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Wedding Planning - 99 problems but love isn't 1

1/21/2019

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​Above:
My beautiful friend Windy Chiu (sensational makeup Artist) embellishing my completely dried out skin and frazzled hair with her magic because on my engagement day (planned it myself) I was completely dried out including my left contact lens, which I ended up tackling like a boss. If I was not wearing lenses, I would have been blind.  In the photo above, I'm definitely thinking about my parents arriving on time (guests have already entered in the same space as I'm getting my make up done). Sisters are in the outskirts somewhere - I hope they're greeting guests. My cousin MIA because I gave her all my tasks the night before - thank GOD! My friends, no one is around to keep me calm. Girlfriends are calling me stressed DF and my fiance looks happy seeing me getting ready but NOTHING IS OKAY because I'm thinking of tasks while told to relax as Windy is doing my makeup. Okay and I'm not done, just getting started here. Oh and my fiance is wonderful because he has dealt with my crazy over the years. 

Advice. Advise. Advertise & Adulthood.

Well into my wedding planning, I'm already nearing the end with absolutely no finite details, no signed contracts and an overwhelming mind with a very weighed down and bold mouth. I'm loud, irritated and already overdosed in debt and reconsidering my dream wedding gown because well, I just was not prepared for cultural input and mind games.

Laws of love just turned into the regulations of sanity and the ownership of one's needs during the time of marriage. Your wedding is something that you have planned for countless days and nights. And your marriage is just about to begin.

Your dreams are overlapped with the theories of great philosophers on why you need someone to live a great life and how you cannot surface the world's greatest wonders without true love and destiny. But if you have submerged into the great depth of understanding, patience and belonging then why are you resurfacing what you buried to be burdening your aspirations of love and reflections of who you both really are? Here is the first chapter of planning what has become a mechanic shop of hopeless car rental parts to which should be a journey of the soul. Being the eldest, you're probably drowning in debt or else you have accomplished your immigrant parents' dreams by outlandishly holding yourself together throughout stress management and financial clarity. Because hey, you did what they said and it worked and now you're shitting diamonds because big fat weddings are a significant part of your life and all the aunties need to know who you are, what you wore and how they can make their daughter look better or just as good as you. Why does this matter again - inviting everyone? Oh yeah, because you have years of history together but absolutely NO present. Rewind that in your head, the last part. No present relationship with the families that your parents immigrated to Canada with.

If I could host a large wedding with my friends families and all my cousins and extended family members in the country my parents call home, than yes, I would do so but I cannot so I will move forward with my life and to many more splendid shared moments.


Am I too loud for my usual crowd? Has this marriage changed me, yes. Have my views to life changed, yes. Do I still love the man I fell in love with, yes. Am I in love with weddings, no. Do I want to get married, yes but right now I just want to flee the world and talk to God. So here I am God, here I am.

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Above: My eyelashes look great, thank you Windy so long as they don't fall off. Thank you Windy for keeping my eyes on point.

Wedding planning is not ordinary in any way, shape or form. I highly recommend hiring a wedding coordinator/planner if you're in the industry or have absolutely no idea regarding the amount of grey hairs that will suddenly weigh down the sight of your vision - STOP and rethink your planning. Setup a meeting with your families and tell them that what they are getting into is not what you want nor is it worth the arguments and the deterioration of your health to have what truly, is not what a marriage entails. 

Your family and friends that want to help you, will genuinely take time out of their hectic routines and initiate a conversation with minimal research (venue options, dress trials, henna appointments, makeup trials, catering options, video and photo recommendations). These friends are your bridesmaids and groomsmen. If they are not familiar with vendors then they will not reason when you need them over to console you or call you because releasing steam is healthy. A get together in your favourite cafe will spark up dear memories and all you'll want to do is enjoy your time together in that moment. Your conversation will be hotter than your latte. And the latte-foam you once enjoyed solely for time off will now be consumed times five. Is anyone craving a starbucks or dineen treat? I sure am and they should really encourage ubereats to have starbucks on their menu.

The Laws of Love & Compatibility require you and your partner to be in a healthy relationship. I'm going to add in that if you think your journey begins with cluster headaches and sweating off a fever, then no love, you have seasonal changes and a life therapy session in your near future. Do not be afraid to coach your family, once a week with your wedding updates. 



