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dward Perotti converses with us about designing weddings and social events from Silicon Valley to around the world. With over two decades of experience, it’s no wonder he is considered one of the top event planners globally. The world of weddings is colliding, and he is breaking the western and eastern barriers. He shares his thoughts on personalizing the pretty and fusing American and South Asian cultures together.
How and when did you start event designing? I literally fell into this industry 27 years ago and fall is the kindest way to put it. I had no idea that there was this. There really wasn’t much; it has evolved. I was working for an online company handling their contracts. And they bought the competition out in Ohio. And I was no longer needed. My eldest son was just born. I was a single dad. I had no idea what I was going to do. Don’t know how but, I made friends with a Catering Director at one of the local hotels. I called her up to do my little waah waah…. And she was like, my catering manager just gave me his notice and you should come talk to me. And I’m like what the heck do I know about food? She goes I can teach you food, but I can’t teach you how to handle people and I can’t teach you how to handle contracts you already have that. So, my thought was okay… it’s a job. I went and met with her, and I took the job. That lasted about six months because I realized that there’s no amount of money in the world that you can pay me to be a catering manager at a hotel if you have to deal with the likes of me. It is the most thankless job next to the servers. And I couldn’t deal with how people treated me and then, I realized, I liked the set up more than I liked dealing with the kitchen. So that kind of evolved and I started finding different roles. I started making vision boards. I made a board of what I wanted to be when I grew up and it had all different roles in it from trade show producer to corporate events to social events to philanthropic to design schools. And if I was going to call myself legitimate, I need to be able to talk to someone to be able to design a trade show floor, how to design an experience for a booth that matches a corporate culture, I need to do a corporate trip and I need to be able to do a wedding to end all weddings.
How do you envision your events when you start designing them? I spent my entire childhood in the theater and for me this is theater. There’s a beginning, middle and an end. There is a script regardless, if its corporate, social or philanthropic somebody is giving you a message they want to put it out there. It is my job to make that message come to life. That’s how I see every event and that’s how I design it. It’s a set and there is audience participation …how do you bring them in and its all the details. And till this day I drive my mother bonkers when we go to a restaurant and we walk by the tables and I’m looking to see if the forks are precise and I get that Italian mom smack in the back of the head. But when you find your niche, the thing that sparks you and your good at it and you can make a difference doing it. You have to embrace it! It took me awhile to find my voice and so once you find it, step away!
How has your experience been producing South Asian Weddings and how many have you produced? Not a whole heck of a lot. But I have done a lot of social and corporate events in Southeast Asia. The South Asian weddings that I have done have been here in the states. And it’s interesting I find that, there are a lot of bragging rights that go with South Asian weddings. I have a pretty solid name and reputation in a lot of worlds, but I’m also the unknown kitten with claws when it comes to weddings. I have quite a few friends that are well known and I go in and I design for them, but I found on the South Asian side without that cache on top of being Anglo it proves to be difficult. It’s interesting because I came at it with a different perspective. I so want to do more because I know I can make a change for the positive and really take it to the next level. I want to see more globalization, the blended couples and the interracial ceremonies. This generation really has the concept of one world and I want to just explode the pomp and circumstance out of it. I don’t really want to be associated with just the wedding market. Weddings are such a tough nut. I want to be an event designer and that’s what I am and because it’s about the experience and it’s about the moment, that’s what I want to bring forth.
What are some of your inspirations and ideas to fuse the Western and South Asian weddings together? Food is massive for me. It’s funny to see the lack of food at an American wedding and the abundance of food at a South Asian wedding and you can’t eat everything. I would say fusing food styles, colors and flavors. The western food is boring, well I don’t want to say boring it’s predictable you’re either going to have chicken beef or fish. It’s safe and it’s predictable food. In South Asian cultures everyone comes together, and everybody wants to make the food spectacular. Food is definitely used to bring people together I would say do a family style dinner and let everybody start talking and eating western weddings. South Asian weddings really give you a sense of belonging however western weddings don’t do that. Everybody is invited everybody is celebrating together I would love to see that excitement being fused.
