The Mehndi ceremony is a very crucial ritual in Hindu and Muslim weddings. The main purpose of the Mehndi ceremony is to apply intricate designs to the bride’s hands and feet with henna ink. The designs have various meanings including blessings, love, joy, and luck. Many times, the groom’s name is written somewhere in the patterns and it is the groom’s obligation to find it. Mehndi is one of the sixteen Indian bridal adornments and a bride’s beauty is incomplete without it. This process can be both fun and tedious all at the same time. The bride is surrounded by all of her closest female friends and family the night before the wedding who are all celebrating with Indian music and dancing. But this process can take hours and requires a lot of patience. The bride must sit completely still for that length of time so the henna can seep into the skin and not smear. The Mehndi is not only used for exterior cosmetic purposes but for internal calming as well. Henna is known for its ability to cool and helps the bride’s nerves to relax.
The Mehndi ceremony is probably one of the most photogenic of all the Indian wedding rituals. Capturing all of the incredibly complex details in the henna, seeing all of the interactions between the bride and groom’s families, witnessing the celebration from everyone in the room and everything in between create such a positive atmosphere that will ensure quality photography. But our number one priority when taking photographs at Mehndi ceremonies is the bride and making her the highlight of the celebration. We do our best to capture the bride at her happiest and most proud moments throughout the celebration.