Advice for Planning a Multi-Cultural Wedding

We have such a special treat for you today as luxury Houston wedding planner Sobi Qazi shares her best advice for planning a multi-cultural wedding! Sobi is a Certified Wedding & Event Planner who helps bring Houston couples’ visions to life. She has years of experience planning multi-cultural weddings and knows what an extra-special time these days are, because not only are two individuals becoming one, two families are becoming one and must be represented respectfully while balancing differing cultures, religions and backgrounds. Sobi helps couples to honor their traditions while making the day all their own. This multi-talented lady is also a licensed real estate agent and loves helping newlyweds not only live out their dream day, but find their dream home! Read more below to get insight into Sobi’s planning process, advice for planning a multi-cultural wedding and the idea behind her unique business, then head to her newly re-vamped website to see more from this talented Houston wedding realtor!

Photo // AMA by Aisha

What is Sobi Qazi’s wedding planning niche? What do you feel is the best asset that you and your team bring to Houston brides?

At Sobi Qazi Weddings, our niche is planning multi-cultural weddings – more so, South Asian weddings. With our several years of experience we have gained a rapport in which couples seek our guidance to balance their special day by honoring and respecting both cultures and religion for one of their most important day of their lives. We have conducted over 20 different types of cultural weddings in our ten years of business and successfully executed weddings on a higher production level with design, multi-day events, and guest count exceeding over 500 on an average. Our reach spans to all major cities in Texas such as Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Corpus Christi areas. We also have in-depth experience in destination weddings in Mexico and the Caribbean Islands. At Sobi Qazi Weddings, we seamlessly blend culture and traditions for an innovative celebration. We are your multi-cultural wedding experts!

When a couple wants their wedding day to be a celebration of their family’s culture and religion, how do you help them honor tradition while creating something unique to that couple?

To honor traditions on both sides of the families, it’s about accepting and understanding the unity of two individuals and their background with balance. We like to start off by discussing what is important to each person and what they wish to incorporate and what they are envisioning so we can create a special day by bringing in the elements that showcase each culture by blending it into their wedding theme, attire, catering or with special entertainment. We want the guests to leave with experiencing the two cultures that represent the couple and their families; it’s a memorable and personal touch to make their wedding unique. It takes great knowledge and experience to mix the family formalities, cultural customs and different religions into the wedding events. Also, it’s important for us to educate the families on what would be considered inappropriate behavior in other’s social world.

What is one of your favorite ways to incorporate a couple’s multi-cultural heritage into their wedding day? Can a couple do this even in a small ceremony?

One of my favorite ways to incorporate a couple’s heritage is by conducting the ceremony jointly – it’s the best way to honor both ethnic and religious traditions. We like to help our couple incorporate each customs in the wedding programs so the guests can appreciate the symbolism and the officiant can help translate as well. No matter how small or big your guest count is, this is a great way to keep all eyes on the couple as they exchange their vows!

With logistics planning, vendor selections, and the blending of two families, how do you help the couple balance decision-making and enjoying the process at the same time?

To balance the different components in the planning process, I create a custom monthly schedule for my couples to follow and pace the process so it doesn’t become overwhelming with everything else that is going on in their lives. We have preferred vendors we have a great relationship with that makes the selection easier as we provide the best fit for the clients needs. We also conduct an initial and final meeting with the families to keep them involved and informed on the planning process to keep the event day smooth and execute it successfully to keep everyone happy!

How did you come up with the idea for such a unique service like Wedding Realtor? Are the skills required for real estate similar to planning a wedding? How does this help the couple start their new beginning life together?

In the process of wedding planning, I have built lasting relationships with my couples  – some of whom are also in search of buying a home together or selling one of their homes. With the trust and friendship built over time, I am able to extend my services in real estate to professionally guide them and make the process smooth and less stressful so they have the ease of getting married and have a dream home waiting for them to start their new journey. With both services to offer to our couples, I came up with the title “Your Wedding Realtor!” as my team and I are able to partner together to balance both parts to make the process seamless.

How do you help couples find the perfect home to begin this new chapter of their lives together?

Purchasing a home or selling a home is a big financial step for a couple, especially when they are first time homebuyers. There are many moving parts and preparations needed just like a wedding requires. The big question is: what price home can you really afford? Most likely the couple is going to need a home loan, and that is the first step in the process before even starting to look at homes. This is why your realtor should be experienced and professional to handle the whole process step-by-step, guide you and answer your questions, truly representing you to the fullest and to your benefit. Prioritizing top three things you’re looking for in a home is ideally best to know to make the search process efficient and successful. Being part of the closing with our couple is the best part to see how their dreams from wedding planning to home buying have been achieved!

Special thanks to Sobi of Sobi Qazi for sharing her multi-cultural wedding planning and newlywed real estate expertise with us today. Find more info about Sobi’s planning services on her vendor profile and on her brand new website!