A creative person at heart, Manali Jagtap, a vibrant and peppy 20-something youngster, took inspiration from her mother's designer boutique, Nupur, in Bandra, leading to designing for several elite brides.
Soon her management skills took over and that combined with peppy creativity, Manali's 'Wedding Satva' came into existence. She tells us more about the company and being a wedding planner…
Why the shift from being a designer to a wedding planner?
Wedding planning is an extension of my being a designer. Planning too is a creative enterprise! As a creative person, I am always restless to do more, and wedding planning was like the next step and a natural choice.
How do you go about deciding for all the details about a particular wedding?
Every girl dreams of her wedding for years. She collects knick knacks for the wedding from the day she meets her dream guy. Families too have an idea in mind and they want to see it happen during their child's wedding.
So my first step is to get these ideas from the family on paper; then my creativity, my team's efforts and a whole lot of heart and soul makes for the perfect wedding. We tirelessly plan, organise, delegate, monitor and review every aspect so that no detail goes unnoticed.
What exactly is a 'destination wedding'?
Destination weddings are a way to break away from the five star hotel ball room and party lawn norm that weddings usually are.
Sometimes the bride and groom have a dream destination or at times there's a place that holds deep emotional connect to the family.
So whether it's Paris, Bali, Tahiti, Las Vegas or Udaipur, we make sure the destination is secured and the wedding goes as per plan.
How much can a destination wedding cost approximately?
There is no real estimate of the cost as such, since it depends on the place, the season, the number of guests, the grandeur expected, the currency value and many other factors.
Many people approach wedding planners these days, unlike before when only close family used to take care of all details. What do you think has encouraged this trend?
There are many factors which have contributed to this trend. There are more nuclear families than traditional joint families so fewer hands to help.
Then the younger lot doesn't necessarily believe in the rituals of a traditional wedding that the elders do and so they prefer less interference. Higher disposable incomes; well travelled and well heeled younger generation and a general shift towards outsourcing and preference for professional services have added in the numbers.
Is everything custom-made for the bride and groom by you?
Custom made is the new trend. Nobody likes cookie-cutter approach where there are few options to choose. A wedding is an intimate, personal affair so merely choosing from a limited set takes the life and soul out of it.
Instead, we work around the couple's tastes and create a unique identity whether it's the invite and stationery, the decor or even the menu, so as to make the wedding truly memorable.
How do you take care of out of the town guests for the event?
Out of town guests get a slice of the city through well organised tours of the place, shopping excursions, tasting the local flavour at speciality restaurants and we give them a memento to cherish their trip.
How do you handle all the stress, deadlines, last minute changes etc?
I think of the beautifully perfect pictures that the couple will show all their friends and relatives, the twinkle in their eyes, the smile on their lips and the joy in their hearts and the stress goes in a jiffy.
Why 'Wedding Satva'? How different is it from other planners?
As the name suggests, we essentially try and convey the essence of every wedding to our clients and their guests. We do this by ensuring a truly bespoke experience where every couple and their guests feel treated like royalty. Our biggest strength is our customer-service coupled with our creativity. It keeps the competition at bay.
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