The Wedding Planner

8220;Welcome to my life, every day of it,8221; we catch up with her at her Sector-5 house, getting all dolled up for the wedding tonight. That8217;s right, not her or the bride, the house!

Ashoo Balani is a wedding designer, and for the last seven years has been running her company, Dream Theme, which is into event management and corporate events as well.

At this moment, Ashoo, equipped with her mobile and a list of things to do, is dressed in her work overalls, and has been on the move since 5 am. 8220;Make that since yesterday, for we just can8217;t leave anything till the last minute,8221; she says. Right, for the weather8217;s changing, and instead of 15, only four workers have turned up, and the rose petals still need to be picked!

8220;It8217;s tough being a woman boss for no one is as scared of you as they would be of a man8230;however, my main aim is to get the work done. See, I have a vision in my head and I don8217;t settle till I see the final product,8221; Ashoo is evidently jittery till the last flower is put in place.

Being a wedding planner is not that easy 8212; 8220;you8217;ve got to stick to the budget. Second, most people are sceptical of giving the job to a Chandigarh-based company, so you8217;ve got to win their trust first. Third, and the most difficult, is when 20 relatives suggest 20 different ideas for a wedding theme, but I prefer going by what the bride wants,8221; she says.

Ashoo8217;s work encapsulates everything 8212; from visualising and creating a theme, consulting and referring caterers, entertainment and coordinating other services to make sure that the wedding8217;s a hit. As she talks to her tent head and caterer, she describes how they8217;ve handled themes from Radha Krishna and Arabian Nights to her favourite 8212; 8220;a mix of the contemporary and the traditional8221;.

Looking at the lines of lanterns, a lounge setting with golden candles as centrepieces, elaborate and exquisite flower arrangements 8212; the liliums, orchids and carnations literally take your breath away 8212; and other little embellishments here and there, you can make out that Ashoo8217;s dreams are one yummy eye candy right out of a Karan Johar film 8212; 8220;and that too right on budget!8221; she smiles, still pretty nervous.

As she shouts commands to her workers, she takes a deep breath and sighs, 8220;I haven8217;t taken a holiday in 10 years!8221; Her work is all about perfection for it involves details and intricacies, 8220;and a couple of trips before finalising what you actually need,8221; Ashoo rushes back to work.

8212; JASKIRAN KAPOOR