Henna in Memphis?

February 17, 2008 9:11 PM

Where can I find someone in Memphis to do the elaborate "wedding" henna on a few people?

Some friends and I would like to incorporate this into a wedding shower--we did it as part of an Indian ceremony a few years ago and it was great. However, I'm having trouble finding someone--any suggestions or recommendations?

posted by Mimzy to clothing, beauty, & fashion (4 comments total)

Find an Indian person (preferably a married female) and ask them. Seriously. If they had anything resembling a traditional ceremony then someone did their henna for them.

Where things might get tricky is if they just had a friend/relative do it for them (ie not professionally) because that friend may not want to spend the time doing it for a stranger and may not feel comfortable doing it for money.

If you know Indian people then you're set. Otherwise make your way to your closest "little India" (I have no idea if Memphis has Indian people or a little India, but most places do).
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:23 PM on February 17, 2008

I think the word you're looking for here is mehndi. You could contact our local India Cultural Center & Temple and ask if they have a listing of henna artists.
posted by naomi at 6:39 AM on February 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

Hello, professional henna artist here (see my profile) -- but I'm in Montreal, Canada.

Decorative henna body art is indeed known as "mehndi" but is often spelled in several ways, ranging from: mehandi, menhendi, mendi, mendhi, menhdi, mehndhi. I would suggest doing a google search for your desired location *and* henna or any of the variations above.

If you still don't have any success, try making a request on the Henna Tribe forums. (You can also let them know "Henna Montreal" sent you.) They are very friendly group of henna artists from around the world and will do their best to help you find you someone in your region!
posted by Jade Dragon at 4:55 PM on February 18, 2008

Seconding the Hennatribe.com recommendation.
posted by kenzi23 at 8:22 PM on February 18, 2008