Mehndi Template — Complete Guide

Mehndi is a warm, celebratory invitation for weddings that last several days. Your cover photo sits in a carved jharokha — an arched palace window with a cusped arch and jali lattice panels on either side — while a line of henna, all paisleys, vines and dots, draws itself across the cover. Every function you add (the haldi, the mehndi, the sangeet, the wedding, the reception) gets its own arched card in a jewel tone of its own, so each day of the celebrations feels like its own.

Mehndi is one of Fotify's simpler designs: its look comes from one colour you choose — any colour at all — paired with gold or copper, on an ivory, blush or deep night page.

This guide covers how Mehndi looks, the options unique to it, how to apply it to your event, and how it lays out each section of your invitation.

Mehndi is available on every plan, Free included.

For an overview of the template gallery and the picker, see How to Customize Your RSVP Invitation.

What makes Mehndi different

Standard templates change colours and fonts over the same shared layout. Mehndi replaces the layout itself: its own cover and closing, its own section heads, and its own treatment of the message, countdown, gallery, story, schedule and functions.

Signature design elements

A carved jharokha — your cover photo inside a cusped arch window with carved mouldings, jali lattice panels on both sides, your chosen motif as its crown and a stepped plinth with your monogram
Henna that draws itself — a band of henna paisleys, vines and dots draws itself across the top and bottom of the cover when the page opens (guests whose device asks for reduced motion see it already drawn)
One function, one jewel tone — every function card and every day of the schedule takes the next tone of a jewel set built from your colour (for vermilion: ruby, emerald, sapphire, amethyst and saffron)
Gold or copper — the frames, rules, lattice and small labels are in a metal matched to your colour: gold beside warm colours, copper beside teal, peacock or blue
Henna borders — a fine double rule with a dotted henna line frames the cards, and a hand-drawn vine curls into each corner of your message
Your choice of motif — a paisley, a lotus or a mandala above every section title, in the henna band and in the cover window
Type for every language — Playfair Display, a high-contrast serif, for the names and titles; Mukta, which covers both Latin and Devanagari, for everything guests read; and Noto Serif Devanagari behind the titles, so a Hindi invitation reads as well as an English one
Always readable — whatever colour you pick, even a pale yellow or a near-black, the text, buttons and ribbons are deepened (or, on the night paper, lightened) until they read clearly on every background they sit on

When to choose Mehndi

Mehndi suits weddings with several functions over one or more days:

Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepali and Sri Lankan weddings — add each function as a sub-event, and guests see one arched card per function with its own date, time, venue and dress code
A single mehndi night or sangeet — the jewel tones, the henna and the countdown medallions work just as well for one evening
Destination weddings over a weekend — the schedule groups your plans by day under jewel ribbons, and the details section covers where to stay and how to get there
Engagements and roka ceremonies — rani pink or marigold on blush paper, with the lotus motif

Mehndi never names a ceremony for you: the functions, their names and their order come from what you enter.

If you prefer arches without the ornament, try Terrazzo. For a classic foil-and-paper invitation, try Atelier. For a garden of pressed flowers, try Herbarium.

Applying Mehndi to your event

Open your event, click Invitation in the sidebar, then the Invitation tab
In Design Template, click Change template if the gallery is collapsed, and find Mehndi under Designs (it is listed under the Wedding and Party filters)
Optional: press Try it on to see Mehndi with your own invitation details in the live preview — nothing is saved until you press Use this design
Or click the Mehndi card to apply it straight away
Open Mehndi options below the gallery to pick your colour and the other options described below. Changes save automatically

Mehndi works on every plan. On free events a small "Made with Fotify" badge appears in the bottom corner of the invitation; any paid plan or an active subscription removes it.

Switching to another template later is non-destructive: your event content stays exactly as you entered it, and your Mehndi options are kept in case you switch back.

Mehndi options

Mehndi has six options of its own. They take the place of the standard colour and font controls, which Mehndi doesn't use.

