Pre-Wedding Hindu Ceremonies

The beautiful prelude to Aarti and Saurabh's exquisite Hindu wedding ...

What a way to build excitement for Aarti and Saurabh's traditional wedding! I'm so excited to share these two Indian customs with you today! Event planning was by Rose Events and these captivating images were taken by House of Talent Studio ... So full of joyful expression, color and beauty, savor the details as Aarti explains about their Mehndi {henna} and Sangeet {singing} pre-wedding ceremonies and party.

Mehndi and Sangeet via Aarti

The Mehndi and Sangeet are actually two distinct pre-wedding ceremonies that we combined into one fun-filled party. Both are typically hosted by the bride's family, with only family and close friends invited. Our Mehndi/Sangeet was held two nights before the wedding. This allowed us to spend the day before our wedding holding intimate and separate poojas at our homes for close family and friends, and of course, to prepare for the big day!

Joyful. Artful. Entertaining.

{click to enlarge}

During the Mehndi, we hired two professional henna artists to apply henna to the hands of all the women in attendance {commonly, only women apply the Mehndi}. My Mehndi was applied by my very artistic cousin and bridesmaid over a 8-hour sitting and included many intricate designs, including the individual letters of the groom's name hidden within the overall pattern.

The bride can choose to have her Mehndi applied during the party, or partially done at the party, or all of it the night before. I chose the night before, so I would be able to mingle and enjoy the wedding festivities. It's said that if your fiance can find his name within our adorned henna hands, it's means prosperity and luck in your marriage. And the darker the henna is on your hands, the more your fiance loves you.

Sangeet literally means "Sing together" During this portion of the party, close family and friends choreograph dances and sang songs in honor of us- the bride and groom. Saurabh went so far as to create his own song of our 7 year courtship -- using the original song by Mr. Big -- To Be With You ... one of my favorites! A talented Indian talent competition winner and college friend of ours, Jeffrey Iqbal, performed two songs. We also hired a dhol player and DJ.

I also surprised my fiance by learning my girlfriend's choreographed dance for us, and jumped in at the end!