Smita Mohindra and her team at Ethnic Essense (EE) did an extraordinary job in planning, managing and executing our daughter's wedding celebrations over the last weekend of June 2026. Indian weddings are multi-day affairs with several separate events. Coupled with that, our son-in-law comes from a Mexican heritage. The EE team took all of these into account to visualize and implement a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experience for us and all of our guests at a beautiful venue, the Hyatt Regency Resort in Huntington Beach, CA. Their services included complete event planning and timeline orchestration, coordination of multiple wedding components, including, specific location/venue selection and decoration for each event, Hindu priest for the wedding, bridal party hair & make-up, DJ & Lighting, Groom's horse and dhol (drum) player for the "baraat", catering for multiple events including "Chai Time", Appetizers & Dinners for Sangeet and the Reception, shuttle service between 2 guest hotels and wedding venue, etc. Many of these activities were implemented using different vendors, but EE had a ready list of tried and tested vendors for each, and they handled the actual negotiations on our behalf. Each event venue was very creatively conceptualized with Indian & Mexican elements and masterfully executed to create a lovely ambience. Smita's background and experience in design was amply on display! The DJ did a super job in getting everyone to get off their feet and join in the fun. The caterer, Manohar of Delhi Palace, served up a delicious cornucopia of appetizers and entrees that included items featuring Mexican, North Indian and Bengali flavors. EE helped us to refine the fusion menu that included items such as churros, kulfi-faluda, 3 types of halwa, paneer & lamb tacos, avocado fries, variety of kababs, luchi-kosha mangsho-dum aloo, etc. I would like specially recognize our event planner, Jennifer, who did a masterful job guiding us over a 15 month period planning our event and managing all day-of activities. She was ably assisted by the EE team, including Rippu, Neha, Priya and others. The EE proactiveness and attention to detail was really awesome. Case in point: I fell accidentally on the night before Sangeet and was hospitalized. They set up a livestream so that I could watch it from my hospital room. Next day, I got released in a wheel chair/walker so I could participate in the ceremony, and they had a ramp built to get on the wedding "mandap"! All without us asking. All said and done, we are very happy with all that EE did for us and would whole-heartedly recommend them to anyone considering an experienced event management team who can deliver memorable experience. read more

Ethnic Essence went above and beyond for my wedding planning. They really created the wedding of our dreams. They helps us through months of planning; handled all the decor and logistics professionally, helped us work with our budget and our visions, and answered my million and one questions patiently. The day of went off without a hitch. The team thought of literally EVERYTHING. I loved having Jennifer and Smita Aunty and team work with us. read more

Thank you team Ethnic Essence for an exquisitely planned and executed wedding event for my daughter in April, 2025. It has been a wonderful wedding for us and all the guests with so many compliments from all around. It would not have been possible without the skills and capability of the Ethnic Essence team, their attention to details and professionalism. Smita's creative designs, expertise, and guidance made my daughter and son-in laws vision and wish a reality for all the events - Sangeet, Ceremony and Reception. Jennifer has been a very capable manager all along the journey, was very responsive throughout the process, explaining and clarifying questions and concerns clearly and patiently for any aspect of the events. It was great how she managed all the moving parts and chaotic energy through the events of Fri and Saturday with the able support of all other members of the team. The execution has been flawless and all the events happened according to schedule. It has truly been a magical weekend for all of us and our guests. read more

We knew that planning a wedding from across the country (we live on the East Coast) wasn't going to be easy. Top that off with my fiance studying for Boards and we knew we had to trust whichever planner we chose. We are beyond excited we chose to work with Smita Auntie and her team! Every phone call, detail, decor element, and vibe was thoroughly researched, discussed, and achieved - all within our budget. Jennifer specifically has a way with people, and we are so lucky to have teamed up with the best planning and decor company in SoCal! Thank you, for making my dream as a bride come true for each and every event, and for fielding all of our questions, concerns, and even our Type-A-ness during our wedding planning journey. We couldn't have asked for a better team we felt confident with, and we would highly, highly recommend this talented team of women. Thank you for everything! read more

