Wedding Planners are a growing trend in the Indian wedding industry. Whether you are planning an outdoor beach Gujarati ceremony or an indoor Sikh ceremony, wedding coordinator or Indian wedding planner will make your life easier.
Deciding whether you need a wedding coordinator or planner is another question. Check out our blog Do I Even Need a Wedding Planner | Toronto Indian Wedding Planners to help you answer that question.
If after reading that blog, you decide to have an Indian wedding planner, here are a few things to help narrow your research on How to Pick the Right Indian Wedding Planner.
Family or Couple-Oriented
From our experience, Indian weddings are heavily involved. In most cases, parents are contributing significantly financially for that Big Fat Indian wedding; so, they will have a say. After years of working with major Indian wedding planners, we see some planners are more geared towards involving the family and to ensure family needs are understood at the same time as couples. They will be able to speak Indian languages fluently and care about their parents’ opinion.
Couple-oriented planners will focus their attention mainly on the couple’s need and family will be on a much lower priority. Their focus and care go towards creating an experience for the couple.
We feel it really depends on what you are looking for from your Indian wedding planner, so think do I want to take care of the planning or do I want my parents or will my parents want to be involved heavily in the planning.
Well-Connected or Servicing Planners
Well-connected Indian wedding planners can help you get your wedding published in major magazines such as WedLuxe or Mandala Weddings. Planners who are good at getting your images published will see your wedding from that perspective. They will focus their attention towards wedding stationery and aesthetics, so images get published.
Servicing wedding planners are more about the experience of the wedding. Their marketing model is based on word of mouth and experiences, so brides become their brand ambassadors. These planners believe their core job role is going above and beyond with the couples and their families.
Again, you have to decide what type of wedding planner is right for you.
My Wedding, My Rules or Team Effort
Some Indian wedding planners play by their rules only. They will have their own pool of vendors they trust. If you are working with these planners, then you will be most likely working between one or two makeup artists and with one Indian wedding photographer.
It’s team effort category of Indian wedding planners will work with the team you have hand picked. They will make the vendors’ teamwork in a coordinated way.
You have to decide if you are looking for a strong leader as a wedding planner or you are looking for a team player.
Approach
Some wedding planners are very assertive, and some follow a softer approach. You have to see what you like more, and which will be best suited for your family and friends.
Education
We believe Indian wedding vendors are subject matter experts. They have been to so may Hindu, Sikh and Muslim weddings. You are not only hiring them for that day but for the experience they are carrying with them. The Indian wedding planner you pick should be able to educate why certain things work and others do not.
We feel it’s about a balance. Indian weddings are very long emotional days and you have a wedding planner who is adaptive to the situations. There are times family-oriented or service-oriented are both needed. Sometimes you may need your wedding planner to be a leader or sometimes they will need to show support to your team of vendors.
Try to find the wedding planner who you feel truly is putting an effort to understand your needs. Ask past brides or vendors you have booked for your Indian wedding planner decision.