Questions to Ask Your Mehendi Artist

Getting bridal mehendi is one of the most important traditions in Indian culture. Henna was originally used as a form of decoration for brides that could not afford a lot of jewelry. Today, brides continue this tradition by getting their mehendi done a few days prior to their big day. When hiring a mehendi artist its important to you book someone that has experience and uses the best products.

Here are some great questions to ask your mehendi artists before signing the contract:

1. Do you charge per hour or per design?
2. Do you made your own henna? If not, where do you get it from?
3. How long does bridal mehendi take?
4. How many guests mehendi can you do in 1 hour?
5. What can I do to make my mehendi last longer?
6. How long have you been doing this?
7. What is your booking policy? Do you book more that one event a day?
8. Will you do a complimentary trial?
9. Do you do your own designs or copy from books?
10. How should I take care of my mehendi so that it lasts longer?
11. Do your prices include travel and parking charges

Crème Delicious

Last week our friend Sandya from Crème Delicious stopped by the office to drop off some yummy treats for us. Sandya used to be a Mehendi artist and decided to transition into the pastry world. Now she does beautiful henna inspired cookies, cakes and other tasty desserts. We think her cookies are perfect as favor so a mehendi event!

Our Favorite Bridal Henna

The mehendi event for our brides is such a fun time for their family and friends, but also for us. There is some sort of trance when watching a bride have the artist design the henna on her hands and feet. It is an art form. Here are some of our favorite bridal henna photos:

NYC Mehendi Venues

Whether you are familiar with NYC Indian restaurants or want to discover a new place in town, here are our favorites.

We use these places personally and for lots of our pre wedding events (Mehendi, Rehearsal Dinners and Sangeets). They have amazing food, innovative drinks and pride themselves on their customer service.

1. Dawat

2. Vermillon

3. Dévi

4. Tamarind

5. Vatan

6. Utsav

7. AMIYA

Aarti and Vishal's Wedding

Aarti and Vishal’s wedding was 4 days non stop fun in New York City at some of the most beautiful venues in town! Their wedding was one of the most gorgeous weddings we’ve done. I can’t begin to describe the décor and the amazing food at each event.

The Mehendi was in one of the suites at the Waldorf Astoria filled with history and tradition. The suite was completely redone about 4 years ago for a Middle Eastern royalty. No detail was too small including the mehendi green décor and chai tea cup cakes. The mouth-watering cup cakes were a non traditional dessert for a Mehendi with a very ethic Indian flavor.


The theme of the Sangeet night, which was held at the Vermillion, was Moulin Rouge. The décor reflected the theme to a tee including the backdrop, the red color inspiration, the pin-wheel ice sculpture, boa garlands, and we even had the movie playing in the background. Vermillion has a beautiful waterfall that resembles falling crystal which fit right into the theme. The guests were entertained all evening including a show from friends and family of the bride and groom.



My breath was taken away as I walked into the ballroom for the wedding at Cipriani. It is an amazing venue with beautiful grand architecture with gigantic marble columns. The décor and lighting perfectly complimented the classic space. Every detail was hand picked to fit the décor including the cake and the cake topper. The cake topper was a beautiful gold filigree bowl filled with delicious chocolate truffles. Our bride, Aarti looked amazing! She was dripping in jewels inspired by the Moulin Rouge movie. Each of the events was well planned and executed while tying back to an over all theme of classic elegance.

We wish Aarti and Vishal the best. Congrats!

Getting Ready for the Mehendi Event In Grand Cayman

Here we are.... in The Cayman Islands. We are at the Marriott and I wish I could enjoy the weather more. We are manning the welcome desk, handing out the gift bags,getting all the suitcases in order, and getting ready for Aekta and Jignesh's Mehendi Event. The guests are sooo super sweet. We have made some friends.

The guests are swimming, enjoying the beach, enjoying Sting Ray City and just having fun hanging out together. I really love, love, love destination weddings as they bring everyone together. Lots of hard work but it all pays off when the guests get to the island.

We did our final taste testing this afternoon and I gotta say, the chefs here are incredible and the Indian Food is so good!

Hopefully, I get a few minutes to hit up the shops by the Port and go grab a new Gucci or Prada Bag! A gift from me to me =) You gotta love Duty Free Shopping! More later...

xoxo

New Color Scheme Ideas

Many brides our have been asking for advice on new color schemes. Here’s Sonal’s guide to new color combinations for different events.

Color schemes for Mehndi
The color themes for Mehndi which have been done over and over again are Peacock and Moroccan, so they are out. Try these combinations instead, they are more elegant and certainly more unique for a Mehndi event.

Chocolate Brown and Pink
Chocolate Brown and Emerald Green
Chocolate Brown and Red
Chocolate Brown and Fushia




Color schemes for Garba
The color combinations which most brides use Garba are traditional bright colors like red, green and yellow. For Garba you can try these color combinations that are still bright and cheery but something different from the norm.

Pink and Lime Green
Pink and Red
Pink and Orange
Pink and Bright Blue



Color schemes for Wedding
Instead of the traditional Red and Gold, try a neutral color pallet. It’s definitely a step from the norm. These colors bring a sense of sober sophistication to any wedding.

White and Pink
White and Grass Green
White and Cream
White and Gold
White and Sky Blue with lots of crystals




Color schemes for Reception
The trend is to explore new colors which are very chic and cosmopolitan. Adding lots of crystals and candles will complete the image.

White and Blue
White and Cream
White and Silver
White and Gold and Silver
White with bubbles, clear accessories and crystals




When you start thinking of color schemes for each event, think outside the box. Hope these ideas help make our wedding planning experience a little bit easier.