Assamese bride wears silk handloom mask for wedding, idea wins praise online

Several pictures and videos of the marriage ceremony, which took place in Guwahati, Assam, on May 22, doing the rounds on social media show the bride and the groom donning matching silk handloom face masks during the wedding ceremony.

While the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has pushed back several wedding plans, a bride in Assam found an artistic way to make sure her precautionary face mask matched her bridal wear.

Several pictures and videos of the marriage ceremony, which took place in Guwahati, Assam, on May 22, doing the rounds on social media show the bride and the groom donning matching silk handloom face masks during the wedding ceremony.

The mask, made of Assam’s Paat silk, is adorned with the traditional kingkhap motif. “The idea was to leave the surgical approved protective masks for the medical staff, and encourage the population to wear more fabric-made masks with unique and creative designs,” said Nandini Borkakati, who designed the mask.

The Guwahati-based fashion and textile designer said they received the order for a pair of masks for the bride and the bridegroom. “We interpreted that idea and created this glamorous piece with the unique use of tassels,” she said, adding that mask was reusable.

Soon after the wedding, a TikTok video and several pictures of the couple went viral on social media “We did not expect it to go viral,” said Himadri Gogoi, a make-up artist from Guwahati. “After we got the bride ready, I posted a video on TikTok and it got 1.3 million views within 20 hours,” she said.

Since being shared online, many praised the idea of using a reusable traditional face mask for the wedding.

(With inputs from Tora Agarwala)