Please take a moment to check these Website Links which could be useful for you to chose the Suppliers.

Travel to India
Travel made Easy : Hotel Bookings and online Travel assistance for Wedding Guests

Wedding Photographers
PhotoTantra : Bangalore based Wedding Photography company
Perfect Day Studios : Based in UK and cover Destination Wedding assignments

From around the World
C & C Photography : Georgia Wedding Photography, Serving Macon, Warner Robins, Perry and Middle Georgia.

TheAvalonMusic.Com : Houston Texas Music agency booking all kinds of bands, music and DJs

Just came across this really amazing piece of Cinematography by Pacific Pictures. A live wedding shot in Udaipur experimented with some planned script.

Kudos to Pacific Pictures! Every couple would now be dreaming of their wedding being shot like this one,

Udaipur looks stunning as always and the movie shows around the Jagmandir, Lake Pichola and old city area very beautifully.

“CITY OF LAKES” The Feature

How soon before your wedding should you hire a photographer?
In most cases you should start looking for a photographer almost as soon as you book your other major wedding arrangements like Venue, Hotel and wedding planner. Keep in mind most of the better photographers are taken a year or more in advance.

What is the advantage of hiring a professional?
A professional takes photographs for a living. As a professional, you can be assured of receiving the highest quality in service and photographs. A professional photographer uses the best equipment and labs to assure your satisfaction. Photojournalist approach of a Wedding eveny has gained lot of popularity in India as well and its not very difficult to locate a Photojournalist in India.

What questions should I be asking?
After you have established that your date is available, be sure to ask these questions:

- How long they have been in business?
- Who will be photographing my wedding?
- What kind of packages and pricing are they offering?
- How soon after my wedding will my photos be ready?
- How much time will you be spending at my wedding?
- What style of photography do they use?

Are my wedding photos available online?
Many photographers have website that allow you to view your complete wedding online .These should be password protected and also allow friends and relatives to view and purchase photos from the site safely. If Photographer is not doing it, your Wedding Planner may know options to have Digital Album designed and uploaded on your Wedsite. See a sample Wedding Storybook here

Do you feel comfortable with this photographer?
It is important that after speaking to the photographer that you feel confident in their ability to work with individuals and groups. A professional photographer can make the day go smoothly and help even in a crisis.

Examine the photographer’s work carefully…take note of the little things:
- do the photos or album tell a story of the entire wedding day or just a series of pictures?
- is there a good mixture of portraits and groups?
- has the photographer captured facial expressions well? Photojournalist do this best!
- do the photos capture the detail of the faces and dresses, or is there too much background detail?

Collaborating with the photographer.
Brief the Photographer About the Wedding
Once you have decided to hire the photographer, briefly outline the details of the wedding such as location, date, time, sequence of events, and other aspects that the photographer needs to know. This will give him/ her time to plan his/ her activities as well as come up with creative and innovative ideas or ways in which he/ she can present your wedding with elegance, grace, and charm. You Wedding Planner must be helping you on this aspect.

What about price?
Prices can start from $700 up into the thousands!! Everything depends on what services you require, and the finished products you will receive. If you want good photographs and albums, then be prepared to spend more. Album quality and picture quality are relevant. Research shows that good photographs runs between 10-15% or the wedding budget. Most couples underestimate the cost of a good photographer by as much as 40-50%. Also remember, the photographs are only a portion of the services you receive from a professional photographer.

Check out
Katha Images : http://www.kathaimages.com/

Goa cracks down on drug-fuelled parties (thankfully Wedding Parties is an exception)

PANAJI, India — Organisers of parties and festivals in Goa will now have to seek state government approval to hold events, as part of a crackdown on illegal drug use in the Indian holiday resort state.

A state government order, seen by AFP, said that all dance parties and festivals, except “traditional” dance parties, festivals and weddings will need permission from the Goa home office.

Junior state home minister Siddhivinayak Naik, who signed the edict, said the decision was taken “in view of the law and order problem and reported use of narcotic substances”.

District government officials in the former Portuguese colony, who previously held the power to grant permission for such events, have been instructed to enforce the directive.

The move comes after claims that the image of Goa — famous since the days of the hippie trail in the 1960s and 70s for its laid-back atmosphere and dusk-till-dawn beach parties — was being tarnished by sex and illicit drugs.

The head of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cesar Menezes, said last month: “Tourism in Goa of late is getting a bad name with Goa slowly emerging as a drug and sex destination.

“There is no basic tourism and entertainment infrastructure in the state. Problems of law and order and garbage will spell doom for the state tourism,” he said in a memorandum to the state government, calling for action.

A series of high-profile crimes against foreigners in Goa have prompted concerns about the safety of tourists, as has the widespread availability of drugs, despite previous police and government initiatives to stamp out peddling.

Evolution of Web has positively impacted everyone’s life and we have started spending more time with our Laptop emailing, chatting, orkutting, tweeting, sharing and what not!

Bride and Groom have got “techie” too!

Personalised Wedding Website i.e. WedSite is not just a fashion now but has become an imperative feature of wedding planning. Couples chose to book a Domain (xyz.com) and develop a Wedsite using “Do it yourself” tools. Couples who go more techie may go for a customised design with favorite colors and Graphics. There are specialised online vendors who would do it for you very professionally.

So what does WedSite may contains?
WedSite is one more “point” to think about and spend time in planning about the content. It could range from your childhood memories, vintage pictures, love story to Save the date, wedding itinerary, venue information etc. Here is the List of sections that you may plan
1. Index or the opening Page should be a Welcome Note and introduction to WedSite
2. Introduction of the Bride and Groom and the families
3. How we met/ Our Love Story
4. Pictures/Video of Childhood, school/college time, pre wedding days, friends etc
5. Wedding Venue (introduction to the Destination)
6. Wedding Itinerary containing the details of the events, venues, time to arrive, dress code etc
7. Accommodation and Travel arrangements : This is one the most important section if you have planned a Destination Wedding. The Guests would expect to be guided for the stay (weather you are paying for them or not), Flights, logistics to reach the destination, Visa, Travel Tips etc.
8. Registry : Couple may provide Links to preferred online Vendors for Gifts/Registries
9. RSVP : A Form to be filled which shall produce a Report of Guests who are attending along with their travel details and special requests.
10. Microblog : Let the Guests post Twitter type comments and interact
11. Contact Page

Benefits are unlimited!
Starting from  “sending e-Invites, smartly managing the Guests, keeping the Guests updated, offering travel assistance, preferred Registry vendors”  to “assuring Guests that the forthcoming wedding is THE Day to be awaited”.

“Planning a Destination Wedding” is a challenge as good as ” planning a wedding in your own Home Town”
While its a fantasy phase for most of Brides its a nightmare as well considering not only you have to please yourself but you also have to make everyone happy who is attending your wedding overseas!

How soon one should start looking into Wedding plan is a subjective question however as a rule of thumb 18 to 12 months in advance to wedding date would make your and Guest’s life simple. You (Wedding Couple), require a lot of time to reserach the destinations, venues, options, wedding planners etc and reach a stage where you are ready to send Save the Date card and inform the plan to your Guests. You need to assure that your Guests have enough advance notice to decide on their own travel arrangements, flights and holiday (For many of them it could be the annual holiday).

Therefore if you start 18-15 months ahead of wedding, you might take 3-4 months time to zero down on the basic plan where you could advise your Guests about the stay, flight, Visa and logistics.. your Guests will still have atleast an Year’s time to plan their travel arrangements.

As the plan progress you shall realise that its imperative to figure out accurate Guests List 5-6 months in advance, It is therefore advised to give a cut off date to your Guests to send RSVP so that you could sort your own budget and estimates well in advance. You might need to intimate the Hotel, Caterer and the Planner about expected number of Guests helping them to gear up accordingly.

Some of the key decisions and the best time to decide on them are
1. Date of Wedding :  18-15 Months
2. Wedding Planner, Destination and Venue, Wedding Website : 15-12 Months
3. Accommodation and travel related arrangements : 12-10 Months
4. Guests List : 8-6 Months
5. Food Menu, Color Scheme, Decoration style, Flowers, Themes, Cake, Photographer, Videographer, Beautician, Giveaways, Bridal Dress, Jewelry, Invitations  etc : 8-6 Months
6. Wedding Events Itinerary and Day wise time Timeline : 4-3 Months
7. Final list of services and deliverable by Wedding Planner : 3 Months atleast
8. Music : 2 Months
9. Transport and Logistics involved during Events : 45 days atleast
10. Final draft of Wedding Plan, Telephonic/Email conversation with the required Vendors like Beautician/DJ/Photographer etc : 45 days

Atleast 30 days ahead of Wedding date you should offload all the details and “deemed tensions” to the Wedding Planner! Just relax and get yourself ready to begin a new phase of your life.

Wedding coordinators play an important role as professionals within the industry. A consultant’s primary function is to help a couple learn, implement and manage all the necessary tasks required to host a successful wedding event.

The wedding coordinator is hired for the simple reason that they know the ins and outs of weddings — the etiquette, the right people to work with, and the ways to manage within any budget. A professional wedding consultant is an experienced, organized, detail-oriented, imaginative, people-person, possessing mature judgment, patience and the expertise to orchestrate this special day.

A wedding planner must be able to remain calm in the face of adversity. Of course, he or she must be personable and, as mentioned earlier, a good negotiator. You are the mouthpiece for the bride and groom when it comes to ordering flowers, hiring a band and photographer, finding a caterer, etc. You must be able to get them the best service for the lowest price — your reputation will depend on it. Networking is also important. Establishing good connections will help ensure that you get good deals. That’s not all. Running your own business, as well as handling someone else’s money, requires that you be adept at handling finances. You must also be very well organized.

A wedding planner must have a good fashion sense. He or she should know about color, music, and flowers. A good knowledge of religions is also imperative, since a wedding ceremony is often a religious one. Related to this, is a knowledge of customs and traditions, which are also part of many wedding ceremonies. Plan to spend a lot of time reading the current bridal magazines, of which there are many, to keep up with the latest trends.

A successful wedding planner needs to be an expert in hospitality, event planning, decorating and wedding trends and traditions. You need to be knowledgeable of the latest trends in wedding products and services, food, music, ceremony and reception décor.

The wedding business is a people business hence, you must be a master in diplomacy possessing excellent communication skills. You must understand the bride’s psychology, including her anxiety and stress, to work well with your client. You must also be an effective arbitrators to help the bride and groom (including their mothers) reach decisions harmoniously on the guest list, music, desired ambience, and other minute details.

You must have good networks, possessing good contacts with high-quality, reliable wedding services. These include photographers, videographers, florists, caterers, hotels, make-up artists, jewelers, churches and rental halls, musicians and disk jockeys, and even travel agents. Most of all, you need to have the skill to coordinate all of them.

As a wedding coordinator, you assume the role of a planner, facilitator, mediator, money manager, artisan and organizer of all parties concerned. Your role is to be “on top” of everything – every finite detail of the wedding. Wedding planners can do just about everything – from arranging a budget and timetable to remembering to bring white bobby pins for your veil. Duties can include setting up appointments, offering etiquette advice, mailing invitations and recording responses, coordinating the decorations, negotiating contracts, and attending to many other details. However, many planners also set their limits as to what they can and cannot do. One wedding planner I know draws the line at writing the thank-you notes.

Weddings, being extremely emotional events, can oftentimes try the patience of a saint. The wedding coordinator must be able to “handle” any situation that will arise. You will be dealing with not with the bride and groom-to-be, but everyone else in their families and circle of friends. Even the most well-planned, beautifully orchestrated event has some sort of emotional twist or turn that a consultant must be able to skillfully negotiate.

I would like to start with quoting definition of a Profession
“A profession is a vocation founded upon specialised educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain”

Keywords : specialised educational training, counsel and service, direct and definite compensation

It takes a while to convince the mind frame of any couple that Wedding Planning is a profession which requires a specialised set of information and an expertise to “make sensible suggestions” related to the upcoming wedding plan and this counseling starts from the very first email. However the other important aspect of recognizing Wedding planning as a profession is “direct and definite compensation” which is normally not realised by the couples while they start communicating with a Wedding Planner.

I do not mean to say that Couples expect a free consultation but they sometime fail to understand at what stage they should expect a professional counseling which is paid. In the very first email correspondence they would like to know the possible venues and logistics which is part of a professional advice. Selection of venue or a location for that matter is a part of “professional advice” while a destination wedding is being planned. A very careful analysis is required to understand the taste, the expectations, the feasibility and the possibility.

Similar is the case with suggestions related to “accommodation”, again that requires a screening of various options, matching the expected deal with the budget, checking availability and furthermore visualizing the logistics if the Events have to be held at venue which are not at the Hotel/Resort where guests will stay. There are so many questions running back of my mind which I know will have to be addressed later like
* Will the Venue Resort allow to use facilities to the non resident Guests?
* Where are people going to be able to change or freshen up in between the wedding and the reception?
* If it is a summer wedding, where will people freshen up after the baraat?
* What is the radius of all of the events over the three to four days, and how will guests be getting there? It’s fine if guests need to rent a car, but how far will they be driving in an unknown city.
* How long does it take to get from one place to another?

Do you think its unjustified to ask for a compensation in terms of “pre wedding consultation” at the very beginning of the wedding planning? It does take a lot of time and efforts at wedding planner’s end to deal with the initial details and most importantly “Making sensible suggestions is my profession”, you know what I mean!

I have almost been habitual of downloading atleast 10-12 inquiries in my inbox every morning from couples across world writing to get married. Many of them have already set their heart over India (or any specific location in India) however there are few who would be just keen to know “how does it work in India and how much does it cost”.

With those who are sending a very casual inquiry its easy to give a ballpark idea of cost pertaining to the major variables like
1. Travel Cost from their country to India
2. Cost of accommodation
3. Price range of the Big Day in summed up as an all inclusive package
4. Other additional services which could be availed
5. Miscellaneous

The above gets a good idea if the plan to fly down to India is a feasible one or not as compared to other destinations the couple might be planning for.

However its a tough challenge to please the couples who want “THE PRICE” for a wedding event where they are not looking for a ballpark idea of cost rather need to understand the cost factors in details. Problem is not to reveal the details to them, it is rather the fact that the figures might mislead them at this stage of planning they are presently.

While towards the beginning of the wedding planning they have gathered some basic information about the destination and might be the potential venues they are very much unsure about “what exactly they would require to organise the wedding events, working out a list of possible things may sound as nightmare to them”. That too when they are deciding to organise it overseas, imagine the kind of confusion they could have for every aspect.

Here its obvious for the couple to approach a Wedding Planner company or may be Hotels directly (some couples even contact Travel Agents) with this big question “how much would it cost”. Within a few hours or days they get several quotations either giving the ballpark idea of cost or just a general pricing list. Couple would try to compare the various quotations to reach to an understanding who is sounding more reasonable and who should they shortlist to talk further.

Here they might be missing a big picture!

First of all I personally do not think that wedding package is a product which could be standardized with certain specifications and sold at fixed price. I am not talking about a “couple only wedding here” who are just keen to exchange their Vows and Rings and declared married at an exotic location. That is a simple case. I am rather talking about the couples who are planning the big day spread over 2-3 days of events which would attended by the Group of guests weather small or large.

Without understanding their detailed requirements in terms of what they have visualized for “the aesthetic feel of the venue, setup in various events, scale of decoration of the venue and the location, quality of services expected, capacity and willingness to spend, specific requirements that might not be cleared to them right now but are integral part etc.”, I seriously doubt how could they be stuffed with several quotations to mull over overnight. There could be pictures to demonstrate the things but here Pictures may not be sufficient to understand what is being delivered and what will be actually delivered.

Couple might not have even seen the destination or the venue personally and it would still be struggling hard to understand who is cheaper and who is costlier and why?

Here is what I recommend to couples to not get carried away by the prototype information available on internet or “fast emails”
1. If you are just keen to find out weather the Destination Wedding would fit in your budget, try to work on the major cost figures and approximations. Wasting time in detailed quotation could be misleading.

2. If you are considering more than one destination then try to shortlist based on your “deciding factor” weather you are willing to go with costlier option if it offers what you want or you would rather prefer something beautiful which is under your budget.

3. Based on the ballpark idea of costs you gather decide about your budget for the major cost points mentioned earlier in post like Air Travel, Accommodation, Events and other special requirements. Without budget if you proceed for planning further you are yourself leaping towards unnecessary details.

4. Communicate your budget clearly to the Wedding Planner making his/her job easier to suggest you possible options and workaround a budget proposal rather then sending blunt list of services with pricing. This budget proposal should contain the list of possible venues.

5. Suggest your priorities while you ask the Planner to work out a budget proposal e.g. if food is more important than the decoration or you are happy with staying at a 3* Resort as long as it offers good services and amenities. You know what I mean!

6. Web is full of Pictures, sort some Pictures of Setup, decoration, color schemes, cake designs, ideas about Favors etc which you like and send them to wedding planner making sure he/she is on the same page you are.

This should give a good start point to take the wedding plan further!

If you do the above exercise even with more than one wedding planner, I am sure you shall be able to better decide who is able to translate you priorities, requirements and budget into a good wedding plan as compared to “you struggling over cut and dry cheese pricing list you receive from several wedding planner and finding difficult to decide who is cheaper .. who is costlier and why”.