If you're attending a mehendi ceremony for the first time, whether as a guest or as the bride's close family, knowing what to expect makes the day easier to plan for and enjoy. The mehendi ceremony is typically held a day or two before the wedding, at the bride's home or a decorated venue, and usually starts in the late morning or early afternoon to allow enough time for the stain to develop before the wedding events begin. The bride sits for the longest and most elaborate design, often lasting several hours, while close family and friends usually get smaller, simpler patterns applied by the same artist or their team. Dress code is typically bright, festive colors - yellow and green are traditional favourites for mehendi ceremonies specifically, since they're associated with new beginnings and prosperity, though many modern celebrations have moved toward whatever colour coordination the event is following. As a guest, it's worth planning your outfit and jewellery around the fact that your hands will be occupied (and eventually wet with fresh mehendi paste) for a chunk of the event - avoid anything requiring a lot of hand movement, and skip rings or bracelets that would be awkward to wear over fresh paste. Food and drink logistics matter too: once mehendi is applied, eating and drinking without smudging the design becomes tricky. Most ceremonies plan food service either before mehendi application begins or arrange for someone to help feed guests with wet hands - if you're the bride, it's worth having a trusted friend or family member ready to help you eat, drink, and handle your phone through the day. Music and dance are usually part of the celebration alongside the mehendi application itself - many families build in time for sangeet-style dancing either before the artists start or after the bride's design is complete, since dancing with wet mehendi risks smudging. Finally, if you're the host, book your artists with enough buffer time - a large mehendi ceremony with 15-20 guests wanting designs alongside the bride's elaborate bridal pattern often needs more than one artist working simultaneously to keep the day moving without guests waiting for hours.