Planning a baby’s outfits for a whole wedding week

Map the events first

A family wedding can mean a week or more of events: several dholki nights, a mayun, a mehndi, the nikah, the baraat and the walima, sometimes with a separate event for each side. Before buying anything for the baby, write down which events you will actually attend with them, whether each is indoors or outdoors, and roughly how late it will run.

Most parents find the baby only needs three or four distinct looks for the whole week, not one per event.

Ask the family about dress themes too. Many weddings now have a colour theme for the mehndi, and sometimes for the dholki or walima. Knowing this early means the baby’s one bright outfit can be in the right colour rather than bought in a hurry the day before.

Three tiers of outfit

If you are going to spend more on one piece, put it where the photos are: the baraat and walima, and perhaps the nikah. Casual events rarely get the photographer’s attention, and the baby will be in someone’s lap for most of them anyway.

• Casual: dholki nights and the mayun. Comfortable clothes in a bright colour, which don’t mind a mess.
• Bright: the mehndi. Greens, yellows and oranges, soft and easy to dance and nap in.
• Formal: the nikah, baraat and walima. A soft base with one formal piece, such as a waistcoat or embroidered jacket, that lifts it for photos.

A sample plan for a baby

• Dholki nights: two everyday sets you already own, rotated.
• Mayun: an old outfit in yellow or a colour that hides turmeric.
• Mehndi: a soft green set, such as the Sage Waffle-Knit Henley & Jogger Set, with a bright waistcoat.
• Nikah: the same waistcoat over a lighter set, or a soft kurta in ivory.
• Baraat: a darker set, such as the Charcoal Waffle-Knit Henley & Jogger Set, which is a wool knit and suits winter, with a waistcoat or small sherwani-style jacket.
• Walima: a pastel set, such as the Dusty Rose Ribbed Henley & Jogger Set, or a repeat of the nikah outfit with a different jacket.

Reuse tricks

The easiest way to stretch a baby’s wedding wardrobe is to separate the base from the formal piece. One or two waistcoats or jackets can move across three or four soft sets and look different each time. Trousers can be swapped between tops. An embroidered name on the formal piece makes it feel special every time it comes out; custom embroidery starts from Rs 500 through custom orders.

Different events usually have different guests, so repeating an outfit is less noticeable than you might think.

Laundry during wedding week

This is where plans fall apart. In winter, knitwear takes a long time to dry, and in a house full of wedding guests the washing line is often full. Plan for the formal pieces to be worn once each without washing in between, and give the soft base layers, which get dirty, a quick rinse and a dry near a fan or in the sun.

Spot-clean food stains the same night with cold water, rather than waiting for a proper wash day. For care of embroidered pieces, see our guide on washing embroidered kids’ clothes. If you are staying with relatives for the wedding, ask where you can dry clothes before you arrive, since roofs and lines fill quickly.

More on each event

For the formal nights, read our guide to kids’ outfits for a Pakistani wedding.

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