Editors Letter: issue 28 – 2020
By: Jenni – Asian Wedding Directory
This lockdown issue will be one for all of us to remember for sure, let’s keep everyone in our prayers as we release this issue in such uncertain times. We thank the NHS and key workers for their courageous efforts and steadfast attitude in momentous times.
Spring is in the air and issue 28 is here, a somewhat strange issue for everyone in the wedding industry and a year (2020) no one will forget in a hurry for all the wrong reasons. Winter weddings came and went and if you were lucky enough to get married in the first two months of 2020 we salute you and congratulations from all of us at AWD! I hope your big day was as perfect as you wished for.
Brides, Grooms and their loved ones simply love this publication- and we are very excited about bringing it out in these unprecedented times. It has been hard as no one knew what to expect, businesses on lockdown due to a worldwide pandemic, companies going out of business, thousands upon thousands of weddings either cancelled or rescheduled, no one able to travel and then, of course, there were those panic shoppers that we all love to hate.
So, in these times of uncertainty we are doing our bit to revive the industry and will continue to try and publish our directory and organise our annual Asian wedding exhibitions also. All of the companies you see in this publication are steadfast and established, they also hold a special place in our hearts, so it is great to see them still trying to continue taking steps to publicise their amazing services.
Just keep an eye on our website for more information on projects we will be getting involved in. These will include charities and more events that will hopefully help everyone that gets to see or hear about our efforts. The mammoth growth of our stockist list to over 500 independent retailers’ nationwide means that we are not able to get to so many and we took the decision a while ago to cut the list down to a more manageable number, we also found a lot of businesses would change hands and names so now the retail outlets listed are the ones we have visited regularly and we deem to be the best for distributing our publication. You’ll be pleased to hear that there are still over 300 stores listed over two pages. We will of course continue to attend wedding exhibitions and venue open days with our publications where possible and hand out the Asian wedding directory straight in to the hands of brides and grooms nationwide.
Elaborate weddings were the norm, couples were thinking out of the box and there was no end to the crazy and wacky ideas that are being asked of some of the wedding planners. As much as we hope this continues after all it was this that was making our industry the talk of the world but, we really do not know what the impact of the last few months will have on the Asian wedding industry as a whole in the long term.
On that note, as the surge in the use of event planners grows. More and more career minded individuals now book the services of wedding experts as they do not get the time to do everything themselves, work, busy lifestyles and schedules can get in the way. Our service providers are working harder than ever to bring the lucky couple the very latest in modern decor, lighting and table settings, a great wedding planner knows many companies, would have built up a repour with them over time and can get you better deals and best of all they and their team can orchestrate all of your events in a timely way. Make sure you read our Wedding planner Saheli’s editorial piece in this issue and use our free wedding planner in this issue to help you plan your big day.
I said in the last issue that the entertainment industry has really taken a big step towards upping its game in 2018/19 with DJs and roadshows really going to town with the equipment and set-ups that they are offering. We have seen some of the most amazing LED video walls and the slickest dance floors, combined with extremely elaborate lighting and visual effects. This growth is set to continue, as more and more technology comes into play and bigger budgets become available to the companies helping create very memorable events.
At Asian Wedding Directory, we pride ourselves on our industry know-how, and keeping a sharp ear to the ground, we research how the marketplace is shaping up. Our new website construction is on its way and an on-line directory will showcase all the advertisers in this issue, we will under certain circumstances add companies to our on-line directory over the course of the year.
Asian wedding directory is distributed FREE and is available to view on-line FREE at: www.awduk.co.uk we are also stocked in over 300 independent retail outlets. Yes, that’s correct, over 300, from Gravesend to Glasgow.
We have a few special articles in this issue: one from Zanab Mirza- an amazing woman who has been at the forefront of the Makeup industry for many years. She has her own brand called Provoke and wrote and amazing article on Spring Beauty in this issue.
Neelam Challoner and Saheli Mirpuri are also featured, all accomplished in their own fields. These ladies talk about how to feel good on your big day; why you should take a few minutes out to compose your thoughts and simply breathe. Neelam is a re-design life coach and discusses ‘The future of relationship management’, which sounds like a mouthful but is a great read. Saheli is no stranger to this publication and our wedding shows, she took some timeout of her day-to-day life and work commitments to write a great piece on ‘Five Reasons You Need A Wedding Planner’. Saheli will feature regularly in what we do.
We would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone that has supported us from day one, believe it or not we have a few advertisers that have been in EVERY issue from day one. Our wedding exhibitions in London and the Midlands have gone from strength to strength and we really hope that large social gathering will be back up to speed so we can bring these great events to you again. Please check out our new YouTube channel, just search for AWDLive to view our last few events.
As weddings gain momentum and everyone looks forward to the future, don’t forget to mention us to the service providers/companies that you talk to/book for your big day.
