Amaranth, brick, coral, and 48 other shades of red

Rukmini, 19, turns away from the vanity mirror after her makeup and hair has been completed by professionals, to face her mother. “Dulhan nahi, baby doll lag rahi hu na? (I look like a doll, not a bride, right?),” she says. Her mother laughs.

Rukmini is one of 51 brides in a room saturated with tints and shades of red. The brides take their turns to sit in front of mirrors. They pin their lehengas securely, slip on their bangles, and reapply lipstick. One end of the hall in Zora Convention Centre on Delhi’s Lodhi Road is lined with vanity mirrors, and on the other end, the grooms line up to walk towards the main ceremony hall.