Courtesy of www.Akiyohenna.com

Who are you?

www.Akiyohenna.com

Email: akiyo@akiyohenna.com

Phone: 917-607-6897

What do you do?

I am a professional henna/mehndi artist in the business since 2002. I have a degree in fine arts and specialized in pattern design. I also worked in the textile industry for the past 10 years. Besides henna, I design using body glitter as well as crystals and rhinestones.

Where are you based?

I am based in Astoria, Queens, New York. I usually provide services within Long Island, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut but occasionally travel outside the tri-state area as well.

When and How did you get started in the South Asian wedding industry?

I started doing henna on my own and not at a salon, about 7 years ago with mostly American clients. The first couple of years, I worked parties for bridal shower, birthdays, social events. Eventually I wanted to expand my vision and started doing bridal henna around 2004 and have had a consistent South Asian client base since 2007.

Courtesy of www.Akiyohenna.com

Why do you do what you do?

One of the reasons I do what I do is because I like henna’s artistic expression. I have a huge passion for art itself and henna, to me, is a very unique medium to express my love for pattern design.

Do you work exclusively on South Asian weddings?

My bridal client base is mostly South Asian women. However, I have served a lot of American weddings, as well as other occasions such as birthday parties, holiday parties, bridal showers, and social events.

Describe some of your inspirations.

When I do bridal henna, my inspiration usually comes from my clients’ sense of fashion. I always try to incorporate aspects of their bridal jewelries, saris, etc to create a custom design, unique to the bride only.

Courtesy of www.Akiyohenna.com

What are some mistakes you see most South Asian brides (and families) make?

I feel like often the brides make the mistake of not meeting with their henna artist beforehand to discuss what they actually want. A henna artist’s work in South Asian weddings is as important as the makeup artist or hairdresser.  Also, a henna artist may have a portfolio of pictures but not necessarily his/her actual work. More often than not, the bride may have contacted a salon or company providing the service and the actual artist doing the henna did not do the designs themselves.

Do you only cater to certain budgets only?

My rates are listed on my website. However, I do try to cater to my client’s financial needs

Tell us about your strongest area.

I think what makes my service unique is that I actually meet with the bride and discuss what they are looking for and be clear about what we are actually doing together. With an educational background in fine arts, I draw my ideas from the bride and take her fashion into consideration. I don’t just take a design and place it on the body. I create design thoughtfully to compliment the person and her body. 95% what they get is a custom design and unique only to them. I also mix my own mehndi, for which the powder comes from Morocco directly.

Courtesy of www.Akiyohenna.com

How would you describe your working style?

I think I have a very modern take to this very traditional form of art. I like to work with contrast and spacing and make sure the design flows.

Describe a particularly memorable wedding you’ve worked on.

At one wedding, the bride could not wear mehndi for personal reasons. As a result she motivated me to seek an alternative to mehndi, and got me started on working with gold and silver body glitter along with crystals and rhinestones. You can find examples on my website under luxe glow gallery.

My most memorable event would have to be for a cancer patient who had a double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. She threw a “boob shower” after her successful recovery and allowed me to design around her new breasts.

What’s your number one wedding tip?

Weddings can be overwhelming but it is always good to meet with people providing services beforehand to get a better feeling of their work and express what you expect from them. Sometimes brides go by the prices but the work itself may not be great. Always check the quality of work and it’s worth it to pay a little bit more for something that you will love, especially for such an important event as your own wedding!

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