The South Asian Wedding industry is a billion-dollar industry where do you see it heading? That’s about right it is about an eight-billion-dollar industry but if you look at the hospitality industry globally it is a seven trillion-dollar industry. It’s obscene when you look at the population. It is simple math I truly see it getting bigger. I also see the cross cultural getting bigger. I see a hybrid coming out of it and that’s when my heart starts racing and as the population gets bigger and as technology keeps going, I can’t imagine it slowing down. I think there’s going to be a strong eastern influence on almost every wedding in about 100 years.
Which city and or venue has been your favorite to design? That’s hard…. Which one? You name one.
How about the cistern in Turkey? But you haven’t been to that cistern. There’s another one from across the mosque the entrance is on a little Hill and you walk down and it’s the size of a football field and at one point it was designed to be a mini palace then it became a garbage dump for years. When we were in there and I walked in, I was like I have to have it. The little five-year-old kid came out. So that was a challenge since it wasn’t a real floor there. So, it had to be built out. But I adore Paris and I can lose my mind there, and no one would question it. So, I can’t say I have a favorite … its whatever grabs me!
What are your thoughts on destination weddings? I look at destination weddings and the first thing that pops into my head is why, why are you going to this destination if you haven’t woven one thing about your destination into your two, three, four, five-day event. You have taken basically your entire South Asian culture and dropped it in the middle of Montana. Embrace the spirit of why you’re there. For example, Montana has beautiful trout, so take that trout and drop it into one of your dishes.
What are some of the key differences you find in event design between the South Asian Weddings and the Western weddings? In a certain aspect they are both cookie cutter and they both have a formula it’s rare to see the formula broken or split up and there’s a deep-seated desire to up level certain things however I would never touch nor, would I ever ask a bride to change from a white gown to a color gown. And I would never ask an Indian bride to change from a red sari to a different colored sari. For example, color in western weddings tend to be very muted and it’s very soft and pale. On the South Asian side, it’s vibrant and colorful. It’s a mix of colors and you feel something you feel more fun. You feel like you want to celebrate and in American weddings you feel like you just want to sit there. It doesn’t get off until you have a few drinks.
Which South Asian celebrity’s wedding would you like to design? Oh, that’s hard… I like the classics. Give me the Shabana Azmi’s of the world. I would love, love to do a gala for her. I would love to produce the Little Black Dress party for the Audrey Hepburn Foundation. It’s the nostalgia factor for me since so much of my childhood has been in the movies…
What kind of wedding do you see Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas having? OK I have to admit that would be an interesting one to do. I think they’re going to go very traditional for her. I also think Nick will look good in that environment. He kind of looks good in everything. I see them going very traditional, but I don’t see them going very lavish as people would expect them to. I see her with more muted florals but in eastern abundance of flowers. I see Nick in white trimmed in gold. I see her in her in red and then redressing for the reception in bit more modern and western style. I would love to have a conversation with them about fusing. This is the perfect platform for them to show the world how to fuse two cultures. It’s a golden opportunity for them to make a statement. I would love to have my fingers in that conversation.
What is your advice to couples? I remember fondly going home from one of my cousin’s weddings in the car with my grandmother and she said, “well that was a ridiculous spend of money.” And she said, promise me whenever you get married that you will actually have a wedding that matches the life that you will have. And I never quite got it until probably three years into doing some weddings. I had a bride who wanted this extravagant wedding with crystals and white roses and champagne. The whole nine yards but, I remember looking at her and I knew that this wasn’t in their budget. So I asked, so when you move into your home after your wedding is your life going to be all crystals and white roses and her fiancé was like no. So then why would you do that I said. You’re inviting people to celebrate with you, the best of you and if you’re a couple that doesn’t like cake, then don’t do cake. Let’s build a donut wall! I would love to see this next generation move forward with giving their guests themselves. Let them celebrate you! How amazing would it be to take the authentic couple and give people a representation of who they are? It’s all about life and love.
@perottiea: https://www.instagram.com/perottiea/
