Wedding planners Saraswathi Krishnakumar and Lakshmi Ravichander love making dreams come true as bride and groom walk into their most important experience yet.
The rise of “Big Fat Indian Weddings” has made the creative journey from RSVPs to post-wedding parties way too extensive and exhausting. Wedding trends are changing every season going from modern yet classic, rustic and traditional, laidback yet elegant, to exotic destinations. The pressure of planning your big day can take a toll and that’s where working with experienced wedding planners can make all the difference.
Meet the dynamic duo – Saraswathi Krishnakumar and Lakshmi Ravichander – who have successfully put together the country’s most exquisite and eccentric weddings. From a Bahubali-themed marriage ceremony to a Japanese-inspired cocktail evening, these ladies will let you watch the magic unfold as you and your family take a comfy seat and enjoy the celebration.
Saraswathi and Lakshmi run an event management company called Event Art which has organised several prestigious weddings across the country. The company has thrown almost all the top corporate, medical and legal families’ weddings in Chennai, like Soundarya Rajinikanth’s and actress Rambha’s, just to name a couple.
This year, Event Art is celebrating its 15th anniversary. With more than a decade into the business, both Lakshmi and Saraswathi have witnessed a shift in the whole wedding scenario over the years. They believe that the concept of nuclear families has encouraged outsourcing important jobs associated with weddings to professionals. “Earlier on, in the joint family set up each member of the family used to pitch in and handle one part of the wedding work. Now professionals take over, allowing the families involved to relax and enjoy the wedding festivities,” says Saraswathi.
Among and along with the family
A wedding planner becomes a part of the family over the intense course of the planning – every minute decision corresponds to the tastes and preferences of members of the household, after all. “Bonds are built not only with the first ring of the family, but with all extended family and friends who are part of the celebration. So we definitely realise the importance of delivering only the best. Top of our goals is to earn the trust of our clientele, because that is how we grow,” explains Lakshmi.
Event Art organises a number of weddings a year and no two weddings are the same. “Each event that we have designed and executed is like our baby and remains close to our heart,” say the duo.
Looking back at a few favourites
“For a family that hailed from Madurai, we created a Madurai theme inspired from the movie ‘Petta’. The décor was everything Madurai, right from the bus terminus to the shops surrounding the temple. The groom walked into the venue with Madurai-themed music from Petta while the girl was brought in, in a film box. And this other time For a Bahubali-themed evening, the couple was seated in a chariot and escorted by soldiers,” Saraswati looks back at a few among so many memorable themes they’ve made happen over fifteen years.
“An entire banquet hall at the ITC Grand Chola was filled with Japenese Cherry blossom trees and fans and lanterns for a cocktail evening. We also created a Bahamas theme party by the beach once,” says Lakshmi recollecting her favorites.
Just hanging with the Ambanis
The duo was also the one that organised the intimate pre-wedding celebration of Mrs. Nina Kothari’s daughter in Chennai. “This remains very special because it allowed us to interact and mingle with India’s apex family – the Ambanis. Having seen the best in the world, their words of appreciation for our décor and work is truly cherished,” says Saraswathi on one of the weddings that has till date stayed close to her heart.
Bringing two worlds together
Event Art specialises in multi-cultural, multi-racial weddings for couples from across the world by blending the best of both cultures while organising the events. “At a baraat in a destination wedding, we had folk drummers hinterland Tamil Nadu, Maharashtrian dhol, Punjabi drummers, Kerala, Chennai players and lion dancers from Singapore,” says Lakshmi. “For a huge wedding in Hyderabad designed by Abu Jani- Sandeep Khosla, in a short span of 5 days, we put together 80 classical dancers and had them perform various styles of Indian dance on multiple stages for a humungous audience,” she adds.
“Though you may be brimming with ideas and would have already visualised what your wedding should be like, seeking help from a professional wedding planner will help you actualise this vision without any stress and strain to go with it,” ends Saraswathi.