Planning a wedding is no small feat. My now husband and I were referred to Ethnic Essence and Smita in 2019 when we set off to plan our dream wedding in Palm Springs. We reached out to her about our decor desires for our big day and she worked with us to stay within our budget and still make all of our events look magical. Fast forward to March 2020, two months before our big day - we had to cancel our wedding due to COVID. After months of uncertainty and two attempts to reschedule, we finally settled on moving forward with a small, intimate wedding. Cutdown from 200 to 50 people, venue change to something more local in Malibu (we're from LA) and cutting down from 4 events to 1 - Smita worked with us to adjust all the little details so we could still celebrate our big day and that too safely! The ceremony space it was so ethereal and magical - everything turned out even better than I dreamed of in my head! Smita is a true visionary and brought everything I asked for to life! Everything came together so beautifully - from the palki sahib, to the entry archway, to my GORGEOUS bouquet (which I'm having preserved so I have a memory of it forever), to our amazing B&G table at the lunch -- I still can't stop thinking about it. We even had our planner back out of working with us less than two months before our wedding and we reached out to Smita to do month of coordination for us and she more than happily agreed. Her and her team (Alisha and Radhika), were so wonderful the day of and we were so gracious and thankful that we had them running point on our big day. We had delays and small hiccups, but they handled everything with calmness and care and made us feel so at ease. Their hard work, dedication, professionalism and most importantly attention to detail throughout this whole process blew us away. So many of my friends and family commented how impressed they were by them. We truly had a wonderful and memorable day celebrating and could not have done that without Smita, Alisha & Radhika's help. We're so appreciative of the part they played in making our wedding special. Highly recommend, look no further for your decor and planning needs! Especially for those looking to plan and execute small, intimate COVID safe weddings. read more

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We cannot recommend Smita enough. She has a great eye for design and helped us create something that was truly our own. We wanted to take this opportunity to thank the entire Ethnic Essence team (Smita, Jennifer, Shilpa & Neha) for everything they did to make our reception so special. From the moment we met, you made us feel like we were in good hands. You listened to our ideas and Jennifer was extremely organized, making sure all details were captured throughout the planning process. Smita & Jennifer were always available to answer our questions and offer their expert advice. On the day itself, you took care of everything and more! From your calm presence, anticipating what we would need throughout the event, and handling all logistics with our vendors. You made sure that everything went off without a hitch. We are so grateful for everything you did to make our day so memorable. We couldn't have done it without you & we're looking forward to working together again in the future! read more

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Ethnic Essence is THE best decor team we've worked with in the event industry! Their attention to detail, flexibility, overall understanding of Indian events and families' roles - it has made planning an event as a bride to be so seamless! We are forever grateful to the team for such a great event. Everybody raved about it!! read more

Such an amazing experience with Smita Auntie and her team at Ethnic Essence. From our first conversation on the phone I knew that they understood my vision for our wedding and reception in Santa Barbara. Smita Auntie was honest and realistic with how we could stretch our moderate budget- and the results were exactly what we hoped for- natural, floral, and light! Their team is very professional, receptive to communication and feedback. The mood-board was very helpful in understanding that our visions were met. Also I was very impressed to see her at the venue before the wedding helping put together the mandap decor! My parents were initially nervous in that she was one of the few vendors they had not met with prior to the wedding- but they cannot stop talking about how impressed they were with the magical mandap. Thank you so much for bringing our vision to life!m Highly Recommend read more

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The moment we decided our wedding date, I knew that there were some vendors I absolutely HAD to have. Ethnic Essence was one of them and I booked them the day after our date was decided. My family and I had worked with Smita Aunty before for my sister's kathak performance so we were familiar with her style and expertise. Our initial consultation turned into a 2 hour conversation where we went back and forth on ideas and brainstormed different aspects of the wedding and pre-wedding decor! She understood that I had a specific feeling I wanted to portray with the decor and came up with so many ideas to bring it to life. Her background in design enables her to *very* quickly and accurately draw out and color what you come up with. I was actually really content with the drawing but smita aunty BLEW ME AWAY on the wedding day when I saw everything in person. I knew that I had a specific theme and vibe I wanted for each of my events and I am so grateful to the entire team: Smita Aunty, Iris, Darsha and the rest, for making everything we wanted and then some to happen during the wedding week. I found out weeks after the wedding, but Smita Aunty graciously added some more decor on the garba day to complete the rajasthan vibe due to some last week changes we had to make. Iris and the other decor assistants were SO excited to decorate sangeet night and it's these little things that really sets them apart from the crowd and turns a client-vendor relationship into something more. I read some of the previous reviews and to anyone who is hesitating to hire due to lack of communication in logistics, I truly believe Smita Aunty has taken care of that issue. I did not have any problems in that department. She and the team honestly went above and beyond in everything we needed to make our day perfect for us. Darsha was with me the moment I started getting ready during the wedding day and I was able to meet with her logistics coordinator a few weeks before the wedding at our venue. All of the vendors and were on the same page at all times. The excel spreadsheet is daunting at first but a lifesaver. The team helped us fill it out and her logistics coordinator looks over it for any missing pieces (and we had missed lots of important little details that she had caught) I don't think this review even does justice to all of the little things that Smita Aunty did to make our wedding perfect for us, but I'll end by saying thank you and we can't wait to work with you in the future! read more