THE PARENTS


​Involvement is not to be taken gently. 

Advice: Show your family photos, a mood board helps but please avoid pinterest as you will be caught in the storm of opportunities and opinions of trends.  Take them to the appointments that matter the most to you so they understand the capacity that the venue can hold, the catering costs (per head) so they can make a calculation and then add in all the details (vendor list) with their costs before anything else. Do not start making your guest list until you have booked your venue, this will save you from the cluster headaches or seasonal changes (I literally have thought of delaying my wedding because my emotions were stirred by the agony of having to discreetly take names off our list).

Your partner is your most important player next to you so USE THEM just do not abuse them. They love you and you love them, that's why you're shifting towards the next chapter..I would want to say dance but the dance looks more like a tragic series of unfortunate events by Daniel Handler. Give yourself a break girl! No one is asking you to have the perfect wedding and no instagram algorithm is going to make back the money you spent on the wedding so stop aggravating your emotions with cheap 'FUND MY WEDDING' tactics. No one is going to fund the event except you. It's a whole other ball game when your parents have saved and planned your day (savings are great). I highly advise on saving for your big day. Event blunders to take shape when details are left unscheduled; this may lead to you developing a narcissistic personality disorder. DO NOT let a mishap change the way you feel about getting married, if this is the case - GIRL, you need therapy. But do not worry, you have your partner and your beautiful life ahead of you and wedding planning is just surfacing your commitment and journey of love and growth ahead. My suggestion, plan ahead and give your family members tasks.

Never leave your venue to 2 months ahead. If you cannot afford the luxuries of the 'big fat indian wedding' then do NOT do it. No one is asking you to indulge in the event for someone else's betterment or visual happiness. Love, this is your wedding and your commitment is no one else's diary entry. It is your guide to one of life's greatest adventures - LOVE.


It is an intimate and priceless journey that you two share. Whatever you want, do it. Do not allow others to make your wedding day itineraries; ones of perfection and poise. What is the perfect marriage - who is ideal? What is the ideal wedding dress? Who is authentic enough to do your makeup? Does your song make you feel euphoric as you raise your head, beneath your veil..? Who has these questions? - I DO! 

So girl, let me tell you. If you think I have it easy, I do not. I have 1000 questions on my mind and this is not healthy. I've just recently learned to release these thoughts and work within my budget as that is the healthy advantage to a remarkable relationship. 

Let me honour my thoughts here and inform each of you clearly. Happiness ignites a flame within you. Be who you two are and enjoy the flowers as they fall from the sky onto the two of you as you enter the venue to celebrate your story. 
Inshallah


Until next time on the Bridal Culture Blog.
I'll hopefully have many more details to share and I cannot wait to share my vendors with you.

Photographer: Liat Aharoni
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Eminent love

10/9/2017

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EMINENT LOVE
The value of friendship
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Surrounded by the scents of jasmine as she graced the sacred steps towards her love, her lace intricacies casted shadows alongside her own. A calling of friendship interrupted her heart beat for a moment to establish a new chapter of her liking; true love. Her heartfelt desire to be with him was her dream come true. Alisha was ready to start her life but before I tell her story, allow me to elaborate upon her bridal henna diary. Grandmother, her mother and best friend were conversing in the early morning of Alisha Lalji's mehndi moments. Her aftercare was being prepared as she went for an adventure starting with a hairdryer. I arrived to Whitby, Ontario on June 27th while being greeted by her very intrusive cat. What a bumble and bee. This kitty was nonchalant about her wedding as well as very much interrogative while she lay there wherever we would be. When it came to adorning her feet the desire to have some space was persuasively interrupted by an adorable meow-sigh of 1, 2, 3..there was much more.

Alisha - definition (Sanskrit) protected by God.

How beautiful. So, she was a blessing bestowed on her family. How perfectly woven she was within her family and friends. She had approached me online while I was in London, England last year and we scheduled in an online consultation at 1 am - Toronto time. As an entrepreneur one is always excited to establish good relations with their clients. In addition to that, I was going through a hard time sleeping when I knew my family in Toronto was celebrating the sun's rays and of course my significant other who I couldn't bare to be a part from. The vows of friendship started to call on old memories. 

