Candice was my wedding planner extraordinaire! So I figured who better than her to tell you how to throw the best beach wedding ever (since she planned everything about mine.) Feel free to post your questions and comments below and I hope you also have a fabulous fairytale wedding! xoxo
When we were asked to plan MissMalini’s wedding, we were super excited! We were avid followers of her blog, and loved that she is so vivacious and so full of life, we could just imagine what her wedding would be all about. And here is what happened – we had a super fun time planning it and we are just SO happy that both Malini and Nowshad were happy with their wedding and would love to do it all over again!
So, what made their wedding so perfect and full of fun? Here are some ways MissMalini did it and you can do it too!
Get involved – So you hire a wedding planner but that doesn’t mean you stay out of the planning. You could if you wanted to, but planning your dream wedding can be SO much fun! You get to do it only once, so enjoy every moment of it. Malini got involved in most areas – communication with her guests, choreography, invite assembly and lots more. Both she and Nowshad did their research and were clear about what they liked and did not like – this made our job as planners so much easier!
Trust – So you have hired your planner, more importantly a planner that you trust with the most important day of your life. Now it is important to exercise that trust and leave the all important detailing to your planner! We love that while Malini and Nowshad got involved in the planning, they left the details up to us.
Have fun– Malini and Nowshad were clear about one thing – they wanted their wedding events to be FUN! And that’s the way it should be! They had fun with the wedding planning, the recce trips to Goa, the bridal shower, other pre parties, the Dhaka wedding and of course the big fat Goa wedding!
Think of your guests– Malini and Nowshad thought of every little thing to make their guests stay more comfortable in Goa. There were the very popular welcome bags in each hotel room with everything from goodies to munch on, mosquito repellant, sunscreen and bath products (just in case you forget to pack them!). The bag itself was a HUGE hit, so much more practical than the more traditional gift baskets often used. We saw most guests use them as beach bags right away, and we hear the beach bags are being put to use even now, months after the wedding! Then there were the beach goodies at the Mehendi Carnival – sarongs for the ladies, hats for the men, beach sets for the kiddies and frisbees and beach balls galore. And these were in addition to the fun Mehendi gift bags for each lady!
Communicate – With a destination wedding, it is very important to keep the communication going. Let guests know that they need to block the date well in advance, travel details, accommodation options, dress codes and so much more. Malini with her brilliant communication skills and her unbelievable multi-tasking abilities did a great job with this – her guests were always in the loop, either through the wedding website or constant emails!
Rope in the friends – Malini and Nowshad have a great bunch of friends! And what’s more fun than involving them in various areas leading up to the wedding. I love how they were part of the invite assembly, the bridal shower spa-rty, wedding shopping trips and finally the wedding video screening, which was so much fun! Get some help where needed and at the same time make it a fun day with your friends!
Document everything – Needless to say, Malini documented her entire wedding planning process on her blog aptly titled the Domestically Challenged Desi Bride. However, we always urge every bride to maintain a wedding journal. This is a great place to collect inspiration, ideas, maintain timelines and so much more. Besides its great to look back at and relive the planning process, maybe even share it with your daughter when she begins her wedding planning 🙂
The perfect blend of traditional and modern – Every bride wants to do something different, something out of the ordinary and we love that! However, there is nothing more precious that keeping some things traditional and classic – after all it is a wedding! Malini and Nowshad did just this – a fun Goa beach wedding, pheras in a fun, pink Mandap on the beach but they had all their pre wedding ceremonies, played the wedding games and kept their looks timeless and classic. Remember you want to look back at your wedding photographs and not cringe at what you were wearing, or how you did your hair!
Stay calm and marry on – There comes a time when EVERY bride will have a panic attack about something or the other. This is normal. After all it is a wedding, probably one of the most important days of your life and one you have imagined since you were a little girl! However, it is important to know that things can and may not go according to plan – do what you can about it and carry on! Nothing is worth stressing about! You will laugh about these little things later – Malini definitely has some stories to tell, especially her missing suitcase incident (every brides nightmare!).
Personal touches and identity – This is something we cannot stress about enough. Your wedding should reflect your personalities. Fun & vibrant, quirky, classic, elegant & formal – whatever you choose, put your stamp on it! Everything from Malini and Nowshad’s Signature Wedding Cocktail, game selection at the Mehendi Carnival, Baraat on the beach in an open top jeep, quirky tags like ‘Eat me’ and ‘Try me’ on gifts, were all handpicked by them! Guests will notice these details and remember them well after the wedding is over!
We hope these tips help you when planning your destination wedding! And remember, have fun while planning it!
Candice is the creative head and co-founder of Marry Me – Wedding Planners in India. For more information, visit her blog www.marrymeweddings.in/wpblog, follow her on Twitter @MarryMeWeddings, or connect via Facebook!