‘Surprise!’ Everyone yelled as Saloni walked into her apartment and was showered with wishes and gifts. Saloni also played her part till the end, not wanting to be a spoilsport. Sadly, she was aware of the surprise party, as her husband fumbled and fluttered, letting out this teeny secret. For many of us, planning that dream surprise or party can be equally tiring and uneventful most of the times. We would give anything to get that perfect party organised for someone special.

Enter Dotted i, started by Naadia Mirza in 2009 for people looking to do something quirky and funny for their friends and family. The firm has helped host and manage over a 100 events from weddings, engagements, birthdays to kitty parties, sangeet and tea parties. What’s more, you don’t need a reason to celebrate. The Dotted i can also plan that non-occasional surprise for you with a touch of style and loads of imagination.

For instance, you can have a fancy top chef come home, stocked with ingredients to cook your special person a lip smacking meal. Scrumptious, no doubt! Or fly in a guitarist to his or her doorstep. You want a Harley Davidson to pick up a friend? Pas de probleme , Dotted i can arrange that for you too! If that someone special is the adventurous sorts, send him or her on a treasure hunt to figure clues and discover the hidden treasure!

You can either choose a surprise from off the shelf or let your imagination run wild and get one tailor-made for you. You can also add a dash of quirkiness and dollops of creativity to make your run-of-the-mill celebrations through the year — like birthday parties and, once in a life time events, such as weddings — unforgettable.

“Only last month, one of our clients wanted to make his wife’s birthday special that happened to be on the same day as his brother’s wedding. So we planned a whole experience for her at the resort in Udaipur where they were put up. We coordinated with the hotel staff and ensured that every half hour, the wife received a gift — right from the doorman to the receptionist. The fun-filled day ended with a candle light dinner,” recalls Naadia.

She believes that the devil lies in the detail and sweating out the small stuff can really make a big difference. In case of events like weddings, she takes on end-to-end execution — from invitation to the table linen. In a recent Great Gatsby style birthday party she planned, everyone had a Gatsby book, with the birthday boy’s picture morphed on to it. For the more quirky young crowd, she recently whipped up a modern day recovery kit at the bash, the night before the wedding, which carried small notes saying ‘we know you’ve danced till the morning but do not miss our wedding’. These small messages and detailing can make all the difference.

Weddings! When it comes to weddings, nothing is too impossible or outlandish! There are firms that plan luxury weddings for a huge crowd of 2,000-3,000, but Naadia believes in keeping it small with all the works. She launched the brand ‘DiWeddings’ which plans luxury weddings with a lot more detailing for a smaller 500-600 kind of gathering.

“We did a Chor Baazaar themed wedding sangeet, where everyone was given bundles of money to gamble,” says Naadia.

Brides, specially the new-age ones usually have an idea about their dream wedding, so Naadia likes to work around it.

On an average, a luxury wedding can cost up to a crore of rupees or even more. Indian weddings are incomplete without gifting and these various elements can add to the overall budget. Naadia says that a lot of couples nowadays want to have weddings in an exotic location like a Thailand or Mauritius. You can ferry your close friends and relatives across to such destinations for an intimate affair.

In the industry, the trend this year is to get artists like Russian dancers, sufi dancers, fire jugglers for weddings. Design language too also plays an important role. A year back, it was vintage and rusty look that was favoured; this year it’s more black and white, solid lines and straight colours that are doing the rounds, says Naadia. The fashion industry also influences weddings; this can be seen in the décor and layout.

“For instance, this season, you will see a lot of Banarasi fabric being used in table linen. Hence, a lot of the fabric and colour swatches used in the fashion industry will flow into weddings as well,” says Naadia.

A touch of class Baby showers — a western version of our ‘Godh bharai’ is a fast catching trend in India.  People are finding innovative ways to celebrate the pending birth of a child by presenting gifts to the mother at a party. The Indian traditional custom is given a twist, with a small pooja and the rest being a more modern affair. “So, we have done themes such as ‘Tiffany’ and ‘Chanel’ baby showers, and the very recent ‘evening in Paris’ recreating the Eiffel Tower,” says Naadia.

Birthdays are yet another set of events that Naadia organises. Kids parties are planned well ahead of the event — almost six months — as parents are willing to go all the way to brighten up their little ones’ day. “One of my clients had flown in a Mickey costume from Disneyland Paris for the birthday and we planned the whole event around that theme,” says Naadia. Superheroes and movie based parties have been the most happening themes in the last one year. While birthdays can cost you anywhere between ₹1.5- 5 lakh, other events can be organised for ₹3 lakh and upwards. But you don’t always have to wait for an occasion to make someone feel special.

You can spring a surprise on your loved one for no rhyme or reason. You can get a man in a postman costume deliver letters or arrange for a 100 golgappas to be delivered at someone’s doorstep!

It’s time to go uber wild with your imagination!

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW