In this interview, we have a conversation with San Francisco based Indian Wedding Planner, Amrit Dhillon-Bains from Anais Events Design.

Anaïs Event Design is a northern-California based boutique, full-service company specializing in upscale, highly personalized event planning and production of Southeast Asian weddings and celebrations. 

The company prides itself in its attention to detail and amazing results that consistently deliver rave reviews from clients, guests, and peers. 

From a luxurious destination wedding to an intimate dinner celebration, we will travel the earth for our clients. No request is too big or too small for Amrit and her team.

In this interview, Amrit generously shares with us everything we need to know about the role and importance of a wedding planner in an Indian Wedding. 

A professional wedding planner can guide you with creative inspiration, etiquette, fashion, and communication and much more. The benefits significantly outweigh the time and energy you’ll spend if you choose to do-it-yourself (DIY). And if you’re on a budget, Amrit shares ways you can engage with a professional planner for a fraction of a cost with a limited service contract such as a Month of Event Management. 

Please join me in welcoming Amrit to the Indian Wedding Podcast.

Website: http://www.anaisevents.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anaisevents/

Show Notes:

• The most amazing part of an Indian wedding the entire family is that the entire family is involved 
• Started her wedding planning career in stationery (invitations) and then move into styling and planning large scale Indian weddings with 450+ guests 
• Her background in Japanese, graphics design and project management make her one of the top South East Asian wedding planners in the San Francisco Bay Area
• She practices the Japanese Art of Zen and approach to management 
• Wedding planning as a career was the perfect marriage between business and design
• Her source of inspiration is architecture and the city of Jaipur, whose color, pattern and style inspire her.
• Month of Event Management service can be a great fit for individuals:
  • Looking for a limited amount of professional help
  • Are comfortable doing some work themselves 
  • Want professional help but have a limited budget
• Disadvantages of not hiring someone for the entire event
  • You do not get professional guidance from start to finish (ex: finalizing makeup and hair artists)
  • You don’t have the big picture as the service is limited for a short duration 
• Day of Coordination versus Month of Coordination
• Questions you should ask you planned
  • Their experience with multiple stakeholder wedding
  • Experience working at the same venue
• Why you should think beyond budget and focus on needs/ interviewing people
• Stay away from “packages” and ask for what you need
• You can sign up for a full-service wedding planner or start small and then expand 
• Don’t spend too much time on Pinterest
• People do not take the time to communicate the idea or listen to the idea
• Think of a wedding planner as your wedding best friend
  • Your guide for etiquette, fashion, and communication
• Wedding planners are no longer a luxury, they are a necessity
• Your planner needs to know what’s going on inside your head
• Factors in finding your perfect wedding venue
  • Falling  in love with the location
  • Time of year 
  • Guest count
  • Are your guests flying in? Does it need to be close to a central hub?
  • How many events?
  • What kind of view are you looking for? 
  • Restrictions around serving alcohol
  • Noise ordinance
• The goal is to marry constraints with the wishlist
• Creating different areas of interest within the same property
• Finding drama in the ordinary
• Coming up with creative concepts
• The importance of the three and a half page intake form so you don’t have a generic wedding
• “Parking Panda” is a service helping you find parking in San Francisco and San Jose for your guests and relatives
• Tools such as Google Drive, video chats/ calls are quite handy
• Be patient and flexible. This is the greatest day of your life