Five friends. One plan. And, a dream to add a touch of quirky spin to the grandeur of the traditional Big Fat Indian Wedding — by adding a budget-friendly essence to the whole idea. Bengaluru youngsters Vamsidhar, Suhrutha, Guru Prasad, Shivamani, Anujna Ravikumar and Shreya Rao are the faces behind a self-funded initiative, Levitate Events to bring simplicity into the whole “sho-sha baazi” of Indian weddings. “Bringing family members closer, surprisingly the bride and grooms who are mostly a bundle of nerves during their D-day without going overboard with the arrangements is something that always excited me since childhood,” begins Anujna, who founded the concept. They recently completed 150 eco-friendly weddings. While the project arose out of an innate passion to celebrate weddings, she believes in the need to put adequate thought before monetising. “Millenials are increasingly becoming aware of the choices they make. They’re starting to choose meaningful moments rather than the worth of the event. You can use things like bamboo shoots and DIY ideas to create gifts that actually have a lasting impact on the guests and don’t cost a fraction of the price. We believe in using our creativity and being crafty during wedding planning.”
While splurging exorbitant amounts on the decor is the norm, this team strongly advises against it.
“Don’t overlook the needs of their guests. Space out your functions, provide sufficient seating, create experiences that engage guests, and induce conversations. As a rule, we prioritise meaningful moments over how much a client has given us a budget. That said, the idea of incorporating locally made things works best. We haven’t ordered or taken stuff from other firms so that helps us to cost-cut to a very large extent,” opines Shreya Rao. Speaking of the USP of the concept, Suhrutha adds, “Usually people come with a team or rather an army of people to help them out. We usually discourage them from planning everything as we keep an element of surprise.”
Speaking about making an event memorable over expensive, Anujna concludes “The biggest mistake to make is not being true to themselves. Look up on Instagram or Pinterest, put a little thought and you may end up doing the best out of ordinary. that’s the focus and that’s the goal.”