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I instantly loved Smita Aunty the minute I spoke to her for the first time. She immediately makes you feel like family. Out of all the vendors we spoke with, she was the one who made me feel the most comfortable, calm and confident, and what more can you ask for on the day of your wedding? She held my hand with wedding planning for a good 6 months and the day of the wedding, her team's execution was perfection. Her team did an amazing job executing our vision and made the day better than I could have ever imagined. The fact that she has a team running around to make sure the bride and groom are HAPPY says a lot about the pride she takes in her work. We are so happy that we went with Ethnic Essence and so thankful that Smita Aunty and team were a part of our day. read more

We are very grateful to Samita, Jennifer and the entire team. We challenged them with a short timeframe to decorate our yard, home, and driveway for our son's pre-wedding ceremonies. I started with a vision. Samita was very skilled at taking my vision and injecting it with exacting measurements and creative ideas. What she created was beyond our imagination. She understands color, the flow of an event, the practical aspects of set up. We interviewed several designers, but we chose Ethnic Essence because they provided drawings, mood board and multiple check in meetings to ensure our needs were met. Our guests are still talking about the unique decorations. She had high standards for every sub-contractor involved in the set-up. During set-up I would simply mention an item I was concerned with, and she provided solutions. We cannot thank her enough. I would recommend her services to anyone that wants to have a culturally significant event. read more

We found EthnicEssence via Yelp. I had an initial consultation with Smita for our wedding. I had no idea what I wanted, with respect to color schemes, flower patterns, etcetera. Smita was insightful and had multitudes of helpful insights. I was able to bounce ideas off of her and was able to come towards an overall vision. Smita and Jennifer then had a meeting with us to discuss their decor proposal and requested feedback. Their experience was apparent immediately when their proposal showed elegance and cohesion of how they planned to put all the flowers, plants, materials, following a consistent theme. They were able to bring their proposal to life pretty much exactly to the T as they had shared in their mockups - absolutely beautiful! All our guests had tons of compliments to give. They also provided the jai malas and they were equally lovely. The team was communicative and responded quickly when we had questions. Great team to work with! read more

I had my wedding just about 2 weeks ago, and would not hesitate to recommend Ethnic Essence, for decorations, to other newly engaged couples! From the moment we started comparing vendors for decor and floral, Smita and her team clearly peaked out interested with her innovative design and attention to detail. Smita did a wonderful job, and really brought the space to life - it was more beautiful then we could of imagined! We still get compliments from our guests on how minimalistic and elegant every event looked. Ethnic Essence designed our Sangeet, Wedding Ceremony, and Reception. We do not live in Southern California, so we frequently had conference calls and met in person when we happened to be in town. I gave their team all the creative license, and simply gave them the budget, and our wish for less flowers, a simple elegant design, and a different look for each event. I appreciated the consciousness she portrayed towards our budget, and provided both the low and high options for any particular line item. I felt so comfortable talking with Smita if I felt that something was too extravagant for what we were looking for, and respected her when she included things that ought to be included to feel like a wedding! Smita's Associate Event Planner, Vanessa, was simply amazing as well - she was always very prompt in her communication. I very much enjoyed working with the Ethnic Essence team, and would happily work with them again in the future. read more

Smita and her team did an absolutely amazing job for our wedding for the mandap and florals for both the ceremony and the reception. During my first conversation itself I noticed how detail oriented she is. She seemed genuinely interested in what my vision was for the wedding. Even before formally finalizing with Smita, she gave very helpful suggestions that helped me plan the details better. Initially we were only supposed to have the ceremony because of pandemic restrictions, and were notified less than 2 months before our wedding date that the county is allowing for receptions. Even with such a short notice, Smita was able to make changes to our plan, and was able to repurpose all our ceremony florals to the reception. On the day of the wedding we were so happy to see our vision come to life. The mandap was beautiful, and so were the bouquets, boutonnières, corsages, and centerpieces. It all looked gorgeous! Smita was great at communication from the beginning to the end. It was a pleasure working with her. I highly recommend Smita for all wedding florals and decor! read more

