(Editor’s note: As we get ready for INDIA New England News’s Spring Wedding Expo on April 15 at Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA, on April 15, 2018, we are publishing a series of articles and Q&A on weddings. The event is free to all attendees. To register for free, please click here. Today’s Q&A focuses on sound, music and lighting with Yogz Rana, founder of Boston Sound and Light Company.)
INE New England News: With interracial, interreligious and intercultural marriages on rise, how has this changed the way people celebrate marriages, and the music they play?
Yogi Rana: The latest trend in music has been a fusion of music. When we look at the trend of the Boston Bride in the last decade, we have noticed that many Indian weddings are a mix of different cultures, as in Indian marrying a non-Indian, and so naturally there are some elements of a fusion of American and Indian flavors in music, whether it be bhangra mixed with reggae, or Top 40 mixed with Bollywood.
Even Indian-Indian weddings have the same level of mix considering the current Bride is typically a 3rd or 4th generation of being Indian, and they too listen to the same music as the general population on radio or streams.
INE: What about lighting?
YR: While lighting has nothing to do with entertainment, lighting helps exemplify the mood and ambiance of an event in that moment, and that’s not limited to music, but also dinner, dancing, and setting the stage for the program.
At BSL, we have technology where our lighting can be such that when guest enter the reception hall the lighting can be a soft magenta, and during the first dance have the room turn to blue with stars depicting on the ceiling to mimic the couple dancing in the sky night, or change the entire room to a color specific on the cake during cake cutting. All by touching a button on our smart watch.
INE: What would you consider the most essential part of any wedding event?
YR: There is no such thing as an event without entertainment. Have you ever been to an event with amazing food and no music? Or an event with phenomenal decorations, but no sound? Exactly! Music provides a constant backdrop to the event.
Music informs guests the pulse of the event starting from the baraat. And provides some serenity of sitar sounds and tabla during the ceremony. During the cocktail, it provides filler music to void any un-comfort of people having to talk to one another. During the reception, it will remind people that this was the best darn party they’ve ever been to. Subtract music from above, and you will have no event!
INE: What are some things that you consider before setting up the lighting and music for a wedding party?
YR: The floor plan helps dictate much of an entertainer’s setup. Table location, dance floor location, where the head table is, how much perimeter room we have around the walls govern exactly how many speakers and how much lighting is needed to properly service an event.
At Boston Sound and Light Company, we are a full-service audio visual company, and can customize our equipment based on a client’s need and also based on the venue’s requirements.
INE: What is some advice that you would give to couples planning their wedding day?
YR: Weddings have become complex! There was a point in time where access to information was limited, and weddings were hosted almost in a robotic fashion: Couples get engaged, Parents determine the guest count, Parents filter out venues that don’t fit guest count, Parents contact the decorator and caterer, and all else happened when it happened.
The current Bride is more creative, has access to Pinterest, Bridal Magazines, Google, and get ideas of her special day within seconds of a search on the internet.
There are some families that still insist on finding their own vendors within each specific area of a wedding (Caterer, Decor, Music, etc), but the requirements today are such that these vendors need to be able to work together.
The most valuable advice I can suggest for the Bride is that you need a “manager” of whom will work on helping you get creative and manage all the vendors to work together on a “vision” of an event. A Wedding Planner is an absolute must these days.
INE: Is there anything else you would like to add?
YR: The Boston Indian community, while smaller to other Indian communities around the world have a sense of pride about them; we are proud to be Bostonians and proud to be Indian! However, I think most of us acknowledge the lack of the fanfare that exists in events around the world in Boston weddings and are ready to turn the page to take Boston to the next level.
