Destination weddings are meant to be memorable affairs, so wedding planner Sheikh Imran Bashir, director, Wilson & Royals, a Kashmir-based company has always recommended to his clients to walk that extra mile to make it even more special. Imran is personally fond of Kashmiri weddings, as there is so much a wedding planner can do in and around the venue of the wedding, he says.
Imran started Wilson & Royals in September 2008, and he provided service for almost five weddings in the same year itself. He has provided services for more than 100 weddings till now. He offers services to over ten weddings each year, and has built partnership with nearly 1,500 vendors. The company, which had only two employees when it started, has now 20 employees.
Imran is a young entrepreneur who has done master’s degree in Mass Communications and Journalism and has done Visual Merchandising from Bangalore and started his journalism career in 2002.
After completing his five years in journalism he decided to switch his profession towards the world of events especially in weddings. Imran has spent almost a decade at the forefront of luxury wedding design. Over the past years, his then startup and now a growing up venture is witnessing a considerable growth.
Imran says this industry is facing ‘scanty’ skilled resources and manpower, leading to the people’s belief that the wedding planning business is highly unorganised and all over the place. However, Imran believes that in the past couple of years, the event management industry particularly wedding planning department has undergone drastic changes making the field more competitive, creative, fun, challenging and methodical. “Let me be clear that what we offer is not what a usual camping agency would do. From creative invitation cards to theme lighting and even makeup, we become an integral part of a wedding,” Imran claims. “We believe in having an eye for details and fine nuances of a wedding. From the carpets to the chandeliers and even the kind of music played in the wedding, a special focus is on making it theme based,” says Imran.
Wilson & Royals is a niche wedding design company that creates unique spaces celebrating the heritage of Kashmir with a modern sensibility. The professionally acclaimed team of young designers work with local artisans and craftsmen to tell personal histories through spaces.
Imran’s team is a mix of young textile designers, architects, event producers, graphic artists and client management experts that make sure that a client’s vision of a perfect wedding is transformed into an actual setting, he says.
“The only tip we can actually give is to trust the professionals you bring on board. We could actually work in a seamless manner because clients used to tell us what they wanted and then left the decisions on us. Also, it helps if you are sure of your choices and are a quick decision maker,” said Imran.
He says guest relations are something a wedding planner cannot compromise on. “So we always ensure that we have a good team on ground who can efficiently solve hiccups, if any,” says Imran.
Even for many big weddings, Imran has a team which takes care of all the big and small things right from logistics to security to anything they may want or need. “At any given point of time, we have multiple people on ground to ensure everyone is taken care of. Our production team which is headed by Ashraf Khan, is always there to help customers in choosing right wedding wears and provide them finest quality services in every way either it’s about beauticians or about makeup,” Imran says.
Imran says during weddings, his company is also very particular about upholding the privacy. “What clients wanted it to be a private affair and we were very discreet and managed to hold the venue. Wilson & Royals, is looking at several luxury and average weddings in the near future. There may be high profile weddings, but we are going to keep you guessing for what we have in store,” Imran says.
Imran says putting a shikara decorated with flowers at weddings has attracted many guests adding that even Moroccan lamps and Middle East sitting trends are quite catchy. “Pastel tones with hints of blue will uplift the beauty of the location. Add exotic flowers typical to the tropical region like orchids, tulips and cherry blossoms-for that wow factor, sprinkle them on the floor and place them on tables in differently shaped vases,” Imran says. He says for evenings, playing with lights and light candles all over is the mantra. “Perfect for a reception night, they always exude romantic vibe. I would also strongly recommend a traditional Kashmiri sit-down dinner with courses of Majlis style and which is perfect match like Middle East,” he says.
“The bride should don a colour-blocked ensemble in muted tones with metallic hints for the day, and slightly darker tones for the night. I also love matching one prominent colour between the bride and groom’s outfits-it always makes a statement,” says Imran. He says that one must enjoy their own wedding and have fun with their guests, so that they can take back memories of much more than yet another wedding in the block.
