What happens when it’s a wedding planner’s turn to play bride? Jueta Hemdev Lahrani, Founder and Director of YOLO Entertainment and Weddings, shares insights post her unforgettable wedding in Dubai.
Planning the Dream
“Being on both sides of the coin—wedding planner and bride—gives you a deeper insight into the process of planning. It’s so important for a bride to keep her calm and get a trusted planner on board whose vision resonates with hers. I couldn’t have been luckier as I had my own brother Pratik Hemdev (Director, YOLO Entertainment and Weddings) onboard who made me believe in and actually live the magic that we create for all our brides.
During the course of planning so many weddings, it became natural to make a mental note of what I liked and how I’d want my wedding to be. I always wanted an intimate destination wedding with a venue that was close to India. I chanced upon my dream venue in Dubai while attending a conference—JA Resort. The property offered every venue that I wanted—brunch on the beach, sangeet in an amphitheater in the middle of the desert, my wedding mandap in the middle of an infinity pool, to even organizing a seaplane entry for my brunch.
The wedding fraternity that I’m a part of was so supportive, all our vendors were there for us and helped us curate my dream wedding.”
Switching Roles
“It’s difficult to switch off being a planner to play bride, even at your own wedding but I was lucky to have my brother as the planner—I completely trusted him. Even though I didn’t want to switch off and wanted to be the captain of the ship, I was asked to leave all wedding groups the minute I landed in Dubai, for my own sake! And honestly that was the best part.
I have to confess, the planner in me did wake up at different times. Like just before my varmala, which happened on a yacht, the panditji asked me to change the sequence as he suddenly remembered a small vidhi of washing the feet! My first question to him was ‘why didn’t you give me this in the list of poojas you filled out months ago!’ I quickly changed the plan around and instructed my team accordingly, all the while dressed in my wedding lehenga and with my family surrounding me—I’m sure the panditji will never forget me!
It made me realize that things can go off plan sometimes. Like the case when my brother came up to the panditji during the pheras to request him to speed up the mantras as the time permit for the fireworks would otherwise lapse. Both our baraats had also gotten delayed. Yes even I, as a bride, had my own baraat on a yacht—it was the one thing I always wanted!
It was the most memorable day of our lives.”
About Jueta Hemdev Lahrani
Jueta Hemdev Lahrani, one half of YOLO Entertainment and Weddings, is an optimist by nature who always strives to give her clients their dream wedding. With countless success stories under her belt, her attention to detail is legendary.
