Planning your multicultural wedding

Today I have a follow up post from questions to answer before planning your multicultural wedding and the lovely Ishari from Ishari De Silva weddings is answering a few questions. As a fusion (multicultural) wedding planner and designer she has the knowledge and expertise to answer the following questions in regards your planning a multicultural wedding. Continue reading →

Hiring a wedding planner

Louise from Tighe the Knot tells her story and as to why couples should hire a wedding planner.

“I was originally a teacher of Business Studies and Law but had helped friends with different parts of their weddings for around 2 years before I planned my own. I did love parts of teaching but I love organising and planning more so decided to do a diploma in wedding planning to gain some further knowledge and then set up my own business. I have only had the business for a 4 months but it is slowly getting there and I get to meet some very exciting venues and suppliers on a weekly basis.

I love wedding planning as very few people get to be a part of such a happy occasion as their full time job. Everyone loves a wedding and you usually deal with people who are excited and in love, what could be bad about that? Although there are stressful times, having been through the process myself I know what can help calm people and I hope that I am there to ease the stress so that they can enjoy the day!

I hope to be unique to others in the industry as I ensure I plan the day the way the couple want it, not based on my own ideas or the trends of the time. Although knowledge of fashions can help in the process it is important to realise that every wedding is unique and therefore should be special to the couple. I also help plan hen and stag parties which can be an additional stress to the couple. I like to think I am the go to person for everything wedding based and therefore can cut down the amount of time and research the couple have to conduct.

My main goal for the business is just to keep building fantastic links with some wonderful suppliers to ensure that the couples get the best deals possible, I like to think that everyone can afford a wedding and hopefully this will remain the case in the future. Wedding planners are not a luxury, but can save money and stress for the couple. This can be through discounts that the planner has negotiated, their knowledge of when to get the best deals or just the couple knowing that on the day everything will be sorted without them having to do anything but enjoy it!”

You can view her website here:- http://www.tighetheknot.co.uk/

Or connect with her on facebook or twitter

Memorable Indian Weddings

Indian Weddings are all about splurging and what a better way to do so by inviting your dear friends and relatives in a heritage hotel or a beach resort where everyone will have fun and enjoy the events. We had a talk with Sunaina Sharma from Memorable Indian Weddings who is expert at planning destination weddings anywhere in India and have clientele from India as well as USA, UK, Saudi Arab and Canada. (many non indian residents tie the knot in India).

Here is a quick Q and A round we had with her.

How did this idea of destination weddings and Memorable Indian Weddings happened ?

Oh, it’s a kind of a story. I was working with Cvent, an online event management software company and took a break from my job so that I can have more time for my kid. During this period I thought of going back to studies and did Post Graduate Diploma in PR and events. I was lucky to assist Amrish Pershad, a floral designer based in Delhi ( he is the one who designed the floral sets of the movie Monsoon Wedding) as my first job in weddings. From him I learnt a lot about wedding and that one should always work towards ones niche. Hence I focused myself towards Destination Weddings. And this is how Memorable Indian Weddings was born. We are two partners and each of us looks after client servicing and supplier management respectively.

What makes you unique amongst the plethora of other planners ?

We understand the difference between destination weddings and normal weddings and also how the requirements and desires of one couple differ from another. When it comes to designing, we believe in personalizing weddings down to the finest details to make it unique, memorable and fun.

We are young, creative, full of ideas, approachable and transparent. We work in client’s interest and of suppliers or hotel. E.g., we tell client everything about a hotel; it’s pro as well as con. We don’t just sell hotels for the sake of closing but advise what fits best.

So if you are the bride who wants to trust her planner completely, we are the ones!

Why do you love doing what you do?

Weddings are not just events, there lots of emotions running around at every moment in wedding events. You can actually feel the joy of guests, happiness and sometimes even uneasiness of bride, joy and so much more which can’t just be put in words. It is an honour for us that we share all these moments with our clients.

It feels amazing when you watch all the ideas unfolding and taking shape on the wedding day making it the most memorable day of the couple.

What’s the average size of the weddings you plan?

We have done weddings with just 10 guests to 100 guests. Apart from this, couple weddings are also quite common.

Though when we talk about destination weddings which involve guests traveling from all over the world; it is not always possible for every relative of yours to make it for wedding day and hence generally, we have a gathering of 100-150 guests on an average.

How many weddings do you handle each year?

Wedding planning need lots of ground work, co-ordination, planning and execution. Add to this that remote condition wherein you and your guests are at different location and even different time zones, it needs even more attention and promptness.

We commit ourselves to at-most 10-12 weddings an year.

Could you tell us a few destinations in India to get married?

India is vast in terms of culture and nature both; it is full of colors and rituals. One can get married in Regal way in Palaces of Rajasthan in north or have an intimate wedding on the backwaters of Kerala down the south. Even if you think of chic English wedding on beach, you have Goa beaches are famous for them.

The best part is whether you wish to have a 5 Star Luxury wedding or a moderate wedding, it has options for all. All you need is time in hand and a planner to make your dream come true.

What are your goals?

Might sound quite cliché but our goal is to help bride and grooms in planning their wedding in India and make their wedding day memorable one. We are very happy with the number of weddings we are doing.

As there are many people in India who wish to tie the knot abroad; now we have expanded and have strong supplier network in South East Asia, Italy and Greece as well.

What are your tips for the brides planning for a destination wedding?

Plan in time and hire a right wedding planner. I read it somewhere, there is a planner made for every bride. If you don’t hit with one, move on and find the one with whom you connect. As weddings are emotional events, connection with your planner is imperative.

And on your wedding day, let just things flow and not control them. It is your day and you should just enjoy, don’t worry about seating chart and fireworks timing and leave it for your planner.