'We all keep dreaming, and luckily, dreams come true' (Katie Holmes, actress)
It was the end of summer in 2012 when Ak sent us an email, asking to book a call. She had been nervously searching on dozens of websites and still hadn't found her team. It's not every day that we receive an inquiry from a big wedding group for an Indian ceremony so we really gave it all in the pitch, that was heartfelt and genuine. It paid off.
We still remember Ak and Karan for being super polite. Sonia had a lovely time digging into the Hindu practices and wedding rituals to show a sensible support for their event, and they were really appreciative of our efforts. The guests were flying over mostly from the UK and had different requirements for what concerned the accommodation and their ideal weekend. We joined forces and researched lots on the grounds, after they confirmed that the venue would be Villa Medicea, near Florence. An huge outdoor area, a great golden hour backdrop, royal in all its aspects.
Turning dreams into reality
They chose to have a legally binding ceremony, given the chance and add personal readings and family blessings to decorate the official moment of the ritual. The original idea of using different areas of the property was genius. The villa offers in fact a multitude of smaller, bigger, elegant, less formal rooms and spaces, and using them allows the guests to flow better with the entertainment. What a wonderful way to design your day around the style of each space, and choreograph your emotions accordingly.
The tip of the day
Big groups are certainly a bigger committment in terms of planning. You have to find enough activities and a multitude of options that people can engage with, in order to make the event successful. The choice of activities is fully subjective to the taste of the group, and of course reflects their cultural identity. Italians might find playing with props in a photo booth extremely funny when Swedish people prefer focusing on guessing cheese names during a degustation. "De gustibus", as our Latin ancestors used to say. We really benefited from the opennes of Karan and Ak in telling what their friends love, and what would make their families giggle, so we went with it. Hiring a magician for the night may have sounded odd at the time, but when we heard the laughs coming from the crowd we high-fived and noted this for the future. Your wedding planner becomes your best friend, don't refrain from sharing all that makes you and your group who you truly are.
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