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Skin decorations on the bride -- and sometimes the groom -- is common in South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Often called "bridal tattoos", the name is inaccurate. Henna "tattoos" do not involve piercing the skin with dyes. Instead, these decorations stain only the surface of the skin.

The patterns and color of the designs will vary depending on where they are made. Indian mehndi covers the entire palm; Arabic is drawn to one side of the hand.

No Indian wedding is complete without mehendi, the process of applying henna. Henna is formed into a paste, applied and left on for several hours to stain the skin. (Eight hours is recommended; more if you can stand it!) The longer the paste stays on, the darker and more long-lasting the designs will be. The paste is dark brown to black; when it is removed, the design is pale reddish brown, and will darken over the next 24 hours. It will last 4 - 6 weeks, depending on the quality of the paste, how long you left it on, how thick your skin is, and how much washing and rubbing of the skin you do.

This kind of art might not go with a bridal white gown, but against a traditional red wedding sari? Spectacular!


A warning: if you're considering this type of body art, do not use black henna. Black henna (which is not truly henna), contains PPD. PPD is safe as a hair dye, but is not to be used on the skin. It has been banned for this purpose in Canada because of frequent negative reactions, ranging from itching to blistering and even scarring and respiratory troubles.