The Art of Henna

A Mendhi (or Mehandi or Mehendi) party is one of my favorite celebrations. The bride typically hires 1 or 2 artists to artfully draw intricate decorations on her hands and feet with henna paste. The elaborate designs can take anywhere from 3 to 8 hours to apply. During the application, the bride must sit very still to ensure the henna pasta dries without smudging. It can be a difficult thing to do once all of the guests begin to arrive at the party! The henna turns a dark brown color as the hands/feet naturally give off heat. In order to obtain a dark coloring (the darker the color, the more he loves you), the bride wraps her hands and feet (this retains the heat) and keeps it on overnight as she sleeps. Again, another difficult task for an anxious bride.

Here are some photographs from my recent client's party at Café Bombay in Atlanta. The beautiful henna is by Aarti.

Typically, the bridesmaids and guests have an opportunity to get a small decoration on their hand, so everyone has a chance to share in the fun and participate in the Mendhi party!