Oliveaire - South Asian Events


Oliveaire provides the hospitality industry a channel to explore the ethnic event market influenced with culture and tradition. Clients are able to depend upon our knowledge and understanding of the unique needs of the customs, meal preferences, and accommodations generated by these events. Our team, with its ethnic background, has been our cornerstone in provding our clientele the best service in the wedding and special event market.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Meet the Team: Senior Event Architect Sayira Khokhar


          We are very thankful for our Oliveaire Team.  Today I would like you to get to know one of our Senior Event Architect’s Ms. Sayira Khokhar.  Sayira is very professional, hard-working and has fully impressed her client’s with her extraordinary talent in Event Planning. 
Sayira Outside The Office:
Nicknames: Skull Krusher (She got this nickname from Karate, and currently has her Double Black Belt)  Do not let this nickname fool you, although she is very fierce, she is very kind and caring
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Book: The Harry Potter Series
Favorite Television Show: Alias
What Do You Like To Do In Your Spare Time: Martial Arts, Boxing, Cooking & Reading
Sayira As A Wedding Planner:
Why did you become a Wedding Planner?
I went to school for hospitality management. I planned large scale fundraisers during my college days and thought wedding planning would give me a different experience.
What is your favorite part of planning a wedding?
I love the high level stress! I love putting together the different components to function as one. Especially with South Asian weddings, there is a lot of problem solving involved and thinking of creative solutions to make everyone happy.
How would you describe your style as a planner?
I am very much like a drill sergeant with a soft spot. I like to keep things organized and in track. I follow-up with my clients to make sure they do their homework. I get all the details in shape to ensure a flawless event!
What one piece of advice would you give to a newly engaged couple?
Compromise. A wedding is not just a marriage between two people but their two lifestyles and cultures. Don’t think too much, just do! If you start honing on details that really don’t matter, you will make the process more complicated. Have fun! It is a momentous occasion in your life!
Do you have a favorite wedding moment or event?
My favorite moment is when dinner has been served, dessert is out and the bride and groom are on the dance floor dancing the night away!
How would you describe what you do every day?
In one work day I am literally working on 5-10 different weddings at a time. reviewing paperwork, logistics, talking to vendors on the phone, meeting with clients, participating in walk-throughs, confirming menus, finalizing set-up and arrival times and training my onsite support team. Yeah, it’s a lot of work. There is never a dull moment in the office!
What advice would you give someone who wants to start working in the event industry?
You can learn the theory of how an event functions and how to manage an event, however working in the industry is a completely different beast.
Be ready to manage a plethora of personalities, mentalities, and attitudes!
Be assertive and even when you don’t know what to do, pretend you do. But work hard to figure it out and be realistic.
See the whole picture and not a singular element.
Think twice before you act or speak. Decisions and words cannot be taken back
There is no such thing as a perfect event
Think of the solution and not the problem. If something, don’t get trapped in what has already happened. Learn and move forward.
Think positive and have fun!
Breath. Take time for yourself. You cannot help others unless you help yourself


If you are interested in speaking with Sayira about your wedding or special event, call her at 847-885-3200 ex. 30 or email her at skhokhar@oliveaire.com

BBFN (Bridal Bliss For Now),
Olivia 

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Appily Ever After

 There’s no doubt about it, Social Media has taken over, and this is no exception when it comes to Weddings.  Brides and Grooms are now downloading Apps to make planning and implementing their special days much easier than ever before.  From having guests share their photos to helping organize their seating charts and guests list, these Apps help with it all.  Not sure on what Apps to download for your Wedding Day?  To make it a little easier, here are the Top 10 Social Media Wedding Apps you should try!

Wedding Snap: Have your guests upload photos and videos to your Wedding Album during your wedding through this App!  The beauty of this App is that they do not even have to have service in order to use and upload photos and videos of your big day!  The basic package is $129.00 which allows your guests to upload to your album.  For $199.00 all of your photos will be retouched by a professional photographer as well!  And for $249.00, you will get the photo retouching and a live slideshow that will display your guests’ photos at the wedding as they take them!  Although expensive, this is a great way to have your guests capture the moments your photographer may not catch!


Capsule: Along with uploading photos and videos, you can also send group texts and post information directly from your email account for all your guests to see.  For example, instead of emailing, texting or mailing directions to everyone, you can send out the directions in one massive group text and you are done!  After the wedding, you can also order prints, cards and canvasses of any images you may choose!  Not only is this a great App, it is also FREE!


Cake Face: The amazing thing about Cake Face is that the images are not only uploaded onto an online album in real-time, but those images can also be projected onto a big screen during the Wedding!  You can have a live slideshow capturing the moments right then and there!  How cool is that! This App is a one-time fee of $199.00 and we believe is completely worth it!

 iWed Planner: Not only can a Wedding Planner take a lot of stress off of you, but the iWed PlannerApp takes even more of that away.  Are you forgetful and can’t always remember all of the appointments that a wedding entails?  Well look no further than iWed Planner!  This App helps you remember all of your meetings, appointments, and you will never miss a payment again!  Not only is this also free, iWed Planner will help you in locating the perfect wedding florist, dress, Dj and band! 


The Seating Planner: Trust us when we say that figuring out the RSVPs and the seating chart may be one of the most stressful parts for a Bride and Groom.  The Seating Planner+ can be created or imported from Facebook or from iPhone contacts, and with a simple drag and drop function they can be placed at each table!  You can also keep track of who accepts or declines the invitation and those who have not yet responded.  Even better, it keeps track of guest information, such as those who require special meals or who is bringing an infant and might need a highchair.  For only $1.99 the Seating Plan can be exported as a text file or as a PDF to be sent or printed out for your convenience and use!

Wedding RegistryThis App is a dream come true for couples who cannot choose just a store or two to register for their Wedding.  This App allows the Bride and Groom to scan and add any item to their registry from any store while sitting at home!  It also sorts the products into different categories and automatically updates as soon as something has been purchased!  You can do all of this for only $2.00 and we think it’s a great investment!

Wedding Budget: The Wedding Budget App offers plenty of tools to make budgeting easier!  It gives you simple steps to set up the budget, monitor expenses, and get a quick glimpse of the overall spending!  This will definitely help all of you savvy brides and makes things easier on everyone! 

Wilton Cake Ideas & More: Not sure what Cake design you want to use?  Well here is an app that provides many choices to create your very own Wedding Cake.  It gives you everything from colors, to style of cake, to the tasting choices as well!

WeddingHappyTake the stress away from planning and just be happy!  This App is designed for those who may be overwhelmed with their Wedding Day.  It has plenty of tools to keep on track with tasks and even offers vendor management and contact integration too! 


Pinterest: Last but not least, the Pinterest App is our favorite of all!  We love how the ideas of others can spark someone’s interests and create beautiful Weddings of their very own!  We always ask our clients to come in with their Wedding Boards and Pins so we can see what has inspired them and what they would like to see for their big day!  This App helps organize all the details of a wedding day!  We love this App and we highly recommend it for all Brides-to-Be! 

BBFN,
Olivia