Metrolife: Weddings with English themes

Krutika Bolaki inspired by her own wedding to start Canvas Events and Designs

When Krutika Bolaki was getting married in Bengaluru, she struggled to find someone who’d understand her taste in wedding decor. This experience led to the birth of her wedding decor company — ‘Canvas Events and Design’. The young entrepreneur spoke to Surupasree Sarmmah about her love for English-themed weddings and the challenges she faced.

What inspired you to turn a wedding planner?

The idea came to me at my wedding. Before getting hitched to a Bengaluru boy, I lived in Mumbai. So I used to come to this city to plan the wedding. I wanted an English-themed wedding without using the typical marigold flowers. However, I couldn’t find a vendor who got the vibe right. That’s when I came up with my own designs and ideas. I found a flower vendor to help me. My wedding was like the first project, though it was much after the wedding that I actually thought about starting my own company. One of our family friends asked me to help them with the wedding decor. That’s how it began. One event led to the other and I am here today, doing what I do the best.

You were the bride and also the wedding planner. What was it like when you were sitting in the ‘mandap’?

(Laughs) I was sitting in the ‘mandap’ and thinking ‘why is this here, this should have been there’. But thank God, I had really efficient workers who took care of everything and it all went on smoothly. And they are the same people I work with even today.

What was your wedding decor like?

There were lots of vintage colours like blues and pinks and we avoided the typical Indian wedding colours like orange, red and dark pink. The colours we chose perfectly complemented the theme of the wedding.

Is it only weddings that you plan?

Though we started as wedding planners, we now do other events like corporate events, baby showers and Deepavali parties for the Embassy Group. This apart, we have also worked on a set design for an ad campaign for Anita Dongre in Coorg recently.

What are the challenges you have faced?

The fact that it is a labour-oriented industry is a challenge in itself. Secondly, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes and it takes a lot of time and effort. Nevertheless, if you are passionate about what you are doing, nothing feels challenging. It the past one year, we have organised 35 weddings and 10 corporate events. Every event is a learning experience for me.

How many people work with you?

We are a team of five.

Are you also into destination weddings?

Yes, we have done a few destination weddings. Goa, Jaipur, Udaipur, Alibagh and Hyderabad are a few places we have organised weddings at. Udaipur was one of the best locations we worked at.