Louise Remedios takes us behind the scenes at Reynold Weddings, revealing how she turned a family business into one of the most sought-after wedding planners in the country
It’s almost time. The myriad lights twinkle softly overhead as the sea breeze whips across the lawn. Walkways are alight with flickering lanterns and an abundance of white flowers gush over tables. Romance floats lightly through the air. Louise Remedios surveys the scene, and then stops to adjust a table piece. Everything has to be simply perfect!
It’s how things are run at Reynold Weddings. There’s not a dream they say ‘no’ to. The idea is to make the fairytale come alive. Since 2014 Louise has held the reins at Reynold Weddings, a division of Reynold Events and Promotions set up by her father in 1990. Today, she and her husband Benhail Antao plan and execute dozens of weddings across India each year, traversing cultural backgrounds, faiths and clients’ childhood fantasies.
Years of hard work went into creating the successful business Reynold Weddings is today. Louise’s grandfather had a factory in Calcutta manufacturing Reynold guitars. When her father moved to Goa, he set up a music shop and named it after the factory he had left behind. Pursuing excellent foresight, he ventured into organising events at hotels around Goa and pumped his profits into buying sound and light equipment.
“Today, Reynold Events owns everything you need for an event – sound, lights, props, decor, staging, LED walls, generators, etc. We keep upgrading our equipment to ensure that we offer our clients the best. Our most recent investment is a high-quality German hangar that can cover 16000 square feet,” explains Louise.
Incidentally, the feisty go-getter didn’t quite see herself in the family business when she first started out. She worked in a bank for six months and then switched to catering sales at Vivanta by Taj Panjim. “I always wanted to find my own way and I didn’t really know much about the business at the time,” she says, adding, “At Vivanta by Taj Panjim, I organised a whole variety of events, with food and beverage, anything that wasn’t residential. I interacted with a lot of people and really enjoyed it.”
Louise then moved to Grand Hyatt, where she was tasked with bigger, residential events. “For the two years I worked there, I handled destination weddings, looking after everything from rooming to food and beverage and everything in between. I learnt so much about planning and executing weddings, interacting with people of different backgrounds, working in a hierarchy and under pressure,” she recalls.
When her father asked her to help him out in the business, she could no longer refuse him. It was time. She had learnt everything she could and within months was able to get into the swing of things and change the scene.
“We are not ambitious in a conventional sense. Our only ambition is to enjoy ourselves while doing what we love,” says Louise
She says, “My father had a production team, but he micro-managed everything. I started out in our own company, in human resources without a clue about hiring staff, which was the need of the hour. I put out ads and dived right in; eight years on, we have built a fantastic team who are able to manage everything. I now simply have to meet the client, get their requirements and plan it with the team. They can pull it off right down to the ‘T’.”
Family is incredibly important in the company. Louise and her husband Benhail run the wedding business, while her brother looks after the corporate segment. Benhail came on board around the same time she did. They diligently harnessed his expertise as an engineer for set design and construction, building complex sets that required technical expertise. Together they have built Goa’s only Wedding Mall – 20,000 square feet of ever-changing set designs, decor samples and infrastructure.
“It was designed to be an exhibition of our work. Clients can see how a mandap is put up with lights, decor and furniture, backdrops, and everything else wedding-related. Reynold Weddings sells concepts; one is usually unable to easily visualise these things before the actual day. At the Wedding Mall, clients can see, touch and feel their dream day come to life. It’s our biggest USP,” says Louise.
It is also one of the perks of being your own boss. You get absolute creative freedom and Louise has been able to run with it. “I love being able to choose my own terms to work with so I am truly happy organising every wedding and event. Some of our clients are still in touch with me and cherish the day we planned for them. It’s a wonderful thing to be a part of people’s lives and gives me great joy,” she says.
Reynold Weddings sets itself apart through personal touch. Louise’s years of expertise in the business offer her invaluable inputs in creating events that are elegant yet stunning and memorable. She says, “I am always open with my clients. My personal ideas do influence the way the decor turns out because for me, the themes are like poetry.” When asked about her next big project, she says that she is currently planning a very exciting wedding at the prestigious Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, one of Asia’s most resplendent hotels. The client happens to be a repeat customer of hers and chose her after she stunned them with a birthday celebration they held at the Leela Goa a few years ago.
Unfortunately, like every other event company, lockdowns and uncertainty over Covid-19 have thrown the spanner in the works. Ever since the lockdown last year, many weddings have been cancelled, adding both mental and financial pressure on the team at Reynold Weddings. Louise is most concerned about her staff and is hoping that the situation eases so that she can look after them without worrying about the future.
But even though work slows down, Louise doesn’t stop. She has poured her energies into a new venture; a wedding platform that she hopes will help the massive data base that she has built over the years of vendors and venues including other event companies and service providers in Goa. For her, it’s just part of the package of being an entrepreneur. “Being an entrepreneur is like being a survivor. It’s never easy with the enormous challenges. But the support of my family has kept me sane and helped me think positively,” she says.
Through http://www.weddingsingoa.in, Louise offers a platform for all stakeholders in the wedding business to showcase their work and network while providing its niche audience of clients looking to host a wedding in Goa with easy access to a one-stop solution for all their needs. It offers a comprehensive selection of the best wedding vendors and information on wedding planning through listings, newsletters and blog posts.
During the rare moments when she isn’t working, Louise can be found communing with her second love – nature. Benhail is a popular wildlife rescuer and Louise is quickly learning the ropes. The couple also indulges in road trips to take a break from their busy life. Their last adventure was a month-long ride from Goa to Leh-Ladakh.
“We are not ambitious in a conventional sense. Our only ambition is to enjoy ourselves while doing what we love. When we take on a project, we want to do our best. We take on enough business that will make us happy,” Louise points out.
It is an advice that truly reflects the work ethic at Reynold Weddings. Every member of the team is enthusiastic about making the wedding they are working on a dream that became reality. Louise is an inspiration to many aspiring women entrepreneurs who often hesitate to take that all-important step. She says, “Don’t worry about what society will say about you; don’t listen to any negativity. Just put your blinkers on and move forward. That’s the way to succeed
