Get to Know the Wedding Pro: TA Weddings & Special Occasions
Written by Adam Hurst on March 8, 2019.
Tagged under: Dubai Weddings, Indian weddings in dubai, TA weddings & Special Occasions, Wedding Planner, destination wedding planners
Each week, we shine the spotlight on Bride Club ME vendor club members, allowing you, our reader, to get up close and personal with some of the best wedding vendors in town. Here, you can learn more about the people behind some of the businesses you may be using to make your wedding day perfect!
This week we have the pleasure of speaking with the founder of TA Weddings & Special Occasions, Tasneem Alibhai. Originally from Norway, Tasneem has called the UK and the UAE home for the majority of her life and is a seasoned event management professional fluent in seven languages. With her home-grown business TA Weddings & Special Occasions, Tasneem’s passion, and mission, is making dreams come true. From baby showers, private soirees, birthdays and of course weddings, Tasneem and her team deliver bespoke, tailor made events to the highest standard. Read on as we go behind the scenes of TA Weddings with Tasneem…
How long has TA Weddings & Special Occasions been established and what exactly do you do?
TA Weddings & Special Occasions launched in 2008. We are a full-service, destination wedding planning company that plan all the way from conception to completion. The services we offer include:
♡ Venue selection
♡ Designing the menu
♡ Guests hospitality
♡ Décor design and themes
♡ On day coordination
♡ Bridal beauty and trousseau
♡ Entertainment
♡ RSVP service and full guest list management
Our projects have taken us all over the globe, from sandy beaches in Dubai and Muscat to ancient buildings in Florence and Turkey. We pride ourselves on delivering the latest trends in décor, entertainment, design, production, and gourmet catering. As event organizers, we don’t just tailor events, we #MakeDreamsComeTrue! Relationship building is at the core of what we do, right from our clients to our suppliers and strategic partners. No matter how big or small the event, we rise to the occasion and we’re proud to have a dedicated team of skilled individuals who are committed to each event. The TA Weddings and Special Occasions crew hails from around the world and boasts diverse cultural awareness. As masterful storytellers, we create the concept from scratch and watch it blossom into an unforgettable event.
What inspired you to set up the business?
I got married when I was very young and planned my wedding in less than 48 hours. You know how when you are growing up you imagine that you are going to have the most amazing fairytale wedding, with the groom riding in on a white horse…Well my wedding was nothing like that! It was a disaster. From my clothes and jewelry, to the décor. Everything went wrong. Over the years I watched the most amazing weddings take place and always wished mine could be like that. When I decided to become a wedding planner, I promised myself that no other bride would go through what I did. In every wedding I plan, I try to live out my own dream. You will always find a touch of me in every wedding I work on. I am now so lucky to be a part of helping a bride’s dream come true. It’s the best feeling ever.
What do you love most about running your business?
The feeling of waking up every day and doing what I love! If you do what you love and are passionate about, you won’t have to work a single day in your life. The only way to do great work is to love what you do, I strongly believe in that.
We understand you specialize in Indian weddings, talk us through a typical Indian wedding setup…
A typical Indian wedding consists of the following 4 – 5 functions that usually take place over a number of days:
♡ Welcome party where the guests are welcomed with a dinner and entertainment.
♡ A youngster party follows the welcome dinner where the “elder” guests go to sleep while the youngsters party into the early hours of the morning.
♡ Sangeet (The word Sangeet translates to ‘sung together’ from Sanskrit and basically means where the celebrations begin) and Henna follows with lots of colorful settings and performances by family members. Henna is applied to the bride and other ladies at the wedding during this time.
♡ The wedding day is where the couple actually get married. Sikh weddings start in the morning and Hindu weddings often take place just before the sunset.
♡ The reception party follows the wedding or takes place the next day.
♡ At the end of the wedding there is always a farewell brunch.
What budgets do you cater for?
We work around each client’s budget. Our fee structure depends on the following
elements:
♡ How many functions
♡ The destination
♡ Number of people if we are handling the RSVP service and hospitality
What’s the most unique request you have ever received from a couple planning their wedding?
While planning a wedding in Europe we realized the holy book (which was needed for the wedding ceremony) was not available in that particular city. We had to charter it in from Vienna making sure the charter flight had no alcohol and meat onboard. This was a rather interesting challenge, but we found a solution and the wedding went ahead without a hitch.
You often plan elaborate Indian weddings, have you seen an increase in inbound Indian destination weddings into Dubai?
For sure yes! Most of our clients are from India or the UK and with such a short flight time and direct flights available we have definitely seen an increase. Also keep in mind that the UAE has something new to offer all the time, from lavish hotels to attractions so it’s always top of the list for Indian destination weddings.
Have you ever planned a celebrity Bollywood wedding?
No, but we would love to one day! We’ll keep you posted!
What is your favorite element of an Indian wedding?
I love coming up with new and unusual themes for all the functions; creating moodboards and seeing the client’s reactions when we propose the themes. The typical question from couples is always, ‘Can this be done?’ I try to keep the themes as different as possible and always think out of the box. My personal favorite function from an Indian wedding is the welcome party and Sangeet/Mendhi.
What are your top three tips for someone attending an Indian wedding for the first time?
♡ Be prepared to taste mouthwatering dishes! Food is very, very important at Indian weddings.
♡ Don’t forget your dancing shoes, the party will go on until the early morning.
♡ Check what type of religious wedding ceremony you will be attending prior to the wedding in order to make sure you dress appropriately on the day whether it’s a Temple, Gurudwara, Church or Mosque.
If you could give one piece of wedding planning advice to our readers (brides to-be) what would it be?
Meet as many wedding planners as possible. It is very important that the Bride, Groom and family click with the planner and feel strong chemistry. At the end of the day, the planner becomes like a family member leading up to the wedding, so this bond is key. I would also advise to always set a budget. I normally have a 3-step budget plan:
♡ F&B
♡ Décor & Entertainment
♡ Trousoure
Lastly, why did you choose to list with www.brideclubme.com?
This is our second year with Bride Club ME and we are very happy with the service Rhiannon the founder and her team provide. It gives us great visibility on google which in turn brings us more leads and helps with brand exposure.
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