Randip's Henna Party

Two days before Randip's wedding, all the girlies got together for a traditional Henna Party. This is an opportunity for friends & family of the bride to have one last party before the BIG day. Also, an Indian Sikh tradition is for the bride to have beautiful henna - known as Mehndi - applied on her hands and feet making intricate and beautiful paisley or medallion patterns. I copied this from online:

"Mehndi signifies the strength of love in a marriage. It is believed that the darker the Mehndi color, the stronger the love and bond will be between the bride and the bridegroom."

I was immensely impressed with the exquisitely delicate art-form of the Henna artist, (not sure about the official name for our Henna specialist). Above and below are samples of the henna designs so that you can experience and appreciate this magnificent tradition through my eyes. These are the "before" shots and I plan to add the "after" shots, showing the end result of the applied henna so check back in later. Randip was kind enough to model her hands and feet throughout the evening. This task takes a phenomenal amount of patience, from both the bride and our Henna Artist, as it was a process that took approx. 5 hours.