Mehandi is an integral part of Hindu wedding festivities and the most time-consuming, a gentle reminder for the bride to slow down amidst all chaos and just be in the moment and enjoy. A day before the wedding, Mehandi is applied on both hands and feet of the bride to calm down her nerves. It is part of solah shringar(16 steps to beauty). It is applied on the nails for the husband’s long life. Along with bringing luck, joy and beauty, its scent has aphrodisiac properties. One belief is that the better the colour of Mehandi, the more husband falls in love with her, obviously aphrodisiac properties :P