Nothing makes for a better happily-ever-after ending than the ultimate chick-flick climax – the fairy-tale wedding. But according to Candice Pereira, Creative Head of wedding consultancy Marry Me, weddings don’t symbolise endings. “It’s more like a happily ever after beginning!” Coming from a family that has been in the wedding food and décor business for the last 20 years, this Mumbai-based wedding consultant takes care of everything from floral arrangements and dance choreography to organising accommodation and entertainment for your out-of-town guests. But that’s far from all. From acting as a mediator for a groom who was petrified of his fiancée’s parents, to having bravely eaten all the mithai a bride who just couldn’t stomach any more and kept quietly passing to her, Candice does her bit to ensure you enjoy your special day sans stress.

A natural coordinator, she deals with setbacks with finesse. She once encountered a situation straight out of a movie script – a bride whose best friend was getting married on the same day as she was. “It was a happy-- yet sad day for both of them, as they could not be at each others’ weddings,” Candice recalls. “I know how much this meant to both of them and managed to surprise them by arranging some time for them to catch up over coffee, which turned out to be one of the most special points of their day.”

The key to a great wedding does not lie in perfect execution but in sharing those special moments that are unplanned and unforgettable with the people you love the most, believes Candice. “Most men are sensitive enough to know to let the woman go ahead and make the decisions. Weddings are about the couple and their families coming together, but the most important person in the wedding is still the bride – she has to feel like a princess, not just on that day, but on every day when she thinks back to that day.” For herself, Candice envisages a very personal wedding with the people closest to her. She adds, “One thing’s for sure – I’d like to focus on enjoying my day and leave the rest to a wedding planner!”

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