Your best friend's wedding, ten minutes before the baraat

The baraat is ten minutes away. Your best friend is in her lehenga, the room is loud, and then she says, "Something has come undone." A hook, a strap, a pin. Everyone looks at her. You are the one standing closest.

This is the part nobody puts in the photos. Your job today is her calm, and you can do it in a very ordinary way.

The look

Start with the colour she chose for her wedding group. Wear it in a cut you already feel easy in.

• Modest: a lehenga or a saree in her colour, with a blouse or choli you have worn and sat down in before.
• Modern: an Indo-western set, such as a long jacket over straight trousers, or a skirt with a fitted top, in the same colour.

Try it on once with the shoes you will wear, and walk up and down a flight of stairs. If you can climb, sit and hug in it, it is the right one.

For your hair, a sleek bun, low at the back of the head. Use plenty of pins and one hair tie underneath. It will still be tidy at the pheras, late at night.

One small detail: a pair of earrings that is light enough to forget, so you never reach up to touch them.

The one confidence move

In photos, stand a little behind her, not in front. Let your hands rest loose at your sides or lightly hold the edge of your dupatta. Keep your chin slightly down and your shoulders soft. You are there to hold the frame steady, and a relaxed pair of hands does that.

What to say first

When she panics, lower your voice and say it slowly:

You look lovely. Breathe with me once.

Then breathe in together, and out together. Once is enough.

If it goes sideways

If a hook snaps or a hem catches, do not say "oh no". Say "Okay, I have it" and reach for your pouch. A safety pin on the inside of the waist, where no camera will see it, can hold a small tear or a loose hook in under a minute. Then say your line again.

One thing to try today

Tonight, pack a small pouch: a few safety pins, tissues, a spare hair tie, a small snack and a bottle of water. Put it in the bag you will carry on the day, and tell one person where it is. Then you can stop thinking about it.

Each Sunday: one moment coming up this week, the look for it and the one line to say first. Find the moment cards at /moments.