Farell D’Souza never stopped imagining Cinderella weddings, even after she got married. After moving back from Kuwait she created Farella Weddings that specialises in floral accessories for weddings
DANUSKA DA GAMA | NT BUZZ
She does her research on themes, works with the ideas of the bride, curates a mood board and colour palette, and gets everything done from scratch to finish.
“It’s important to keep the brides happy. It’s their dream day after all,” says Farell D’Souza from Margao, who launched Farella Weddings last year.
Having previously worked for 10 years in Kuwait for a reputed beauty product company, D’Souza learned a lot from her lady manager who guided her to think smart, ideate, make connections, and more. “My husband is into destination weddings, and when I was working abroad he would shunt between Goa and Kuwait until January 2020. It got hectic and I decided to come back,” she tells us.
For her, just doing chores at home didn’t give her all the satisfaction. She wanted to do more. And it was during this time, and upon observing the many weddings here, that she realised a lacunae in the Goan wedding market of quality floral accessories and
bouquets, etc.
D’Souza thus did a few classes on floral arrangements and understanding flowers and pairings before launching Farella Weddings.
“Weddings are always like a fairy tale affair. The brides for me are the Cinderella who finally have a dream coming true, and for me, I wanted to have me, in the brand and that’s how I came up with Farella,” D’Souza giggles.
And her ring holders, bouquets, corsages, buttoniers, etc, she says, are a work of love and labour. With a small team of girls/women this work gives them a means of earning while doing something where the end result are unique pieces of artistry.
Already booked for over 12 weddings in 2021, D’Souza who imports flowers and also makes them with her team tells us that the trend now is rustic, and people want their décor to be subtle, and elegant. “Goan girls know exactly what they want. And while I would like them to go bold with colours, somehow a majority of them choose burgundy, dusty blue, and pinks,” she tells us.
But just sourcing flowers isn’t the only aspect, there’s the whole process of putting flowers together, that complement each other. And that’s a skill she’s mastering through various tutorials. “You can never stop learning. There are thumb rules, and there’s innovation too. But, you got to know which two flowers go together and which greens are needed. The shape of the arrangement matters too and is all linked to the bride, her gown, etc,” she explains.
And the most important part of the whole process is the appointment with the bride, she says. “The appointment is very important, because I get to understand what the bride wants and when you discuss and get to know someone it’s easier to visualise the work before starting,” she says.
In fact, for a recent wedding a bride wanted to have her sneakers customised. “Since the theme was pink she got her pair to us. And since she wanted a touch of white to it we added lace onto it to match her gown,” she says, adding that she takes her brides into confidence at each step to make sure they are pleased and to make necessary changes if required. “After all it’s a wedding, and we want to make their dream Big Day come true,” says D’Souza, adding that she also customises headpieces made of Zirconia stones for her brides.
The multitasker, who does it all, also ensures that she spends at least an hour a day to build her social media presence to create content for her brand that stands out. “For me it’s important to give out the right message, and sometimes doing it yourself, reduces costs and you know exactly how to do things your way,” she explains.
While she keeps checking on her four-year-old lad, she tells us that she’s also occupied with the planning and setting up of her store in Margao. “There are many last-minute shoppers and those want to see and then order, so I’ve realised the need for a dedicated store,” she says.
And while she may have her hands full at the moment, she admits that while getting into the wedding business was an opportunity spotted, there’s heavy competition in the state. “I just want to focus on class and quality and not do it because I want to stay in the business,” she says.