Exclusive Interview | Anjali Tolani, Vice President – Celebrations at Tamarind Global
/“The vision is to craft a unique personal story each time—told through a wedding—with care, warmth, and attention to detail, created through genuine passion and dedicated craftsmanship.”
Could you share some pivotal moments in your journey and how each domain shaped your approach to wedding & hospitality?
More than 19 years ago, we began our journey by specialising in inbound tourism welcoming guests from regions such as South Africa, East Africa, and the Middle East. From the very beginning, we understood that true hospitality is a blend of warmth, precision, and genuine care creating a sense of belonging from the moment a guest steps off the plane until they return home. Every touchpoint matters: seamless transportation, thoughtfully planned itineraries, and those small, personal gestures that make each guest feel seen and valued. As we expanded into the world of weddings and events, these same principles became the foundation of our approach. While style, scale, and visual grandeur play their part, what truly defines a celebration is how effortlessly it flows and how deeply guests feel cared for throughout. That philosophy continues to guide us at Tamarind Global today, where luxury isn’t just something you see, but something you feel at every stage of the experience.
What is your overarching vision for Tamarind Global Weddings, especially in the rapidly evolving wedding industry?
At Tamarind Global Weddings, we have been in business for almost 15 years. In that time, the world of weddings and events has transformed dramatically. 15 years ago, only a very few people understood the creativity involved in curating and personalizing events that represented the core essence of the couple. Our industry has witnessed an astonishing evolution of ideas, thought, creativity, and innovation over the years.However, with that evolution came the challenge of developing and creating true meaning, sometimes confused with experimentation. However, despite this, the core values promised and professed in the beginning still guide us today. The infallible belief in authenticity, emotional links and detail. The vision is to craft a unique personal story each time—told through a wedding—with care, warmth, and attention to detail, created through genuine passion and dedicated craftsmanship.
How do you evaluate and choose new destinations (especially international ones), and what challenges (logistical, regulatory, cultural) do you often face?
At Tamarind, juggling logistics, experience, and emotion while selecting a new destination comes as a true art. The process, in its initial stages, begins with scrutinizing what was previously mentioned-aspects like the time of year matching with the optimal weather and ambience support the destination appeal. It is then that we gauge the convenience for our guests by looking into where most attendees are arriving from, ensuring that things like connectivity through flights or visa issues, or simple documentation, are facilitated. Accommodation is also important in this context-it guarantees not just room inventory, but also assesses whether the places do justice to the client's vision about every element of celebration-from an intimate cultural ceremony to a vibrant late-night party. Also, we think about local regulations, hospitality norms, and economic concerns in order to maximize value without necessarily providing a pedestrian or standard experience. Learning about cultural adaptability is something of a learning curve, more like when trying to align your international partners up to meet our Indian standards of service and hospitality. But through intense training and close collaboration, we bridge this gap. Each new destination, however, does come with its own set of challenges-but with it also comes the excitement of discovery, and the joy of creating new experiences for our clients.
How do you maintain consistency in quality across geographies and vendors, and what systems do you use?
At Tamarind Global, the consistency over geographies is not coincidental but rather comes from the experience over decades which is founded on well established SOPs and processes which have been refined over years. Each team, whether working locally or internationally, works using the same well established systems which is the essence of our seamless execution. With job specific tracker sheets, detailed show flows and exhaustive operational check lists, every system is designed to take our team through the various steps involved in any event that we work on. Even where the destination is a new one, our approach is one which is structured but flexible. We study the locale, understand the agenda first hand and then adapt the operational methods to take into account local nuances and vendor psyche. This allows us to combine organisation with adaptability which permits the flawless execution of all our work, everywhere in the world. For us, discovering a new destination is an adventure and opportunity. It allows us to innovate and evolve, while at the same time maintaining the qualities that signify Tamarind Global: precision, personal service and speed.
What advice would you offer to budding wedding / event planners who want to break into destination weddings and high-end hospitality?
When looking at the world of destination weddings and luxury events for the first time, everything seems glamorous from fabulous venues and exotic locations to partnering with global talent and iconic brands. What you do not see on social media is all the hard work, long hours, and personal sacrifices that culminate in those magical moments. My best piece of advice to anyone pursuing this career is to learn the details and fully commit to the job. Your two biggest assets will be your precision and patience, as well as your people skills. The work is intense and requires resilience; you will often work for months without a break, rehearsing several moving pieces while constantly responding to last-minute requests. Expand your network of friends and colleagues both within the country and abroad, develop cultural awareness, and remember that excellence isn’t about extravagance, it’s about meaning. At Tamarind Global, we’ve deepened this awareness through our work, understanding that the magic lies not in milestone events, but in the memories they create.
