Re: a few answers to a few questions

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Henna Page Forum ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Kenzi on May 21, 2001 at 22:57:50:

In reply to: Re: a few answers to a few questions posted by Mary Beth on May 21, 2001 at 21:53:34:

I agree with the others about hennaing other parts...you are not
likely to be asked to do other parts. Most henna-using countries
henna the hands and feet. It will help to know more about the bride
and whether she is afghani directly from Afghanistan, or if she has
lived in this country for a while. It could make a difference on how
much henna she wants and what kinds of designs she will want.

I don't know anything about Afghani henna traditions but given their
proximity I would assume that they tend toward the Pakistani
traditions, in general. That means that they probably use Pakistani
designs. Do some searching on the web to see if you can find
anything on the subject. There is a muslim website that specializes
in everything about muslim weddings and they talk about different
traditions and some stories have photos. The site is www.zawaj.com.

As for what to expect, I can try to give you an idea from my few
experiences, but remember that the particulars will be different.

1. It is a long, exhausting process for you and the bride. Try to
bring an assistant, someone who knows a little bit about henna to
help with lemon sugar, getting you food and water etc.

2. Remember it is a long process when you set your prices and also
remember that people spend a lot of money on things related to their
weddings, so don't feel that by asking for what you are worth you
might impovrish them (but also be reasonable!). Find out if you will
be doing just the brides henna (and if so, how much henna, i.e., just
hands and feet, or hands and halfway up the arm and feet and halfway
up the calf etc.) or if you will also be doing other women at the
party which is often a tradition at such parties. You could offer
several fee options, either by the hour or by the design. The last
party I did I ended up hennaing for 5 hours straight, doing both the
brides henna and henna for all the women and girls. I charged by the
hour for that party. Normally I offer two special price packages for
brides: one for just the bridal henna, and one for bridal henna plus
others at the party.

3. they may already have books of designs that they like so be
prepared to do designs that you don't already know. The best way to
do this is to find out the kind of things they are interested in and
practice, practice, practice...either on friends or on paper. Just
get a feel for the designs so you can master anything in that style.

4. find out if the bride expects you to wrap her up afterwards and
add that into your time estimate.

5. find out who will provide the henna. The last party I did I
brought my own henna but the bride's granny asked me to use some
paste that someone just brought back from Pakistan. I did use it
because she was really insisting and kept asking me if I was using
their paste, but it kept clogging so I switched to my stuff when
granny wasn't looking. Just be prepared.

I have a story and photos of my most recent henna party at the link
below. Also feel free to post here or email me if you have more
specific questions.

henna party

Follow Ups

Post Followup

Name:
E-Mail:
Subject:
: I agree with the others about hennaing other parts...you are not : likely to be asked to do other parts. Most henna-using countries : henna the hands and feet. It will help to know more about the bride : and whether she is afghani directly from Afghanistan, or if she has : lived in this country for a while. It could make a difference on how : much henna she wants and what kinds of designs she will want. : : I don't know anything about Afghani henna traditions but given their : proximity I would assume that they tend toward the Pakistani : traditions, in general. That means that they probably use Pakistani : designs. Do some searching on the web to see if you can find : anything on the subject. There is a muslim website that specializes : in everything about muslim weddings and they talk about different : traditions and some stories have photos. The site is www.zawaj.com. : : As for what to expect, I can try to give you an idea from my few : experiences, but remember that the particulars will be different. : : 1. It is a long, exhausting process for you and the bride. Try to : bring an assistant, someone who knows a little bit about henna to : help with lemon sugar, getting you food and water etc. : : 2. Remember it is a long process when you set your prices and also : remember that people spend a lot of money on things related to their : weddings, so don't feel that by asking for what you are worth you : might impovrish them (but also be reasonable!). Find out if you will : be doing just the brides henna (and if so, how much henna, i.e., just : hands and feet, or hands and halfway up the arm and feet and halfway : up the calf etc.) or if you will also be doing other women at the : party which is often a tradition at such parties. You could offer : several fee options, either by the hour or by the design. The last : party I did I ended up hennaing for 5 hours straight, doing both the : brides henna and henna for all the women and girls. I charged by the : hour for that party. Normally I offer two special price packages for : brides: one for just the bridal henna, and one for bridal henna plus : others at the party. : : 3. they may already have books of designs that they like so be : prepared to do designs that you don't already know. The best way to : do this is to find out the kind of things they are interested in and : practice, practice, practice...either on friends or on paper. Just : get a feel for the designs so you can master anything in that style. : : 4. find out if the bride expects you to wrap her up afterwards and : add that into your time estimate. : : 5. find out who will provide the henna. The last party I did I : brought my own henna but the bride's granny asked me to use some : paste that someone just brought back from Pakistan. I did use it : because she was really insisting and kept asking me if I was using : their paste, but it kept clogging so I switched to my stuff when : granny wasn't looking. Just be prepared. : : I have a story and photos of my most recent henna party at the link : below. Also feel free to post here or email me if you have more : specific questions.
Optional link URL:
Link title:
Optional image URL: