Brides, Take Your Pick: Maangtikka, Maathapatti, Sheeshpatti, or Passa?

One of the most important decisions you will take as a bride is not setting a wedding budget, or deciding the venue, or even deciding on who you will marry—it’s actually how you wear your hair. Seriously though, your hair, and the headpiece you choose to adorn it with, can make or break your look as a bride. The crown that you pick for your big day affects your look more than you realise. Most brides pick one of the four biggies: Maangtikka, Maathapatti, Sheeshpatti, and Passa. Each of these pieces offer completely different significance and aesthetics. If you are a bride-to-be, unsure about what headpiece to go for, here is a quick guide to traditional hair jewellery.

A Bride’s Guide To Traditional Headpieces

Maangtikka

Most of the traditional  Indian jewellery pieces aren’t worn only for their aesthetics. They have deeper cultural symbolism attached to them, or are said to bring good luck to the bride, or have certain health benefits. Maangtikkas are no different. A Maangtikka rests at the middle parting of the hair, and is said that the center of the forehead is where our third eye is, so it helps with concentration. Whether or not this belief holds might forever remain a mystery, but what we do know for sure is that a Maangtikka instantly elevates a bride’s look. Not to forget, unlike certain other headpieces, you can wear it with all kinds of hairstyles. You can wear your hair in a bun, braid, or choose to let your hair down, a Maangtikka  will go with everything!

You can go for a traditional maangtikka, or one of it’s variations. Our favourite? Borla from Rajasthan!

Brides who wore a Maangtikka at their wedding that you can take inspiration from:

Priyanka Chopra, Kiara Advani, Rakul Preet Singh, Parineeti Chopra, Neha Dhupia, Yami Gautam

Maathapatti

Maathapatti is the headgear that sits on your hairline and frames your forehead from corner to corner. It also has a small Maangtikka-like hanging at the center. It is a classic choice for brides who want to keep things extremely traditional. If you’re the kind of bride who likes to keep things extremely traditional and classic, we suggest you go for a Maathapatti! You can choose to go for a classic Maathapatti like Anushka Sharma, or spice things up a little and go for a multi-layered Maathapatti like Sonam Kapoor Ahuja!

Brides who wore a Maathapatti at their wedding that you can take inspiration from:

Anushka Sharma, Sobhita Dhulipala, Sonam Kapoor

Sheeshpatti

Sheeshpatti is very similar to a Maathapatti; it also has a strap that goes from corner to corner, but except for sitting on your hairline, it sits a little further apart from the hairline, at the center of the head. A sheeshpatti, although not as traditional a choice of brides, is slightly more versatile. Unlike a Maathapatti, you can wear a Sheeshpatti even when you choose to let your hair down.

Brides who wore a Sheeshpatti at their wedding you can take inspiration from:

Alia Bhatt, Kajal Sharma

Passa

A passa is a fan-shaped piece of jewellery worn on the side of the forehead. Though the passa traces its origins back to the Mughals, today brides of all cultures have embraced the ornament. It has a feminine and romantic feel to it. I mean, who can forget Aishwarya Rai’s beautiful passa in the song Kajra Re? You can choose to wear a passa in itself, or pair it with a Maangtikka.

Brides who wore a Passa at their wedding that you can take inspiration from:

Kareena Kapoor Khan, Mira Rajput Kapoor