“Nobody in the world throws a party like Colin Cowie.” As I walked in to meet one of the most famous wedding planners on the planet, Oprah Winfrey’s words resonated in my head. She was raving about the man mentioned in Vogue’s Master Wedding Planner List, the go-to man for every celebrity. His client list reads like a who’s who of Hollywood — Jennifer Aniston, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Seacrest, Kim Kardashian, Hugh Hefner and more. The celebs imagine a ritzy party, and Cowie crafts it for them.
Having worked in 100 countries across five continents, the US-based planner has mastered the art of a perfect party. After nearly three decades in the business of making dream weddings come true, he knows the devil is in the details. In India recently, with his signature designs, Cowie talked to us about the ingredients that went into a party to remember.
Theme : Never lose sight of the fact that a wedding is about love and not about a perfect party. My clients come to me with Pinterest boards filled with how they imagine their wedding to be. I start by asking them about who they are as a couple. I take their unique DNA and add to that the five senses sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing) and tell their story. This way, no celebration I design ever looks or feels the same. For Lil Wayne’s party, I went with a skate park theme. Everything from the graffiti on the walls to the cake to the lighting reflected the theme, and itwas truly Wayne.
Surprise : During the summer, people attend five or six weddings, so standing out is difficult. Shed the clichés and do something different. For Kim Kardashian’s party, we had a silk ribbon performer from Cirque du Soleil working with us. With the high-flying entertainment and the pink hues of the uplighting, there wasn’t a pair of eyes not transfixed on the sky. However, the element of surprise doesn’t need to come solely from entertainers. For the wedding of music industry titan, Jimmy Iovine and actress Libery Ross, we transitioned the very romantic navy, black palette ceremony into a red, neon sexy nightclub for the dance party right after.
Wow moment : There has to be a jaw-dropping “wow” moment — you want guests to walk in and say ‘Wow, I can’t believe they’ve done this!’ I love making a huge statement at the bar, whether it’s with a massive floral instalment or a well-curated double-height back bar. For Oprah Winfrey’s 25th anniversary of her TV show, we created a massive ‘25’ in purple flowers. You can try this with a number or name for the wedding. For South African businessman, Sol Kerzner, we designed a massive sphere of roses that measured 12 feet in diameter at the centre of the bar.
Personalisation : I love the idea of personalising and one of my favourite ways is to have a printed menu with the guest’s name calligraphed at the top. We did just this for entrepreneur and philanthropist Eli Broad. Tables, chairs and menus were translucent to allow the lit centres of the tables to reflect the light changing colours.
Volume control : Shun the idea of loud noise and high energy all night long. That never works. I like good energy from lively music and a slightly elevated volume when I walk into the room. When we sit down for dinner, the sound needs to come down so that we can all have a good, meaningful conversation. When it comes to the dance part of the night, turn up the volume, turn down the lights and let it roll. Instead of two or four large speakers blasting, have several smaller speakers around the room. This way you can distribute the sound evenly.
After-wedding thoughts: When guests return to their room, surprise them with a turn-down note and a hangover remedy, a chocolate or a wish from the bride and groom. A framed picture of them from the wedding is a lovely way to keep the memories forever.
What’s Hot
Hanging décor is incredibly hot right now. Whether it’s for a photo backdrop or a centrepiece, opt for hanging florals
Greenery is the décor element of the year. It’s fabulous, naturally elegant and far more inexpensive than the flowers
Say goodbye to the traditional tiered wedding cake. Try full dessert table, doughnut installations. Even fondue
Get the DJ and Band to do live mash-ups
Move to molecular mixology. Serve martinis with images of the guests floating on the top
Everyone loves a photo booth. Keep one
Social Media-free events. Banning cellphones at parties/weddings are a thing these days
