The Secret of a Good – Wedding Planner
Any wedding requires a lot of planning, attention to detail, and proper execution. When you think of an Indian wedding, it is a grand affair that lasts through several days and functions. Although they are great fun to attend, only the family and other close members who are involved in the execution will know what they have gone through to make the affair memorable. This is true of every wedding, regardless of scale and budget. The task only gets more complicated when you talk of an Indian wedding in America.
The Indian American population is significant, so the number of weddings being planned and arranged in the community is not insignificant. While you will find a number of weddings follow some American traditions, there are several more that look to have everything Indian and traditional followed, which is when the task can become more challenging.
It is more common, and also much more practical, to avail the assistance of a wedding planner when you have the choice. This is not just for the fancy and larger scale wedding, but also for those much simpler in style as well. There is so much that a wedding planner can ensure without your having to run from pillar to post, and the energy you save can be channeled productively into being around for your family.
Wedding planners take on all arrangements from start to end. They will first arrange meetings with the bride, groom and their families to understand what they are looking for, and then come back to offer their suggestions and plans. Once everyone is in agreement, things move forward full swing.
In the beginning stages of planning, you might be at a loss when you try to assess just what a wedding planner is meant to do. Towards the end, they become almost like family. They can be classy and well spoken, and the very next minute get their hands dirty by climbing up a ladder to hang up and paint some decorations. They will do anything to make your wedding a success. In the words of noted wedding planner Khushboo Barot of Virtues Events, “The role of a planner is to make the wedding planning process as enjoyable and stress free as possible. Depending on your decision on the extent of our involvement in your wedding, our goal is not to take over the planning of your wedding, unless you bring us on board to do just that, but to assist with and offer our expertise in areas where you need help. We are here to keep you organized, on schedule, and within budget so that your wedding is spectacular and you can enjoy every minute of your wedding – from I DO until you leave for your ‘Forever ever after…’”
From the venue and the food to the decor and the invitation cards, from bringing in the decorations to welcoming your guests, the wedding planner has everything covered. You will be presented choices galore. You will even have the option of sampling foods before deciding, and taking a look at some decor options before settling on what appeals most to you. For Indian Americans, the wedding planner can be a great resource. Indian decorations and themes can be difficult to execute in the United States, and outsourcing from India is not always an option. However, when you have a wedding planner at your side, you are certain to have all arrangements to your liking, be it the exquisite Indian chandeliers, bright Indian handlooms or even traditional Indian musicians. Managing even tall orders like flying in celebrities, you can count on your wedding planner to have several tricks up their sleeve.
American weddings normally include very close family and friends who live in and around the area. However, for many Indian weddings, relatives fly in from all over the world to shower their love and blessings on the happy couple. While this is comforting and much looked forward to, it can also be rather difficult to manage. However, a wedding planner will ensure they are lodged, cared for and ferried to and fro. Guest relation management can take half the stress off the wedding, and your planner can ensure everyone is pampered, fed and happy. They can also make sure guests are suitably entertained by providing sightseeing options and activities.
Even though a wedding planner will look into and after all details of your wedding, you still have a big responsibility. The success of your wedding hinges on your choice of wedding planner. While this is a decision only you can make, here are some expert tips that can help you.
Professional wedding planner Nirjary Desai of KIS(cubed) Events advises, “Pick a planner that understands the logistical needs of the overall event from the client side as well as the vendor and venue side, not one that is doing it for the glamorous side of the business. Ask the planner for their previous professional references in client references. It is important to hire someone who has done this and isn’t just doing it because they like to plan parties or helped their family … it’s a whole different ball game to be doing it professionally, and most of all, right! You need someone that will deliver the talk they talk, because at the end of the day, a client wants to be well taken care of every step of the way – especially on the day of execution the planning company will be the glue that holds everyone together.”
Ensure you have checked references, and done some research on the wedding planner, and you can be almost certain to have an unforgettable wedding. Look at the brass tacks and work backwards to check to see if the wedding planner is right for you. As planner Sonal Shah from SJS Events says, “When choosing a wedding planner, experience counts. As the bride and groom, you are hiring someone (a professional) to help you make decisions and use their expertise to make your vision a reality on your special day. Remember cheap prices do not always equal good service. How many times have you bought something inexpensive only to have it fall apart on you? Let’s face it, this is your wedding. By asking the right questions, you will really see how a wedding planner fits into what you have in mind for hiring this professional.”
Find the right wedding planner, and enjoy every moment of your wedding. Not only will you have found an invaluable resource to help in the moment, but you will also have made a friend for life.