It took me some time to render her design as she is also an Artist; a creative individual, a visionary, a possible critic and most importantly a valued artisan. I knew that I had to envision a pattern that would evoke not only her own stories but an exceptional rendering of fine lines and filled filigree that would adorn her hands with lush greens and florals. The vines which encircled her ambient friendship and eternal love churned a wine of reds and deep mahogany on the insides of her palms and crawled curiously throughout her arms and feet. When I received these beautiful photographs from photographer Gillian Williamson I was moved by the modesty in the ornamental details seen in her diary once again. 

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As I hold my breath and let it relax throughout my ribcage, I feel the need to talk to love. As love is my truest friend and comes in all colours. To love, this is what I wrote today:

"Love with all its thoughts on you.
Devouring its subtle glances as you moved.
​I was there, inquisitive for every detail that made you, you. Tranquilized by labour and the day's work, I let go of my every sorrow and turned to you with kindness and forgiveness. Never to forgive myself for the pain that I brought to you. You were always delighted and I shared my pain with you. You never uttered a word of sympathy and congratulated my motive. Each notion paid tribute to my undying note of orchestrating chaos. You still loved me love. You quote my beauty with verses of great voyage and deliver a beautiful smile. I am loud and independent, yet, I cannot fathom any commitment without your consent. I wish to become you as you desire me. 
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Her Bridal Henna Diary was a tribute to an old love story, the oldest in the books. An entry that was written in the stars of when friendship married; true love.

When we find ourselves, we find our other. A reflection of ourselves but in another. It is a beautiful union of universal matter and an orchestra of emotions. Alisha found her true love and followed the trace of opportunity that was written for her. Being in a world, predominantly accessed by digital media we tend to miss out on opportunities surrounding us. Read my next blog post REAL . GOOD on self discovery.
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Love & Tea

8/5/2017

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Love 
    & 
Tea

Photography: Monika Mistry

 
COME into the garden, Maud,
  For the black bat, night, has flown,
Come into the garden, Maud,
  I am here at the gate alone;
And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad,        5
  And the musk of the rose is blown.
 
For a breeze of morning moves,
  And the planet of Love is on high,
Beginning to faint in the light that she loves
  On a bed of daffodil sky,        10
To faint in the light of the sun she loves,
  To faint in his light, and to die.
 
All night have the roses heard
  The flute, violin, bassoon;
All night has the casement jessamine stirr’d        15
  To the dancers dancing in tune;
Till silence fell with the waking bird,
  And a hush with the setting moon.
 
I said to the lily, “There is but one
  With whom she has heart to be gay.        20
When will the dancers leave her alone?
  She is weary of dance and play.”
Now half to the setting moon are gone,
  And half to the rising day;
Low on the sand and loud on the stone        25
  The last wheel echoes away.
 
I said to the rose, “The brief night goes
  In babble and revel and wine.
O young lord-lover, what sighs are those,
  For one that will never be thine?        30
But mine, but mine,” I sware to the rose,
  “For ever and ever, mine.”
 
And the soul of the rose went into my blood,
  As the music clash’d in the hall:
And long by the garden lake I stood,        35
  For I heard your rivulet fall
From the lake to the meadow and on to the wood,
  Our wood, that is dearer than all;
 
From the meadow your walks have left so sweet
  That whenever a March-wind sighs        40
He sets the jewel-print of your feet
  In violets blue as your eyes,
To the woody hollows in which we meet
  And the valleys of Paradise.
 
The slender acacia would not shake        45
  One long milk-bloom on the tree;
The white lake-blossom fell into the lake
  As the pimpernel doz’d on the lea;
But the rose was awake all night for your sake,
  Knowing your promise to me;        50
The lilies and roses were all awake,
  They sigh’d for the dawn and thee.
 
Queen rose of the rosebud garden of girls,
  Come hither, the dances are done,
In gloss of satin and glimmer of pearls,        55
  Queen lily and rose in one;
Shine out, little head, sunning over with curls,
  To the flowers, and be their sun.
 
