Mehndi

The Mehndi ceremony is a beloved pre-wedding celebration held for the bride — and increasingly the groom's side too — in the days leading up to the main ceremony. A professional mehndi artist applies intricate henna designs to the bride's hands and feet, often incorporating the groom's name or initials hidden within the pattern. Guests and close female relatives typically have smaller designs applied on their hands.

The Mehndi is one of the most elaborately decorated events in the wedding calendar. Expect flower walls, fairy lights, bright colour palettes, and stages for the bride. It is also frequently the event where the baraat family performs choreographed dances and the entertainment runs late into the night.

Typical attendance ranges from 100 to 300 guests, and it is a pan-tradition event — Mehndi nights take place across Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, and Jain weddings with slight variations in structure. Key vendors: mehndi artists (often multiple working in parallel), decorators, DJs or live music, photographers and videographers, and caterers.