What do I wear as a non-Indian guest to an Indian wedding or event?

Choose a modest, colorful outfit — a sari, lehenga, salwar kameez, sharara, or gharara. For weddings, avoid white and black (mourning colors) and avoid red unless you are the bride. For Diwali or garba, brighter and bolder is welcome. Come in, tell us the event, and you are out the door in 20 minutes.

Do you carry red bridal lehengas?

Not many. Traditional bridal red, maroon and burgundy is not what we stock deeply. What we do have: bridal lehengas in plum, emerald, navy, ivory and gold, and sarees in red with unstitched blouses you can have made to any shape you want.

What's a reasonable budget for a wedding-guest outfit?

Most guests spend $150 to $250 on a complete outfit — sarees, salwar kameez and lehengas all sit in that range, with the simpler pieces at the lower end. Individually: sarees from $150, salwar kameez from $100, lehengas from $200. Kids outfits are $50 to $125. No pressure, no upselling.

How long does a fitting take?

Many customers walk out in 20 minutes, brides included. You come in with a problem, we solve it that day. We are an efficient in-and-out store, not a two-hour bridal appointment atelier. Made-to-measure wedding party orders are the exception — those are placed online and take about three months.

Do you carry kids' and menswear?

Yes to both. Kids outfits for boys and girls run $50 to $125, with most between $50 and $75. Menswear: kurta pajamas $75 to $125, sherwanis from $250, jodhpuri suits and Indo-western outfits $250 to $350, vests from $100, bridal stoles around $100, and shoes $75 to $100.

Can I buy just a dupatta, blouse, petticoat, or accessory on its own?

Yes — we sell almost everything a la carte. Petticoats are $15, sari falls are $3, and turban cloth (pagri) is about $3.50 a yard. We also sell dupattas, skirts, blouses fitted individually, fabric for tailoring, artificial jewelry, bangles, tikkas, and other accessories. Come in whether you need a whole outfit or just one missing piece.

Where are you located and when are you open?

18507 Pioneer Boulevard, Artesia, California 90701 — in Little India. Free rear-lot parking. Open Tuesday through Sunday until 6:45 PM. Closed Mondays.

Do you ship or offer virtual fittings?

For everyday shopping we are an in-person store — the point of visiting is trying things on, and you can DM us on Instagram beforehand so we set options aside. Wedding parties are different: bridesmaid and groomsmen outfits are made to measure and ordered online through our order forms, with about three months of lead time.

How much do mens Indian outfits cost?

Kurta pajamas are $75 to $125. Sherwanis start at $250. Jodhpuri suits and Indo-western outfits are $250 to $350. Vests start at $100, bridal stoles are around $100, and mens shoes are $75 to $100. Come in and try things on — most men are dressed in about 20 minutes.

Can you dress my whole bridal party — bridesmaids and groomsmen?

Yes. Bridesmaids choose a pre-draped sari or a pant suit, $150 to $200 each. Groomsmen get a kurta pajama with a vest, or just the vest. Everything is made to measure in one colour picked from our 294-thread card, so the whole party matches. You order online through our wedding party order forms and we confirm every line with you before anything is made.

How far ahead do I need to order bridesmaid and groomsmen outfits?

About three months. These are made to order and come from our supplier in India, so we will not promise a wedding date we cannot hit. If your date is closer than that, come into the store — we carry saris, lehengas and menswear in stock and have dressed whole parties off the floor in an afternoon.

What to Wear to Garba — Chaniya Choli, Mirror Work and Movement

August 17, 2026

Navratri 2026 runs from Sunday, October 11 to Monday, October 19, with Dussehra on Tuesday, October 20. Nine nights of garba, and around here most of the big community events land on the two weekends inside that window.

If you have never been: garba is a folk dance from Gujarat performed in circles around a shrine or a lamp, and it goes late. Dandiya raas is the version with sticks. Most nights include both.

