You’ve seen and read everything about the fairytale Virat & Anushka wedding? Or so you think! Here we bring you face to face with team Shaadi Squad, the bunch of wedding planning geniuses who planned it all without letting out a squeal!!!
We’ve all seen the gorgeous smiles on the Virat & Anushka’s faces on their D Day. But they of course, they had the super perfect wedding planners Shaadi Squad working 24×7 to keep them smiling through it all!
So here we are in talks with Tina Tharwani of Shaadi Squad, to shed some light on the latest wedding trends, ideas and wedding planning tips for all of us!
Which are the hottest destinations for weddings in 2018?
Picture Courtesy: The Wedding Salad
We foresee South Africa, Morocco, Israel and of course Italy to be the most sought after wedding destinations this year!
What are the latest trending wedding themes this upcoming wedding season?
We predict the size of weddings to be smaller this year, with more importance to intimacy and close knit affairs will take the frontseat!
And we’re seeing much more emphasis on after parties and wedding parties, marble dance floors, colorful and dense florals, adapting the local culture of the wedding destination in carrying out the ceremonies, creative place cards & table settings, served sit down dinners, to name a few!
How should a couple plan for their wedding? Location first, budget first or decide the theme first?
We definitely feel the client should have a budget first so that you look for venues/locations /event flow/guest list that fit the budget.
Picture Courtesy: The Wedding Salad
Often, clients look at venues that are stunning but not within their budget and then they do not like any other property and have to ‘settle’ for a venue or stretch their budget! Once you know your budget, you can look at locations or decide themes basis the same, keeping other factors in mind.
What’s your Topmost Tip for someone planning a Destination Wedding!
Among many check points that a couple should keep in mind, proximity of venue to the nearest airport as well as it being a direct or one stop over flight is very important! Lots of guests look at convenience at the time of travel.
For someone planning a destination wedding in Rajasthan – What are the places one can look beyond Jaipur, Udaipur & Jodhpur?
Picture Courtesy: The Wedding Salad
Rajasthan is filled with tons of smaller towns. We ourselves have planned weddings in places such as Khimsar and Bishangarh.
Your Top 3 Tips for a couple getting married in 3 months?
- Keep a moodboard ready – know your likes and dislikes – especially in terms of décor and invites. Most of the back and forth takes place when the bride/family is not sure about the same.
- Know your budget and ensure that your planner is also aware of the same. Always keep a 10-20% contingency budget.
- Keep your guest list ready – along with their numbers, addresses or email ids.
So how did you land yourself the wedding of the year?
With all 3 of the Shaadi Squad partners coming from a production background, we have worked with Anushka very closely in the recent past.
Being a private person, Anushka wanted to work with someone she was comfortable with, whom she could trust and whose work she was sure of – especially with the hectic schedules of both her and Virat.
What was more difficult – planning a celebrity Indian wedding in Italy or keeping it a secret?
Definitely keeping it a secret was more difficult 🙂
Picture Courtesy: Stories by Joseph Radhik
It turned out to be a beautiful, private affair in the most picturesque setting! How did you zero in on the venue?
With the brief received, we shortlisted countries and locations with suitable weather – not snowing, but not too hot either; and that were relatively easy to reach – either direct or flights with only one stop-over and convenient timings.
Picture Courtesy: Stories by Joseph Radhik
Among the shortlist, Italy was closest to their hearts and as reported in the media years back, Anushka always had wanted to get married in a Tuscan vineyard. So, what’s better than Borgo Finnochieto, the most apt location– a private village, limited number of rooms, numerous outdoor spaces for various functions and located away from the main city.
How was Anushka as a bride – bridezilla or bridechilla? 😉
Bridechilla to another level. She knew what she wanted and was extremely clear in her brief. As planners, it was our responsibility to keep her updated on what could be done, and what couldn’t be, and also give her alternative solutions.
She was definitely not adamant on things that we told her wouldn’t be possible keeping in mind the weather, the location, keeping it a secret, etc.
We love how their wedding looked so evergreen and classy, yet with a very chic feel to it! What was the basic brief that you started with?
The couple were both very sure that the wedding was to be an extremely intimate affair, with a cozy atmosphere and preferably a location with open grounds and greenery.
Your funniest/most memorable moment while planning the Virushka wedding?
Picture Courtesy: Stories by Joseph Radhik
While the entire wedding planning process was memorable, in the truest sense, the moment we realized that the wedding is actually happening and that they were on board was a BIG moment for the team.
Picture Courtesy: Stories by Joseph Radhik
What was most funny fact about the wedding is that they had come up with dummy names for the couple while talking to all vendors and even while communicating with the team as they needed this to be so closely guarded and were always on the edge about the couple’s identity being revealed!
Something people get confused about a lot – Wedding Planner vs Décor Artists – How would you explain that?
A wedding planner is someone who brings to life all aspects of your wedding – right from getting in touch with all vendors required for the wedding such as the venue, décor, photographer, videographer, hair and make up artists to ensuring that all the work is executed on the day of the events.
Picture Courtesy: The Wedding Salad
The planner is involved in all aspects of the wedding from the beginning. The décor artists are responsible for the visual aesthetics of the wedding. They generate the wedding design and decor concept and how that concept will be threaded through each visual element.
That was Tina Tharwani from Shaadi Squad sharing some great wedding planning insights straight from the Virat Anushka wedding and her other experiences.
