One more inspiring story is on our way: Karishma Hiranandani, the founder of Feliz Decor, the Mechanical Engineer turned Event Planner with passion leading towards a successful career.
Check out her story in her own words and learn from her dedication and hard-work.
Professional:
Your name and Company name, Social media links
Company name: Feliz Decor, Founder Name: Karishma Hiranandani, Email id: info.felizdecor@gmail.com, Contact No. : 7675013205, Location: Hyderabad
Social Media Links: Instagram: Feliz Decor Facebook: Feliz Decor by Karishma
What made you choose Event management/ Decorations as your career:
My journey in wedding decoration and planning started after I graduated with a mechanical engineering degree and took a corporate job in Dubai. There, I was also part of the company’s event planning team as a part of the employee engagement program.
This motivated me to explore the creative side of myself and that is when I returned to India and enrolled myself in an event management course; this and a few internships from 2017 helped me gain the knowledge and understanding about the industry that greatly helped me launch Feliz Decor in 2019.
How long have you been in business:
Well, We have been in business since 2019. Before that, I spent almost a decade in event planning and management roles for two different companies. Combining that history with many years of planning, managing, awareness, and experience involvement I decided to launch my own venture.
Services you offer and Specializations:
Though planning and venue decor is our specialty. We are packed with all the knowledge, equipment, and tools over the last 5 years to deliver you a fairytale-like wedding by designing wedding cards and menus. We always guarantee to get the job done in time no matter how hard the decoration requirements may be. We offer to plan & celebrate your big day in your own tradition with our “customize it to your way” package!
What was your most successful wedding planning experience:
I believe that a wedding is successful when the couple appears happy, relaxed, and full of love. The most important part of any wedding, in my opinion, is the couple, so as long as they have truly enjoyed themselves and feel pure happiness, then I consider the event a success. Even if every logistical component of a wedding is flawless, I would still consider it a less successful event if the couple didn’t appear to have enjoyed themselves.
What do you do differently than other companies:
We understand that weddings are exceptionally cherished occasions. This is why we are specialized in planning intimate, boutique-style weddings with an artful blend of the warmth of Indian decor by primarily consulting with brides and grooms to create weddings that reflect who they are as a couple. Having experience with sewing, floral, and stationery design our team also comes up with great DIY ideas. Creating a specialized concept, in relation to the cultures of the bride & groom’s family, is the most challenging, at the same time the most mesmerizing part of Feliz Decor.
Personal and Growth:
How do you keep up with industry trends and news:
There have to be a few people out there whom I truly admire for their event planning and decorating skills. They’ll become a source of content curation for you. If you have similar interests to these industry leaders, they’ll recommend articles to read and videos to watch that will keep you well informed!
The Internet isn’t just there for you to advertise your services. It also contains a horde of information that can be valuable for your business. So I aside 15-30 minutes every day to scour the Internet for the latest and greatest. And mix it up. sources like blogs or magazines, Pinterest, Instagram & Facebook. They can teach you something new or at least give you a few fresh ideas you can use to “wow” your clients!
What’s your secret for staying calm under pressure:
Weddings are high-pressure situations, particularly when you are executing a couple’s vision that might not feel entirely natural to you. It is your job to ensure that any hiccups go unnoticed by the couple and the guests, which means you are absorbing any challenges and the pressure that comes with them. Absolutely. I believe that any pressure I feel in wedding planning encourages a ‘good stress’ that drives my motivation to work hard, communicate well, and practice great efficiency.
Future plans and what do you aspire:
We work with core values of commitment, client focus, growth and integrity, and aim to be the most preferred wedding planner that contributes greatly to market development. Expanding our services to other states in India is something we are working on to be more diverse.
What’s your favorite event in decor:
I would say every detail of our event. As our tagline says #everydetailmatters. So, Every detail of our events is creatively composed to feel timeless and like an intimate dinner party with all your closest friends and family or wedding no matter the size or scope. We’re about effortlessness and authenticity, highlighted by our unique solutions and integrations of lighting, furnishings, linens, and florals.
Ups and Downs, Suggestions:
What are some of the biggest challenges faced in your career:
Getting (Nearly) Caught in a Natural Disaster and What I’ve Learned is that a disaster plan is crucial to the success of your event. Whether it’s a natural disaster that hits right before you’re scheduled to travel to a destination event or one that happens while there, it’s critical to know how you’ll handle things like coordinating schedules, cancellations, and evacuations. Crisis management is crucial. As an event planner, there are a number of different types of disasters that you might face. Plan B is really important in everything.
Your suggestions for upcoming Event managers/ Decorators:
My advice for anyone wanting to enter the wedding planning industry or any industry, in general, is to first get access to their community. Simply calling or emailing a wedding planner saying, “Weddings are my passion! Can I have a job?” will get you nowhere 99.99% of the time. I recommend joining an association, taking their certification courses, and finding out how and where the wedding industry networks. Courses and seminars are fine and dandy, but until you spend some time in the trenches getting dirty, you wouldn’t know anything about weddings. Be prepared to get turned down a lot, it’s part of the gig. Start building your business: branding, website, portfolio, marketing, etc. Once you feel like you’ve trained enough and can start taking on your own clients. When word starts to get around about your creatives and integrity over events, you start to get paid to work weddings and you start to become seasoned.
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