What do you wear to garba?

A chaniya choli. It is the traditional garba outfit and it exists because of the dance: a full flared skirt, a fitted blouse, and a dupatta. When you spin, the skirt does the thing it is designed to do, and that is most of the pleasure of the night.

Chaniya choli — the real answer. Look for mirror work, which is the Gujarati signature and catches the light while you move.
A lehenga works if it is genuinely full. A narrow or heavily structured one will fight you.
A sharara or palazzo set if you would rather not wear a skirt. Plenty of movement, less to manage.
Kurta with a jacket, or a kediyu for men. The kediyu is the traditional frilled Gujarati top, usually worn with churidar and a colorful turban.

Three garba outfit options with labeled parts including a mirror-work chaniya choli, a full lehenga and a sharara set

What makes an outfit actually work for dancing?

This is where most people go wrong, because they buy for the photo and not for the four hours afterward.

Weight matters more than you think. A heavily embroidered skirt is beautiful standing still and punishing by the third hour. Mirror work gives you sparkle without the weight that heavy zari adds.
Pin the dupatta. Across the front and secured at the shoulder, or you will spend the night holding it. Every experienced garba dancer has it pinned.
Sleeves you can lift. Garba is all arms. A tight or restrictive sleeve is the fastest way to stop enjoying yourself.
The waistband is the thing that fails. It should sit firmly without digging in. Try it and move in it, do not just hold it up.
Flat shoes or juttis. You will be on your feet on a hard floor for hours, and plenty of people dance barefoot.

What colors should you wear?

Bright and saturated. Magenta, orange, yellow, green, royal blue, and as much mirror and contrast as you like. Garba is not a subtle occasion and there is no bride to defer to.

Some communities follow a color for each of the nine nights, set each year. Families and event organizers often share the list beforehand, so it is worth asking whoever invited you whether their event follows one.

Black is generally avoided for the religious side of Navratri, the same as at other festivals.

What should men wear to garba?

A kurta with a Nehru jacket is the easy, correct answer, worn with churidar or slim trousers. If you want to go properly traditional, a kediyu with a bright turban is the Gujarati garba look and it stands out in the best way.

Whatever you pick, the same rule applies as for everyone else: you are going to be dancing for hours, so choose something you can raise your arms in.

What if it is your first time?

Go anyway. Garba is one of the easiest Indian dances to join because it is a repeating step in a circle, and the circle moves at the pace of whoever is in it. Stand behind someone who knows what they are doing and follow their feet. Within twenty minutes you will have it.

Arrive earlier rather than later. The steps are slower at the start of the night and speed up considerably by the end, which is a much harder place to join.

When should you come in?

September. Navratri starts October 11 this year, and the two weeks before it are the busiest fortnight of our year on Pioneer Boulevard. Chaniya cholis in popular sizes go first, and the last weekend before is not the time to be browsing.

Diwali follows on Sunday, November 8, three weeks after Navratri ends. If you need something for both, come once in September and sort the whole season in one visit.

What it costs

Chaniya cholis and lehengas start at $200. Sharara and palazzo sets from $150. Men's kurta pajamas are $75 to $125, with Nehru jackets and vests from $100. Children's outfits are $50 to $125.

Come and move in it before you buy it

This is the one thing we insist on. Put it on, lift your arms, and spin. A skirt that feels fine standing in front of a mirror can be the wrong skirt entirely once it is moving, and you cannot tell any other way.

We are at 18507 Pioneer Boulevard, Artesia, in the middle of Little India. Free parking behind the store. Open Tuesday through Sunday until 6:45 PM, closed Mondays, no appointment needed.

Or message us on Instagram at @loveleensari. A person answers, usually the same day.

Navratri runs 11 to 19 October 2026 and Diwali follows on 8 November, so the shop is busy for about four weeks straight. Timing, prices, hours and parking are all on one page: Diwali outfits in Artesia.

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