A groom sat across from me a few months ago and said something I hear more and more: "I don't want to look like I borrowed my father's wedding photo." He didn't mean it unkindly. He meant that the deep reds, the heavy gold zari, the sherwani that could stand up on its own from the weight of the embroidery, none of it felt like him. He wanted to feel like himself, just dressed for the biggest day of his life. That conversation is basically the whole story of groom fashion in 2026.
For years the groom's wardrobe followed a fairly fixed script: maroon or red sherwani, gold buttons, a safa to match, done. It looked regal, and for many grooms it still does the job beautifully. But this season I am watching a real and lasting shift toward restraint. Powder pink, dusty lavender, mint, pistachio, champagne, powder blue and soft grey are showing up on my grooms' moodboards as often as the traditional reds now. It isn't that colour has disappeared. It's that colour has learned to whisper.
The Aesthetic: Pastel Without Losing the Occasion
The trap with pastels is that grooms worry they'll look underdressed, like they've shown up to the wrong event in the right building. The fix isn't the colour, it's the fabric and the hand of the embroidery. A powder blue or pistachio sherwani in a raw silk or textured tussar, finished with fine zardozi or subtle sequin work rather than heavy gota, reads as considered rather than casual. Ivory chikankari continues to be the single most requested sherwani at premium ateliers right now, and I understand why. It's soft in colour but the handwork carries all the gravity the day needs.
The Stylist's Touch: I always tell my grooms that a pale palette needs one point of weight to anchor it, whether that's a textured stole, a statement kalgi on the safa, or mojaris in a deeper contrasting tone. Without that anchor, even beautifully made pastel pieces can drift into looking like loungewear on camera.
The Bandhgala Takes the Reception
If the sherwani is softening in colour, the bandhgala is sharpening in tailoring. This is the piece I am styling constantly for reception and cocktail nights right now: an Indian collar with a Western trouser silhouette, cut close through the shoulder and body in a way that a traditional sherwani never was. Luxe wool blends, textured silks and matte finishes in ivory, sage green, charcoal, beige and deep maroon are dominating this category for 2026. It photographs beautifully at destination weddings especially, where the light is softer and the setting already does half the styling work for you.
The Vibe: A bandhgala reads modern and international without ever losing its Indian identity, which is exactly why so many of my grooms are choosing a sherwani for the phere and a bandhgala for the reception. Two looks, two moods, one wardrobe that tells a coherent story across the wedding.
Detail Over Drama
The other thing I've noticed working with grooms this year is a shift in how they think about embellishment. It used to be that more embroidery signalled more importance. Now the instinct is toward fewer, better details: a hand-finished button placket, a subtly woven border, one well-chosen brooch rather than three. This mirrors exactly what I've seen happen on the bridal side too, where the blouse or the drape carries the story instead of the whole outfit shouting at once. Grooms are simply catching up to a design language brides have been exploring for a couple of seasons already.
This restraint extends to accessories. The safa is getting smaller and more tailored rather than the tall, elaborate turbans of a decade ago. Mojaris are trading heavy zari for cleaner leatherwork with just a touch of embroidery at the toe. Even the pocket square, when used at all, tends to pick up one thread colour from the outfit rather than matching it outright. It all adds up to a groom who looks finished, not decorated.
Colour as Conversation With the Bride
None of this happens in isolation. Every groom look I build is in direct conversation with what the bride is wearing that day, not identical to it, but tonally related. If she's in a deep jewel-toned lehenga with heavy zardozi, I might still put him in a pastel sherwani, because the contrast reads as intentional rather than mismatched. If her palette is soft and pastel herself, his bandhgala or sherwani should hold just a shade more depth so the two of them don't visually flatten into one blur of colour in photographs. This is the part of styling a couple that people underestimate: it isn't about matching, it's about composition.
Here is what I want every 2026 groom to walk away knowing:
Pastel doesn't mean casual. Choose weight through fabric and handwork, not colour intensity.
One anchor piece, whether a stole, a kalgi or contrast mojaris, keeps a soft palette grounded.
The bandhgala is your reception power move. Invest in the tailoring, not just the fabric.
Fewer, better details always photograph stronger than head-to-toe embroidery.
Talk to your bride's stylist before finalising your own palette. The two looks should feel like one story.
At SGK Styles I think of the groom's wardrobe the same way I think of the bride's: not a costume for one day, but an extension of who he is, elevated for the occasion. The best-dressed grooms I've worked with this season aren't the ones wearing the most embroidery. They're the ones who walk into the room looking entirely, comfortably like themselves, just in the finest version of it.
If you're a groom (or planning to style one) working out your wedding wardrobe for this season or the one ahead, I'd love to help you find that balance. Reach out and let's start the conversation.
With love and style,
Shreya Gupta Kedia
Founder, SGK Styles
