Mendhi adorns her hands and music adds life to the celebration.

Indian Weddings are sacred and sanctified ceremonies. They are elaborate affairs with many prenuptial, wedding and post-wedding rituals. The Mehendi ceremony is a significant pre-wedding rituals. It is a fun filled ritual, which is celebrated mainly by the bride's female friends and family. It is similar to a hens party in the western culture. The name Henna is Persian originated. The leaves of Lawsonia Inermis shrub is used get the henna dye. These leaves are powdered and made into a paste that creates enchanting dyes. Whilst  the English word “henna” traces back to the Arabic word for the plant “hinna,” most Norh Indians refer to it as “Mehndi”. In Kerala, it is called “Mylanch”i; in Konkani, it is called “Meti” and the south Indians  refer to henna as “Mayilainandi” or “Marudhaani”. Henna has more than 60 names  in 43 languages.

The ceremony is takes place at bride's residence and usually  a professional mehendi artist applies intricate designs of henna paste to the bride’s hands and feet.  It s believed that it is auspicious for the first application of mehendi to the brides hands must be done by the bride’s mother.   Thereafter the mehendi artist can complete the design. Shringar is a hindi word which means “beauty of a bride” and mehendi is one of the adornments of a bride.  The “solar singar” lists mehendhi as one of the 16 adornments of a bride and As per Kama Sutra, henna is one of the sixty four arts of women.   The Mehendi or henna design is not only used to beautify the bride but it also epitomizes the brides transformation from a virgin  to a temptress for her husband. Mehndi signifies irresistible sensual allure and marital prosperity. Between the  intricate mehendhi design of the brides hands , the professional mehendhi artist hides the grooms name.  The groom has to find his name in the design before the couple  consummate their marriage. Popular designs of the bridal mehendi are conchshell, flowers, Kalash, peacock, doli and baraat patterns.

The love and bond between the bride and groom as well as the love that the bride will receive at her in-laws is determined by the intensity of the colour of the mehendhi stains.  The  darker and deeper the henna stains the more the husband and the in-laws will love the bride.

The ritual of mehendi signifies the strength and power of love in a marriage. It is said that the longer the bride retains the mehendi, the more auspicious would be her future.