The first part of the Indian wedding celebration is the mehndi or the ceremony to apply henna to the hands. In Indian tradition all female guests at a wedding come together and have their hands painted. Those women closest to the bride, and the bride herself, also have their feet painted.

the bride's decorated hands and feet

The colors of henna and well as the designs represnt a connection to the earth and the universe. Traditionally only women attend the mehndi party, but because of the international and inclusive nature of the party, everyone was invited and attended.

The room was spectacularly decorated in orange and green with garlands of flowers hanging everywhere. I had picked an orange and green outifit for the even, though I hadn't know in advance those were the colors I was supposed to wear. Green is the color of the henna leaf before it is made into the paint. Orange is the color of the dried henna on the hands.

During the party, there were snacks, music and a lot of dancing. The women took turns having their hands painted with henna.

Kristina has her hands painted with henna.

the finished product

I get my hands painted with henna.

the finished product - palms

and on the backs of my hands as well

the sister of the bride gets her hands and feet painted

After getting your hands painted, you have to wait for 30-45 minutes for the henna to dry. This can be difficult when it's on your hands becuase you really can't do anything at all when you are waiting. (And you must make sure that you went to the bathroom before!)

As more and more people's henna became dry, the dancing picked up.

Kavita, the bride, taught those of us from other countries some traditional Indian moves. Initially the Indian women there were a little hesitant to join in with the foreigners (probably because we weren't really doing it right) but eventually everyone was up dancing.

It was a great party. On our way our we were even given party favors. Large baskets of bangle bracelets and bindis (the dots worn on the forehead) were placed around the room for the taking.

large baskets of brightly colored bangles are decoration in and of themself

a little cutie wants some bindis too!