A Tamil Christian wedding in Chennai borrows from two places at once: the church service with its Western dress language, and the Tamil family the whole thing sits inside. That's why you'll see grooms in a fine Western suit and grooms in a Jodhpuri or a quiet silk bandhgala at the same church in the same month. Both are right. What tends not to work is a heavily embroidered North Indian sherwani, which looks borrowed at a Tamil Christian ceremony. We've dressed a lot of grooms for CSI, Catholic and independent church weddings around Adyar, and we'll tell you what reads correctly in your particular church.
Suit, bandhgala or Jodhpuri for the Tamil Christian groom
Three choices cover almost every Tamil Christian groom in Chennai: the Western suit, the Jodhpuri suit, and a good bandhgala in a quality suiting cloth or silk. Each has a slightly different character, and each has a context where it's the obvious answer.
The Western suit, in ivory, cream, pale grey or navy, is right in any Tamil Christian ceremony and reads correctly in a church. An ivory or cream suit with a matching waistcoat is about as good as a Tamil Christian groom can look. Have it made for you rather than bought off a rail. These photographs get passed down, and the fit is the first thing anyone notices in them forty years later.
The Jodhpuri suit or a well-cut bandhgala in suiting cloth keeps an Indian character while staying close enough to a suit in structure to sit comfortably in a church. This is the choice for grooms who want to look Indian without pulling the service away from its own format.
The reception, where the dress code gives you more room
Tamil Christian receptions in Chennai are usually big formal dinners with family, church, colleagues and neighbours all in one hall. The dress code opens up. If you wore a plain suit to the church, the reception is the place for a bandhgala with more work on it, or a rich silk Jodhpuri. Two outfits across one day is normal here and worth planning for at the first fitting rather than in the last fortnight.
Guests should be in formal dress for both, Western suit or the Indian equivalent. White is left alone at Tamil Christian weddings; it belongs to the bride. Strong colour, jewel tones, good silk and some texture are all welcome at the reception, and they lift the whole room in photographs.