Mehendi or Henna is an integral part of Indian weddings and festivals.
Mehendi is usually applied to the skin with a plastic cone or a paint brush.
Mehndi ceremony is often one of the most important pre-wedding rituals celebrated by the bride's family especially for the bride. Mehandi ceremony is usually held at the bride's house or in a banquet hall a few days before the wedding ceremony. Traditionally, the Mehendi was meant to serve as an ice-breaker on the wedding night. The
Mehandi artists hide the groom's name in the intricate mehndi designs and the groom has to find it on the wedding night. To get the dark colour of the Mehendi, the mehndi is kept wet by applying a tea and sugar mixture and covering the hand with plastic or tissue to preserve the heat and left overnight.
Mehendi designs have evolved overs the years.
Arabic mehandi (henna) is very popular at weddings. So is Glitter mehendi where the space between the mehndi design is decorated with shiny glitter. Temporary stick-on henna or mehandi designs are also available in the market.
Mehndi tatoos are also extremely popular as they are temporary.
Floral tatoo henna designs are also quite popular in the west.
