Planning the season
Kolkata's wedding season runs from the first auspicious dates after Durga Puja — typically early November — through February. For families attending multiple weddings, garment management becomes a logistics question. The planning principle: each major occasion garment needs cleaning after each wearing before the next wearing — not at the end of the season.
November through February accounts for roughly 70% of annual weddings in Bengal. December and January are the peak months. A professional dry cleaner processes 3–4× normal volume in this period. Booking 1–2 weeks ahead for wedding garments is advisable.
Lehenga care
A wedding lehenga is typically the most expensive garment a woman owns — worn for the longest continuous period under the most physically demanding conditions. A 6–8 hour wedding involves dancing, sitting, standing, eating. The garment absorbs all of it.
Sherwani and bandhgala
The sherwani is a structured garment — internal canvas, fused interfacing, outer fabric layer — which behaves differently from unstructured garments. The structure is what gives the sherwani its shape, and it can be distorted by incorrect cleaning or pressing.
"A sherwani is the garment equivalent of a structured suit. It needs the same level of professional care — and for the same reasons."
After dry cleaning, hang on a broad padded hanger and allow to fully air before storing. Folding a sherwani for storage crushes the canvas and creates permanent distortion at the fold lines.
Banarasi and silk sarees
Bengali weddings typically involve multiple silk sarees worn by the mother of the bride, sisters, aunts — often family heirlooms worn specifically for this occasion. Banarasi sarees with heavy zari work need particular attention. Zari borders stored tightly folded may have fold lines requiring careful steam pressing to restore.
Many Bengali wedding rituals involve these substances. All create stains the wearer often does not notice until after the ceremony. Check the saree carefully after the wedding in good light, note any stained areas, and bring it in within 24 hours.
After the wedding
Garments stored directly after the wedding without cleaning will emerge 12 months later with oxidised stains, set oils, and potentially mould or moth damage. The hour spent organising post-wedding dry cleaning prevents the much larger problem of restoring garments the following season.
Bridal lehenga and dupatta — within 48 hours. Groom's sherwani — within 48 hours. All silk and Banarasi sarees — within one week. Any garment with visible staining — within 24 hours.
October through February is when The Swiss Laundry processes the highest volume of occasion wear — sherwanis, lehengas, Banarasi sarees, embroidered pieces. Book 1–2 weeks ahead during peak wedding season. Post-wedding 48-hour turnaround for most garments. Call 9836233354 or WhatsApp for collection.