Do You Need A Wedding Planner?

Planning a traditional South Asian weddings often comes at price. Chaos! According to Wedding Industry Statistics, nearly 50 per cent of brides found that planning their wedding was more stressful than they expected.

From crushed expectations to accommodating others, wedding planning can be a difficult task.

“Wedding planning was so much harder than I expected, there are so many things you have to stay on top off, so much you have to oversee, so many people to please,” Sharel Gill says.

She and her husband Uzbek John were married July 31, 2015. Gill says her wedding planner Tajrean Kashem is the only reason their wedding actually happened.

Nowadays more couples are turning to wedding planners for expert guidance. Dulha&Dulhan sat down with planners Neha Chopra and Tajrean Kashem to discuss the major challenges that occur when planning a wedding.

Stress

Stress is inevitable when planning a wedding. However, having an outsider who understands your situation and the process in general can help to minimize stress levels.

“I want to spread as much awareness as possible about the importance of having wedding planners,” says

Neha Chopra, manager and director of South Asian Wedding Centre. Chopra specializes in planning South Asian and fusion weddings.

“The sooner you book a planner, the better it is for you as a bride to be able to relax and to be able to enjoy your day and the entire process,” says Chopra.

“We’ve had situations where a wrong cake has arrived, where vendors did not show up on time. We’ve had a few disasters, but it’s how we make it look seamless to our client that matters.”

Chopra says that she never promises a couple a perfect day because things can always go wrong. What she does promise is that she will handle whatever problems arise with minimal stress or disruption.

Chopra says that more than dealing with the stress of the planning itself, wedding planners help to relieve family stress and strain between couples.

“The tensioning between the bride and groom as the wedding date approaches can sometimes be a problem,” Chopra says.

“I’ve had clients say to me, ‘I can’t wait for this day to be over,’ but having someone like me there to listen to both sides and find a compromise, or even just give them room to vent, makes a difference."

Budgeting

“Budget is one of the biggest obstacles couples and wedding planners face when planning a wedding,” Kashem says.

Tajrean Kashem, creator of Taj and Raj (T&R) Events, explains that couples often don’t account for all the things they want in their wedding.

Most couples have an idea of what they want their wedding to be- from venue, to entertainment, couples begin planning with a mental image of their ceremony. Realizing that you don’t have the funds to make your dream a reality, or struggling to accommodate multiple visions into a tight budget can sometimes lead to anxiety and panic.

With a wedding planner’s assistance, couples have easy access to realistic prices expectations, affordable substitutes and reasonable compromises. Gill says this was true for her.

“For my wedding cake, I initially selected this famous baker that was very expensive. But Tajrean introduced me to a lady that transitioned my views and thoughts into a cake that was perfect for me, and half the price any other vendor in the business would charge,” Gill says.

“Planning a beautiful wedding on a small budget is possible,” Kashem says.

“I always make sure that couples stay within their budget, and do not exceed it unless they decide to spend that extra money.”

Maintaining Tradition

Gill and John had a traditional, Pakistani Christian wedding.

“Keeping up with our tradition is very important, having someone who knows that helping you is extremely important,” says Gill.

Like a lot of first generation immigrants, Pakistani culture plays a significant role in both Gill and John’s family life. Gill explains that because she has lived in Canada her whole life, planning a wedding that adhered strictly to her South Asian background was a little overwhelming.

“There are a lot of customs in the Christian wedding that are hard to keep track of, for example we have two separate engagement parties. But we wanted everything to be traditional, fortunately, Tajrean was willing to research everything and make sure the ceremonies were. I was able to put all my trust in her and take a step back,” says Gill.

Kashem says that even when couples have the same background, they follow traditions differently. This is why couples sometimes have a hard time planning their wedding.

“When you see two different people trying to combine their different cultures, their families. It requires a lot of compromising,” says Kashem. “The right wedding planner can be the perfect buffer for this understandable tension.”

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