There has fallen a splendid tear
  From the passion-flower at the gate.        60
She is coming, my dove, my dear;
  She is coming, my life, my fate;
The red rose cries, “She is near, she is near;”
  And the white rose weeps, “She is late;”
The larkspur listens, “I hear, I hear;”        65
  And the lily whispers, “I wait.”
 
She is coming, my own, my sweet;
  Were it ever so airy a tread,
My heart would hear her and beat,
  Were it earth in an earthy bed;        70
My dust would hear her and beat,
  Had I lain for a century dead;
Would start and tremble under her feet,
  And blossom in purple and red.

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​One would give his heart out when he would meet Summer's day, reading line after line in the ambiance of caffeine and haze. An overwhelming gaze appeared when She rose in her teacup skirt to not only swiftly move him, but to create a fix. One that would last an infinite set of years to hold and cherish. As She rose from her seating, the wind moved swiftly across her teacup skirt outlining a verse in florals. He saw his name..a name that she would call her own, true to her heart.
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Unwilling to share her diary's moments with anyone else, Tigger, Monika and I spent the morning with Mithu.
Define - Mithu: a woman of overwhelming intelligence and a heart filled with infinite delight. A character that devours the light and emits all of it within the darkest of nights to keep her loved ones away from hesitating surprises.
Sitting with her on the morning of July 18th, the drapes on the windows casted romantic shadows on the tapestry and mahogany table which I lay down my cones on. I usually pack light but there was something weighing over my shoulders. A process that I had been prone to since I was a mere 11 years old, was all buried. I could not bare witness to this feeling so I let myself work with the idea of Bridal outside it's regular conventional design compositions. Strange though, I had the design right infront of me but I could not figure out where to begin. I was the Artist, 'I AM THE ARTIST.' How could I have possibly let my mind go idle in the start of the appointment? This beautiful bride became a treasure as she filled her morning henna appointment with laughter and an unbearable twitch. As she spoke, I drew and as I drew she blossomed as a new Bride. We worked around a couple sets of arm rubs and intimate finger abrasion. A set of arms (front and back) till her elbow's very curves and feet (5" above her ankles) I versed her favourite poet's verses; 
Tennyson.

Her diary from start to finish was created with her favourite verses from the famous poet Alfred Tennyson. The beautiful photos by Monika Mistry instil each and every memory from that blessed day. Her greatest companion, Tigger joined in on the action as he enjoyed the scent of lavender. We watched the lines dance on her arms as she floated above the earth with her heart locked in a chest adorned in emeralds and delight. Her grandmother came to us to see her transform into a Bride. Trinkets from the family adorned her neck and fingers. An arrangement of gifts from her mother and the voices of beloved family and friends joined us later in the evening. A woman is unaware of the changes that once were custom or known.

What happens to a Bride who is not familiar with a custom? 
Who does a Bride turn to when she is alone?
What colour does she wear during her wedding?
Does she love the conventional wedding? 
Who makes the rules?


Speaking to Mithu throughout her henna diary days as well as during her diary event, we had several discussions on customization and where Brides feel their true selves are reinstated. A Bride becomes a woman in her own element while having support. An avocado is at its ripest when it is the happiest of green, a soft firm hold around an avocado provides this delicious vegetable interest to uncover it's juicy and highly nutritious valuable personality; it's interior beauty. Mithu wished for an intimate and private affair because she was used to this element, she is my perfect avocado. Her choice of Mani Jassal was a suitable one for her transitional period. Being adorned as a Bride, you wish to be at ease and fall into a nurturing state of sheer beauty. She gracefully presented herself while being enhanced by Rav B Beauty Concepts. Her flowers in her hair and romantic updo defined her soft hues and natural tan. 

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The fairies dressed themselves in pearls so that they could mock her presence. Her beauty was that of the sun and her heart forever set to her prince. She was eternally casted in happiness. My teacup beauty. Any morning with her is spent just right. When you have a Bride who is so cheerful and affectionate, your world spins itself undone just to have her smile again. Mithu loves her indian heritage but she wanted something that would redefine it in another light. She consulted with me near the end of the holiday season when I had just arrived back from London, England. We spoke for an hour on how she loved english literature and is a teacher. Her personality was elating art's finest creations and I wanted to give her a twist on the Secret Garden while rendering her favourite poem.

