Every Indian wedding function carries an inherited colour convention. Haldi is yellow. Mehendi is green. Sangeets are bright. Receptions are jewel-toned. Most people follow these without ever asking why, and the conventions are stronger for it.

Understanding where they come from makes them considerably easier to work with, and it makes it clearer when they can be bent.

Haldi: yellow, and for a practical reason

The haldi ceremony involves turmeric paste being applied to the bride and groom, and frequently to anyone standing nearby. Turmeric is a powerful natural dye, and it stains permanently.

The convention of wearing yellow is therefore both symbolic and eminently practical. Turmeric is auspicious across Indian tradition, associated with purity, prosperity and protection, and yellow honours that. It is also the one colour on which a turmeric stain does not read as damage.

Working with it: the yellow family is broad. Mustard, ochre, lemon, gold, marigold and cream all belong to it. Marigold and mustard are more flattering than bright primary yellow on most skin tones and are entirely within the convention.

The honest advice: wear something inexpensive. Whatever you wear to a haldi is a garment you are giving up.

Mehendi: green, and the reason is nature

Henna comes from a plant, and the paste is green before it stains. Green is associated with fertility, prosperity, new beginnings and growth across Indian tradition, which makes it a natural fit for a ceremony about the start of a marriage.

The mehendi is also usually a daytime, outdoor, informal function, and green sits well in that light.

Working with it: mint, sage, olive, bottle green, emerald and teal all read as green while looking entirely different from one another. Emerald and bottle green are the most universally flattering, and they photograph beautifully in daylight.

Practical note: if you are having henna applied, your hands will be out of action for a considerable period. Choose sleeves you can push up and an outfit that requires no adjustment once you are seated.

Sangeet: bright, and the reason is light

The sangeet is an evening event under artificial light, and it is built around performance and dancing. That combination has consequences for colour.

Colours that appear garish in daylight, and finishes that look excessive in the sun, come alive under evening lighting. Sequins, mirror work, metallic thread and high-saturation jewel tones are all designed for exactly this environment.

Working with it: this is the function with the fewest colour restrictions. Almost anything works, and the practical constraint is movement rather than shade. Choose something you can dance in.

The ceremony: red for the bride, traditional for everyone else

Red is the colour of the bride across most Indian traditions, and it carries associations with marriage, prosperity, fertility and auspiciousness that run deep enough that the convention has survived essentially unchanged.

For everyone else, the register is traditional rather than any specific colour. Silk and brocade in gold, maroon, deep green, royal blue and ivory are all correct. The prohibitions are the important part: guests avoid red, avoid white, and in most families avoid black.

Reception: jewel tones, and the reason is formality

The reception is the most formal function, and it is held in the evening in a large, well-lit space. Jewel tones, deep and saturated, read as luxurious under that light in a way that pastels do not.

Sapphire, emerald, ruby, amethyst, deep teal and wine are the natural register. Black is generally accepted here even where it would not be at the ceremony, and western formal wear is usually welcome.

When the convention is a theme instead

An increasing number of families set an explicit dress code and communicate it on the invitation or in a group message. When they do, that instruction overrides every convention above. The couple's stated preference is the only colour code that actually matters.

Working within a colour you do not suit

The conventions specify a colour family, not a shade, and that is a great deal of room.

• If yellow does not suit you, go to mustard, ochre or gold rather than lemon.
• If green does not suit you, go to emerald or teal rather than mint.
• If the colour genuinely fights your skin, keep it away from your face. Wear it on the bottom half, on the dupatta ends or as an accent, and put a shade that flatters you at the neckline.

The tradition asks for the colour, not for you to look bad in it.

Related reading

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• Dupatta Draping: Eight Ways to Wear One Piece of Fabric Style Guides