JOIN USBut they also bring with them a daunting amount of stress and tension for the families involved in their planning and execution.
Thinking of the zillion things that could possibly go wrong keep most people awake at night making endless checklists.
Enter the wedding planner. The person who promises to take over all the headaches and responsibility, from mehendi specialists to limousines, laser light shows to bridal gowns and whatever else fits into your budget, style and traditions.
Once the responsibility is handed over to the wedding specialist, the couple can supposedly drift towards their wedding date in state of unmitigated bliss minus the tension. But do Bangalorean's really believe that wedding planners are the answer to their wedding planning blues?
“We organised our daughter’s wedding for 900 guests which included a cocktail and dinner reception. Many of our guests came in from overseas and there were a lot of logistics involved. One must start planning at least 8 months in advance and enlist the help of a few close relatives and friends that you can rely on assigning specific tasks for each one,” say Nicky and Sheela Sawhney, who had two large family weddings go like clockwork.
“In my opinion wedding planners do not always get you the best deal or services. It’s much better to go with recommendations. The key factors are the caterer, the venue and the music. Do your own research and sample everything if possible. Running short of food is a disaster that a good caterer will never let happen,” they add.
Sunita and Rajiv were new to the City and decided to go the wedding planner route but were not happy with the results.
“Friends told us later that we ended up paying big sums of money for mediocre services. Since we could not deal with any of the vendors directly, the decorations were unexceptional and not like the photographs we had approved. The waiters were amateur and some of them even ended up inebriated later in the evening,” they say.
“To save money and for easy negotiations contact vendors for a quote over the phone before your first meeting because most hear the word wedding and up their prices. If you go with a planner make sure that they are familiar with your customs. If doing your own planning make a list of the important elements, decide on a date, fix the venue, budget your expenses and delegate tasks,” advises Chaitra Suri, who decided against a wedding planner after her friends encouraged her to do the arrangements herself although her daughter and fiance lived and worked in America and were coming down just in time for the wedding.