In Pics: Inside Rajwa Al Saif's henna cermony

With the Jordanian Royal Wedding just a week away, celebrations have officially commenced. Last night, Queen Rania hosted a henna party for the bride-to-be Rajwa Al Saif.

The henna ceremony looked like an intimate affair with the women of the family adoring the bride and showering her with their blessing.

For last night’s celebrations, Rajwa wore a traditional white and gold dress by the Saudi-based designer Honayda Serafi. A long white silhouette with intricate gold embroidery detail around the waist and the bodice. Punctuating the ensemble perfectly was the diaphanous veil with similar embellishments that covered her hair.

At first glance, the surface ornamentation may just seem simple and elegant, but the embellishments bear details that hold an emotional connection between the bride and the country she is marrying into. Elements like the Jordanian star, palm tree and the phrase, ‘I see you’ have been etched on the attire.

“Inspired by the traditional Najdi dress known as Sahabi thoub, originating from the Najd region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the design bridges past and present staying true to Ms. Rajwa’s Khalid AlSaif’s roots and contemporary persona. The design features a fully handcrafted veil and dress, flourishing through 3-D ornaments with a mix of silk, metallic threads and traditional reed strings. 7 stars are exclusively present on the veil, symbolizing the 7-pointed Jordanian star,” shared designer Honayda Serafi.

“The veil was accomplished in a record time of approximately 760 hours with a gathered team of experts, craftsmen and women, bringing to life 10 meters of fully handcrafted tulle for the occasion, a process that would generally take about 2,000 hours of work. While the dress was completed over 340 hours of dedicated work, from start to actual realization,” she further added.

Queen Rania chose a powder blue gown with tone-on-tone embroidery for the occasion. Sharing her happiness with her ardent followers, the Queen of Jordan posted a number of images from the night, giving everyone a glimpse of the event.

“No celebration would be complete without our Jordanian family. Celebrating our beautiful Rajwa today! #CelebratingAlHussein.” The carousel begins with a hug between the Queen and the to-be bride, leading to an emotional moment shared between Rajwa and her mother. In other imagery, you can also spot Queen Rania giving a toast, making the bride teary-eyed.

Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan will be marrying Rajwa Al Saif of Saudi Arabia on June 1, 2023. The Royal Hashemite Court released a statement with details regarding the impending nuptials.

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A post shared by Al Hussein bin Abdullah II (@alhusseinjo)

“The wedding ceremony of HRH Crown Prince Al Hussein and Ms. Rajwa Khalid Al Saif will be at Zahran Palace then the wedding procession will move to Al Husseiniya Palace.” Further adding, “At Husseiniya Palace, a Dinner banquet will be held and there will be a closed reception and banquet for the media.”

The couple got engaged last year in August at the to-be-bride’s paternal home in Saudi. Ever since the engagement, the couple have made multiple joint appearances in public, most recent being Princess Iman of Jordan’s wedding in March.

Sneak-peek at Rajwa Al Saif’s henna cermony, along with intricate details of her henna ensemble.