05.19.2018 - APayalOfSuds wedding: Working with Smita and her entire team at Ethnic Essence was the best decision akhil and I made from the very beginning of planning our wedding. A year out from our wedding day, Smita took an entire day of her time on her day off (literally, she spent over 5 hours with us at our initial meeting) sketching out and getting a feel for the type of wedding we wanted - from decor, coordination, budget, color scheme, vendor recommendations (she's got a lot of connections, so it was nice knowing you'd get the best deal if she connected you), etc. In terms of decor, Smita's vision is what really reeled us in. You could tell she goes the extra mile to make sure the vision she has is 1) authentic to the bride and groom; and 2) unique and different as she thinks outside the box of what anyone has done before. She was able to bring our ideas of a succulent and rustic- themed dream wedding come to life. She also designed THE MOST incredible succulent bouquet that I always dreamed of having. It was truly a *succulent girl's* dream bouquet! Smita spent the time sketching all the details from the altar, centerpieces, backdrops, linens, layout, etc. for each of our 4 events, and put together an extremely helpful "creative board" for each event as inspiration for us until we were completely happy and satisfied. She also took the time and energy designing our wedding around our budget, which was really important to us. We had a beautiful Punjabi/Gujarati wedding which was a blend both traditional rituals and cultures. It was nice knowing that Ethnic Essence has done so many of these types of weddings that required the blending two different cultures, and they were able to mix both cultures as one flawlessly. You could really feel the love and happiness throughout the entire weekend, and we really owe that to Smita because of her understanding of both cultures, each of our families needs, and most importantly, making sure Akhil and I were happy. With regards to organization and execution, Smita and her entire team blew me away. They had shared google spreadsheets months prior leading up to the wedding from checklists, timelines, seating charts, responsibilities, etc which was so helpful and important for execution during our wedding weekend. We got so many compliments on how organized, beautiful, and ON TIME each event was, which is rare in Indian culture (well, since generally everything usually runs late). The team at Ethnic Essence was on top of their game throughout the entire weekend to make sure everything was on time. Even during wardrobe malfunctions, horse malfunctions (during the baraat), Smita and her team were right there to diffuse any situation such that nobody ever knew that anything happened to begin with! Planning a wedding is super stressful. Everyone's emotions are amplified x 100, so having a wedding planner and coordinator to alleviate alot of that stress is extremely important. We were so happy to have Ethnic Essence alleviate a lot of the nitty gritty details and coordination we didn't have to worry about on our wedding weekend because we knew they were trained to execute our vision in a way we would not be able to on our own! We can't thank Smita, Vanessa, Mary, and EVERYONE at Ethnic Essence for doing a phenomenal job working our wedding and making it the most memorable weekend of our lives. read more

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My husband and I had a Persian/Indian fusion wedding at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott this past July and Smita and the wonderful team at Ethnic Essence did such an amazing job!!!! This team is so fantastic and they truly were with us from the beginning to end! From the day we began planning, they were curious and inquisitive, asking us great questions, I mean things that we never had even thought about! They captured our vision and adapted to our changes so easily, and patiently. They were delicate in balancing two cultures and figuring out how to make things work for us. Most importantly, they politely kept us on schedule for planning and the day of the events. We had a marathon of a day and it was so important to keep the wedding on track and the team kept it right on time! As a bride, I honestly had no stress in terms of planning and they didn't let me worry about a single thing. We had a few hiccups here and there as with any event, but the team came up with quick solutions and fixed things like it was nothing. They were kind with our guests and worked so well together! Our decor was what we imagined and more! I was in tears when I saw the finished product and our guests gushed about the flower arrangements for weeks! I honestly can't recommend them enough! They are professionals but they are also so personable! I am so grateful for all they did for us and can't thank them enough! read more

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Ethnic Essence is an amazing team! As a wedding coordinator, I am VERY particular about the vendors I refer to my clients. They have to be flexible, fit the client's personality, budget, style, and demeanor. The Ethnic Essence team brings all that and more to the table. We have worked with them a few times where they have exceeded the expectations of the bride, parents, and guests in all respects. They always bring plenty of staff, work flexibly with other vendors (including cooridnators, lighting vendors, and rental companies), always finish early, and add so many little details to bring out the client's vision. Planning Elegance HIGHLY recommends Ethnic Essence to clients with even the most unique and/or specific visions! read more

