Lehenga for Your Sister's Wedding: Planning Every Look of the Week

Your sister's wedding means a full week of functions, and you'll be in nearly every photograph beside her. The easiest way to get it right is to plan every outfit together, not one at a time as each function comes up.

Start with a list

Write down every function you'll attend: roka or engagement, haldi, mehndi, sangeet, wedding, reception. Then note the time of day and whether it's indoors or out. That tells you most of what you need: light and bright for the day, rich and shimmering for the night.

Outfit ideas by function

• Roka or engagement: an elegant light lehenga or saree. See engagement outfits.

• Haldi: yellow or pink, simple and washable. See haldi outfits.

• Mehndi: a sharara or light lehenga you can sit in. See mehndi outfits for your sister's wedding.

• Sangeet: made for dancing. See sangeet lehengas.

• Wedding: your richest look, a step below the bride. See sister of the bride lehengas.

• Reception: a gown, drape saree or shimmer lehenga. See reception outfits.

Coordinate with your sister

• Ask her colours for each function and choose shades that sit beside them. See colours for a red bride.

• Keep your work lighter than hers.

• Join the bridesmaid palette if she has one, perhaps in a slightly richer version.

Dressing the whole family

Many families order for the bride's mother, sisters and cousins at once, so the family photographs look planned. With a bridesmaid and family order, you add each person's name and WhatsApp number, we send each of them her own link for measurements, and everything is made for one delivery date. There's no minimum group size. For the bride's mother, see bridesmaid and mother of the bride outfits.

When to order

Start about four weeks before the first function, and order all your outfits together. Heavy hand embroidery takes longer, about eight weeks from design approval. See when to order.