I just got back from Bangalore yesterday after an exciting 2-day trip to cover Trousseau Week!

Watching a fashion show live, and discovering new vendors at wedding exhibitions – are two of a wedding blogger’s favourite things. And that’s exactly what I indulged in over the last 2 days!

I went off to Bangalore on Thursday to cover Trousseau Week, which kick-started with a fashion show that very night. Designs by Kimaya, Chola and AS Motiwala were amongst the many on the ramp that night. But more on the show in a later post.

Right now, get ready for your very own personal tour of Trousseau Week!

Why? So you can make the most of your visit there, of course!

Where? UB City mall, Bangalore

What is Trousseau Week? It’s a luxury wedding exhibition of sorts. You have wedding planners, trousseau designers, jewellery makers – all under the same roof. Bangalore doesn’t have too many of these, so Trousseau Week is a savior for the city’s brides.

If you’re a bride to be, head over there any time between 11 am to 8 pm and get some wedding planning to-do’s crossed off your checklist!

Floor Plan

Stalls have been set up all around the main entrance stairway – from the ground to second floor (most of the wedding planner and trousseau stalls are on the 2^nd floor) and some of the in-house brands are offering special discounts and vouchers for brides.

Your Guide to Trousseau Week 

Trousseau & Jewellery

• Kimaya

Has a massive store here with some very pretty outfits. Lots and lots of anarkalis. Most are over INR 40,000, obviously. But I did spot a few within INR 30,000. These are my favourite “budget buys”. Well, as budget as they can get at a designer wear store!

They also have this pretty pink heavy lehenga that’s good enough for a wedding and is priced at INR 80,000. I absolutely loved it, and recommend it to any bride who is looking for a lehenga in that range! At the store, the georgette lehenga was paired with a dark green choli and red dupatta (makes it look much better than the image below!)

 The best part is – it doesn’t weigh a ton. It’s light enough for you to enjoy your wedding in!

• Tarun Tahiliani

They have a stall on the 2^nd floor, and yes, you can take an appointment to meet Mr Tahiliani himself – so you can get your dream wedding lehenga designed by him! To book an appointment, call Nishrin at +91-9963321115 or Nisha at +91-9160045000. Do note that he has to get atleast 3 appointments fixed for him to make the trip. They’re here up till the end of Trousseau Week i.e. 1^st December, so book your appointment quick!

They don’t have the whole bridal collection here ie. all those beautiful lehengas and saris we’ve seen from him this season (to see what I’m talking about, have a look here). But they do have some pretty pieces. Here are pictures of a few I loved –

• Shimmer by Jamila & Seema

They have an offer going on during Trousseau Week – 10% discount on all garments. What can you expect here? Bright coloured saris in net and crepe, finished with big, heavy borders. They have bright pinks, reds and yellows. If you’re looking for heavy bling saris, this is your store.

One thing I noticed was – the quality of the workmanship on their embroidery was so neat and finished with perfection! That’s one of the biggest differences between designer wear stores such as Kimaya and Shimmer and your common retail store – the quality of the embroidery.

• Divvya A Bhasin jewellery

She’s a Delhi-based jewellery designer (has a store in Archana Arcade, GK1) who is exhibiting at Trousseau Week only till TODAY (24 Nov). Her collection is displayed within Shimmer (the store) itself, and I really loved the hand accessories here. A surprisingly elegant multiple-string Polki bracelet, and a gold cuff (INR 28,000) were my favourites!

• AS Motiwala

They’re a Mumbai-based jewellery brand that is here till 25th November only – that’s TOMORROW! If you’re looking to seriously splurge on diamond jewellery – big sets and even bigger rings, you must take a look here. Their designs are absolutely exquisite. They’re located on the 8^th floor at Sublime Galleria (which is actually an art gallery). I found one emerald bracelet here that I have utterly and hopelessly fallen in love with. The cost of love? 4 lakh. Ummm…if I spend a “few” years saving for it, would you keep it aside for me Mr Motiwala? 🙂

• Minawala jewelers have a flat 25% off their entire collection! ALL of it! And Turquoise & Gold (a resort wear & beach wear store) has an offer going on during Trousseau Week where you can get upto 20% off on their latest collection.

Beauty & Makeup

• Estée Lauder

Come here for free bridal makeup sessions! You can book an appointment between 24^th to 29^th November. Just call Renu at 080-40982000. You can use the session any way you want – as a trial for your wedding day makeup, or if you have a party/wedding to attend on these dates you can get your makeup done for free! If you would like to book an Estee Lauder makeup artist for your wedding, she will charge INR 2500 (only for makeup, does not include hair and draping). Speak to the staff here to know about all the offers they have going on right now.

• Mirrors & Within

It’s a salon that’s holding 2 events:

27 Nov – K-Day by Keratase, 11 am to 8 pm. A free hair and skin analysis session with one of their experts, followed by complementary hair spa vouchers that you can use on your next visit.

29 Nov – Makeup session by Kryolan, 5 to 7 pm. They will demonstrate a day and night makeup look on models. If you’d like to book them for wedding makeup, they charge INR 10,000 (plus taxes) for makeup, hair, draping and nail paint applications. Party makeup charges are INR 7,500 (plus taxes). They use only Kryolan products.

Wedding Planners

• Krafted Knots

They’re wedding planners who do everything from coordinating between your vendors to executing the whole affair. They’ll do the decor at your wedding (that’s their specialty) or even customise a wedding card for you. They had their cards on display when I visited –

See how they’re not your typical wedding card? They have some interesting designs. I saw madhubani painting cards here as well – whose inserts you can frame and put up in your home! I spoke to Joanne, one of the planners, and here’s what she said – “We’re willing to customize the whole wedding according to your needs. We work with all budgets – we’ve done a 100 people wedding, and even a 2000-guests affair.” Krafted Knots is based out of Bangalore & Kolkatta. They’re extremely customer-centric, not like your typical wedding planner who makes weddings seem like a factory line production. Out of all the weddings planners I spoke to at Trousseau Week, Joanne’s company is the only one that will help you out with trousseau shopping as well. Like I said, they’re all about the customer!

• Other wedding planners present there were FNP (Ferns & Petal) – whom I’ve spoken about in the Vogue Wedding Show post, Wow Weddings & Events (of Royal Orchid group) and 3D Design & Décor.

 Venues, Desserts & Home Décor

• If you want to host your wedding at a Taj property, you can have a word with the Taj Group representatives here. They’ve done plenty of gorgeous weddings at their breath-taking venues, so it’s definitely a good option to explore.
• Amande Patisserie has a stall set up on the first floor – they specialize in macroons. You can gift a box of their macroons or even chocolates as wedding favours. And if you ask nicely, they’ll even make you a dessert table – macroon tower et al!

• And finally, if you’re looking to set up your own home post your wedding, you can drop by at Villeroy & Boch on the ground floor. They have some super pretty tableware. Oma also beckons with the offer of free gifts on any purchase.

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 That wraps up your tour of Trousseau Week 2013. If you’d like to see what other offers are available (gift vouchers, restaurant specials), head over here to get details. And you know you can always get in touch with me if you have any queries regarding Trousseau Week. Just leave a comment here!

Are you visiting Trousseau Week? Which stalls/stores do you plan to check out?