For many of us who choose to contrast heavily in our wedding's desires, we would rather invest in feeling than show and tell. Mithu is that Bride. She wanted to feel the warmth of her friends and so she invited her radiant mother to her consultation. A friend, a best friend, a companion for life is your mother. Mithu's mother was a pleasure to meet and talk to about her daughter's favourite moments. They are a compelling duo. When the consultation had completed, I had the pleasure of creating a beautiful rendering for her while the elements danced and spread throughout her palms. 
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At the end of this beautiful chapter, a Bride rejoices with her adored collective of blessings. Voices who she will always be compelled by and an orchestra who she will forever be a part of. Congratulations Mithu, a beautiful Breath of Henna Bride. July 2017.
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TRANSIENT WAVES

1/30/2017

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Styling this editorial has made me confront the urge to style beneath this beautiful sky. The blanket of clouds protects us from our doubt. What we forget to understand is that that very doubt is created when we wish for a blanket or any form of protection. Free yourself this February with love's tranquil bliss. Love yourself again and give this very existence the ode to life.
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Among mountanious rainfalls
Embedding her palms
In emerging crystal banks
Afloat

Gentle strokes along her limbs
Along crevices that bloomed once again
She stood humbly as florals drifted along her skin
Time

Give birth to a being rendered in light
She bares herself
Reigning in crystals delight
Air, water, white
She danced

Written by Sarah Hussain
Photography by Melissa Matheson
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SOMETHING FOR THE SELF
Midnight to living at 29
By Sarah Hussain

As I converse with my inner light today, I hadn't the idea of the pain she had been afraid to admit. It wasn't an ordinary form of frustration but a transition that she was asked to submit herself to. She needed a calling but what she didn't know was that her soul was the one calling out to her. It was as if an alarm was going off constantly but being silenced every time it tried to wake her up. Her slumber was nonexistent to the people around her, her voice would vibrate off her surroundings and then come back to her. Not one individual could hear her speak because they didn't care, they would intoxicate her rise with sultry smog and diffuse her glow with their own anxiety. Then one night, she was confronted by a task that was pending and she thought, "if I combine healthy choices with productivity maybe this will finally complete itself." She took back a step and reminded herself that the work needed to be done by her. Herself. Loving herself.
No one can make you feel good about yourself better than yourself. 
29 - to each and every being in your life craves your energy. Note to self, learn to be selfish for yourself. Everything is temporary.
Changed 

Awakened state - 2017
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Stylist/Henna/Direction: SarahHussain (@breathofhenna). www.breathofhenna.com

MUA: JenelleForde (@jenelleforde). www.jenelleforde.com

HairStylist: ChristinaGomes (@christina_gomes). www.suprememobileandspa.com

Photographer: MelissaMatheson (@melmath)

Wardrobe: MonaLisaBridal (@mona_lisa_bridal_gallery)

HairAccessories: IlienaGeorge (@ilieanageorge). www.ilieanageorge.com

Model: JennaBorisevich. www.peggilepage.com/models/jenna/
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CROWNING OF THE VEIL - Raasta

12/17/2016

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​The weight of THE
​VEIL

​Pulling away the layers of the embellished fittings from around under my bust. I couldn't breathe. As soon as I exhaled my head leaned backwards to straighten my spine. I could not fathom the weight. I felt as though, heaven's greatest had forgotten to take His mighty hand off the crown of my skull. My surroundings were muted by the silence of colours escalading through the corners of my eyes as when the sun's rays would highlight the cerulean waters of the ocean; the veil dropped. I fixed the trinklets hooked onto my bangles and ran a sliver of skin down the side of the embroidered bands to the crevice of my breasts. My fingers poised upwards as my gaze lowered, and I started to walk.  

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The circulation in my waist was concealed and the fluidity of my hips began to sway along the weight of my skirt as I caught a glimpse of her. She looked gently and recited, 'chasm-e-badoor' (to ward off the evil eye). I acknowledged her graciously with a smirk. Alas my neck, which had no meaning; as though it never existed, began to let go of its poise. Gravity showed no mercy as I sauntered towards my reigning throne.

