10 Best Ways to Entertain Mehndi Ceremony Guests (2023)

FAQs

What to do during a mehndi ceremony? ›

A Mehndi party is a night of fun with lots of food, music, and dancing. Traditionally, the bride would have intricate henna patterns applied to their hands and feet during the event. In modern times, the bride often opts to have a henna artist come to her home before the actual Mehndi party.

All guests can receive henna at a mehndi party, says Shah—though, since you're not the guest of honor, keep your mehndi design request understated. "Remember that as a guest, your henna should be simple and limited to one hand only," says Shah.

The Sangeet is a pre-wedding celebration where the bride and groom's families come together to celebrate with music, dance, and food. The bride's family hosts the Sangeet, where the bride, her female family members, and guests get henna applied on their hands.

What Should You Wear to a Mehndi Party? Depending on the bride's preferences, you may have the opportunity to receive henna tattoos. If so, wear an outfit with short sleeves so your hands and arm are exposed. A traditional lehenga or saree isn't required—but if you want to wear one, go for it!

Attending an Indian wedding requires clothing that covers as much skin as traditional Indian clothing. Explicit or otherwise immodest clothing is not appropriate. Women can wear a saree or a pant suit, while gentlemen should wear long shirts and pants.

According to Turkish customs, the groom's family supplies the henna for their new daughter-in-law.

The mehndi celebration for instance, is paid by both the groom and bride's family. In some occasions, the groom's mehndi event is paid by his family and the bride's paid by her family. The groom's family pays for 'valima' while 'Baraat' is organized and paid for by the bride's family.

Groom's Entrance

First the grooms extended family walks in carrying sweets, gifts for the bride, colorful platters of henna and lit candles. When the groom enters, he arrives with his friends and cousins. They all usually dance in to the groom's chosen mehndi entrance song.

Men are encouraged to wear a sherwani, which is a long coat-like top. "Traditional weddings can be broken up into different categories and different regions in India," says Patel.

What does mehndi symbolize? ›

Not only is it considered to bring luck, joy and beauty, its scent also said to have aphrodisiac properties. In most Indian communities, mehandi used to traditionally be applied by someone happily married from the bride's inner circle of friends and family.

While Mehndi is mainly for females, male relatives are invited to join in on the party that comes after the Bride has completed her henna. The core significance of applying Mehndi is to utilize its natural medicinal herbal remedies, cooling the body and relieving the Bride of any stress before her big day.

Usually, the bride's and groom's name are hidden in the mehndi design and the groom is made to find out in order to woo his bride. It is even said that the darker the bride's mehndi is, the more her husband will love her. Sangeet is the festive function with music and dance adding more fun to the wedding celebration.

Yellow is the most auspicious colour for all occasions. Colour of the Mehandi will be enhanced more by wearing a yellow and pink colour combination of dress with a heavy dupatta will give an adorable look for the bride.

A budgeted printed saree, semi-formal palazzo suit, or a skirt and crop top set are safe bets for the Haldi ceremony. Opting for outfits in shades of yellow is a good idea for two reasons- they subdue the messy appearance of turmeric stains, and yellow has almost become the official color code for the Haldi ceremony.

The amount of the cash gift varies and is personal to each guest. Whereas you might think of nice round numbers like $50, $70, or $100, in Indian culture we never give a gift ending in 0. The amounts usually end with a “1” such as $51 or $101.

Traditionally, Indian wedding guests cover their shoulders, legs, and sometimes arms. If you're not going to wear an authentic Indian outfit, your Western clothes should be just as modest. This means no cleavage, mini dresses, or revealing clothing that clings to your body.

Red is the traditional color for Indian wedding dresses, so women shouldn't wear it out of respect for the bride. Lastly, black is also viewed as an unfavorable color for Hindu ceremonies, so we recommend avoiding it—but just about every other color of the rainbow is fully acceptable for guests!

Keep henna away from water. Henna does not like water. If you have henna on your palm, keep you hand washing to a minimum till the event for which you have henna applied. In any other area of your body, avoid washing that area and do not apply soap for getting dark stain.

First off, a henna artist should be tipped as you would tip your hairdresser or waitress. So basically, 20% is the norm for showing appreciation of great service, and 15% is considered to be the baseline for good service.

What mehndi is called in English? ›

In the West, mehndi is commonly known as henna tattoo, although it is not actually a tattoo as only the surface of the skin is inked.

Henna, a coloring made from a plant, is approved only for use as a hair dye. It is not approved for direct application to the skin, as in the body-decorating process known as mehndi. This unapproved use of a color additive makes these products adulterated.

Henna Night or “Kına Gecesi”

A day or two before the wedding, families and friends gather along for a small celebration. Traditional folk songs are sung, and henna is applied on the bride's palm and the groom's pinky finger. Henna has always been associated with devotion.

By asking your henna artist what is in their paste, you can get a clear idea of whether or not the paste is natural, and if it is safe. By asking when it was made, you can also get a good idea of whether or not you can expect a satisfactory stain (and if the artist was being truthful about that first question).

This art form is mostly known as mehndi throughout Asia, and India is often credited for popularising it in present day. Henna is a symbol of joy in many religions, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism.

