In such a harsh economic climate, we all know we should tighten our belts.  Businesses are shedding jobs left, right and centre, plus petrol prices are going through the roof.  So what do we do?  We swap nights out for nights in, takeaways for home-cooked meals and Armani for Primarni.  This of course goes against the government’s wishes to get us all spending again.  They want us to eat out, bling out and shop ‘til we drop.  And if the recent wedding I attended was anything to go by, a lot of us desi girls are heeding Alistair Darling’s advice. Well, for the last two, anyway.

Yes, it seems that the recession isn’t felt in all areas of our lives.  While we may be taking a packed lunch to work, and downgrading on our weekly shop (Tesco extra special becomes extra value), when it comes to dressing to impress, the sky is the inflated prices limit.

Being from a non-asian area, I have to confess that (shock-horror), I don’t attend ten weddings a year.  Unlike some of my more desified friends, my world doesn’t have room for a social occasion which requires donning a new sari every week.  So going to a wedding last month was a nice change, but finding the right outfit proved something of an emotional ordeal

I went shopping with my equally clueless buddy to find the sari of my dreams.  But I was surprised to learn that only the simplest of outfits were under £100 - stick a bead on a sari and we’re going well into three figures.  However, I was lucky - the garish, heavy saris don’t suit my petite frame, and were better suited to the mums and auntiji’s who could pull off the vast, heavy, swathes of embroidered material.  Plus, I think the simple elegance displayed in many a Bollywood number was much more appealing.

After much deliberation (and that was just the accessories), I found the sari of my dreams - a stunning rust number which struck the perfect balance between simple wearability and sequined wow factor.  And best of all, it didn’t cost my entire months salary.

So hair glossy, make up matte, and sari pinned - I rolled up to the wedding feeling fab.  Then I stepped into the hall - right into an all-out bling war.  My eyes were sore from the sparkles.  Most girls were wearing outfits that weighed more than me.  Suddenly my outfit lost its sparkle…

Having a post-wedding de-brief with my rather more cultured friend, she informed me that nowadays you have to spend at least two tonnes to get a ‘decent’ outfit for a wedding.  This was a hideous concept, particularly when they could only really be worn once.  Unlike the simple black dress which could be worn time and time again, the sari had a shelf life.  It was scary to think that these girls had spent half their student loan on one outfit.  There seems to be a false notion out there that no matter how flush you are, you must spend stupendous amounts of cash when it came to weddings, in a desperate attempt to keep up with the Ahmed’s.  But here’s a question for all you spendthrift misses - do you think acres of heavy uncomfortable and credit crunch inducing bling is the key to standout beauty?  Tip - watch Aish in Mohabbatein, Kajol in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Priyanka in Yakeen, and you’ll see that the simple sari draped on a fabulous figure wins every time.

Oh, and don’t get me started on the Walima…

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