Mehndi Party

I made it to Springfield, Illinois! After a nice morning filled with packing, shopping and eating sushi with my mom, it was off with Erica and Austin to pick up Robyn from the airport and then head to Sfield! We got in right around 5PM (local time).

Shilpa's wedding weekend started with a bang! We all went to the Lad's house (and by all ... bridesmaids, family from India and US, and friends - probably 40 in total). We started getting our mehndi (also called henna).

Mehndi is a paste made from ground up plants with some lemon juice or sugar water (it can be mixed with various things). The paste can be purchased in tubes and then applied to hands and feet. This is a big tradition for things such as weddings!

We did one hand at a time, so that the other could dry and we could do some things with them. But, for each hand we had to sit for ~2 hours to let all of the color soak in. We let it stay that long so it would be dark. The minimum time is ~30 minutes.



The bride always gets more mehndi than all of the others. Shilpa started a bit later in the evening after some of those applying mehndi had practiced some. There are some really awesome designs on her hands and feet.


And the happy bride a groom!


While Shilpa was getting her mehndi applied, all of the bridesmaids that were present danced for her. We learned a few steps (thanks to Shipra) and put on a show. It was probably the best entertainment found in Springfield all night!

Today we are getting our nails done in the morning, then heading to the Crowne Plaza for the wedding rehersal, rehersal dinner, and Sangeet party tonight. We have our dance practiced and ready!!