Your guide to wow weddings

The Indian wedding industry is huge, so why not make the most of the opportunity by giving the public something to read about it first, like Dakshna Moorthy has done.

WOW team: Dakshna Moorthy with actor Shriya Saran at the launch. Photo: Special Arrangement

Marriages are made in heaven, or so the popular adage goes. But anyone who has ever had the responsibility of planning one will know that weddings don't just pop out of the skies. On the contrary, they involve endless sleepless nights, painfully large phone bills and bottomless cups of coffee.

Anyone who has planned one will know that the run up to the big day is exciting but also stressful, tiring and often confusing. This is where Wedding Vows, a lifestyle monthly magazine dedicated to weddings, comes to your rescue.

Dakshna Moorthy N. is the Publisher, Chief Editor and the brain behind the publication; its mastermind from start to finish. NXg caught up with the 26-year-old on the breezy, bamboo walled, rooftop sit-out of the Wedding Vows office in the heart of the city.

Coming from a family specialising in infrastructure, how did you jump into advertising and publishing?

I grew up with my father's infrastructure business, GNT Infrastructure, but short filmmaking and ads have always been my passion. When I could choose my career path, I chose my passion. My ad company, Lumiere 33, has now brought out Wedding Vows after a year of work and it is the clichéd dream come true.

Why weddings?

Wedding magazines are more popular up north. Down south, there is no publication specialising in weddings. No magazine in the market talks about South Indian culture, traditions and how we can cater to those needs economically. Considering every Indian wedding costs almost as much as an Ivy League education, it is the perfect market.

Your magazine is priced at Rs. 100. Do you think you will be able to cater to the masses? How would you rate the affordability of Wedding Vows?

Weddings are expensive affairs, what with the long shopping list. From that perspective, Rs. 100 is a small investment, almost negligible, but our magazine will definitely make life that much easier.

Will there be provisions for reader interaction and exposure to various cultures?

We have various columns by leaders in the fields of skin care, hair care and every other marriage-related query. Also, today, there is a steep rise in the popularity of inter-culture weddings; so we will definitely be catering to them as well. The only thing is that our products will cater to South Indian trends.

Learning…

Wedding Vows is the product of everyone's hardwork, not only mine. My parents, my friends and the wonderful editorial team here at the office are equally responsible for the success of the magazine.

To all of you out there who want to do your thing your way, it becomes a lot easier once you have your support staff in place. I learnt from my experience. You can too.

Yashasvini has just finished her A Levels.