Arpita Mehta and Krésha Bajaj Share the Story Behind Their Personalised Wedding Dupattas

When the dupatta—the quintessential bridal veil—falls over a bride’s shoulder, it becomes an almost visceral presence. Each fold holds a memory, each thread whispers an intimate story that a bride alone carries through the day and into her life beyond. For celebrated designers turned brides, Arpita Mehta and Krésha Bajaj, their wedding dupattas evolved into deeply personal keepsakes—every stitch and motif an indelible record of emotion, story, and cherished moments.

For Arpita Mehta, the personalisation was a profoundly intimate and deliberate process. Their initials and wedding date were meticulously embroidered in French knots, a signature technique of her husband, designer Kunal Rawal. “Creating outfits is what we do every day, but this was once in a lifetime,” she recalls. “I wanted it to feel personal, a keepsake I’d treasure forever.” The embroidery was never about brand visibility or spectacle; it was about the rare experience of designing solely for herself. “I love that we could create something I could speak about for years to come.”

Even the earliest decisions were rooted in memory and intentionality. Arpita wanted the ensemble to feel timeless and wearable, long after the wedding day. “I kept hearing how brides rarely rewear their wedding outfits, and I didn’t want mine to sit in a box forever,” she tells Manifest. For Krésha Bajaj, on the other hand, the storytelling was subtle and symbolic. Dolphins, a powerful motif representing the moment she and Vanraj [Zaveri] first connected during a protest against cetacean captivity in Mumbai, were delicately stitched across her ivory-and-gold lehenga and subtly echoed in her mangalsutra. This desire birthed the Love Story Lehenga, rendered in delicate ivory and gold—a piece that is at once maximal yet refined, designed to be treasured like a work of art. “The entire reason Vanraj and I met was because of our love for the ocean,” she says. “From afar, it looks like delicate embroidery, but up close, it reveals our story. It’s a motif that reflects where our story began and what continues to connect us.”

When Krésha first told her mother about embroidering her love story onto her lehenga, she laughed. “Is it going to look like an Archie’s comic with scenes all over it?” That response stayed with her, cementing her goal: the narrative could never be obvious or gimmicky. The names, motifs, and symbols had to be woven seamlessly into the design, creating something visually timeless that only revealed its deep personal meaning upon closer inspection.

Both designers view these personal touches as the foundation of a modern heirloom—garments that carry memory, emotion, and legacy alongside sheer aesthetic beauty. Arpita notes, “Traditional heirlooms were about jewels or saris passed down for craftsmanship or material value. Personalisation adds intimacy. When you embed your story into a garment, through initials, motifs, or hidden details, it becomes memory, identity, and legacy.” Krésha adds, “A bridal outfit should reflect the person wearing it, not just the aesthetics of the day. These thoughtful touches make a piece timeless and meaningful, something you’ll treasure forever.”

They also emphasise the power of subtle personalisation. Arpita says, “The embroidery reinforced what I had known from the start: my wedding look had to feel entirely mine. Even small details, like initials or dates, make the outfit feel alive with memory.” Krésha echoes this sentiment: “I’ve always leaned toward individuality. The idea wasn’t to hide things like you hide a name in mehendi, but to weave them so seamlessly that they became part of the artwork.”

For brides considering personalisation, their advice is simple: make it profoundly yours. Think about what resonates most deeply, whether it’s the initials, dates, motifs, or hidden codes. These exquisite details transform a wedding outfit from merely beautiful to truly unforgettable.

This story appears in Manifest India’s September-October 2025. Subscribe here for more stories like this.