Introduction to SOUTH ASIAN Weddings

EMDI WEDDING BATCH 2018 - 2019WEDDING CULTURES & RITUALS – SOUTH ASIAN WEDDINGS

▪10 years of local & International experience.

▪Centrally located Head Office - United Arab Emirates.

▪Over 120 successfully executed weddings across the globe.

▪Experienced and dedicated teams for all aspects of the wedding.

▪Executed weddings across all budgets – USD 25K to USD 6M.

▪We manage limited weddings per year.

▪Endorsed by 16 Tourism Boards across the globe.

Vivaah - The Ultimate Wedding Experience!

Menu Planning &

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& DecorationVenue Selection Designer

Invitations

Guest

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Travel & TransportPhotography –

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Show Direction

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Priests Gifts & Favours Fireworks &

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Honeymoon

Planning

Artist

Management

Destination

Management

VIP

Management

Vendor

Coordination

INTRODUCTION TO SOUTH ASIAN WEDDINGS_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FACTS & FIGURESWHY HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER

Wedding Cultures & TraditionsCelebrations & Rituals

Cuisine Specifics

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DECISION MAKINGTIMELINES AND PROGRESS

FAMILY LOYALTYEXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

Facts and figures

the ever-growing statistics

SOUTH ASIAN weddings – facts and figures

SOUTH ASIAN weddings – facts and figures

✓ Weddings are known to be the high expense events in one’s life

considering the celebrations revolving around it.

✓ Weddings are recession proof: Downturn or not, weddings are

always heavily spent on.

✓ Average attendance of a single event at a South Asian Wedding is

250 – 300 pax.

✓ Weddings celebrations and events speak volumes about ones status

within the community.

✓ Weddings are a part of a $50 billion industry.

✓ Top families have known to compete with each other for the

grandest of celebrations.

✓ International destinations, acts and entertainment are now much in

demand at South Asian Weddings.

WHY HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER?

Failing to plan ….. is planning to Fail

WHAT CAN A WEDDING PLANNER DO FOR YOU

✓ Initial Consultation

✓ Narrow down the search relevant to your preferences and budgets

✓ Negotiate contracts on behalf of the family

✓ Prepare and maintain Budget Sheets or an Expense Sheets

✓ Wedding Invites

✓ Guest Hospitality & Accommodation

✓ Décor and Entertainment Concepts

✓ Photography / Videography solutions

✓ Travel & Logistics

✓ Artist Management

✓ Advice on cost effective options as well as assist with procedures

✓ Liaise with multiple vendors and ensure efficiently as well as timely execution.

ADVANTAGES OF HIRING A WEDDING PLANNER

✓ Understands your needs and requirements and clarifies any doubts the couple or

their families may have

✓ Budgets your wedding on the basis of past experience

✓ Keeps your expenses in check by negotiating on your behalf and providing best

value for money stemming out of experience

✓ Ahead of trends in the event and wedding industry

✓ Suggests best providers in each class – Invites / Entertainment / Décor / Beauty

and Hair / Photo + Video etc.

✓ Relieves the family of their burden and stress so they can enjoy the festivities

and celebrations

✓ Contingency plans in case of Emergency

✓ Ensuring what has been agreed upon gets delivered in a timely manner

✓ A team of professionals managing your event

✓ Comfort level between the planners and the venue

WHO IS YOUR IDEAL WEDDING PLANNER

✓ Not just passionate; but professional too

✓ Past Experience in the destination city of your wedding

✓ Track record and testimonials

✓ Ideally recommended by someone who has hired them previously

✓ Preferably a Brand – a lot at stake

✓ Should have registered address and contact details

✓ Endorsements / Advertisements / Marketing

✓ The preferred venue should have had pleasant past experiences working with

the planner

✓ More proactive than reactive

✓ You’ll know if this is the wedding planner for you at the first consultation itself

Wedding Cultures & Traditions

TYPES OF SOUTH ASIAN WEDDINGS

DEMOGRAPHICS

Pakistani Weddings

Indian Weddings

Nepal Weddings

Bangladesh Weddings

Sri-Lankan Weddings

SOUTH ASIAN REGION

TYPE OF WEDDINGS

Muslim Weddings

Christian Weddings

Hindu Weddings

Sikh Weddings

Jain Weddings

Celebrations & Rituals

MULTIPLE EVENTS ACROSS A FEW DAYS

Mehendi / Henna Celebrations

Mehndi, the Henna ceremony, typically takes place one or two days prior to

the main wedding day. The event was traditionally held separately for the

bride and the groom. Lately, families have been hosting it as a mixed event.

The henna is symbolically placed on the bride's hands. The groom's friends

and family bring along sweets and henna for the bride, and the bride's

family does the same for the groom. Female guests are also applied henna

courtesy of the bride’s family.

Welcome Lunch / Dinner

As a growing trend, families these days are hosting a pre-event celebration

in the form of a Welcome Lunch or Welcome Dinner. This is ideally put in

place should a few guests be arriving at the destination before the actual

celebrations begin. Although this may not be a published event on the

invite, the welcome event has gained popularity and has grown bigger over

time. This is where guests break the ice and get comfortable with each

other. No rituals actually take place at this event.

Sangeet Evening

Sangeet, meaning “music”, was traditionally a function where the women

in the family gather around the bride and sing traditional wedding songs.

Today, it has evolved to a evening of dancing and perhaps the event that is

most looked forward to. Friends and family, practice tirelessly to perfect

their dance moves for this big night. The theme of Sangeet ceremonies

today revolves around the bride and groom – their love life, how they fell

in love, how they met, and so on. International Artists, DJs and

Entertainment Acts are hired by families for their event to stand out.

Puja / Pithi / Haldi Ceremonies

Both sides of the family, the Bride and Groom, have their individual prayer

ceremonies before any festivities or celebrations begin. This marks the

auspicious beginning to the events that follow over multiple days. Usually

not a very large event, the prayer ceremonies are held in the mornings. The

Pithi or Haldi ceremony is the applying of turmeric and sandalwood pasteto the Bride and Groom. This is done for cleansing and beautifying the skinfor that extra glow and radiance for the upcoming events.

Wedding Pheras

Once the groom is received at the Altar, the Bride walks in with her

brothers and sisters to make her way to the Altar. The priest lights the

sacred fire which commences the wedding ceremony. Offerings are made

into the sacred fire as a form of thanksgiving and purification. The grooms

waist band and brides dupatta are tied in a knot and they circle the sacred

fire seven times (pheras) and make the seven vows to each other. At the end

of the pheras, the bride and groom are announced as a married couple.

Baraat

This is when the groom proceeds towards the wedding venue. The groom

along with this entourage of family and friends rejoice and celebrate with

loud drums and dances as they make their way to the wedding altar also

called the ‘Mandap’. Typically, the groom sits on a white horse which is

also richly decorated and he is armed with a sword- a Rajput Often it can

take an hour for the Baraat to move just a few hundred meters. At the other

end, the Bride’s parents along with other family and friends await the

arrival of the groom at the Mandap.

Farewell Brunch

The Farewell Brunch is hosted by the family as a thank-you gesture for the

guests who have attended the wedding over the last few days. This is the

day when guests would check-out of the hotel / venue and may have their

flights scheduled at different times of the day. Hence, the concept of

hosting a brunch sits in well so that the guests can be attended to over a

longer time duration by the family of the bride and groom. The families bid

farewell and share great memories of the celebrations. More often, there is

a farewell gift given to each family also known as the Thank-You Favour.

Reception Evening

Just like all other cultures, after all the customs and rituals are over, its time

to party and celebrate. This marks the first public appearance of the couple

as the newly wed in front of friends and family. In this way the groom’s

side welcomes the new bride open heartedly. The venue is lavishly

decorated and a grand feast is organized for the guests. The guests greet

and congratulate the newly wed. Usually a black-tie event, the evening sees

a host of entertainment shows, speeches by family and friends as well as a

DJ that spins way into the early hours of the next day.

