Hotels are a great option as wedding venues when weddings are fixed to be performed within a limited time frame; when you have a large number of guests flying in from elsewhere and have to be accommodated in one venue; when you have a lot of foreign guests who require a certain facilities that are available only in hotels ; or simply because one likes the ambiance of a hotel to conduct the wedding
When the wedding venue is a hotel, contrary to the belief that everything is taken care of, we have clients approaching us, realising late that a lot of loose ends have to be tied up.
As wedding planners, we see the confused state they are in because except for food and accommodation nothing else is taken care of by the hotel. A wedding – especially a South Indian wedding - has a lot many aspects that need to be addressed when it comes to a hotel wedding.
The wedding décor has to be planned within the available space making sure that all rituals can be performed comfortably in assigned spaces. At times certain aspects needed to execute a particular theme may not be possible keeping in mind that the hotel’s interiors cannot be disturbed or tampered with
South Indian weddings have a lot of movement in terms of the rituals being performed at more than one place. The other guests present at the hotel need to be kept in mind while planning certain events. For example we have the Mappillai Azhaippu or penn Azhaippu where the couple are welcomed with a lot of Aarathi plates right from the entrance of the venue.
The kasi yathirai and Oonjal ceremonies need additional space with a lot of movement happening. These are important aspects of wedding rituals. Likewise in North Indian weddings we have the groom arriving with Baraatis on a horse and special welcome rituals get underway. A wedding planner / Event manager has to ensure that these activities do not hinder the free flow of other hotel guests.
Hotels in general do not have ritual aids. Hence special care needs to be taken to provide things like the Oonjal, Homa Gundam, Kuthu Vilakku, Manapalagai, Ammi kal etc. The Wedding planner has to coordinate with the Purohit or Vadyar in making available all pooja items needed and ensure limited usage of water and fire elements in the procedures. This is mandatory given the fact that the hotels are carpeted all around.
Transport and logistics has to be well planned for the timely arrival and departure of guests to avoid check in and check out hassles. So here again the wedding planner needs to be aware of the travel schedules of the guests.
As far as
goes there are instances where senior citizens are not too keen on certain cuisines or the buffet system or could be vegan. So a timely arrangement of food for them also needs to be planned. There are instances of guests being allergic to certain ingredients, in which case the wedding planner needs to take note of these earlier and notify the hotel catering accordingly. Likewise proper changing rooms adjacent to the wedding hall needs to be organised to manage time lost in walking long distances to rooms located elsewhere in the venue.
The wedding planners must also keep in mind that there are rules to be followed to get approvals for anything extra that is needed to be arranged in a hotel. They have protocols to be followed and as event managers one must respect those and plan ahead for a smooth and successful event.