"mayun's" and "mehndi's" usually are the most expensive.
so true!! any event(s) besides the actual wedding are extra expenditure....and weigh heavily on the parents' pockets....
the whole meaning behind mehndi/mayun/dholki events was to make the "household" get in the wedding mode...pre-wedding festivities were strictly confined to the closest family members..and involved FEMALES! plus they were done at HOME.
now...mehndis are nothing but a huge bollywood multi-starrer filam with MEN dancing around on perfectly choreographed dances..(which btw is very very embarrassing) totally different from on-the-spur-of the moment...kinda freelance bhangra guys would do to show their genuine happiness...everything on the mehndis nowdays looks so forced....and bleh...
i am sorry..but the whole guys and girls dancing around together in front of EVERYONE and their mother...is absolutely unnecessary!