Mangni :

The prospective bride and groom exchange rings during the mangni or engagement ceremony. The bride-to-be wears an outfit gifted to her by her future in-laws. A convenient date for the wedding or the Nikaah is fixed after the mangni.

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Mehndi ceremony :

The Mehndi (henna) ceremony is held at the home of the bride-to-be on the eve of the wedding ceremony or a couple of days before it. The female relatives of the girl anoint her with turmeric paste to bring out the glow in her complexion. A relative or a mehndiwali (henna artist) applies mehndi on the hands and feet of the bride-to-be. The mehndiwali usually uses a mehndi cone to draw thin, artistic patterns on the hands and feet of the blushing bride-to-be. The mehndi is washed off after a few hours or kept overnight for a dark hue. The event has a festive feel to it with the women singing traditional songs. The bride-to-be wears sober clothes. According to custom, she must not step out of the house for the next few days until her marriage. Sometimes, the girl's cousins apply a dot of mehndi on the palm of the groom-to-be by his relatives or, in some cases.

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