Walima

Walima is the final day of the wedding held by the couple as they host their

first dinner as husband and wife. This is traditionally organised by the

groom and his family. The groom's family, specifically his parents, invite

all of the bride's family and their guests to their home for a feast. More

commonly nowadays, this is held in a marriage hall or hotel banquet spaces

instead. The Walima is typically the most festive event of the wedding

ceremony and intends to publicize the marriage.

Nikaah

Nikaah is an Islamic official wedding ceremony. A marriage contract is

signed by both the bride and the groom in presence of their parents and

close relatives. Wedding is illegal without a Nikaah. The Nikaah is

performed by a religious person who has the license issued by the

government to perform this ritual. The Nikaah could be followed by a Lunch or

Dinner for the guests. This event traditionally has seen the men and women

assemble in different venue spaces but lately this has been seen changing into a

mixed event.

CUISINE SPECIFICS

A DIVERSE RANGE OF TASTE & PREFERENCES

above information is based on higher averages of requests and may vary based on family preferences

MEAT ALCOHOL NOTES

MUSLIM WEDDINGS ✓ r No Pork Items

HINDU WEDDINGS ✓ ✓ No Beef Items

PUNJABI WEDDINGS ✓ ✓ No Beef Items

JAIN WEDDINGS r rNo Root Vegetables, May ask for a separate cooking and serving area

CHRISTIAN WEDDINGS ✓ ✓ Usually a Family Style – Sit Down Dinner

CUISINE POINTERS

DECISION MAKING

Making that final selection

✓ Usually take the forefront in wedding preparations.

✓ Expect to be kept informed about progress on wedding preparations.

✓ Avid interest in the budget and expenses of the wedding celebrations.

✓ High emphasis on enhancing guests’ experience.

✓ Highly influenced by elders and senior family members.

✓ Frequent meetings between both families to check progress and manage

each others’ expectations

✓ High emphasis on food and beverage selection

✓ Retaining customs and traditions

✓ Pressure on wedding venue and wedding planners

Role of family members in South Asian Weddings

TIMELINES & PROGRESS

PRE-DEFINE THE PROCESS

✓ Spend time with the family during walkthrough and venue visits.

✓ Ask whether considering other options for venues or wedding planners.

✓ Host the family for a lunch or dinner if possible.

✓ Get the family met with the Chef or the General Manager of the property.

✓ Send an acknowledgment e-mail or Minutes of Meeting.

✓ Schedule a call a for a follow-up

✓ Don’t be assertive and aggressive.

TIMELINES & PROGRESS

BEFORE CONTRACT SIGNING

FAMILY LOYALTY

REPEAT BUSINESS IS THE BEST REFERRAL

✓ Ensure the best for the client and their guest during the celebrations.

✓ Write a Thank-You note to the client after the celebrations are over.

✓ Remember to greet the client on their anniversary or send a gift.

✓ Keep the clients in mind for future event invitations/weddings fairs.

✓ Seek permission from client to use images for promotional purposes.

✓ Make the client feel special.

✓ Stay connected with the family even after the events are over.

✓ Be present at their celebrations personally if possible.

FAMILY LOYALTY

REPEAT BUSINESS IS THE BEST REFERRAL

Expect the unexpected

it’s not over till it’s over

Expect the unexpected

Interesting Fact! Event Co-Ordinator’s job is the 5th most stressful in the

world. Below are some of the stressful instances during a wedding:

✓ Last moment additions in Artists & Entertainers.

✓ Additional power supply and other Technical aspects.

✓ Rooms hampers to be delivered to every room.

✓ Delay in sending layouts and Technical drawings.

✓ Change in Food & Beverage menus.

✓ Change in guest numbers and room requirements.

✓ Materials and ingredients for some religious ceremonies.

✓ Special dietary restrictions on Food and Beverage.

✓ Requests for special catering from external vendors.

✓ Delays in Flow of Events.

✓ Delays in Rooming Lists and Arrival Lists.

Expect the unexpected

Thank You !!

Any Questions?

Be a part of someone’s Wedding Story

That’s all you may ever need- Martha Stewart