When Trust Matters Most: Leadership Lessons from South Asian Wedding Planning

Navigating the magnificent scale of South Asian weddings demands more than standard planning approaches—it requires masterful team leadership. In this compelling episode, Certified Wedding Planner and Educator Rima Shah of Big Guava Events joins Krisy Thomas, COO of the CWP Society, to share battle-tested strategies for building, preparing, and leading teams through multi-day celebrations with hundreds of guests.

Rima reveals why finding the right team members is her first priority, seeking out Certified Wedding Planners whose foundation of knowledge provides an essential "security blanket" when executing complex events. She emphasizes matching team size to wedding scale, noting that a 400-person celebration across multiple spaces simply cannot be managed by a skeleton crew without sacrificing quality.

The conversation delves into Rima's meticulous communication protocols, from comprehensive Google Docs shared a week before the wedding to on-site walkthroughs that orient team members to each space and responsibility. For those new to South Asian traditions, she describes her approach to cultural education, ensuring assistants understand not just what happens during ceremonies like Baraat or Hindu rituals, but why these moments matter—allowing them to anticipate needs and recognize significant transitions.

With remarkable candor, Rima shares a challenging leadership moment involving an assistant who crossed professional boundaries at a destination wedding, highlighting the importance of swift decision-making to protect your reputation and client experience. Her powerful closing advice—"Don't be scared to ask for help"—reminds planners that delegation is strength, not weakness, and that trusting your team to handle more than you might initially believe can be the difference between merely surviving and truly thriving in the world of complex cultural celebrations.

Whether you're specifically interested in South Asian weddings or simply want to strengthen your team management approach for any large-scale celebration, this episode offers practical wisdom from someone who's mastered the art of leading with intention. Ready to elevate your planning practice? Visit cwpsociety.com today to start your certification journey.

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