Photography: HENNYGRAPHY

O' Eyes of despair why are you lurking through the windows of my soul.
This is my awakening and I have wished for this ever so dearly.
The details were ideally a dream, a miraculous world woven of the finest silks and the warmth of the lavender incense had the room glowing. I could not see the aisles of leisure and freedom.

​I was raised on the mountains where the birds nurtured me with freedom and my relentless behavior gave heed to the winds of the storm. I never even tied my hair. My locks would surround my body as a void of protection and wisdom; virtuous.
My veil, the veil you have so well defined as my best also came with a world that you never did tell me as I slept. A world of perplexed thinkers, a surrounding of voices in constant turmoil; one where I would never find peace. Truth is that, you; she, her, you never made it clear or found a reason to exist within the turmoil. You simply lived. Did you?
You're probably reading this entry thinking about the stereotypes behind women who are of culture, of belonging to a realm of traditional cultivated thoughts. Minorities? No. We all exist in the world of discomposed thinkers and segregating activists - within our own homes. I love my husband, I truly do but to acknowledge him as my complete that isn't one-hundred percent true. I hasten my ordinary every day without a doubt, my sleep is no longer filled with intrinsic adventures. It is no longer my own.
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You once recited a dream, a story of warriors and if I recall, it went something like this...


Creatures that blossomed from an unearthly
Incomparable union of sacred rituals and blessings.
Bred in silk-spun wombs
Their spines inhaled the nectar
They bathed in the syrup of that very nectar
Where branches of saffron blended
Together with the milk of almonds
 As the nelumbo nucifera carried them afloat;
The Indian lotus.
They were raised as warriors
Their hands soft as the belly of a hummingbird. 

They were voices
Once.
Without pain or cries.
There was once a time
When all was countless
Spirited and free.
Thankfully there is still a mother,
​I wish to be.

As I raise my head, the floral garlands on my wrists revive the glow overlooking my view. The glow that one believes to exist when in union with harmony. It was him all along. My grasp is liberated to unfold this very letter that was embedded in my soul. I had been immersed in the depth of his presence, as he held my hand, he looked into my eyes and his smile opens up another portal. I now recall those dreams that you so generously gifted me as a child, "O' love of mine, your being is to be with the very best. The all vital state of your existence is when you know yourself and he accepts you true."

Stepping on the stage to be crowned, as his wife, with him, a man - his name was announced. This was your letter and my day is today. Your recitings before I left home were to protect but to also instill the very teachings you were taught. The veil is of a prevailing state.  Laughter of a blooming household; a shelter for the traveler, a mirage of passage through cultural narratives. I was the center of my home. The veil was my power and I wore it as my crown. A veil is worn by a Bride on her wedding day, an entitlement not every woman can carry forth.
​She is a warrior and life is her battle.                       
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​Credits for the work seen in the highlighted editorial within this written response:

STYLE/DIRECTION/HENNA: @breathofhenna
WARDROBE: @chandanfashion
HAIR: @rachelrenna
MUA: @oliviahabeauty
JEWELRY: @stelladot_toronto
MUSE: @itsnikaneeks
Thank you Genna of Loft 404 for allowing me to bring my verses to life.
​@loft404

​An excerpt from a letter I wrote:

"I humbly accept this union of tranquil bliss and flourishing friendship, devotion and sentiment. This, now, here is infinite as I have waited for this time of the awakened state. I am aware of your delightedness and as I too am delighted. We are aware of the challenges that will grace us with their hindering ventures. But, you and I both know there is nothing that we have not advanced through. We are OK. My friendship will coexist with my love for you as you are what defines my state of being a woman. I hope you can say the same or at least that this moment acknowledges our harmony together. You bring challenging discourse to our times of union as do I and we are still here. We all possess baggage and we need a state of revival - when I met you, you revived me. You shower me with endless opportunity and you are aware of what whirl winds I attain. Let me be open to you, I will guide you and astonish you with remarks but to cherish you as heaven's greatest gift is to not say the least. You are that presence I had seeked for; a longing I had wondered about since the first marriage I attended. I was ecstatic about the trinkets of embellishments and what love was. The veil, if it may weigh heavy, we will pull through. Never to let go of your hand in times of distraught. You are what defines great men and I have been so very privileged to have you in my life."

