This month we have invited the wonderful Charan from Ivory Events to feature on our Supplier Showcase. We have worked with Charan for over a year now and her input into the barns has been invaluable in helping us understand what couples are looking for when booking an Asian wedding.
Please tell us who you are and how Ivory Events came to be?
Hey, I’m Charan Atti, a Midlands based Asian wedding and event planner; I am the founder of Ivory Events and Weddings. I was born and raised in a Sikh, Punjabi family who loves hosting family and friends over some hearty food! I am a MASSIVE foodie, it is safe to say that it is my first love, followed by all things weddings of course! I am the eldest of five siblings and so naturally that makes me Chief Planner in my family. I absolutely adore travelling, whether that is across the East Coast of Australia or the Norwegian Fjords, I believe my travels have enabled my creativity when it comes to designing the overall theme of any wedding.
I truly believe that every wedding should celebrate tradition but with a modern twist to encapsulate our British Asian heritage. I studied law at University and had planned to become a commercial lawyer, but after returning from my travels, I went on to work in the family business, whilst dreaming of becoming a wedding planner. I decided that I needed to make this dream of mine into reality and decided to intern with a well known Asian planner whilst working for the family business and the rest is history. I started learning everything about planning by working with different suppliers to understand the role they played within a wedding and this helps me even now when putting a plan together. But before that, I worked for the Students’ Union at University (whilst studying) to plan the Fresher’s Fayre.
Can you give an outline of the services you offer?
I really want wedding planning to be accessible and to offer a variety of budgets and needs, after all weddings are a big deal and so I offer three main packages; full wedding planning, power hours and on the day co-ordination. I offer complimentary consultations to couples who are considering working with a planner to take them through what they can expect when we work together.
The full wedding planning package is for couples who wish to work with a planner from the moment they are engaged and would like to have someone manage the “wedmin” in the background whilst they enjoy their engagement. I will help couples find their perfect venue (ahem Hanbury?!). Bringing together their supplier dream team according to their likes is so important, because it means that the couple will ultimately have the day of their dreams. I put together a master timetable that the suppliers work with to ensure that the day runs smoothly and on time. On the day of the wedding, I am probably one of the first suppliers on site and will definitely be one of the last to leave, making sure that the couple, their families and the suppliers are all happy.
Most couples (I may be biased when saying this but brides more so), dream of planning their wedding day, and so my ‘on the day co-ordination’ package may be more suited to them. This involves my team and I joining the planning journey 8 weeks before the wedding and managing all supplier relations so the couple can approach their wedding in a stress free way. I also put together a detailed itinerary for the day that all suppliers work with to ensure the day goes smoothly. The purpose of this package is so that couples can plan their wedding and I come in close to the wedding and manage it so they can enjoy all of their planning with their family and friends. This was exactly what I helped the Hanbury team with at Krupa and Chirag’s wedding in August this year, their very first Asian wedding and a lockdown wedding at that. After having a couple of calls with the bride and her family, I was able to understand exactly what was important to the bride and groom on the day and ensure that the day ran smoothly and on time. It was such a wonderful wedding to be part of, filled with so much joy and emotion. What made it even more beautiful was, Krupa and Chirag were so happy regardless of everything that was happening around them.
Finally, some couples are happy to plan their entire day but need some dedicated support for certain aspects of their weddings, for example recommendations for decor companies or needing some help putting a theme together for their wedding. My power hours are the perfect service for this. You can book in for an hour of my time to go through anything wedding related. It could be things like supplier recommendations or a moodboard-ing session to design the look of your day, these sessions are entirely bespoke to you.
What makes you different to other wedding planners in the region?
I am very detail focused, I believe that every couple should have an entirely bespoke day that is truly reflective of their style. I truly believe in celebrating being both British and Asian. My love for fresh floral designs at weddings is unreal and I always advocate going fresh (if the budget allows!). I also specialise in more intimate weddings (from the traditional 300+ guests) for couples who want to ensure that their families and friends enjoy the day as if they’re guests at the wedding too and do not have to lift a finger.
I encourage all of my couples to use suppliers that are trustworthy and provide excellent service, and that may mean that they are not always specific to the Asian wedding industry, meaning that this always provides the wow factor when it comes to the services that each wedding supplier brings to your wedding.
Share with us one of your favourite memories to date
One of my best wedding memories until now has to be the time where a bride needed help topping up her makeup prior to making her reception entrance. She couldn’t locate her foundation and luckily I had mine to hand, thank God we were the same shade (I have a whole wedding rescue kit in my car – bit like Mary Poppins bag but for weddings!) and together applied the makeup to look perfect again. Just knowing that the bride felt confident before making her entrance was the most rewarding thing.
Oh and I also love the moment before the brides make their entrance to the ceremony. Those precious few moments before are priceless! I love being part of the entrance, as it is just before everyone gets to see the bride and she is often excited to be starting a new chapter in her life! There are literally so many memories to choose from, I could be here all day or maybe I’ll write a memoir…
What are your top 3 tips for a successful wedding day?
My top three tips would be:
1) Delegate all of the wedding decisions to be made on the day to someone in your bridal party so you are not worried and can be a glowing bride all day.
2) Ensure that there is a detailed timeline outlining the running of the day and that all suppliers are aware of this and are working to it.
3) Ensure that your wedding photographer knows who your close family and friends are so that they can capture their expressions throughout the day.