Why can’t invitations be bespoke, just like couture? This was the initial idea Puneet Gupta, a National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) graduate, set out to explore. Today, his eponymous brand, Puneet Gupta Invitations, has firmly established itself in India’s luxury invitation and gifting industry. By blending Parisian chic with Indian craftsmanship, Gupta creates invitations he considers "works of art," using materials like fine fabrics, French papers, wood, and metal. Gupta’s portfolio boasts celebrity weddings for Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha, Rana Daggubati and Miheeka Bajaj, Randeep Hooda and Lin Laishram, and collaborations for the web series Made in Heaven. Recently, he crafted luxury invitations for the IIFA Awards 2024 as an official partner and was honoured by the IIFA organizers alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar at a special event in Mumbai. In an exclusive interview with indianexpress.com, Gupta reflects on what defines luxury invitations, his journey, his experience with IIFA 2024, and where he draws his inspiration. Q- Tell us about your journey. Puneet Gupta - From a young age, I was drawn to craft and Indian culture. NIFT refined my skills, and I discovered a true passion for graphic design and visual communication. I graduated from NIFT with a gold medal. I recognised a dearth of good event invitations—a realisation that shaped my career path. Naturally, with roots in India’s premier fashion institute, I chose the fashion industry to create meaningful, experiential invitations for designers and luxury brands. Early in my career, I had the privilege of exhibiting my graphic products and artwork at international art and design fairs, from Sweden to London, Los Angeles, and Milan. This exposure offered invaluable insights into the global design scene and gave me a holistic perspective on the industry. Thus began my journey in design in 2009—a path rich with fulfillment, growth, and its fair share of challenges. Q- How was the experience designing for IIFA 2024? Puneet Gupta: It was memorable. For the 2024 IIFA Awards, we took the concept beyond tradition with a meticulously crafted black leatherette travel suitcase. This bespoke piece symbolised IIFA’s global journey over the years, featuring stamps from previous award locations across Asia, London, South Africa, Malaysia, and the USA. Elegantly adorned with a subtle matte IIFA trophy and secured with rotating locks, the suitcase offered functionality and refined aesthetics. Inside, guests were treated to a curated collection inspired by Abu Dhabi’s vibrant culture: semi-precious 24K agate crystal glasses, jars, and trays reflecting Islamic artistry, a reed diffuser infused with the sophisticated scent of White Oud, and a selection of indulgent Arabic dates. This design celebrated the spirit of IIFA as an international movement rather than merely an awards ceremony. Q - What is the ideation process for a bespoke wedding invite? Puneet Gupta: In our culture, wedding cards are far more than invitations—they’re a first impression of a grand celebration, carry cultural and religious significance, and blessings for the couple. Often reflecting a family’s heritage, they’re also symbols of sophistication, crafted with luxurious materials and intricate designs. To me, each wedding card is an artistic extension of a couple’s story. I ventured into wedding invitations when a corporate client sought something unique for their wedding. This opened a new creative path, leading me to design wedding invitations like fashion couture. My process starts with a detailed consultation to capture the couple's vision, followed by mood boards and sketches, and finishes with handcrafted details like embroidery and foiling. Typically, the process takes four to eight weeks, ensuring each card is as meaningful as it is memorable. View this post on Instagram A post shared by IIFA Awards (@iifa) Q - What inspires your creative flair? Puneet Gupta: Nature, Indian art and craft, and my global travel experiences form the foundation of my creative flair. I find immense inspiration in the intricate details of the natural world — the textures, colours, and patterns that occur organically in landscapes, flora, and fauna. Indian art and craft, with its rich heritage and deep cultural significance, has always been close to my heart. The vibrant techniques, traditional craftsmanship, and timeless motifs are elements that I love to explore and reinterpret in modern contexts. My global travels have further expanded my design palette, exposing me to diverse aesthetics and cultures that blend seamlessly with my roots, helping me create unique and meaningful designs that tell a story, merging the traditional with the contemporary. Q - What would you count as your turning point in your celebrity wedding card design journey? Puneet Gupta: I think the turning point was when comedian Bharti Singh came to me in Delhi to get her wedding invites designed. That was our very first step into a wedding, and an invitation design that truly reflected her personality. Q- The Ali-Richa wedding invite had a retro 90s feel to it. What was the process of designing that invite? Puneet Gupta: The design process for Ali and Richa’s wedding invitation began before the Covid-19 pandemic and was interrupted by it. When wedding planning resumed, we revisited our original concepts, drawing on what resonated, to create a fresh desi, playful invite that truly represented them as a couple. The invitation had a nostalgic, retro 90s feel and was crafted as a matchbox labeled “Couple Matches,” featuring quirky sketches of Richa and Ali in traditional attire on a bicycle. Inside, guests found a keepsake matchbox with the invite printed on the back, accompanied by favourite childhood candies and desi treats—such as “Poli ki Goli” and “Guddu Pan,” inspired by the couple’s on-screen personas. The invite’s caricatures had Richa in a red saree and Ali in a blazer, all stylised in vibrant pop-art. Their love for art was woven throughout the celebrations, from Richa’s bridal henna incorporating the invite logo to event signage and a large print of the save-the-date at the venue, capturing their unique Bollywood-inspired love story. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐆𝐔𝐏𝐓𝐀 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 (@puneet_gupta_invitations) Q. What are some of the unique/bizarre invites that you have designed? Puneet Gupta: One invitation was a gothic, dark-humour-inspired design for a couple who loved Lord of the Rings and wanted their wedding invitation to reflect that passion. We often push creative boundaries, but as a responsible designer, my goal is to strike a fine balance between honouring the family’s traditions and capturing the couple's unique, bold choices. Q. What's the power of handmade in a digital world? Puneet Gupta: In today's day and age of mass production and era of digital messaging, handmade is truly a luxury and will remain so. Q. If not an invitation designer, what would you have been and why? Puneet Gupta: I would have chosen another creative, non-conventional career––maybe as a stylist. Q. Who do you want to design for in the next few years? Puneet Gupta: Maybe for the Grammys or the Oscars. Q. Any regrets? Puneet Gupta: No regrets, my decisions have been mine and I take my failure too with pride.
