How Kresha Bajaj designed an 84-look wedding for her sister

What do you do when your sister asks you to dress her for her wedding? If you’re designer Kresha Bajaj, the answer is: everything. From pastel lehengas to fringe-drenched mini dresses, Bajaj crafted not just bridalwear but an entire sartorial ecosystem for a multi-day wedding marathon in Suryagarh, Jaisalmer, late last year. The final count? Eighty-four custom outfits. And that doesn’t even include the off-the-rack selections that relatives hoarded like couture collectibles. “It was madness and chaos,” she laughs. And somehow, it was magic too.

Sister, stylist, saviour

Bajaj is no stranger to wedding couture—her namesake label is known for its intricate embroidery and sculpted silhouettes, with a growing cult following among South Asian brides. But this time, the bride was her younger sister, Karyna, five years her junior and, by Bajaj’s account, “Like my grandma—in the best way. Like any sisters, we have the best relationship and then we fight like cats and dogs. That kind of sums up our relationship even now.” So, when Karyna got engaged, Bajaj didn’t immediately say yes to designing everything.

Ultimatums work

“In the past, she’d ask for pieces, insist on changes, and then hate the final look. I’d end up being stuck with an outfit I didn’t know what to do with because I’m not selling it to anyone else,” Bajaj explains. “I gave her an ultimatum that I’m going to make her what I think would look best and she can wear it. And if she doesn’t like it, we can go to any designer in the world and buy her what she likes—but she cannot give an opinion while I’m designing until she sees the final outfit.” Spoiler: Bajaj took over. Completely.

Not just the bride

The looks weren’t just for the bride. Bajaj dressed everyone—from the groom, the groom’s family, her own husband, her nani, bridesmaids, cousins, to some of Karyna’s friends. “The last thing I wanted was for it to look like everything was from the same collection,” she says. “We did the opposite of what we usually do when creating a collection—we didn’t want even two people to look the same. The mood board of the outfit was the individual: what works for them, their body, how do we make it so that they can cherish it and wear it in multiple ways? Each outfit had to feel like them.”

Mood boards? What mood boards?

There were no templates, no structured briefs. The only constant was Bajaj’s relentless eye for detail and her refusal to let a single guest look “matchy-matchy.” The bridesmaids wore ivory, while Karyna glowed in a gold lehenga with multi-coloured flowers for the main event. For the sangeet, themed ‘50s glam, Bajaj whipped up a flirty fringe mini dress from her Egypt collection for Karyna to dance in post-performance.

The wild card won the night

And yet, some of the most talked-about outfits weren’t customised at all. Bajaj recalls a particularly divisive look: the Desher and Dukkaha set—sheer beaded pants and a corset top from her latest collection that her team thought was “too out there.” Karyna wore it to a black-tie event post the pheras with complete confidence. “It was my favourite look. It was the only outfit that was literally picked up and made identical from the rack, which goes to show that if people are open to trying things they wouldn’t normally wear, they’d realise how cool it could look. It was so unexpected—and she owned it,” Bajaj beams.

No time for tantrums

Designing for more than 30 people meant not just crafting silhouettes but navigating tight deadlines and diva moments. Bajaj instituted ultimatums for all her family members. Miss a fitting? No outfit. Change your mind last minute? Tough luck. “People think because it’s in-house, they can do what they want,” she shrugs. “I had to put my foot down.”

No time for herself

One of the few pieces she didn’t make? Her own final-night look. “I wore a really beautiful Alaïa set,” she says. “I actually told my sister, ‘Can I just wear vintage Mugler to your wedding because I don’t have the bandwidth to do my clothes?’ Of course, she rolled her eyes, and I just had to figure it out.” Some pieces, including the groom’s sherwani and Bajaj’s own lehenga for the sangeet, arrived the morning of the event.

Bridal party but make it work

The designer isn’t just dressing brides anymore. Her brand, now including KB Homme, has expanded to grooms and beyond. “We are in the process of opening up our space, which will be up and running in the next month. Currently, the store is like a hidden speakeasy—an IYKYK thing.” But her heart still belongs to the matriarchs. “The mother of the bride is my favourite client,” she confesses.

Sewing machine? Check

When asked how she pulled it all off—logistically and emotionally—she credits her team and a not-so-secret weapon: her masterji and a sewing machine she brought to the venue, just in case. “But the amazing thing was that that sewing machine was never touched, and the master was busy enjoying the functions and didn’t have to fix anything,” she smiles.

Family, fashion and a whole lot of feeling

Weddings are chaotic. Families are messy. But in Kresha Bajaj’s world, every bead is sewn with purpose, every seam stitched with love—and every outfit tells a story. Especially when it’s for the one person who knows how to push every button… and still get her dream wedding ensemble.