Wedding is no more a homely affair where relatives would play a major role. Now, it is nothing less than a big fat Indian wedding with professionals taking care of all the nitty-gritty.
Planning a wedding needs expertise and so it is a full-fledged profession today. For big city dwellers wedding planner is not an alien concept. This wedding season, the trend is catching up in Shillong too. A planner takes care of everything, from dress, cake, decor to the minutest details. “We monitor everything. Even for a pin the family concerned does not have to bother,” says Rochelle Mitson Wahlang, the owner of Ask Rochelle at Mawlai Mawroh.
Clifford Thangkhiew, who has been running his wedding planning business since 2004, says time is changing and clients are matured. “When I started the business, it would be difficult to work since couples would decide everything. But now, they are starting to understand about planners. But one thing we must keep in mind, ‘planners just give suggestions,” says Thangkhiew.
With life becoming faster and time precious, many people now prefer to shift the headache of planning the celebrations to professionals. Hiring a planner also gives them the advantage of getting a personalised event.
Many couples go for various themes and convey their preferences for colours, materials and looks to planners who elaborate on the idea.
Ben and Bevan of Moments2Celebrate, who are in this business for the last four years, say they work on various themes for wedding. “The market in Shillong is good and our busiest time is between October and April,” says Ben.
Wedding being an important occasion, both brides and grooms often set challenges of various degrees for the planner, says Ben while talking about themes. “We have worked on winter theme and fairytales. We are always under pressure to deliver the best and make the day memorable for the bride and the groom,” he adds.
Ben, who is an artist, and Bevan have worked for the who’s who in the city which include politicians and bureaucrats.
Rochelle, who also has a tie-up with designer Daniel Syiem, says she does a thorough research before executing any theme-based wedding. “I go back to things like when and how the couple met, how the love story evolved, what do they like and dislike, and things like that. I incorporate the information in my designs and décor,” she explains.
Manhakani Slong, who runs Pearly Belmont Garden along with sister Eriella in Jowai, says a bride or a groom always prefer “something different and personalized” and “we curate according to his or her needs and provide end-to-end event solutions”.
Most planners in the city as well as outside it usually focus on décor. For other things, like food and dress, they have their network. They also help in searching for venues. Ben says he has friends in the hospitality business and bakery and if required, he refers his clients to them.
Besides décor, Rochelle also helps brides with grooming, makeup and hairdos and runs trials before the big day for perfection.
There are a handful of planners, like Edward Pakyntein of Divinity Designer and Wedding Planner in Umsohsun, who take care of dresses, food and décor. “I already have employees at the designing shop. If I get an order for a 360-degree planning, then I hire workers. I monitor everything as I have experience in both catering and décor,” says Pakyntein, who is in the business for the last 30 years.
It takes at least a month to conceptualise a wedding and “the earlier we get an order, the better as time is a factor”, concedes Rochelle, who has also planned weddings in Tura and Jowai.
However, being a wedding planner in a small city like Shillong is challenging. Besides the limited clients who can happily loosen their purse strings, there is always a problem of availability of raw materials.
“The props we make and the themes we work on need some particular raw materials which we never get in Shillong and we have to travel a lot to garner all we need for high-end décor,” says Ben.
Manhakani of Pearly Belmont, which started recently, says there is a major gap in the market for what the couple wants and what is available.
“Many times, the couple does not get what they want on the happiest day of their life. But we make sure that the couple gets exactly what they dream of. Besides, it is a creative business and has its own challenges. We always have to think out of the box to deliver the best always,” she adds.
Ben, who has worked on destination weddings where a couple from a different state would fly to Shillong to have a memorable wedding amid the natural beauty, says the city lacks infrastructure like hotels. “Once I lost a big client because his relatives and friends wanted five-star accommodation and there is none in Shillong. It is frustrating at times,” he points out.
Money is another factor and delivering the best within the client’s budget is another challenge that all wedding planners in Shillong face. Hiring a wedding planner is a costly affair and the minimum cost can be Rs 80,000, says Ben. “The more you shell out the better product you will get,” he quips.
Also, the number of people opting for professional planners is less and most of them go only for decors. “The wedding planning concept here in the North East is not quite clear as in other states. They have not fully understood the importance of a wedding planner,” says Thangkhiew.
Wanphrangsngi Warjri, who got married recently, says she did not know about wedding planners and went to different people for food, décor and dress. However, she says she would like to go to a wedding planner next time there is any function at home. “If quality is good and rate is reasonable then why not. That way our headache will be less.”
The client’s interference and coaxing for their kind of decorations or arrangement often hinder a planner’s work. “It can’t always work the way the couples want,” is Thangkhiew’s pithy reply.
Ben echoes Thangkhiew’s view saying marinating a balance between budget and aesthetics is the toughest job.
“Another important factor is time. Time and duration of work is what really matter to me when I have to do the arrangement,” adds Thangkhiew.
To mitigate the challenges, wedding planners often venture into other event planning. Social media have also helped them gain recognition.
Despite the challenges, the wedding planners in the city feel more people are opening up to the idea as this lessens their work and gives them time to focus on celebrations. Manbhalin Tham, who did not have any idea of wedding planning when she got married in 2016, says she spent Rs 5-6 lakh and on top of that had to take the headache of arranging everything. “For the next wedding in the family, we are sure to go to a planner,” she sounds determined.
(With inputs from Olivia Lyngdoh Mawlong & Nabamita Mitra)