Mehndi holds a lot of cultural significance in Indian wedding traditions. In today’s era of modernization, the new styles and designs of mehndi are coming up, adding glamour and fun to it.

Weddings are one of the most important days in a bride’s life and mehndi is a must have ornament for the soon to be brides. The ‘Mehndi Ceremony’ or ‘Mehndi Ki Raat’ is a pre wedding ritual, normally performed the day before the marriage in the bride’s parent’s home. Just as Haldi ceremony symbolizes cleanliness, mehndi signifies beautification. Mehndi-Ki-Raat is usually a private affair with close relatives, friends and family members, celebrated amidst lot of dancing and feasting. Mehndi is also believed to have a fertility symbolism, hence it is incorporated in wedding events.

The atmosphere is imbued with dholak beats and singing of traditional songs while mehndi is applied on bride’s hands and legs by mehndi experts. Traditionally the groom’s name is hidden in the bride’s mehndi for him to find on the night of the wedding. Other females at the event partake in the event as well by decorating each other in mehndi designs.

Having a top artist is often on the list of South Asian brides the day they get engaged. The beauty and intricacy of their bridal mehndi is dependent on the skill of the artist.

My dear friend and great artist Hiral (on th right)

The color of mehndi once it stains the skin is given high importance in Indian culture. The deepening of color signifies the degree of husband’s and mother-in-law’s love. It depicts love and affection between the couple and it is believed that the longer the color retains the more auspicious for the couple’s marriage. Traditionally brides do not work in her husband’s home until her mehndi’s color fades away completely.

In order to make this conventional trend of henna application more exciting and fashion forward, there is a vast variety of mehndi designs available today. Arabic Mehndi, Rajasthani Mehndi, Crystal Mehndi, Tattoo Mehndi, etc along with the traditional Indian Mehndi are among the most popular styles of mehndi currently. Mehndi designs majorly consist of floral patterns, religious symbols, etc. while adding beauty and uniqueness to each design applied.

Henna is in vogue these days with much experimentation happening on ways of its application. You may have run into a booth at a festival or fair being used to make tattoos on different parts of the body. Tattoos are made on arms, wrists, around the navel, the shoulder or the back. But now you understand the true beauty of henna/mehndi.

Image Compliments of Hiral Henna

Like Hiral says, “I obsess about henna and get paid for it”.  Well, she does, not me, but I definitely obsess!