​- HUSSAIN

I hope you all have enjoyed another written piece by me and will comment below. Again this is a personal blog. If you would like to further discuss the symbolism that is behind this piece, please do send an email: breathofhenna@gmail.com. Thank you for reading this. 
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BRIDAL CULTURE - Bride Hania Zaman

10/20/2016

5 Comments

 
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These stories are woven in between veins, hidden away; so deep beneath our corsets. Our souls, entrenched in words that are broadcasted only through our hearts surrounded in cages of bone and blood. Here you see Hania Zaman - our BRIDE in an exuberant arrangement of thread work and embellishment. Created by one of Pakistan's finest Bridal designers ELAN. When is marriage instilled in a young girl? Why do we dream of great romance or that marriage is eternal bliss? Culture to its finest craftsmanship. A great woman always says, right after sunset 'Never wish or feel ill about your future, especially when it comes to marriage. Hold true to your being and remain strong. A great man of your desires will come and keep you happy. This is my wish' - Mama.
 


love exists

in the realm of
culture.
DEFINE: BRIDE
   BRIDE
OF THE
ERA

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Quoting my dear Mama isn't to raise any form of bewilderment. She tells the truth. We work hard to maintain a balance between life, family, honour, respect, fitness, health, meditation and everything else you can possibly imagine. So why not wish for the best, the greatest; your greatest! This is how she was raised and millions of other young girls. To be calm and collect while the world is in turmoil. If your family ever needed you, you either complete your work in advance or you let your breath be your regime. Can you imagine how life would be if with every breath you breathed another thought, another movement. Every step you took was to build your home with love; fervidly contending to your children and significant other. We need several minutes to complete a task, how is this possible? As we grow, we acknowledge our mothers and run around aimlessly trying to build our own force in our homes. My tongue raging endlessly in English after coming back home from school, exhausted while she drinks her cup of tea. I didn't know she was relaxing. She never once needed to, or made it seem that way. MASHALLAH. She listens and till today she is there. A Bride is a woman defined by her upbringing; her mother, if not present, then her father, a sister, a guardian. What I love about this this photograph which was taken by the very talented Athena Blude is that this portrait evokes Hania's eternal elevated state as a BRIDE. Her memories extended in her long hair, woven up towards the sky and gracefully dressed by the heavenly veil. Her jewels are subtle as she wears her simplest all gold set. This is her moment and she remembers all that she was told, heard, read, wrote and folded in secrets close to her heart. Within one breath, she remembers it all.

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Jun 22
I am absolutely in love with your work
and would be ecstatic if you could do my bridal henna!
My wedding is on

August 12-14
​
2016 in CT/RI.
Hania Zaman
​
Hand drawn by Sarah Hussain of BREATH OF HENNA. Now seen in ink on Bridal Henna Diaries. 2016
​
 
