Brides are stunning on their big days – no surprise! With the natural glow of happiness and the warmth of friends and family surrounding them, one could argue that brides hardly need makeup at all. But of course, playing with your perfect smoky eye for the dreamy wedding reception or standing out in that bold red lipstick for the religious ceremonies must be taken advantage of while the spotlight is all on you!
Featuring our very own BFIW brides, here are 31 eye makeup looks from smoky to neutral to inspire your bridal makeup for the big day:
1. The Golden Smoky Eye, from Naureen & Ghazaly’s Wedding
Blending the sultry smoky eye with an ever-elegant gold eyeshadow, this look adds depth and expands the eyes to look bolder and bigger. Ask your makeup artist to go with brown shades instead of black, and you’ve got a gorgeous look that’ll match any gold-themed outfit.
2. The Bollywood Eyes, photoshoot by Amna Hakin Photography
Back in the 1960s, Bollywood heroines were known for their big hair and extreme winged eyeliner. The look made the actresses’ features stand out on screen – so this logic applies to weddings as well. Winged eyeliner with brown or neutral eyeshadows creates a larger eye, a flirty flair, and one fabulous wedding look.
3. Cream Lined Lids, from Suneera & Faizal’s Wedding
Black eyeliner is so common, why not stand out with a soft and understated white or gold eyeliner instead? This look brightens the eyes with the lightly colored liner, but it still makes them look big and awake for your wedding photoshoot.
4. Intense Smoky Eye, from Farha & Raza’s Wedding
Do you love a good smoky eye? Then there’s no reason to shy away on your wedding day – go big with black, grey, and taupe eyeshadows, add some false lashes and black liner and your eyes will stand out beautifully at your reception. This look is best for night wear, and it’ll go well with deep, jewel tones or silver-themed lenghas and sarees.
5. Peacock Inspired Eyes, photo by Jamie Howell Photography
Blues, yellows, and golds make for a beautiful peacock-inspired eyelid – perfect for a colorful South Asian ceremony. The rose eyeshadow keeps things from going over-the-top in terms of 90s-style blue eyeshadow, and the result is a stunning, party-ready look that’ll match any colorful outfit.
6. Turquoise Treasure, from Yogini & Deepak’s Wedding
Turquoise blue-green is a gorgeous, yet under-utilized color that all brides should take advantage of. It’s flattering, since it matches any colored outfit – whether it’s silvery or golden. Pair with big lashes and deep lips and you’ve got an eye-catching vintage look.
7. Gilded Glory, from Shwetha & Jeff’s Wedding
Rose gold is effortlessly fabulous, mixing the flirty allure of blush pink with the shimmers of gold eyeshadow. This look is a flashy neutral, so it’ll flatter any skin tone and match most outfits. Bonus: it looks great with gold bridal jewelry!
8. Foiled & Fabulous, from Charishma’s Lonavala Wedding
Who says silvery foil-inspired looks can’t be as classy as gold? This glittery eyeshadow combination uses navy, silver, and subtle gold tones to create a deep, thick look. It pairs well with a flirty pink lipstick – and the best part is it’ll match any color of Indian outfit you can think of.
9. Pretty in Pink, from A Pink & Blue Punjabi Wedding
A flirty pink look with soft purple shadows is perfect for an outdoor or summer wedding. It’s light, flattering, and ideal for brides who want as neutral a makeup look as possible.
10. Rosy Royal, by M Sutra Bridal Beauty
Solid pinks and shimmery golds can be blended together for an all-season, ever-flattering makeup look. I love the ombre effect these colors create and the versatility with which this look can match any ceremony – day or night.
11. Fairy Princess, from Samantha & Anand’s Guyanese Wedding
This look reminds me of what a twilight fairy might wear as she flits about the forest – it’s shimmery, light, and fun. The periwinkle effect creates an ombre design that really plays off of how well blue and purple go together. It’s perfect for your silvery wedding outfit.
12. The Barely There, from Divya & Priyank’s Wedding
A subtle look, applying nude eyeshadows and a simple line over the lashes creates a brightened eye in a hardly noticeably way. If you’re not into bold makeup and would rather look as natural as possible on your wedding day, ask your artist to experiment with the “no makeup” makeup look.
13. Taupe Love, from Vandana & Anil’s Wedding
Taupe is a brilliant combination of grey and brown – add some shimmer, and it’s a color you can use to glam up any reception outfit. A single eyeshadow can be all it takes to draw attention to your eyes, especially if it includes gold glitter. A nude or brown lipstick goes wonderfully with this look.
14. Midnight Blue, from Bhavika & Sundip’s Wedding
Black and grey aren’t your only options for a smoky eye – you can go bright and bold with a brilliant deep blue. Blue is a complementary color to many Indian outfits, since it goes with reds, oranges, and yellows. Plus, this look will match any silver or gold outfit.
