One of the first things that I knew that I wanted for the wedding was a mehndi, but I had a bit of a tough time figuring out how to go about putting it together. I was a bit handicapped because my mother is not Pakistani (some Jews also use henna as part of their marriage celebrations, but not where Mama Spaniel's family is from), so she was pretty much as clueless as I was, and there's only so much information you can get about a women's event from your father! I'd only been to one mehndi myself, when my cousin was married several years ago, but I did not have my wedding hat on yet. So armed with some fuzzy memories of a loud party with really fantastic Pakistani food, I did a lot of research on my own, starting with my favorite wedding movie!
I can't imagine having nearly so many people at the mehndi—where would they all fit?!—but this was the scene I'd had in mind: the VIWs (Very Important Women!), singing songs, goofing around... and eating Pakistani food. What, you didn't see that in the video? Well, half the point of this event is to eat good food, so you'll just have to mentally edit that part in.
As I tried to work out the logistics with Mama Spaniel, though, we started to realize that a big gathering of family members in her home the day before the wedding was going to be pretty difficult. So after giving the matter lots (and lots) of thought, Mr. Spaniel and I reworked the event quite a bit. Instead of a bridal shower-like event, my mehndi will be more of an open house, at our place, where our wedding party (boys and girls!) will all be invited throughout the day. My family can actually get pretty tightly wound before big events (weddings certainly qualify as those!), so I'm really excited to be able to relax and spend the day with our friends! I think it's going to be a darn good time... especially since I won't be able to use my hands for anything for a few hours. ;) Mr. Spaniel gets to do all the cleaning up before we leave!
How are you spending the day before your wedding?
I freaking love that movie. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI love this scene in Monsoon Wedding! I went to a Mehendi party this summer, and there were about 50 people there. It was so much fun, and the older women taught us all how to wrap saris and do a traditional Maharastrian dance. And the food? Yum! I'm bummed I won't be having one (like you said, too much stress for our families, and our apartments are tiny), but I'm excited to hear about yours!
ReplyDeleteMy bachlorette party is scheduled two days before the wedding, so it looks like I may be recovering from a hangover =) Otherwise it's going to a day of packing, driving (our wedding is out of town) and getting our nails done.
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