Please RSVP by Tuesday, August 1st
Welcome to our Mehndi Page!
| When? | Saturday, August 19th, 2023 5:30 PM EST |
| Where? | Rishtta Banquet & Restaurant269 Littleton Road, Parsippany NJ 07054 |
Hotel Information
Please refer to the following hotel options if looking to stay the night. Each hotel has their own accompanying block links to book at a special rate. If our spots at the Embassy Suites fill up, then please book at Hyatt House
Embassy Suites by Hilton Parsippany
909 Parsippany Boulevard, Parsippany, NJ 07054 USA
Unfortunately, our block at this hotel has completely filled up. Please refer to the next listed hotel.
Hyatt House Parsippany-East
299 Smith Road, Parsippany, New Jersey, United States, 07054
Hyatt House Parsippany Block Booking Link
Transportation to the Venue
Transportation to and from the Hotels will be provided via LYFT. The following LYFT event code will grant guests credit to use specifically towards LYFTs to Rishtta Banquet and back to one of the two aforementioned hotels.
LYFT Code: KFMEHNDI
Click Here to go directly to LYFT
Schedule of Events
| 5:30 PM: | Cocktail Hour |
| 6:30 PM: | Bride & Groom Enter |
| 7:00 PM: | Dinner |
| 8:00 PM: | Dancing |
| 11:00 PM: | Time to head home or to your hotel! |
(For guests coming from out of town that are looking to continue the party at the hotel, please check out our Mehndi hotel links above with the built-in block rate.)
What is a Mehndi?
An event rooted in Pakistani culture and tradition, the Mehndi is a musical and colorful pre-wedding celebration of the Bride. The word “mehndi” is a name for the Henna paste with which various cultures decorate their bodies in times of celebration. The Mehndi was originally when the bride was decorated with henna, but in modern times, the Mehndi has developed into a large event where family and friends gather to celebrate both the Bride and Groom with dancing and singing. Below are three traditions that we will be doing!
Choreographed Dance + Performances
A staple at the Mehndi event, guests often prepare and perform choreographed dances as part of an epic “Bride’s side vs Groom’s side” Dance Off. All in the name of good fun, guests have the option to put together a mixtape consisting of their favorite songs that may also remind them of Kate or Fazal, and perform their own synchronized dances that they’ve planned out ahead of time. Traditions can only carry us so far so if dancing isn’t your thing but you want to perform something else (i.e. your best musical rendition, talent, spoken poetry in honor of the Bride and Groom), you are more than welcome! Five minutes or less of whatever you’d like to do will be great, just include what you’re thinking on the RSVP form and Fazal will reach out to you in August by email to get more details.
Singing (Dholki)
In between the good food and fun dancing (choreographed + otherwise), family members and guests will gather on the floor around a Dholak drum to sing songs in chorus. While there are many traditional songs that can be sung at the Mehndi, we will be passing out lyric packets of both American songs and Pakistani songs so everyone who wishes to sing along can do so without skipping a beat. Just like caroling during Christmas-time, but in August and with a new setlist!
Good Luck Customs
Another fun part of the Mehndi is a custom for wishing the Bride and Groom good luck in their marriage. During the Dholki, guests will have the option to wish the couple luck by placing a bit of mehndi (henna paste) on their hands, feeding them a sweet, and donating a few dollars to charity in their honor. It is customary to hold the money in your hand and circle the bride and groom’s heads with it to ward of the 🧿evil eye🧿 and to wish them good luck (you can also circle their heads with your Venmo app opened on your phone, don’t worry). The money will then be donated to a charity of Fazal and Kate’s choosing.
Sounds great! So what do I wear?
First and foremost, the dress code is whatever our guests are most comfortable in. Common American evening attire is surely welcome, but the Mehndi is also a great time to step into Pakistani Culture through couture! If you’d like to wear Pakistani or South Asian clothing but have no idea where to start, you’re welcome to dive into our attire page that we’ve created just for that purpose!