On her wedding day, all eyes will be on the bride. But as the sister of the bride, you’re also going to be in everyone’s peripheral vision (and of course, smack in the middle of the photographer’s lens too). One major plus? The big family occasion will serve as a good excuse to go all out with your outfits, accessories and other wedding-related choices—including the mehandi designs you pick to prep your hands and feet.

Of course, you don’t have to OTT like the bride-to-be, but that doesn’t mean you need to underplay your mehandi design either. Choose between traditional or contemporary options, or mix and match, but take the design aspect seriously. We also advocate going the extra mile to ensure that the mehandi paste you (or your artist) use is sans chemicals, and derived from natural ingredients.

How to find the perfect mehandi design for yourself

Whether you opt for statement design that goes all the way up to your forearms from the tips of your fingers, or just some detailed work till your wrist, there are endless options available to you. The easiest way to settle on one: consider your personality. Are you a minimalist or veer towards the classic? Do you love all things eclectic and avant garde?

If your personal style is more timeless, the traditional Indian mehandi design with intricate patterns is for you. It could also be your go-to choice if you’re planning to sport traditional weaves for the wedding ceremony. Let the motifs in your weaves, whether they’re paisleys or flowers, be a reference point for your mehandi artist. Add to this other ethnic motifs like peacocks and jaals. Do you consider ‘less is more’ as your motto? An Arabic mehandi design will speak the same language as yours. With bolder strokes and negative spaces as its USP, Arabic mehandi is most commonly a melange of floral designs and geometric artwork. You can also intersperse it with some traditional Indian designs should you want to. If experimenting is second nature to you, we’d suggest a contemporary mehandi design to complement your wedding look. How about some posies of English roses or an elaborate blooming vine? Alternatively, you can eschew mehandi on your hands completely and just get a henna bracelet drawn on your wrists instead. Scroll ahead for all the inspiration you need to zero down on your mehandi design for your sister’s wedding day.