Henna Designs For Weddings

An American version of bridal henna
This heart and vine pattern complimented the embossed wedding announcements the couple chose together.

The henna was applied to the brides lower back 2 days before the wedding ceremony and was kept a secret from the groom till the honeymoon. His initials, DG, in accord with an old Indian custom, were hidden in the vining patterns. It was his job to search for the initials on the wedding night.

Sara and Ian, a wonderfully fun and adventurous couple, chose a large floral pattern with small hearts and blossoms to span across both of their palms creating the whole pattern when they joined left hands. 

 A lovely and artisticbride (and henna artist herself) chose a pattern with floral and geometricelements for her and her fiancee's bridal henna. Each partner has half the pattern on their left hand creating a whole when the face eachother and grasp hands.

 Half of the pattern was applied across each of their palms creating a whole pattern as their left hands came together.

 This Persian Bride wanted henna for her wedding ceremony to commemorate her heritage. She didn't want the henna to be visible to everyone or for it to distract from her dress. She wanted the henna designs to be a special celebration between her and her husband, their shared heritage and their new commitment to eachother.
Her lower back was a modest yet provocative location.
She mixed and matched several patterns to create this large design that spanned her lower back and included a small Om symbol. Her husbands initials were hidden among the cloud designs for him to locate on the wedding night.
For a summer wedding, this bride chose a structured pattern filled with little blossoms and anklets from our new book "Arabesque".

*Please note, this brides henna has not yet peaked in color. The henna was applied 1 and 2 days before the ceremony so the stains would be their darkest on the day of the ceremony, 24 hours after these photos were taken.

This Indian bride wanted the feeling of traditional Indian bridal mehndi while keeping the patterns a bit lighter and more open than the dense patterns popular for contemporary Indian brides. I added the two-tone details and grabbed a quick photo so she could get back to the festivities.

As the ladies took turns being henna'ed they showed off their new shoes, sari's and Indian jewelry. Another friend had spent the day cooking up traditional Indian foods and served a huge meal for the family. They picked over chicken and bread while choosing their henna patterns.