WALTHAM, MA- (Editor’s Note: This is the third in Desi Bridal News’s series on wedding preparation and bridal beauty in preparation for the 2017 Spring Wedding Expo on April 30, 2017 at the Burlington Marriott Hotel.)
Noureen Sultana of Framingham, MA-based Noureen Design, here talks about weddings and Mehndi, known as henna. Sultana is an accomplished and creative artist and specializes in henna designs. She is a winner of seven gold medals from the All India Industrial Exhibition, Hyderabad, in the categories of mehndi, hand embroidery, fabric painting, and face painting.
She says the use of henna is part of several cultures, but is more common in Middle-East and South-Asia. “Henna is put on many celebratory occasions such as weddings and baby showers. It is also considered a sign for good luck and prosperity for the future. Henna is an all natural healthy way to explore body art,” she says on her website.
Henna lasts for an average of two weeks depending on the person’s skin type and the depth of the stain. However, as skin exfoliates over time, the henna design fades. “So, if you don’t like it – or feel like a change every once in a while, all you have to do is wait for it to disappear,” says Sultana. There are many styles in the designs: Traditional Indian, Arabic, Moroccan and so on.
INDIA New England News: What are the latest trends in bridal henna?
Noureen Sultana: As you know I do different type of designs, right now we are doing antique designs, the designs I am doing currently are Persian Motives, Indian and Pakistan Design mix.
INE: What is the time commitment for receiving wedding henna?
NS: For the bride, it takes approximately 3 to 4 hours and about 30 minutes for the securing process.
INE: What do you want potential brides to know about henna before they make an appointment?
NS: I do my bookings one year in advance. My advice to brides is to look for the professional artist with insurance as nowadays more people has skin allergies or sensitivities. Please book a professional artist who makes their own henna- as you know, in every house there is some family member who does the mehndi and they wish to do the mehndi for the bride.
INE: What about the mehandi cones that one can buy in the market?
NS: The Cones you get in the market use preservatives, which are harmful for some type of skins. Please don’t ruin your wedding day. You may not like the design and you may have problem with color. Use good artist who can do it for you. You need to spend some money to get the quality work done.
INE: How should a bride prepare for her henna appointment?
NS: We tell our bride to be prepared for 3-5 hours for their Mehndi. We also want them to do there waxing, pedicure and manicure 24 hours before doing mehndi. In addition, we also secure the Bridal design for the bridal and steaming before we leave.
INE: Who, if any, in the wedding party should get henna done other than the bride?
NS: Beside bride, we want bride’s mother, sister and bridesmaid and cousins to do the mehndi after the bride is done. Usually for the guest we do in the evening at the bride house or sangeet or mehndi party.