It was a blessed summer's afternoon in Toronto during Hania's consultation. Streams of sunlight were highlighting both of our faces while she was sitting in a cafe in Connecticut. While talking to her, all I could focus on was her smile, saturated in summer's eternal bliss. Was she ever so delighted to talk to me about her henna affairs. The smile channeled its way into discussing her appeals into the detailing of Bridal henna and that she adored intricacy. Why would she not? She had two beautifully crafted ELAN gowns for her wedding and reception day where labyrinths of embellishments and threads would talk history. ELAN ELAN ELAN. I was interrupted by a thought where all I could think of was, this was it! An explosion of cultural dialect and Pakistan's exquisite realm of art and design. Memories of my mother's valima (reception) gown flew into place as a flock of doves to a seeded temple. My mind started to tick and tock and then suddenly an assembly line formed into a very tight; inflexible area and I said YES! Within hours before I boarded my flight to LGA airport, Hania had received her Bridal rendering and was ecstatic. I am more than overjoyed with her Bridal Henna Diary as it's my most treasured artwork within Bridal Henna.
Dearest Athena, you have instilled beauty, memories of our childhood into these opulent wedding photographs for dearest Hania and Zahan. Traditions are evoked from the veiling of floral bangles and ornaments adorning her Mehndi (day 2) stain.​
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While creating art, our bodies sculpt and bend into unknown entities. When I work on a bride, I lose thorough sense of my surroundings. It is a state of complete bliss. The distance is only inches away from the form it begins to take. The being I adorn transforms from Bride to be to the BRIDE. I can hear her speak and we share a conversation which whirls alongside harmony. The florals here take the shape of wings and encompass air. The vines are paths we paved together, leaf by leaf; bulb by bulb to write her story (her world). This is not my first time adorning a Bride, each one is different; Hania's Bridal Diary began with the same root of every other Bride; earth, Mehndi. Why was this different? The elation seen in these photographs is illusory. Her aunt had brought in a delicious meal for the two of us but we were both unconscious as the BRIDE OF THE ERA fabricated herself in front of our eyes. It began to rain; the moment when a Bride is bathed as she is to be of her purest state at marriage. We sat in her backyard and moments passed as we were safely guarded inside by the swarm of bees surrounding our drinks of conversation. We went inside to get the work done as her friends were coming. Her best was definitely her sister. 
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Our moments are not to be accepted by others but they for us to accept. The waves will continue to rise and the sores will hereafter, wash away. Hania is a Bride of the Era because she was simple with fine taste. Gorgeous is an understatement. If a woman of culture approaches you in couture and her smile draws light towards your heart, consider yourself the luckiest. You have been touched by a spirited soul. If she is your Bride and keeps you smiling, reflect on your breath and say Mashallah.
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Congratulations Zahan and Hania. May your love be your fairytale. Always and forever a love's dream. 
Moments captured by: ATHENA BLUDE
Henna: BREATH OF HENNA
Bridal Couture: ELAN
MUA: Beauty by Amani
Hair: Aferdita
2016
5 Comments

‘Something borrowed to discover the self’

2/22/2014

0 Comments

 
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Written & Directed by Sarah Hussain.  LIMA ES PHOTOGRAPHY
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 All I ever wished to do was wait till I had that one opportunity to know you; the moment where everything would change because I to become a part of your existence. You lifted my head because you were certain about my capabilities of making the world a better place; my smile. Providing me with dear  companionship in situations where I was uncomfortable, where life was misinterpreted you were there to confide in. I had encouraged myself to do as I pleased when it came to my growth with a career because you told me, I was my satisfaction. 

Then, it happened…I was to be married. The life that you had shown me was suddenly nonexistent; as if the moon had been unstitched from the very night of hope. Awakening that morning surrounded by a floral breeze and white porcelain teacups,  I could see myself admitting to the cultural hesitation that I once was so good at avoiding. 

Being a middle-class family member, I encouraged my personality to shine in Ammi’s reception lehenga (bridal skirt and top) because I knew I wanted to keep her close. The words myself, I, me and being suddenly all reflected a woman I had never thought envisioning. Everyone around me was here to criticize, a glimpse of struggle or discomfort, a constant inquire about why I chose to marry this late. All I can think of is my happiness, underlined with threads of resham with Ammi's smile. Thank you Ammi for letting me love myself first. 
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Notes from Artist: Having a woman, outside of the south asian norm to portray a Bride is never a difficult task. As a Bride, one is always seen being placed into a cultural assumption of following trends, setting trends and creating a personalized wedding. Honestly speaking, there is nothing personalized because family is our birth right. The series of photos with Breath of Henna are created to indulge in the relationship of being the Bride.

VIEW THE STYLED SHOOT FEATURE HERE : 
http://www.indianweddingsite.com/indian-wedding-styled-photo-shoot-lima-photography/
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Her smile, ‘go balle balle’ dance moves are her best moments captured by Photographer Salima Esmail from LIMA ES Photography. The sun kisses Mariam’s skin as she glows and the Henna remains in the contrast to her vivid personality. 
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In conclusion of this series, one will learn to love themselves and appreciate the details that stay as the stain of the Henna. Rav B beauty concepts created a natural look for Mariam, and Kaashni Brar’s hair couture created a whimsical 80’s blow out. The Bridal Lehenga is of my Ammi’s from her wedding reception in 1987, which still feels vivid to the touch. Styling Mariam in the lehenga provides a playful perspective on the arranged marriage and our parents' traditions, 

CREATIVE TEAM
LIMA ES Photography
Sarah Hussain
Breath of Henna
Rav b beauty Concepts
Kaashni Brar
Mariam Chan
2014
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    Saira Hussain

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