the excess fabric sweep the floor behind me like a train. I’d step into my mum’s high heels, several sizes too big, and wobble across the room with the seriousness of someone on royal duty. But on my head, the one piece that truly belonged to me, that made me the princess I believed I was, sat a tiara. This piece of plastic was elegant and distinguished, and that’s exactly how it made me feel.. Now, twenty years later, the occasions to wear a tiara are few and far between, but there is one moment I know I can count on: my wedding. The Indian bride, after all, is something of a real-life princess. And on the day that marks the beginning of her happily ever after, she certainly knows how to look the part.. “Bridal styling today has become incredibly personal. Brides are really thinking about what feels like them. And it’s usually those brides—the ones with a clear point of view—who are drawn to something as singular as a tiara. Weddings are such a significant moment of personal expression, and for some brides, the tiara becomes that final, defining gesture,” shares Ashwin Lodha, Creative Head of Alok Lodha Jewels, whose repertoire includes a dazzling selection of tiaras.. Of course, extravagance has never been unfamiliar territory for the Indian wedding. The lehengas get heavier every year, the diamonds get bigger and the guest list is often comparable to a small village. In that context, the tiara feels like a natural evolution. But once the wedding diary closes, how do you justify a piece of jewellery, however beautiful, for a single day? The good news is that the tiara is far more versatile than it first appears. “It isn’t frozen in one format. A central stone can be detached and worn as a pendant or elements can be reimagined as brooches. It can transform over time, which is really what gives it longevity,” Lodha explains.. Courtesy of the brand
