Plan Your Own Luxury Wedding
Prashadi Perera, owner of Wedding Planner.lk, is a wedding planner who specialises in organizing luxury weddings for couples. On our segment this week, she speaks about what luxury weddings are all about.
Tell us a little bit about Wedding Planner.lk and what you do.
We are a company based in Colombo specializing in Weddings, Homecomings and Engagements and have been in the industry for over 4 years. Although we offer 4 main services such as Full Wedding Planning, Partial Wedding Planning, Day Month Co-ordination and Wedding Consultation sessions, all services are specially tailormade for each client giving the couple the freedom and flexibility. As a company we want all our clients to enjoy all the fun aspects of planning whilst getting the couple and their family to enjoy their day to the fullest. Our clients are our greatest motivation, we aim to please, serve, and go above and beyond.
Prashadi Perera
What exactly are luxury weddings?
Luxury weddings will include all of the things that are associated with a traditional wedding whilst giving more attention to details showcasing the best in food, drinks, decor, lighting, and entertainment. Guests should feel impressed with the attention to detail and personal touches enjoying a feeling of anticipation a "what's next?" excitement that naturally progresses from the time of entrance to the ceremony, the meal, dancing and till the end of the event.
Is there a huge market for luxury weddings in Sri Lanka?
Yes. There is a good demand for luxury weddings in Sri Lanka. People would want to have luxury weddings because it can be a childhood dream or they simply want to celebrate their love with their loved ones by giving their guests an unforgettable experience. It may also be that a couple is of a particular level of prestige in their workplace or community, they might feel the need to have a very impressive, high quality wedding to impress their guests and even their guests might actually expect it from the couple.
What are the different things to be considered when planning a luxury wedding?
Attention to detail - A luxury wedding embraces detail and personal touches, showcasing all the elements of a wedding. For example the menu needs to be well planned and inspired, paired properly with appropriate drinks. Centrepieces may be varied table by table; lighting would accent the floral decorations and the set. Music should be carefully selected to create the mood setting. There will a team of attendants taking care of the couple and their guests, along with multiple professional photographers, videographers, sound and lighting technicians, etc. Most importantly, we have to ensure that the guests leave with the feeling that they will never again have an experience quite like this.
Is a luxury wedding largely more expensive?
Yes. A luxury wedding can be more expensive comparatively. However having a luxury wedding does not imply that it will always be more expensive than a traditional wedding. For example a luxury wedding for 100 guests can be less expensive than a traditional wedding with over 400 guests.
As a wedding planner, what do you consider when planning a luxury wedding?
Creating a unique experience, making people feel welcome, considered, and entertained are the key elements of luxury wedding planning. A wedding has a series of opportunities to treat your guests. Whether it’s the food or the entertainment, for me, it’s everything that touches the senses - look, feel, sound, smell, they all come into play. Say for example having ushers to greet and escort the guests rather than people having to pile in to find their table. It’s that touch, that element of experience that people would expect at a luxury wedding.
Can you do a luxury wedding within a budget?
The term ‘Luxury Weddings’ sounds very fancy and very expensive. But simply spending money doesn’t guarantee luxury. Whether it’s a luxury wedding or a traditional wedding we encourage couples to decide their budget at the beginning of the planning stage so that it will allow them to utilise their funds more effectively.
A wedding planner's golden advice for anyone looking to do a luxury wedding?
There is no “most important” element - When planning a luxury wedding the couple has to give equal importance to all the areas and aspects of the wedding. For example if the couple has carefully selected a luxurious menu, however fail to serve the food on time, the guests will not remember that the food was amazing, but they will remember that they had to wait around for food and drinks .Therefore when planning a luxury wedding the overall experience to all the guests matters over one element being unique.
Interviewed by Panchali Illankoon
Photographs courtesy Dakshitha Thamanegama
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