A Striking Show of Summer Blooms at a Mehndi Celebration

30 Sep A Striking Show of Summer Blooms at a Mehndi Celebration

Posted at 17:47h in Uncategorized by Carmen Winquist

September 30, 2022

Katey + Arjun’s summer Mehndi celebration last July was definitely an all-time favorite! From the striking shades of orange & yellow on display through the hanging marigold installation, to the enchanting blend of locally grown blooms, getting to take part in the creative design of this event was something we will never forget.

Katey + Arjun’s Mehndi Party at Bellingham’s Hotel Bellwether

A vibrant display of locally grown summer florals

All of the blooms used at Katey + Arjun’s Mehndi part were locally grown, a blend of blooms from our own Noctua Florals garden, Free Range Flowers, and Floralie Farm, complete with carefully placed smilax from East Texas Smilax. The summer flowers were in full force for this summer Mehndi celebration, from zinnias, to foxglove, to larkspur, to dahlias & more! We’ll say it over and over again, but working with our local farm community is the greatest way for us to achieve our one-of-a-kind, organic, & eye-catching floral designs. The vibrancy of color & life in locally grown florals like the ones at Katey + Arjun’s Mehndi is palpable, different tones & textures shining through the freshly cut, carefully grown blooms. Working with 100% local farms results in flowers you can just FEEL!

A restored love for marigolds through this eye-catching handmade installation

The colors of not only the bouquets and table arrangements for this Mehndi celebration, but also the hanging arrangements were out-of-this-world stunning. The marigold installation was fully handmade with local flowers and turned out so vibrant, colorful, and was impossible to take your eyes off of. I fell in love with marigolds again after a lifetime of dislike – we now even have a small patch of them in our cutting garden!

The significance of marigolds in Indian weddings

These marigolds weren’t chosen purely for aesthetic purposes, but also because marigold flowers are quintessential in Indian weddings. They hold a special significance during wedding ceremonies & celebrations, representing “divine blessings to the newlyweds for a happy and prosperous married life.” You can fully see why these have been chosen as a flower of higher symbolism than most other blooms, as they simply radiate brightness, vibrancy, positivity, and life to everyone who witnesses them!

What is a Mehndi party?

On the topic of the significance of marigolds in Indian weddings, a Mehndi party is also a tradition in Indian cultures that goes along with weddings. Indian weddings are seen as a series of celebrations rather than one singular special day, and a Mehndi part is the pre-wedding celebration in Hindu & Sikh culture where red-orange mehndi “stains” are applied to the bride’s skin, according to an article by marthastewart.com. The rich vibrancy of the designs created by these red-orange tones symbolize marital joy, luck, and blessings, and provides the perfect time for a joyful pre-wedding party! From Brides magazine – “Tradition says the deeper the color of the bride’s mehndi, they appier the bride and groom’s marriage will be.” It was so fun creating the beautiful marigold installation to match the mehndi stain, and creating complementing bouquets showcasing those bright, colorful summer florals we all know and love.