Outsource your woes to the wedding planner

11 Mar, 2011, 06.19AM IST, Nupur Anand,

Gone are the days when weddings were pure fun. There was a time when immediate family and friends would gather together and make sure that they took care of the entire business. In fact, the family of the groom or bride just had to show up on time. However, thanks to changing times arranging the entire wedding has become a cumbersome process. It is no longer possible for the families of the bride and groom alone to take care of the entire programme without someone having a temporary nervous breakdown.

No wonder, the wedding planner now gets top billing even in Bollywood movies. The new mantra now is to give the moolah and let someone else take care of your wedding plans. ?Weddings are supposed to be a good time for all, but the close members of the family lose out on the experience as they are preoccupied during the wedding. A wedding planner can deal with the planning and execution part, so you don?t lose out on the fun,? says Farida Venkateshwara of Amante Wedding Planner. Anita Singh, another wedding planner, believes that ?a wedding is now an expression of a person?s wealth and social standing. And that is why people don?t hesitate to spend.? Sure, that is what is driving the wedding industry. According to experts, the industry is estimated to be anywhere between Rs 1,90,000 crore and Rs 2,25,000 crore.

WHAT DOES A PLANNER DO?

A wedding planner plays the role of an organiser, stylist, consultant , coordinator , manager, negotiator and mediator . Wedding Story?s Nirav Parikh says, ?The work spans across various verticals-operations , financials, management and logistics. A planner is a singlepoint person for all your work and troubles. We can take care of everything that you want ? from designing your invitation card to planning your honeymoon.? Venkateshwara says that demand for planners from the middle class is now increasing. She explains , ?It graduates from simply a luxury to a need when both the bride and groom are working and they are unable to take out time for the arrangements. The other instance when people consult a planner is when it?s a cross-culture marriage. A planner can make sure that the wedding has the flavours of both the cultures, without overdoing one. Also, for destination weddings and theme weddings, a planner?s presence becomes indispensable.?

THE ACCOUNTANT

Another important role played by wedding managers is that of an accountant. They not only take care of your finances but can also help you keep a tab on the expenses incurred. But when you approach a planner, you first have to list out your requirements and budget for each and everything is then planned accordingly. The planner also advises you on where you should be spending money. Every time that you exceed this fixed estimate, the planner gives you a reality check so that you don?t end up breaking your bank later. But he will also give you various tempting options. The trick here is not to get carried away or else you can end up exceeding your budget. Says Ekta Dalal, who has utilised the services of a wedding planner, ?The planner did give us various tempting options, but once the budget was clearly defined the planner adhered to it and also made sure that there was no spillover . The theme of the wedding was Radha Krishna and everything was meticulously executed within the specified amount.?

A SHOPPING GUIDE

A wedding manager can also don the hat of a shopping guide. As Lloyd of Lloyd Creation says, ?Planners have a better negotiating power as they know the market well. So they can help you juggle with the prices and also guide you to the better-budgeted places.? Taking this point further Parikh of Wedding Story says, ?Planners have a better rapport with the vendors and so can get deals at a wholesale rate. They can also ask the vendors to throw in freebies with the deal.?

However, a word of caution: a planner may receive commission for directing couples to a particular store. In fact, you should also know the market rates for the services , so that you are sure that your ignorance is not exploited. You should also ensure that there is transparency in the deals that are being executed, so that you are confident that you are not being charged extra. Says event manager and a wedding consultant Shan Khanna, ?The client should make sure that all the billings are done in front of them. The negotiations regarding money with the vendor should also ideally involve the client .? This is to ensure a fair deal.

FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE
Dalal, who hired a wedding planner for her wedding, chose her planner based on recommendation from a relative and says that is the best way to finalise one. However, a little research can throw up details of various planners , but the best way to choose one is if you have attended the wedding orchestrated by a particular planner. Otherwise, the planners also have DVDs, CDs and photographs of the arrangements made by them previously. It will give you a fair idea about the strengths of the planners.

