What started as just a new creative project turned into one of the most monumental achievements for Delhi-based Izhaar by Core Designs, when they were entrusted with creating a whopping 60,000 wedding invitations for a prominent wedding in Uttar Pradesh, North India. We spoke to Ruchita Bansal, director and founder of the company, about how they went about accomplishing this order.
“Izhaar offers bespoke and customized designs; we have made some of the best luxury wedding invites in the country for several years now. Each creation at Izhaar is a handcrafted work of art. We are all about celebrating unbridled happiness, superlative achievements, joyous togetherness, and momentous occasions. When we were approached by Mr. Vishal Singh, an IAS officer who hails from one of the most prominent families in UP, to create invites for his wedding to I.R London-returned Yamini, we took it as an opportunity to fuse and showcase their personas and tastes into the design,” says Ruchita.
Recalling the experience, she says, “Initially, we were given three different briefs. The most elaborate one was for the most prominent invitees (such as elite guests and politicians) and totaled to 500 invitations. This was followed by simpler designs, one that required 2,000 and the other needing 3,000 invitations. Now, in smaller towns in North India, weddings are a big deal and most include an open invitation; it is an opportunity for the whole town to celebrate. While brainstorming, the couple said that they wanted to do something amazing and give their townspeople an experience they had never had before. From there emerged the ideas of 60,000 invitations, addressed and delivered to each family in the area! We could hardly believe our ears, but this was an opportunity that we did not want to lose.”
With the idea established and in motion for the initial invites, the task was smooth sailing in terms of execution. “After thorough research on the current trends, appropriate designs, up-to-date packaging and the tastes and traditions of the native place, we decided on a concept that would capture the ‘Nazaakat’ (delicate character) of Balliya, UP. We encapsulated this in the 60,000 invitations, which were of impeccable aesthetics and quality. All of them were handmade, assembled and delivered within just 10 days.”
Speaking about the logistics of this seemingly impossible task, she adds, “The invite we created was so much more than just decorated stationery. Each invite consisted of an individual box with cards, small gifts and local sweets curated and transported from various cities. It was packaged to perfection and hand-delivered, which made the job highly time-sensitive considering the edible components. It was definitely a learning experience for us. It also educated us on the undulating landscape of luxury in our country, and what it means to different people.”
Reflecting on the entire experience, she says, “Of course, every entrepreneur starts a venture with financial success and profit as their goal. But for us, this incredible project was not about the profit. It is not often that one is offered an opportunity of this scale. We wanted to create a benchmark for excellence in industry. I can say without a doubt that this was an experience which my team and I will always remember as one of the most satisfying achievements of our careers.”