The groom is traditionally expected to pay for the marriage license and officiant's fees, and buy the bouquet for his "date" (the bride), as well as her engagement and wedding rings and a gift; he should also purchase boutonnieres and gifts for his groomsmen.

Traditionally, the sangeet or garba ("similar celebrations for different regional backgrounds," explains Patel) takes place after the mehndi ceremony. The sangeet, which means "sung together," is essentially a pre-wedding party where families comes together to sing, dance, and celebrate the wedding festivities to come.

While traditional mehndi is synonymous with Indian weddings, many modern Indian brides have started opting for contemporary versions of mehndi.

Bridal Mehendi paste has to be on for a minimum of 6 hours. If I do the bride's Mehendi in the evening, I ask her to keep it on all night. If it is done during the day, the bride can take it off at night.

As a guest at an Indian wedding, you are encouraged to wear bright and colorful clothes. Vibrant blue, mint green, orange, and bright pink are good choices of colors. The only color you should avoid is red since the bride would be wearing red at one of the main events.

Can I wear black to a Sangeet? ›

Colors: Bright colors are usually encouraged for Sangeets across all religions and traditions. Of course, you can wear dark colors as well.

In India, it's not uncommon that some Rajasthani grooms wear intricate mehendi on both hands. And in olden times, grooms wore henna to be just as decorated as brides. So here are 12 men who are styling at wearing mehendi.

No — henna does not violate Leviticus 19 (in my opinion). "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord."

Love the beautiful drawings in henna. Myth: If the mehndi produces a dark color, the deeper the bond between the bride and her husband or mother-inlaw.

Why Does Mehendi Turn Black? Initially, after application, the mehendi color appears light. But it darkens as you leave it on for a longer time. It is because of the pigment called lawsone.

Kurta and Dhoti is the classy dress for Mens Mehendi

Mostly, the grooms from south India and even from the overseas likely to wear Dhoti with Kurta. Also, men can sit comfortably especially for the Mehendi ceremony which takes a long time. Besides, Silk or Printed Kurta goes best with the Dhoti.

In the age of gender fluidity and makeup for all, it's time to quash strict gender rules. Can men wear henna? Absolutely. If you've been to an Indian wedding, you'll have witnessed the bride's majesty as she's lavished with beautiful henna.

Aside from the hands, the feet are also a spiritual place to get henna. "Just like the hands, getting henna on the feet is said to help cool the nerves with its herbal remedies," says Savla.

A Mehndi party is a night of fun with lots of food, music, and dancing. Traditionally, the bride would have intricate henna patterns applied to their hands and feet during the event. In modern times, the bride often opts to have a henna artist come to her home before the actual Mehndi party.

There are three types of henna. Natural henna, black henna and red henna. All of these have different purposes.

Which type of mehndi is best? ›

Kaveri Mehendi Cone gives rich dark stain to the henna designs as it is made with the fresh & premium quality henna leaves grown in the farm of Sojat, Rajasthan. It has an amazing smoothness & consistency, triple shifted mehendi powder which gives stunning results.

Short sleeves will make it easier for the mehndi artist to apply your design, but the only real fashion guideline for a mehndi party is to leave your earth-toned neutrals at home. The dress code is "informal, but Indian-inspired," says Shah. "Wear colorful clothing and a South Asian lengha or Indian tunic.

Yellow. Another pre-wedding ritual, Haldi, has the dominant colour of the ceremony as yellow. So, if you have already worn yellow in that ceremony, don't worry. You can again wear a different shade of yellow in your mehndi ceremony!

Mehndi (Henna Ceremony)

The Mehndi is all about applying Henna to the bride's arms, hands, and feet. The festivities will usually take place in the evening and involve much music, dancing, and of course, delicious food.

Red is the most predominant colour of Mehandi ceremony. Compare with all the other colours this will be the most preferable shade by the bride.

Wash your palms thoroughly with soap before you sit down to apply mehndi. Make sure you don't apply any creams or lotions. By eliminating any possible layers on your skin, mehendi will be completely absorbed and you will naturally get a darker shade.

Haldi Ceremony

In this ceremony a paste of haldi is applied on the bride and the groom's body before or in the morning of their wedding day. In few states of India, this ceremony is held after the mehendi ritual.

Mehendi represents the holy bond of matrimony and is therefore, considered a shagun (sign of good luck). It signifies the love and affection between the couple and their families.

"Guests should try to avoid wearing red, since the bride typically wears red," explains Nilima Patel, owner of Crimson Bleu Events. "Guests can wear any other color except for black. It's definitely not a color you should wear at an Indian wedding."

Henna is a reddish-brown dye that is made from the leaves of a shrub. It is used especially for colouring hair or skin.

What should you avoid after henna? ›

Avoid chlorine, salt water, dishsoap, bleach, other cleaning materials, and any other harsh chemicals. You can bathe and shower as usual. Avoid hand sanitizer – it is the #1 thing that unintentionally kills henna stains FAST. Acetone nail polish remover has also been known to fade henna stains more quickly.

You should leave the paste on at least 30 minutes and may leave it on longer if you choose. Leaving the paste on longer helps produces a longer lasting stain! When completely dry, the Paste will not appear as raised (puffy) but will now have a dry crusty look and feel.