THE COST FACTOR

Wedding planners charge anywhere from 15-20 % of the total budget of the wedding as management fees for the services provided . If you are lucky enough you can manage to get a wedding consultant who may charge just 10%. But if you have finalised the dates late, you may have to cough up more for the professional help provided. One should ideally approach a wedding manager two months before the wedding, if the venue is already booked. If you are still scouting for locations, then visiting a planner five to six months in advance is advisable , as even they can?t help if your dream venue has already been booked. Consultants believe that if you have a very tight budget then there is no reason why you should hire a planner.

But if you are ready to shell out anywhere more than Rs 10 lakh, then it may be worth it. Again, if you don?t plan to spend an exorbitant amount, but still wish to hire a planner, then you should hire one whose charges are at the lower end of the spectrum. Planners are now increasingly becoming a part of small-scale weddings also. As Lloyd puts it, ?People with budgets as tight as Rs 3 lakh have also been engaging planners, but in these weddings the number of people are also as little as 50.?  (sourced : Economics Times)

Looking for same like articles.....Read Ms.Sharell Cook, article Plan a Regal Wedding in Udaipur

Ms.Sharell Cook

http://rajasthanroyalweddingplanner.blogspot.com/2011/02/plan-regal-wedding-in-udaipur.html

Rajasthan's Royal Palace Wedding at Udaipur

Mar 7, 2011 PTI

Udaipur, Mar 7 (PTI) Congress leader Digvijay Singh and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia were among the other guests present today to attend the wedding of the daughter of Arvind Singh Mewar, member of the former royal family of Mewar.

Wedding of Mewar''s daughter Padmaja Kumari will be solemnized at the Citi Palace with Kush Singh Parmar of Gujarat.

According to sources, the invitees have been issued special passes and tight security arrangements are in place. Several bollywood celebrities are also likely to join the wedding later tonight.

Wedding bells for Royal family at Udaipur

WEDDING BELLS FOR ROYALS

Shivraj Singh,the scion of the Jodhpur royal family,who got engaged recently is set to tie the knot by the year-end,while Padamja Kumari of the royal family of Udaipur will also marry soon.

Splendid decorations,with the whole city decked up,gala celebrations in typical Rajasthani style,exotic cuisines,royal delicacies and a long guest list including members of the royal family,besides the whos who of the city,Jodhpur is set for a big wedding this year-end.And everyone who loves a regal wedding,is looking forward to the wedding of Shivraj Singh,son of Maharaja Gajraj Singh of Jodhpur.

Shivraj Singh recently got engaged to Gayatri Kumari,princess of Askot in Uttranchal.It was a private affair and the ceremony was held in the presence of members of the royal families and a few close friends of the families.Since then everyone has been speculating about the wedding date,however the marriage will happen only by the end of this year,as doctors are being consulted on Shivraj Singhs condition, said a friend of the royal family in Jodhpur.

Shivraj Singh,the scion of the Jodhpur royal family and an ace polo player,met with an accident in 2005 while playing a match in Jaipur and slipped into coma due to severe head injuries.He had been confined to bed since the last few years and only now has started moving around slowly, added another source.The marriage will be a traditional wedding,much like the recent engagement ceremony at Maharaja Gaj Singhs residence,Umaid Bhawan,in Jodhpur.The wedding will be solemnised at Umaid Bhawan,like most royal weddings.The guest list will include big names from politics,besides some Bollywood actors as well, added the source.

And there is going to be another royal wedding.Princess Padamja Kumari,daughter of Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur is also set to tie the knot soon. ( By Divya Kaushik Times News Network)

 

Alumni Profiles, Padmaja Kumari Mewar Udaipur

Padmaja Kumari Mewar is a paradox.

She is strongly traditional and, at the same time, boldly progressive. Her concern is the past, which keeps her endlessly focused on the future. She's both of the Eastern and Western world -- and yet she is typical of neither. Her heritage defines her, but in her family she is like no one who has come before her.
Ms. Mewar is more than just one paradox -- she is many. And yet, in her life and in her business running India's HRH Hotels, all of these strands come together seamlessly.

