Romance in numbers? Or are numbers romantic?

Let’s check out this anomaly with Arpita McGrath of I Do Shaadi Crew.

Arpita is a graduate from Drexel in Accounting and Entrepreneurship. Along with numbers, she

developed a passion for organizing events and managing them too. “I’ve been involved with event

planning since 2006.When I was a student, every year about 10-12 universities participated in

dance competitions, and I was putting together the details and flow of the events which involved

coordinating and managing them.” Those were good times but once she left college, life took over,

and Arpita started building a path to her career. “After my graduation, I worked at the Big four

accounting firms, then got experience working with mid-sized organizations, and now I am the

Chief Compliance Officer at a startup, working with a company in the sports betting industry.”

And that inspired you to plan weddings? I ask incredulously.

Arpita chuckles. “I’ve been in the business for almost 20 years now, a combination of events and

weddings. In fact, I had stopped working on events after college when I got into a stable, full-time

job. However, when I was getting ready to get married, I was all energized, planning for my

wedding. I did work with a partial planner, but it did not go quite the way I expected. Afterwards, I

figured, why not use my client services background, which helps me work with companies and

people and put that skillset to build a wedding planning/event coordination company. I’ve set up

processes and managed projects for companies of all sizes. Now I decided to help people plan

and execute weddings.” That’s how “The Little Things by Arpita” began. Now almost eight years,

and scores of happy couples, satisfied families, and great memories later, her company has morphed

to ‘The I Do Shaadi Crew’.

So why change the name?

She responds, “The only way to be able to scale and grow to a national level, is to take my name out

of it.”

So how does a number cruncher relate to band baaja and baarat? “Oh on the surface it looks widely

different, but at the core, it still is all the same skill set.”

She reiterates, “It’s the same at the end of it all – people. Trying to help people to reach an end

goal. Yes, there are so many ups and downs with unexpected things that keep cropping up. But the

challenge is in being prepared for things to come and be able to think on your toes and pivot. I’ve

created an entire process that is repeatable and scalable, which helps with the predictable aspects.

Being structured as I am, I have streamlined the process of planning a wedding or an event, and

that helps. The foundation therefore, is the same”, she smiles.

A great vendor network:

Having a good roster of vendors is key to any business, and more so in the services sector. “I have a

robust list of vendors – but that’s not the end all be all. The list is always growing,” she explains.

“I’ve worked with some great people so I will recommend based on my experience working with

them. But my referrals are based entirely on the budget, style and, vision of the couple. For

example, I know what price ranges the couple would be looking at, and then understand the

different facets of their requirements and combine them with the right person.”

Arpita is very clear that finding the right vendor is crucial to planning a successful event. She has

her list, but is open to and loves working with vendors that her clients bring too.

Building success with her team:

Most of my team has been with me since day one, while some are a few years old. We are not

hierarchical, but the job does depend on their years of experience and personal experience. We have

team leads and coordinators. The ‘Day of Lead’ is the main person and point of contact for the

couple. They handle fires that can occur and help create the best flow with all the vendors and

events. ”

Asked about how she hires her team members, Arpita lays it all out. “Where we do make a

difference is in our hiring process. Especially for our team leads. Each of them should have gone

through their own wedding. And that’s how we hire. It’s a prerequisite. I believe that once you’ve

planned and gone through your own wedding, you have a much larger understanding of the

stresses, the emotions that go with being on either side, and you learn to deal with certain things.

That clearly sets us apart. Not all wedding planners/coordinators in the industry have experienced

their own wedding. My team can relate to the people getting married. In fact, a lot of us at The I

do Shaadi Crew, including myself, have gone through fusion weddings. We totally relate to fusion

wedding couples and have been gravitating to that.”

Team structure:

Arpita’s requirements are not all wedding experience based. “Our coordinators come with consulting

or project management background, which is preferred.” Arpita’s management style is evident

through the structuring. “We have senior and junior coordinators, depending on their experience.

They are managed by a Lead . The team of Lead and Coordinators are the boots on the

ground and carry the show effortlessly. Leads work with the couple when we kick off the day of

coordination.”

Which brings me to the question: the effort and toil that goes into making the wedding picture

perfect? “Oh, to me every wedding is perfect. However, a key to success is finding couples whose

personalities align with ours as well as the style in which the process works. It is important that

couples look for personalities (along with work and references) when choosing any vendor.”

But there must be some ripples under that smooth sailing? “Well, from the logistical perspective

yes, or the unknowns and unexpected. Our project management background helps us. We are

prepared for eventualities, and our attitude is to find a solution rather than dwell on the problem.”

It’s an unwritten rule that no matter what the crisis is, they never disturb the couple. “We try to

figure out the solution, or check with the family member, but never the bride or the groom”, she

says . “Although, there have been some interesting experiences where family members who want

to take on the role of an event coordinator which can become tricky, but it’s all about being able to

work together and manage them as well. They should be enjoying the event! I’ve had sisters-in-

law and aunts tell me how some elements were part of their wedding (or other weddings) but

not included here, not being aware of the details.

Wedding hiccups, anyone?

Arpita chuckles as she reminisces. “Oh we’ve had some interesting experiences, that in hindsight

seem funny today, but not so then! There was this time when the baarat car broke down. We had to

decorate a golf cart and have that in place while trying to jump start the car. The family

fortunately was so cooperative as we got the jack and cables to rev it up again!” That must’ve been

quite something. She also talks about the time when the pandit missed the paan leaves that were

packed by the family for the ceremony and her team went hunting in the bushes for similarly

shaped large leaves. And yes, they were successful in their quest too.

Arpita firmly believes the best weddings in her experience, have been the ones where her

coordinators and the couple’s families have had a good relationship and been in sync to make the

event memorable.

Coordination Vs. Consulting:

Yes, it makes a difference how a couple approaches their wedding. If they do have vendors and/ or

venue set, then what they need is coordination support for the day of. If they want to start with a

blank canvas and the only thing they have is (maybe) the budget, then Arpita offers them

consulting services. Either way she’s got them covered and gives them the support they need.

“I’m biased but I would highly recommend that everybody has a coordinator or a

planner/consultant.” Of course, on the face of it, couples feel that they can handle this, but it makes

a world of difference when they do hire the services of a good wedding coordinator. “The

amount of trust couples and their families have put in the team and me is phenomenal. I have to say

we’ve had the most amazing couples to work with.” Makes it all worth it.

And the love story continues. Arpita is a woman on a mission. Which is to help couples make

great memories on the most important day of their lives through The I Do Shaadi Crew.

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