1. Colour

The colour of the celebrations. Pick it two ways:

A suggested swatch — Vermilion & gold (default), Peacock & copper, Rani pink, Emerald or Marigold
Pick any color — the last chip opens your device's colour picker, so you can match the bride's outfit, the décor or the card you printed. The colour's code is shown beside the chips

Any colour works. Mehndi uses your colour for the buttons, pairs it with gold (or copper beside a cool colour) for the frames and ornaments, and turns it into a set of jewel tones for your functions and schedule days. Where text sits on a colour, Mehndi deepens or lightens it just enough to stay readable.

2. Ornament

The motif above every section title, at the centre of the henna band and in the cover window when there is no photo:

Paisley (default) — the classic buta
Lotus — an open lotus on a curved base
Mandala — an eight-petal rosette, like a marigold seen from above

3. Paper

Ivory (default) — warm ivory paper with antique gold
Blush — a soft pink paper
Deep night — a deep page tinted with your colour, with bright gold, light text and luminous jewel tones

4. Monogram

Up to 4 characters, shown in a round medallion on the plinth under the cover window and again at the end of the page. Leave it blank to use the initials of a couple's name written like "Priya & Arjun" (shown as "P&A"); any other event name shows no monogram unless you type one.

5. Cover line

The small line above the names (up to 60 characters). Leave it blank to use the default ("You are warmly invited"). Try "Together with their families", "Shubh Vivah" or "Join us for three days of celebrations".

6. Closing title

The big line at the end of the page (up to 80 characters). Leave it blank to use the default ("We look forward to celebrating with you").

Every piece of text Mehndi prints on the invitation — the cover line, the reply buttons, the section labels and titles (the gifts label reads "Shagun & blessings" by default), the countdown units, the closing title — can also be rewritten directly on the page: switch the live preview into edit mode and double-click the text. Section titles you have already set in their own settings (story, countdown, gifts, where to stay, getting there, FAQs) are edited in place the same way.

How each section is treated

Cover

A centred cover replaces the standard header:

A henna band of paisleys, vines and dots across the top, drawing itself when the page opens, with your motif at its centre
The jharokha — your cover photo in the cusped arch window, keeping the horizontal crop you set. Without a cover photo the window glows in a deep jewel tone with your motif inside
Your monogram (option 4) in a medallion on the plinth, when there is one
Cover line (option 5) in small gold capitals
Your event name, large in Playfair Display. Long names step down a size so they never break mid-word
Date, time and place on one line, parted by small gold lozenges — the time follows the Show time setting of your invitation's cover, the date and place follow its Show date and Show location settings, and every guest sees the date you picked, whatever their time zone
Kindly reply — a button that scrolls to the RSVP form. It only appears when your RSVP section is visible, and never on a save-the-date page

Section heads

Each section opens with your motif between two dotted henna rules, the section's label in gold capitals, then its title and, for the story and gifts, your subtitle or gift message.

Sub-events (your functions)

Each function you add as a sub-event becomes its own card with an arched top, standing side by side on wider screens. The arch holds the function's photo, or its jewel tone with a fine lattice of dots; the cards take the jewel tones in turn, so every function reads as its own day. A function you gave its own colour keeps that colour in its arch.

Each card shows exactly what you entered: the function's name (in its jewel tone), its description, its date and time, its venue with a map link, its dress code and, if you set a capacity, how many places are taken (with a note when only a few are left). Everything guests can do there works as on every other design — reply to each function separately, choose how many of their party are coming and name them, change a reply, see their place on a waitlist, and unlock invitation-only functions with a code.

Message

Your invitation message on a card framed by a henna border: a fine double rule, a dotted line just inside it and a hand-drawn vine curling into each corner. A long letter steps down to a comfortable reading size.

Countdown

One lotus medallion per unit: sixteen petals in the unit's own jewel tone around a double gold rule, the number in Playfair Display at the centre and the unit underneath — days, hours, minutes and (if you switch them on) seconds. When the countdown ends, your completion message appears instead.

Gallery (Carousel)

Your photos in a row of arched frames, like the windows of a palace: each print has a round top, a frame in the next jewel tone and the fine henna double rule — two across on a phone, three on wider screens.

Story

Alternating arched vignettes: each milestone is an arched window holding its photo, beside its date (in a jewel tone), title and description, the window swapping sides from one milestone to the next on wider screens. A milestone without a photo shows your motif in a glowing jewel window, so every milestone is laid out the same way.

Itinerary

A ribbon timeline: each day is a card opening on a notched ribbon in its own jewel tone with the date, and the day's entries hang from a dotted gold line below it — the time, the name you gave the moment, the place with a pin and any note.

Location, Gifts, Event Details, Save the Date and RSVP

These five sections share their structure with Fotify's other picker-coloured designs (Meridian, Thread, Prism, Duotone and others), dressed in Mehndi's colours: cards with the fine henna double rule, rounded buttons in your colour, Playfair Display titles and gold labels.

Location — a map card beside an address card with your address, your directions and an Open in Maps button. When a map can't be shown, the map card draws a pin with the venue's coordinates; without coordinates the address card spans the row
Gifts — opens with "Shagun & blessings" by default (your gift message takes its place when you write one). Every registry, payment option, charity and wishlist item is its own card in a grid, grouped under small labels (with a count) when you offer more than one kind. Payment details sit in an inset box with a Copy button, and long account numbers wrap inside the card. Pay links, scan-to-pay QR codes and wishlist reservations appear as buttons on each card
Event Details — a card per topic: what to wear with your suggested and avoided colours as swatches, where to stay with each hotel as a mini-card (distance, price range, promo code, notes and a Book button), getting there with an icon for each kind of transport, and a full-width FAQ card where each question opens on tap
Save the Date (Calendar) — one card with a dotted henna rule, the title and the event date on one side, and Google, Apple (downloads the calendar file) and Outlook buttons on the other
RSVP — the title with your RSVP deadline under it, and the reply form on a card with a dotted henna rule: the attend / decline choices as two selectable boxes and a rounded send button. On a save-the-date page, the card holds the save-the-date note instead of the form

Closing

A third henna band, your monogram (or your motif), your closing title (option 6) large in Playfair Display, the date and place, and a final Reply button.

Sections that use the shared layout

These sections keep Fotify's shared layout and are dressed in Mehndi's style:

Photo upload, QR code, Table assignment, Playlist, Special treatments and custom sections

Each sits in the same column as the rest of the page on a card with the henna double rule, with titles in Playfair Display and rounded buttons in your colour. Photos in custom sections are capped in height so a tall portrait never takes over the page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I show each function — haldi, mehndi, sangeet — on its own card? A: Add each one as a sub-event of your event. Mehndi turns every sub-event into an arched function card with its name, date, time, venue and dress code, in a jewel tone of its own. You choose the names and the order; Mehndi never adds a ceremony you didn't enter.

Q: Can guests reply to each function separately? A: Yes. Each function card has its own reply, exactly as on every other design, including how many of their party are coming and their names, their waitlist position when they are on one, and codes for invitation-only functions.

Q: I picked a pale colour. Why are the buttons and ribbons darker than my colour? A: Mehndi keeps every label readable, so where text sits on your colour it deepens it just enough (or, on the night paper, lightens it). The hue stays yours.

Q: Does Mehndi work in Hindi? A: Yes. Mukta and Noto Serif Devanagari are part of the design, so Hindi (and Marathi or Nepali) text reads in a matching typeface, with no letter-spacing that would break the line above the letters.

Q: Can I turn the henna animation off? A: The henna draws itself once when the page opens. Guests whose device asks for reduced motion always see it already drawn, with nothing moving.

Q: Does Mehndi work in right-to-left languages? A: Yes. In Hebrew and Arabic the layout mirrors: the motif in the henna band faces the other way, the corner vines turn to their new corners, and the story windows and schedule lines move to the other side. The cover photo's crop stays as you set it.

Q: Can I use custom RSVP fields with Mehndi? A: Yes. Custom fields (dropdowns, dates, checkboxes, file uploads and so on) pick up Mehndi's fields and labels automatically.

Next steps

See How to Customize Your RSVP Invitation for the template gallery and how to try a design on before applying it
Compare the other picker-coloured designs: Terrazzo for polished stone and a tall arch window, Thread for one line in your colour running down the page, or Prism for soft gradient light
Planning the celebrations? Read about Fotify for weddings and digital invitations with RSVP, and let guests share their photos of every function with a QR code

Need help? Get in touch through the in-dashboard help widget.