A wedding invitation almost never tells you what to wear, and the guesswork gets harder the closer you are to the family. Underdress and it reads as indifference. Overdress and you have made somebody else’s day slightly about you.

A few things make the decision easier.

Match the hour, not the guest list

A mehendi in a garden at eleven in the morning and a reception at nine at night are not the same event, however similar the guest list. Daylight flattens sequin and metallic work and shows every crease; evening light rewards them.

If you own one heavily worked piece, it belongs at the evening function. Save the lighter weaves for the daytime ones, where they photograph far better anyway.

Leave the bride her colours

Red, and increasingly ivory, belong to the bride at most Indian weddings. Ask what she is wearing if you can — most brides would much rather be asked than surprised.

Beyond that, the field is open. A deep wine, a blush, a bottle green and a dull gold all read as celebratory without reading as bridal.

You will be sitting down for six hours

Whatever you choose, you will spend most of the evening sitting, eating, and being photographed from angles you did not choose. A silhouette that only works standing still is not going to survive the night.

Check it seated before you commit, and check where the dupatta wants to fall when your hands are full. If it needs constant adjusting, it will get it for an hour and then be abandoned.