An 'event'ful journey

KOCHI: Some individuals nurture their dreams and achieve it no matter how hard the odds are. Sofia Mathew, director of Watermark Weddings, is one of that kind. She aspired to be an independent entrepreneur and finally became one; that too in a field which she always loved.After founding the parent company, Watermark Event Solutions with her husband Anup Joy and Sidhesh Kandiyil, Sofia launched Watermark Weddings in December 2014. 

"I always wanted to have my own business but had little idea about where to focus. Even while studying engineering, my focus was on organising events. Then I went on to take a diploma in event management from Mumbai and finally, ended up realising my dream," says Sofia.It wasn't a cakewalk, though. "Starting a firm during the recession, when people were reluctant to spend was a risk. That time, many people were alien to the concept of wedding planning. It took a while for us to convince the families," says Sofia.

Watermark Weddings believes in creating unique weddings. "As each individual is unique, their wedding should also be customised to reflect their taste, status and the experience they wish to offer. We normally plan the whole event, six months prior to the marriage. Instead of putting up a pre-conceived pattern, we follow the couple's Instagram accounts to understand their taste and offer a unique design. We never tried to exhibit the brand in our events," she adds. 

Being part of a stressful business, Sofia says consistency in achieving your goal is what matters. "Every budding female entrepreneur should focus on maintaining consistency in what they are doing. There will be distractions and failures, but they should keep on doing it until they achieve their dream," says Sofia., who has organised notable events like Kochi Metro launch and BPCL Refinery expansion inauguration.