I recently captured Anni's Mehndi Party at the Wilmington United Methodist Church in the North Shore, just outside of Boston, MA. A 'Mehndi' or henna party is a pre-wedding ceremony where the bride-to-be, her female friends and family have elaborate henna designs painted all over their hands and feet.

Some believe that the darkness of the Mehndi on the bride's hands represents the love between the couple. Others believe that the darkness of the Mehndi represents how much the mother-in-law loves the bride.

The ceremony was beautiful! The decor was fun, colorful and lively! Anni's family and friends lined up to feed her sweets all night long.

I learned so much about Muslim and Bengali wedding customs. I found out that the bride is not allowed to do any wifely duties in the marital house (cleaning, laundry, etc) until after the henna fades away. Henna typically lasts about 2-4 weeks. Whew, good thing my wife didn't know about this when we got married.

Anni was absolutely stunning! The full video was approximately 30 minutes long, but here is a short clip of this traditional Middle Eastern ceremony.

The following day, Anni and Mufrad had a Biye ceremony. I cannot wait to post about this event as well. Stay tuned!

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