15. Double-Lined, from Raina & Sanjay’s Wedding
If you want your eyes to really pop, you should consider lining both the top of the lid and under the waterline. Black eyeliner is a powerful tool that will truly enhance your eyes – but always choose a smudge proof or waterproof liner if you’re expecting this look to last through a long Indian wedding ceremony!
16. The Colorful Undereye, by M Sutra Bridal Beauty
Why should your eyelids have all the fun when it comes to colorful eyeshadows? Show your waterline and undereye some love with a bright pop of color to match your outfit or theme. It’s a truly unique look that’ll highlight both your eyes and your personality.
17. Copper Crush, from Varun & Sneha’s Wedding
Those copper eyelids are shimmery and stylish – the color is bold but not overwhelming. An alternative to a smoky eye, this look can be used to make the eyes stand out while still matching any Indian outfit.
18. The Cut Crease, from Jessie Felix’s Glam Vintage Photoshoot
The cut crease extends the lash line by using dark eyeshadows to expand the look of the eye. Remiscent of old school Bollywood makeup, it’s elegant, but also bold – your eyes will definitely steal the show. You can do a cut crease with almost any color palette, so ask your makeup artist if you’re interested.
19. Peach Perfect, from Kerry & Jason’s Wedding
Peachy pink is universally flattering – yes, even on darker skin tones. The nude look has a touch of natural blush to it so it contributes to the bride’s big day glow. A simple, understated look, this is for the bride who wants to shine without the help of too much eye makeup.
20. Silvery Dusk, from Noorphotography
Perfect for a nighttime reception – especially if your wedding outfit is dark blue, this look combines the magical silvery effect of glitter with deep blue colors. It’s a look that will definitely stand out, no matter the hour.
21. Colorful Lashes, by Radha Subramani
Black mascara will be worn by 99.9% of brides – so consider a colorful look for your lashes if you’re really aiming to stand out. A color like blue or green will lengthen and accent your lashes without looking tacky if the rest of your makeup is toned down. However, you can always just dust colorful eyeshadow on the top of your lashes for this fun, flirty look.
22. Peachy Smoke-Out, from Myra & Sami’s Wedding
A mix of peachy flirtiness and bold, dark colors, this look is the perfect in-between for brides who want the best of both worlds. The light colors really complement the dark crease and leave the eyes bright and starry.
23. Simply Gold, from Vanita & Bryan’s Wedding
When in doubt, you can’t go wrong with gold eyeshadow. This color complements South Asian skin tones, and it’ll probably match all your fancy wedding day gold jewelry too!
24. Black & Gold, from Rabail & Arsalan’s Engagement Photoshoot
Black and gold isn’t just a combination for black clothes – it’s neutral, so it’ll look good on any wedding outfit, especially ones with dark tones. This combination, like the Peachy Smoke-Out, allows for a graceful, flirty lid with an intense crease.
25. Pink & Black, from Samira & Nigel’s Wedding
Like Black & Gold, Pink & Black is a flirty-meets-daring combination that resonates with every 13 year old girl. Pink is cute and neutral, black accents your crease – you can’t go wrong with that sort of cutesy punky look!
26. Green Glitter, photo by Irfan Ahson Photography
Glitter is great, yes, but what about in a fabulous color like green? Mix it with gold or silver eyeshadow to truly match your outfit – you’ll look color coordinated and just at home in a sparkly South Asian wedding.
27. Simply Lined, from A Gorgeous Indian Korean Wedding
If you’re not a fan of eyeshadow and overly colored looks, just go with a simple line over your lids. It’ll make your eyes look bigger and your lashes longer. Whether or not you pair this with eyeshadow, it’s a must-have for any bridal eye makeup.
28. Maximum Intense Smoky Eye, photo by This Modern Love Photography
For those who find the average smoky eye too tame, there’s this very bold smoky eye that incorporates not one, but multiple eye shadows, for an intense blacker-than-black look. Your eyes will definitely, certainly stand out if you’re confident enough to rock this look.
29. Creased Out, from Abeda & Michael’s Wedding
Accenting the crease on your eyelids makes your eyes look round, bigger, and bold. This look uses dark eyeshadow to highlight the crease all over – it’s unique, and an extremely clever way to brighten the eyes.
30. Gold Foil, from Mana & VInay’s Wedding
Gold on gold on gold – a masterful way to glitter and glam up the eyes with a universally flattering color. A simple but glitzy look, the foil effect brings a shine to your eyelids that’ll make your eyes pop.
31. Bold Lines, from Bride Club ME Photoshoot
A thick waterlined eye plus winged liner and dark crease shadows makes for an unforgettable eye makeup look. The flair makes the eyes bigger, while the under-eye liner will draw attention to your pupil’s natural shimmer. It’s perfect for that big fat Indian wedding reception.
For more bridal makeup ideas, check out 20 Brides, 20 Looks.