233 THE NEXT LEVEL: ANDRE MAIER discusses SONAL SHAH - Planning South Asian Weddings With a Theatrical Flair • The Wedding Biz

233 THE NEXT LEVEL: ANDRE MAIER discusses SONAL SHAH – Planning South Asian Weddings With a Theatrical Flair

If you want your weddings to have theatrical productions, listen as Andy and Andre discuss Sonal Shah and her ability to plan and produce events and the challenges she faces when planning celebrity weddings, interracial weddings, and more, all over the world. Andre Maier is a fantastic photographer based in both New York City and Los Angeles, who works worldwide, and appeared on The Wedding Biz.

Sonal is a premier South Asian event planner based in New York City, working all over the world. Sonal is known for planning the most elaborate over-the-top weddings. She also works with both Hollywood and Bollywood stars, and has a book out called “The Complete Guide to Planning the Perfect South Asian Wedding.”

Andy and Andre share Sonal’s ability to mediate between bridal couples and parents, why she decided to plan South Asian weddings, and the need to trust the creative partners with whom she builds her teams. Additionally, Andre says that Sonal brings purpose and passion together, which is why she is so successful. They chat about how each event she plans has to be different from anything she has done before.

Listen as Andy and Andre dive into some of the more interesting nuggets of Sonal’s interview. The enthusiasm she has for what she does is contagious, and you can feel it, and they discuss this amazing woman.

Show Highlights:

[01:08] Andre, welcome to the show!
[02:23] Andre and Andy speak about Sonal jumping into a business that didn’t exist at the time.
[03:54] They talk about leaping off the cliff assuming a net appears, which is precisely what Sonal did when she started.
[05:21] Sonal says that she handles mediation between the bridal couple and the parents.
[07:47] Andre recalls what Sonal told us about wanting to plan South Asian weddings because she didn’t like the ones she attended.
[10:01] They discuss the tension involved in weddings and how sometimes the creative partners have to diffuse situations.
[12:02] Andre agrees with Sonal that you need a team whose personality meshes with the clients’ personalities.
[14:06] Andre believes that Sonal combines her purpose with passion.
[15:12] Sonal wants everything to be different every time; she doesn’t wish to have cookie-cutter weddings.
[16:43] Andre speaks about how professional and unshakeable Sonal is at each of her events.
[18:06] Andre, thank you for being on the show!