Big fat Indian weddings are game changers not just for the families involved but also for all those work on it to make it happen smoothly – right from the word go. Celebrity Wedding Card Designer Pink Whistle Man’s founder Ranjani in an interview with Zee News Digital shared how the company came about and what bizarre requests they get for special invites:
1. What’s the story behind Pink Whistle Man?
A: I started it PWM about twelve years ago unofficially, when I designed my own wedding stationery. I found a huge gap in the market when it came to personalisation and detailing of Wedding Invitations. Gradually, I started designing for friends and family which extended to clients who came to me through word of mouth. We began expanding our services and creating end-to-end stationery for weddings, and personalised stationery that you would not particularly get in a mass manufacturing market. So even the products that we would design were limited to just that wedding alone to maintain exclusivity. Over the years the brand has been recognized both in the Indian and International wedding markets and been awarded for its unique conceptual ideas over the years.
2. You’ve created invites shaped like X-rays, passports, and even electrical circuits. What has been your most bizarre or unexpected brief from a client?
A: Our clients always help us push the envelope and keep the brief pretty open ended. Although there was this one bizarre incident when we opted to do flying balloon parachute invites that would float into the house of the guests. This was a birthday invite. We personally had to deliver each of these invites to every household with a pump because we didn’t know if the balloon would burst, and if it did, we had to replace it quickly.
3. How big have destination weddings been in the last few years? Also, could you tell us about the preferences of global clientele?
A: Destination weddings have been huge. The advantage for a designer such as myself is you get to be part of the entire look and feel of the wedding. It’s almost like a brand for the wedding right from the get-go. In one case, a couple from Jalandhar had their wedding at Wildflower Shimla, and had blocked out the whole airport for two days. We designed hoardings, flight covers, food boxes and even live-report newspapers printed locally with photographs and real-time updates from the three-day event.
In terms of global weddings, if it’s an Indian or mixed-race wedding we design seating charts, table numbers, program description handbooks. And because of Instagram and Pinterest, there’s a two-way exchange: India is now asking for seating charts and intimate-dinner stationery, while the west borrows the grandeur of wedding stationery. We even design the dance floor for several weddings abroad.
4. Tell us about your designing experience with Radhika Merchant’s family for the big-scale wedding.
A: With Radhika’s wedding, things just flew by so quickly and I was experimenting on a lot of things for the first time. Given the time constraints, it was nothing short of a miracle how we managed to get it done. We were fortunate in finding the right craftsmen and vendors, and the family was definitely very cooperative. I would have meetings with them literally every day, sometimes even late at night to go through proofs. They were extreme perfectionists, wanting to see every tiny change, because they didn’t want any surprises.
5. How easy or difficult was it to design for Alanna Panday’s wedding?
A: With Alanna’s wedding, I worked mainly with her mother, Deanne. Alanna and Ivor were in the loop, and they were both very easy to work with. Feedback was crisp and clear. Deanne’s perfectionism was extremely admirable. Having that level of critical eye pushes you to do more than you think you’re capable of.
6. What does the design process look like behind the scenes from concept to creation? Walk us through one of your most creatively challenging projects.
A: Every project begins with finding a hook, a unique story or element for the couple. Until I find that hook, it’s extremely challenging. Once I do, the narrative blossoms.
Here are a few examples of our hooks that were distilled from the couple’s story line, personality or culture – ‘Poetry in Motion’, ‘Letters from an Orange Tree’, ‘Amar Prem Katha’, ‘Map of Perfect Things’, ‘The Wedding Hygge’.
7. With e-invites and AI-generated designs flooding the market, how does a boutique brand like yours stay relevant and premium?
A: I think when it comes to AI, there’s no escaping it. We’ll have to figure out how to use it to our advantage. Just like traditional artists moved to digital tablets, AI will create new styles and forms. For now, AI illustrations look very perfect but lack that human touch. As a boutique brand, our focus is always concept first; illustration is just a medium. While AI can fit into templatized invite requirements, it can’t replace the soft skills, those fun, informal interactions with brides and grooms that make the process itself part of the experience.
8. What trends are you seeing among Indian couples today when it comes to wedding stationery?
A: Wedding stationery is getting more intimate. Beyond just invites, couples are now detailing everything from straw-tags, place settings to bespoke table-numbering systems. As weddings become smaller and more personal, the scope of stationery items has widened far beyond a single invite.
