Wedding Henna: Tradition and Trend

 Mehndi Parties and Wedding Henna

Here at Paisley Events, we cater to every religion and culture for our wedded couples. One of my most memorable was with a couple with Indian roots. Ever since, I have always remembered the close ties throughout the entire ceremony between culture and tradition and how the modern day bride brings those traditions to trends. 

In Indian traditions, the bride gets together with all her female friends and family right before she gets married and they have a Mehndi Party. She gets adorned with henna tattoos all over her hands and feet, so she looks beautiful on her wedding day. In the honoring of this old tradition that has newly been turned into a trend, I wanted to shed light on what a Mehndi Party is. Of course, you may want to plan this party a few months before your big day, unless you want to wear henna with your fancy white dress but that was not tradition. Traditionally, Mehndi parties are held right before the wedding day because you DO want the color to show for your wedding. In India, it is believed that the darker the stain left behind, the deeper the love between the bride and groom. Different parts of the eastern world believe different things. This includes what type of pattern is used, peacocks, lotus flowers, geometric shapes etc. and what blessings will come from them.

Henna tattoos are all natural but not at all permanent. The henna only stains the outer layer of the skin, so it lasts about 2-4 weeks. The dried leaves of the henna plant are ground into a greenish powder, and then mixed with lemon juice and warm water (and anything else in their family's recipe). The chocolate-colored paste is applied with a cone (kind of like baker's use for decorating cakes) or with a thin stick.

The designs are extremely intricate and take hours to apply. The bride has to sit and wait for the paste to dry and set, so if she needs anything, all her gal pals take care of her. After a few hours, the dried paste is then peeled or brushed off the skin, revealing an orange print. Some people even wait until the next morning before peeling off the design to ensure a darker stain - I even slept with plastic bags on my hands, I like being decorated. Never wash the dried henna off with water since that will make the design fade faster. The color darkens over the next few days, but as the dead skin cells begin to slough off, the henna tattoo, too, begins to fade away.

Tips: If you love this idea, contact your local tattoo parlor, spiritual bookstore, yoga studio, or salon. Someone is bound to know someone who does Mehndi in your area. The artist can come and do just the bride, or do all the guests at your Bachelorette Party. Then for the 2-4 weeks you'll have a visual reminder of this special day spent with the girls.

Depending on family traditions, some brides have their husband's initials hidden in the designs, and the couple is not considered officially married until the groom finds them. I've also heard that as long as the henna remains on the bride's skin, she doesn't have to perform any wifely duties (like washing the dishes and doing the laundry). Too bad henna only lasts less than a month.

All in all it is a beautiful way to tie tradition to modern style. But let us not forget where henna comes from! It isn’t just a fad or fly-by-night trend; it is a beautiful custom and tradition!

xoxo

Katherine