Even if you haven't been to an Indian wedding before, no doubt you've heard of the Henna night, otherwise known as the Mehndi or Mehandi. An event dedicated to decorating the brides arms and feet in Henna, a thick paste-like dye that is applied to the skin, which then dries out and stains the skin. The remaining design is intricate, super-detailed, and unique. According to tradition, the darker the henna stain, the more love your marriage is supposed to have! And as a fun custom, the henna artist hides the groom's name somewhere in the design, making a fun challenge for the groom to find his name hidden in the art.

The henna designs weren't just limited to the bride though, each one of Homya's bridesmaids received their own personal henna design, although smaller and limited to the hands (see day two for a photo!) As you can probably assume, the Mehndi/Mehandi is a lot more on the chill side, with multiple hours needed to properly apply and dry the henna art. It was a great event for Homya to sit and relax, whilst guests sat, mingled, ate and drank, and enjoyed some music.

Until after dinner, where the day transitioned from the Mehndi over to the Sangeet - where the party begins, literally. It's essentially when the dance floor opens, and Punjabis are the wildest dancers I've seen. I've heard that back in ancient times, the Sangeet would last up to multiple days (up to 10!), but I'm not sure how long people can actually last without dropping from exhaustion!

The Sangeet also includes a few choreographed dances from certain groups: Homya & Mukul had the bridesmaids perfrom, Mukul's siblings, his aunties, and it ended with a dance between the bride and groom themselves. One day down!