Bridal Retreats - HENNAHEALING.COM blog at BridesClub.com

There are ancient traditions of using henna as body art for wedding rituals, spread across many cultures from India to Indonesia, from Morocco to Pakistan. And those traditions have evolved and moved around the globe as people have migrated and learned from one another. We see henna now all over Europe and in the United States and Canada, too.

Some still use henna in a very traditional way by hosting a "night of the henna" where the bride and groom are surrounded by family and friends, henna'd, blessed, and showered with love and care. And we also see new traditions evolving. Some have henna artists at their wedding receptions to henna guests as a party favor. Some hire the henna artist to henna the bride a few days before the wedding and then to come and gild the design on the wedding day.

For me, in my own henna practice, my clients helped me to discover what we call a "Bridal Retreat". The bride plus 5 - 10 other people come to a retreat location for a day. We are able to talk about henna traditions, look at all kinds of designs, even offer Reiki "boosts" as a way of becoming very present in the moment. Tea and snacks are served. Sometimes a full meal is catered. We henna the bride as lavishly as she'd like. And then we henna any of the attendants who wish to be henna'd also. And all of it is captured by our professional photographer on staff with us from KotaGraph.com. He makes those photos available online three weeks after the event, and they are available for 90 days to all who attended.

One of our recent clients wrote to say:
"Our visit to you on my friend's "bridemaking" day was an unforgettable experience. Everything about working with you was a delight...you were not only professional but welcoming, warm, and fun. We were amazed at your artistic ability with the different designs we selected. We left that afternoon feeling like we'd participated in a long and global tradition of decorating the bride. Having you do henna was an ideal way for our bride to relax, let go, trust that her bridesmaids would take care of her, and to begin dreaming of her new life."

That's the best thing we could give to any bride. A good start on the marriage journey!

One thing that is very important in whatever henna ritual you create: please make sure your artist is using all natural henna products. If they are using "black henna" or "brown henna" or any guaranteed color -- or anything "quick staining", then you may want to run the other way. All natural henna is beautiful and people are rarely allergic to it. But the dangers of "black henna" and other chemically treated mixes are beyond scary. Please be a proactive consumer when hiring your henna artist. Educate yourself. Ask lots of questions. Besides wanting someone who is talented at design, you need to be sure they are using safe product.

Once you are certain you have an all natural artist lined up, then feel free to let your imagination run wild! Henna designs have bloomed and faded over thousands of years. Go ahead! Become a part of that lineage with your own wedding henna ritual!

Kara L.C. Jones, Artist & Founder
www.HennaHealing.com