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Born into a family of Indian royalty that traces its lineage back 77 generations, Ms. Mewar is the latest in her family line to serve the Udaipur region in northwest India. Founded by Maharashi Harit Rashi in 734 AD, the State of Mewar, unlike other regions at the time, based its rule on the idea of "custodianship" -- the simple belief that the dewan (prime minister) of the region should act not as king but instead should act as an administrator for the state.

Padmaja Kumari Mewar Udaipur

In the 1,500 years since, custodianship has remained central to the family's mission and duty; thus, it is Ms. Mewar's charge today. An heir to the family legacy, but no longer a dewan in a traditional sense, Ms. Mewar is the Managing Director of Eternal Mewar -- a conglomerate that works to serve and preserve the region in a variety of ways, from education services to hotels and tourism to historical preservation to public health initiatives.

This transition has taken place mostly within the last 60 years. In the middle of the last century, with the affairs of the state changing, the Mewar family began acting not only as custodians to their kingdom but also purveyors of its traditions.

During the 1950s and 60s, Ms. Mewar's grandfather, Mahrana Bhagwat Singhji, re-imagined the family's mission -- extending the call for custodianship beyond the surrounding region to the world at large. Foreign dignitaries on official visits to the state were given lodge at the family palaces and educational and preservation foundations were established in the region.

Later, Ms. Mewar's father, Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, extended these programs to include improved local health care and support for regional arts and crafts. These moves, each with an eye on the future, preserved both the region and the family.

Yet, it was another of her father's decisions -- the one that sent his daughter thousands of miles away from home to study in the United States -- that may very well have been his boldest.

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Padmaja Kumari Newar went to Northfield Mount Hermon, a private boarding school in western Massachusetts, when she was only 16. It was her father's idea.

Studying at a college in America was a necessity, her father thought, and Ms. Mewar would only be better prepared by coming for high school as well. In the summer of 1997, her first in America, he enrolled her in the Exploration Senior Program. The transition, Ms. Mewar recalls, both at Explo and in high school, was difficult -- culturally, of course, but also scholastically.

"In the States, it's common knowledge that what you read in a book is not always the same as the way it is on the outside," she says. "When going to Exploration, I realized the style of education was completely different. I remember still thinking in terms of right and wrong answers. It truly forces you to think for yourself. You know, the whole idea of not necessarily having the right or wrong answer, I think, is one of the things that I picked up in America and I realized it is just much more closely aligned to the real world."

After high school, Ms. Mewar matriculated to Tulane University in New Orleans, where she studied international relations and minored in business. Upon graduation, she moved to New York City and took a job at the Four Seasons. Over the course of two years she worked her way from the front desk clerk to special service liaison for the hotel's most important clients.

Having grown up in a family where custodianship is key and then having worked in the hotel industry in the US, Ms. Mewar developed a unique understanding of how to serve.

"In India, it's in our DNA," Ms. Mewar said in an interview with the New York Times. "We learn it in our nuclear families from the earliest age. On the other hand, Westerners deliver a kind of seamless service that I admire. You don't see the waiter refilling your glass but it gets done."

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After her time at the Four Seasons, Ms. Mewar has returned home to join Eternal Mewar, working as Managing Director and traveling extensively to promote the dozen or so palaces and hunting lodges that make up the hotel chain.

In the past year, she's traveled throughout Europe -- to Germany, Russia, Spain, and Italy -- as HRH Hotels attempts to diversify and expand into new markets. All the while, the notion of custodianship is never far from her mind or far from the company's mission. Today, in addition to the hotels, Eternal Mewar runs schools, museums, and galleries, and also funds charities and helps support local businesses.

"We are very serious about our communities and services and the way we go about doing business," she says. "It really is a living heritage. Every family has family traditions, family heritage, and it [custodianship] is such a strong part of our identity and heritage. My father's worked very hard, and it's only fair for me to think progressively and make sure it doesn't end here. It's a great responsibility. We want to go on for another 1,500 years at least."