It's dress up time, folks. Bridal Asia, the one stop shop for the wedding season opens on October 8, with 85 participants from different parts of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh conjuring the latest trends for the bride, along with everybody and anything associated with her.

From the big names like Rina Dhaka, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Bhairavi Jaikishan and Satya Paul to the emerging ones, the three-day event will bring everything designer to the marital fore. Besides the bridal wear, the event will also showcase accessories, jewellery, services provided by marriage planners and florists.

And there are some exotic influences as well. If Sapna Singhania is presenting Thai jewellery, Patchi Chocolates are flying down from Lebanon.

European flavour  Carrying the flavour forward is Mumbai-based designer Bhairavi Jaikishan, whose work is interspersed with European motifs and art décor. Coming with a collection called "La vie est belle" (Life is Beautiful), Bhairavi says dressing is about feeling good. "And if you feel good you look good."

So she doesn't want to weigh down her bride with very heavy stuff. In love with the six-kali lehenga, she shares, "My silhouettes are flattering and colours not traditional. I have tried unusual shades of pink. The flower motifs look real, and there is an interesting use of geometric patterns. I don't like making it bulky around the waist, so the lehenga flairs towards the bottom. Then I have experimented a lot with necklines and back lines... including backless and choli styles."

Goes without saying, marriage is not just for those in the mandap and extends beyond the main ceremony. Bhairavi has an entire theme on the honeymoon, and lingerie designer Suman Nathwani has multiple options to keep the night alive.

Agrees designer Vishal Mehra, an expert in Lucknow chikankari, "The Indian people today are moving from the conventional wear while dressing for a ceremony. Through my work I have presented old embroidery techniques in a contemporary way for women, for it is only embroidery that gives one scope for experiment."

Mughal look  If it is stitches for Mehra, designer Abha Dalmiya, who owns some 100 handlooms in Varanasi, considers weaves to be her forte. "I am inspired by the village colour palette, particularly from Rajasthan. My designs have a Mughal look taken from various monuments. There is lots of inlay work, badla work and floral prints in my collection. I have used silk, georgettes, silk organza and katan, that is soft silk."

Keeping in sync with the trend she has incorporated patterns from Thailand and Japan as well. "I do not want to commercialise my clothes. I have come to Bridal Asia so that my clothes can reach out to people," avers Abha. Anjana Somany's designs bring alive the folk trend in an urban way. "My set of work has age-old crafts mixed with a varied choice of fabric and style."

The highlight of the collection marked by Indo-Western outfits is the Swat embroidery from the Sindh region. . Another highlight of the event is that it's the only bridal exhibition that brings together the magic of the ramp and rack together. So as the fashion shows open this Tuesday for a select audience, let's see if Diivyaa Gurwaara's words, "Marriages are made in heaven, draped at Bridal Asia" come true.