Lovely Hands to Hold

Lovely Hands to Hold

October 20th, 2008 @ 5:51 pm by Mrs. Meatball

I just love the way mehndi looks on a bride. It’s such a lovely, delicate and sometimes surprising detail with big impact.

(image source)

Mehndi is an intricate henna application typically done to the hands and/or feet of brides of mid-east/eastern descent, but it is gaining popularity among other cultures for its beauty, and is even making appearances in fashion these days.

Mendhi is one of the sixteen adornments bestowed on a Hindu bride during Solah Shringar (the pre-wedding beautification process). In this way, mehndi marks the rite of passage of marriage in a girl’s life and her initiation into womanhood. Very sweet.

Once we decided on our wedding theme and started researching, designing and imagining the possibilities, I started toying with the idea of having a subtle mehndi done on my hands for our big day. I knew I didn’t want anything overstated or obtrusive, but I just didn’t find a photo that sparked my fire…

… Then I saw this:

(image source) - click to enlarge
From the lovely “When Mehndi Met Mariachi” wedding featured in Nirali Magazine.

The lotus pattern is so romantic and delicate. I love the idea of doing just the palms of my hands so the design is more unexpected and muted… I’m sold! I’ve just made Mehndi a must-do on my list.

What about you? Are you incorporating unexpected multi-cultural elements in your wedding look?

Tags: cultural, hollywood |

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10 Responses to “Lovely Hands to Hold”

Guest

Raeann

I love the idea of the mehndi, but I am so white… It almost feels inappropriate. Also, I’m not sure if I want to explain it to my friends and family who aren’t familiar with the process.

10/20/08 @ 6:16 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Dumpling (message) 650 posts, Busy bee

Wowee thats pretty! I think it’s great that you are honoring what it is and stands for, even though you are not Hindu. It’s also a great conversation starter and will be really fun at your wedding.

10/20/08 @ 7:16 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Champagne (message) 1,068 posts, Bumble bee

I love love mehndi and I always get jealous everytime I see a bride with it. So pretty:)

10/20/08 @ 7:19 pm (reply)

Member

jennred782 (message) 355 posts, Helper bee

I would do a test run because I am probably going to have this done on my feet to incorproate FI’s culture you want to know how deep the color is going to be on. Also since you haven’t done it before you want to make sure your skin doesn’t react badly. I think we are going to offer it to my relatives as well so that they can experience his culture as well since all of his female relatives are going to have it.

10/20/08 @ 7:27 pm (reply)

Member

briannie (message) 273 posts, Helper bee

I’ve loved mehndi ever since Gwen Stefani sported the design about a decade back.

I think you should do it! We almost had a chuppah for our wedding ceremony only because I thought they looked pretty. It’s your wedding… you should do what you want!

10/20/08 @ 9:36 pm (reply)

Member

lilmisssha (message) 112 posts, Blushing bee

Pretty! I love the lotus design and am incorporating it into our monogram. Make sure to keep your mehndi on as long as possible (use a cotton ball soaked in a mixture of lemon juice and sugar and tab it all over the mehndi to make the paste stick on your hands longer) and when you take it off do so without washing your hands with water (I put vegitable oil on my hands and scrape the dried paste off with a butter knife). I know it sounds gross but the longer you can wait to wash your hands, the longer the mendhi will stay on.

Where I’m from in India, they say that the deeper/darker the red color of your wedding mehndi, the more your husband will love and cherish you. Many South Asian brides (mendhi aka henna is pan-religious) wear their mehndi all night long to get that pretty maroon color!

10/21/08 @ 1:22 am (reply)

Guest

neala

also, the longer it lasts after the wedding, the more your in-laws love you (b/c they didn’t make you do all the dishes and washing right after the wedding). you can get your artist to hide his name and yours in the design for a fun game on the wedding night. if he can’t find it, it means you have the upper hand in the marriage. if he can, he does

10/21/08 @ 3:27 am (reply)

Bee

Miss Sushi (message) 970 posts, Busy bee

::sigh:: mehndi is beautiful. I can’t wait to see how it looks on you!

10/21/08 @ 10:42 am (reply)

Bee

Miss Cheese (message) 647 posts, Busy bee

Oh, I love that! And it’s funny, when I read the post title, I thought, “I wish I could do mehndi, but alas, not part of either of our cultures.” Now you’ve got me thinking.

10/21/08 @ 7:21 pm (reply)

10.

Guest

Sara

I highly encourage you to do henna. But I recommend doing it with your girls or as many female relatives as you can stand. Let them get a small design too if they want. Have it as it is meant to be - a ritual that is both relaxing and makes you feel beautiful.

P.S. Traditionally henna is put on the front and back of the hands as well as the feet. I had the backs of my hands done and my belly as I bellydance as a hobby and danced at my wedding.

10/23/08 @ 12:18 am (reply)