Happiness Unlimited : Gawand Lawns
One of the biggest days in the life of a person is arguably his or her wedding. The Indian weddings are often referred to as the big fat Indian weddings and catering to such lavish weddings is Thane’s very own picturesque Gawand Lawns.
The Gawands have been the residents of Thane from the early 20th century. They had huge land reserves with them back then. They ventured into floral business and soon became the major suppliers of two flowers, namely, Sayali and Chameli (both are types of Jasmines), in Mumbai. Quite evidently when the Gawand family decided to start the wedding business, they named the venue Gawand Lawns.
Sitting comfortably in nature’s lap, Gawand Lawns, which is a part of Gawand Baug, run by the Gawand couple; Sanjit and Rupali, is nothing less than a splendid spectacle that is surrounded by lush green trees with breathtaking Yeoor Hills in the background. Sanjit Gawand, who runs an engineering workshop, one fine day, pulled a rabbit out of the hat and decided to design an open place for weddings. It took him about seven years to get the wedding venue all decked up. Sanjit says, “Having an open wedding place in a city was going to be a unique concept and I wanted to give the people of this city a feel of destination wedding, without actually having to travel and splurge on the event. So we developed it as a resort, where the event halls are by the pool side. In addition to the open wedding venue, we also developed a closed wedding hall, for those who wanted to have indoor weddings. One of the best features at our venue is that you can reach the rooms of the bride and groom by car. These rooms are spic and span and the parties involved feel completely at home.”
The sprawling Gawand Lawns can easily accommodate 1000-1500 people and the hall has a capacity of 250-300. In order to make this venue client-friendly, the Gawands do not impose the monopoly of a caterer, which is a money gobbler feature in a wedding, rather they encourage their clients to have caterers of their choice. Rent, decoration charges, catering, among other expenses are reasonable and do not burn a hole in the pocket of clients in the event of a wedding.
Though the Gawands are mainly the providers of a wedding venue, they have spread their wings to cover the other facets involved in the mega event. Rupali Gawand is a master in event management and has worked on many challenging assignments in the past. Rupali and her team provide professional event management service to their clients without charging an extra penny.
Rupali says, “Weddings are something that excite me. In every wedding that we host, I get involved as a family member. I assist the families of the bride and groom in all possible ways. Apart from just offering our venue, we also provide them with suggestions for shopping, photography, videography, backdrop, decoration, food, among many. Every wedding is a learning experience and we try to incorporate new and better things in the subsequent ones.” She further adds, “We like to innovate and experiment. We suggest some innovations in food, such as mock meat, which is something on the lines of Veg Butter Chicken or Veg Mutton.”
She has an excellent event management team, which is responsible for hospitality and security. Rupali avers, “Having a great team is important in an event like a wedding. I make sure that my team is happy and energized before the event. In order to assure this, we make sure that they have their food before the start of the event.”
In a typical Indian wedding, there are a lot of gold ornaments in use. Therefore security and surveillance is of paramount importance. Rupali shares, “The entire venue is covered by CCTV cameras. A few years back, there was an incident when the bride mistook her gold bangles as imitated ones and threw them in the dustbin. Later when she realized that they were all real gold-made, she panicked, but thankfully, we were able to trace the bangles and give them back to her. We ensure that complete safety is maintained at the venue.”
When it comes to contingencies, the Gawand family is always well-prepared. Rupali recalls, “We were organizing a wedding in the month of December. Unexpectedly it started raining. The families involved in the wedding were disappointed but we came to their rescue. We made all the arrangements in our indoor facility in quick time and made all the guests comfortable. Once it stopped pouring, we went outdoors and organized the planned entry of the bride and the groom.”
Gawand Lawns is financially inclusive and can be affordable to one and all. Sanjit says, “The memories of a wedding are the most precious ones for the families involved. We endeavour to make it the best for our clients. The process starts right from the booking of the venue to the actual wedding and we are with the clients through it all. Prior to the actual wedding, we also invite our clients to experience the ambience, taste the food and see the decorations.” Despite being situated in a residential area, Gawand Lawns makes sure that even in the absence of loud sound and procession, the wedding is made memorable with its rich ambience, delectable food and ofcourse warm people.
To date, more than 300 weddings have been celebrated at this spectacular Gawand Lawns. Rupali and Sanjit Gawand have played integral parts in the success of Gawand Lawns and with their son, Sahil, joining the business there is seldom any doubt that Thanekars will enjoy one of the best wedding facilities in the city itself.
Read E-Magazine : Gawand Lawns-April 2022
