Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan and designer Natasha Dalal sealed their longtime love in the holy bond of matrimony on January 24. Much like their romance, the celebrity couple kept the public eye away from their affairs until after the official ceremonies were over and they posed as husband and wife for the photographers.
Keeping in mind their special bond, the high profile event had to be put together in the most unique and magical way, best suited to the couple’s wishes, while also creating intimate and personalised experiences for the numbered attendees on the guestlist, who arrived to partake in the merrymaking despite the coronavirus scare.
Tina Tharwani, Saurabh Malhotra and Manoj Mittra of ‘Shaadi Squad’ stepped up to the occasion and now, in an interaction with News18, have shared giving this otherwise traditional Punjabi family affair a distinct flavour as they delivered lifetime memories to the newlyweds in a limited time frame of just two weeks. They also shed light on catering to the clients with celebrity background.
Q. What logistics go behind organising a celebrity wedding ceremony like Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal’s or Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ roka?
A. Generally, there is not too much of a difference in planning a regular wedding or a big, celebrity wedding. The pressures differ from client to client. Some may want to go all out, be in the news, and have a larger than life wedding. Some might be more concerned about the security, want it to be more intimate, and make it just a family affair and some might want it to be a smaller affair with unique experiences.
Of course, in high profile weddings, there is definitely a lot more security and maybe more celebrities in attendance as either guests or vendors, or celebrity performances. Hence, you would need to even more meticulous while dealing with them, apart from the couple and their families.
Q. How did Shaadi Squad come on board as planners for Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal’s wedding ceremony? How did Alibaug come about as the location?
A. Given our film production background, we have worked with the families in the past. Having known us for a few years and being familiar with our working style, Varun and Natasha trusted us for the wedding. The families wanted to avoid any destination with a flight travel or a destination away from Mumbai as such.
Surprisingly, even with its proximity to Mumbai, Alibaug is a relatively untouched destination for weddings. There are numerous properties that can cater to 60-80 guests. And with the speedboats, ferry and now the RoRo, it is very convenient for guests and vendors.
Q. Tell us about the time when Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal first approached Shaadi Squad for their wedding. Did they have any ideas of their own as to the look and feel of their ceremonies? What were your inputs?
A. The wedding was honestly planned in two weeks. Both Varun and Natasha were quite clear about it being an intimate affair with only the closest of friends and family present. While they did not have any idea of the look and feel for the functions, they were sure of making it a very family affair or ‘ghar ki shaadi’ ambience. We heard them out and aimed to deliver the same. Given the time frame, there was no time to meet as such and most of the decisions were taken virtually or in real time.
Q. What about Varun Dhawan’s entry on quad bike as the groom at the wedding which went viral on social media?
A. Even though in a traditional Punjabi wedding, the groom enters on a horse, Varun was clear that he wanted to do something different. The idea of a quad bike appealed to him the most, and we made it happen.
Q. How were foolproof arrangements made so that pictures from Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal’s pre-wedding and wedding ceremonies did not leak on social media?
A. There were a number of protocols we had to put in place to ensure photos were not leaked. For instance, we had Non-disclosure Agreements (NDAs) signed with numerous vendors. Plus, all those who had to be present at the main venue had tamper proof stickers put on the front and back of their mobile phone cameras to ensure they couldn’t click any photos.
We had put up a high masking around the venue to ensure no one could climb the walls or peep through either. For the guests, we requested all to not put up any images on social media till the wedding ceremonies were over since that was what the couple wanted. Being only close friends and family, all of them respected their wishes and refrained from doing so.
Q. How was the newlywed couple’s and the families’ reaction to your efforts after the event had concluded?
A. Both the families, the couple and even their guests have been very pleased with our efforts and have dropped us messages and calls stating the same. We are delighted to see that our hard work not only paid, but was also appreciated.
(For Shaadi Squad team, Tina Tharwani – Co-Founder, Head of Business Development & Client Servicing; Saurabh Malhotra – Co-Founder, Head of Ground Operations & Execution and Manoj Mittra – Co-Founder have shared their views for this story)
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