With a rich background in modelling, IT, film direction, and radio jockeying, Amit Hooda discovered his creative passion in event planning. This led to the founding of ‘The Wedding Connections’ in 2009. Over 15 years, he has crafted over 500 experiential weddings across the globe, blending tradition with innovation.
The Wedding Connections
With a diverse background spanning modelling, IT at NIIT, customer service in telecom, film direction in London, and radio jockeying at 93.5FM, I have embraced life in all its forms. My journey took a transformative turn when I discovered my creative side while executing an event for 93.5FM. This moment of inspiration led to the birth of ‘The Wedding Connections’ in 2009. With over 15 years in the industry, I have planned, managed, designed, and executed more than 500 weddings across Turkey, Italy, Jordan, Bahrain, Dubai, Thailand, Azerbaijan and India, all with a focus on creating experiential weddings.
Existing Challenges & How Hoteliers can Help
Planning a wedding in India, especially in a hotel, presents unique challenges. Indian weddings are highly customised, requiring meticulous attention to detail to honour clients’ emotions, traditions, and customs. Many hotels struggle to accommodate such specific requests.
Capacity management is a significant issue. It’s often said that it takes a village to plan, manage, and execute a big fat Indian wedding. The hospitality sector should hire specially trained wedding hoteliers who understand and manage wedding groups efficiently. This would enhance the quality of services, ensuring smoother check-in and check-out processes. Moreover, hotels with limited venues and resources should avoid scheduling back-to-back weddings, as this can compromise the guest experience and create management challenges for wedding planners.
Weddings in India vs. organising Weddings Abroad
Comparisons between hosting weddings in India and abroad can be made across various factors: costs, venue varieties, destination aesthetics, vendor management, resource availability, event scale, and logistics. The demand for each segment varies based on individual preferences, budget, and desired wedding experience.
In recent years, the desire for novelty and innovation has introduced many international wedding destinations. However, weddings in India hold more cultural and traditional significance. The traditional essence in destination weddings abroad is often limited, which is why domestic demand for weddings in India remains strong.
Sustainability in Destination Weddings
At The Wedding Connections, we use recyclable materials like bamboo, organic fabrics, potted plants, and reusable decor such as wooden structures. We also focus on controlling food waste and minimizing paper usage. We actively collaborate with vendors who share our eco-friendly approach, ensuring that sustainability remains at the forefront of our wedding planning and design processes.
