Mehendi in Bengaluru: what the bride, the guests and the evening cost

Simple Arabic, both hands

₹400 to ₹500 a guest

Full hand to the wrist

₹800 a guest

"Per guest" here means both hands, front and back. That is how two artists we read price it. One charges ₹400 for a simple Arabic design, ₹500 for Indo-Western, and ₹800 for a full hand to the wrist. Another charges ₹500 for a simple Arabic design to the palm. If another artist quotes per hand, ask whether that is one side or both.

Doing it yourself works for a festival or a few people at home. A cone costs ₹55 to ₹65 from henna sellers online, and one says to keep cones in the freezer until you use them. Read question 4 before you buy one.

The bride is a separate booking. Her price depends on how far up it goes, how many artists sit with her and how many custom figures she wants. Question 2 shows four steps, with a picture of each.

The first two cards cover nearly the same reach: both hands to the elbow, and the feet. The ₹12,000 studio lists two artists working at once for six hours, four figures of your choice, and the feet two inches above the ankle. The ₹4,500 artist's page lists the reach and nothing else. It doesn't say how long it takes, how many artists come or whether figures cost extra, so ask her.

The studio says it has worked for over 15 years with about 25 artists. Its three cheaper packages are listed under its team, and the three above them under its founder. If you're booking a name you found on Instagram, ask whose hands will do yours.

The price can't show you the stain. Ask each artist for photos of her last few brides' hands a day or two after, when the colour has come up, and look at the fine lines on the fingers.

None of mytribe's approved providers does bridal mehendi yet, so we can't put one of ours on either side.

None of the four artists' pages says how long the colour lasts. Ask her, if you have a trip planned after the wedding.

If you've ever reacted to black henna or a hair dye, tell the artist and use only natural henna. The NHS says a past black henna tattoo makes a reaction to hair dye more likely, and the same chemical is in both.

In pregnancy, ask your doctor first. None of the health pages we read says henna is safe or unsafe in pregnancy. The black henna warning holds for everyone, so if you go ahead, use natural brown henna only. The same goes for children.

India has a standard for henna cones, and Telangana's drug inspectors have seized cones with a synthetic dye. They found picramic acid in "Karachi" cones in 2023 and 2024, and said cones with no licence details on the label may be harmful. We found nothing on cones from Karnataka. Three Bengaluru artists we read say their henna is natural. None lists what is in it, so ask.

If your skin itches, blisters or swells after mehendi, see a doctor. Health Canada lists redness, rash, itching, blisters, swelling and pain, and says a serious reaction can bring hives, dizziness or fainting.

1. Two days before (36 to 48 hours)

   The bride's mehendi, four to seven hours by the package. One studio recommends 36 to 48 hours before the event.

2. Straight after

   The paste stays on for at least five hours. Keep water off it and follow the artist's aftercare.

3. The next day

   The colour keeps darkening, for up to 48 hours.

4. The mehendi evening

   The guests' turn. Most wedding functions run 2 to 2.5 hours, Jyoti Kochatta told us. If your evening is the night before the wedding, the bride has hers done earlier and joins the evening for the photos.

5. The wedding

   The colour is at its darkest.

Eat first, and plan the toilet. Her hands and feet stay wet for hours, so someone feeds her, and she sits where she can stay put.

Ask every guest for the same simple design. The queue builds when cousins ask for the bride's design. Keep a list of who has had a turn, so the elders don't wait while someone goes twice.

Give the artists light, a chair and a table at hand height. Guests sit for their turn, and need somewhere to sit after with wet hands.

Most families keep the decor small: a backdrop, a seat for the bride and floor cushions. The Wrapped Hearts does haldi, sangeet and mehendi decor from ₹15,000. She also runs live stations from ₹200 a guest, for at least 50 guests. Her fresh floral jewellery station costs more, so ask her for its price. Holding a haldi the same day? Our guide to haldi ceremonies covers its decor and costs.

The food is the other big line, and what's inside the plate price differs. Check staff, crockery, transport and GST before you compare.

A host keeps the games and the dancing going while the queue moves. Our three hosts charge by the function, and two of them don't bring sound, so you arrange the mic and speaker.

For music, a phone and a good speaker do for most homes. One Bengaluru DJ's own page charges from ₹25,000, or ₹20,000 at a discount, for up to 3 to 4 hours, with the sound system extra. Dream Decor books dhol players for mehendi dances. Ask for the price.

8 of the 45 Bengaluru requests that named mehendi since April wanted an artist for one person or a few. They asked for half a hand for a pooja, both palms at home, or mehendi for a festival. 15 wanted decor, and 15 were for classes or henna to buy.

Two artists we read come to your home in Bengaluru, and one says it is free. The studio sets ₹3,000 as its minimum at your home, and takes 25% to book.

No artist's page shows a festival rate. Ask when you book.