My husband and I absolutely LOVE Smita! We can not get over how wonderful she is. As the decorator to my wedding she did an amazing job. She took so much time and effort into making my dream wedding a reality. Looking back, I would have used her for the coordination as well. The decoration was on time and perfect in everyway. She takes the time to draw out your vision, and what she draws is what you get. I like how she always tried to save us money during our wedding. In fact, she is the ONLY person to say if you do it this way you can save some money, or please use an outside vendor, we will be to much for your budget otherwise. When Smita told me that, that was the moment I knew she should have been not only my decorator but my planner as well. Thank you Smita and team for a beautiful wedding. My husband and I will never forget the amazing work you did and most importantly how much you made our special day amazing. read more

Smita and her team are top notch! There are many "wedding planners" out there who do this as a side business and simply do not have the experience nor the education that Smita brings to the table. Smita has several degrees in design and she truly knows how to bring your ideas to life! To say Ethnic Essence is accommodating would be an understatement! They truly go above and beyond. Every detail is accounted for and then some! Her portfolio speaks for itself, but after one meeting with Smita and you just know you are in great hands. Anyone looking for a wedding planner would be doing themselves a disservice without talking to Ethnic Essence first! Smita and Ethnic Essence, thank you again!! read more

We had a good time working with Ethnic Essence, the team was wonderful in creating a wedding for me that I had only dreamt of. The entire team is delightful to work with. They provided decor, lightening and floral arrangements that were wonderful. They also had different types of center pieces and entrance pieces that were created just for my wedding. Smita and her team was quick to follow up on emails and phone calls. My only concerns were coordination. I felt there was lack of it during the day of the wedding. It was hard for me to get in touch with anyone from the team during the morning of my wedding. Also some details that were discussed before hand were not handled during the actual day. It was not anything that hindered the moment, but enough to remember that they were not done. Ethnic essence has a list of vendors they recommend which made it easy for us to choose from as far as DJ and photograph videographer and caterers. However, I feel there was lack of coordination among the photographers/ videographer and ethnic essence team. Ethnic essence provided a google doc where you can write things for the wedding and they share it with the vendors. But it's hard to write everything on this doc. There are moments that needed to be captured but I couldn't specifically write on the doc when they would happen. So I tried to arrange a sit down meeting with ethnic essence and the photographer a few times so they could know all the exact moments to take pics that were important to me. But the ethnic essence team assured me such a meeting was not necessary and everything will work out, as they know to be around me and my hubby to take pics or get them taken. I trusted them with the decision as they have been doing this a long time. However the day of the wedding and reception, those pics were not taken. And many times I tired to find someone from the team to help me get the photographers during the reception but no one was around to see if I or my hubby needed anything. I have now received the pics from the wedding and reception and I don't see many family member pics that were important to me. So there is a definite lack of coordination. However, ethnic essence does a wonderful job in creating a wedding of your dreams. They fulfill desires as have a elegance and grandeur. And will listen to what you want and all the decor. But they just need a bit more coordination between vendors. As wedding planners it is their area of expertise to make sure all the vendors are on the same page. This is the area I felt they lacked. And perhaps arrange meetings between the bridal or groom party and important vendors and them, so all the details are on the table and nothing is missed. With all this being said, I did have an awesome time and the best wedding I could ask for. It's are wedding that even guests will remember for years to come! Yes, I have missing pictures, which does make me upset. But the wonderful memories will last forever. And the awesome things you get to hear from family and friends make it even more special. Would recommend! read more

Ethnic Essence Inc. - Wedding Planning Near Me - Anaheim, California

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Speaking ill of prior clients to other potential clients is crazy unprofessional!! Its not like we told everyone else how tacky all your decorations are.... actually we did, because they are HEINOUSLY TACKY read more

Smita and her team are AWESOME! They took our vision for the wedding and made it a reality. They were cost effective, reliable and friendly. If we ever had a wedding again (let's hope not :)), we would ask Smita to coordinate it all in a second. Thank you! read more

Having worked with other Event Planners before and been disappointed,I was looking for someone great for my daughters wedding ! I used Ethnic Essence and since then have never looked back !! Being a perfectionist, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND them without reservation! Not only is their decor mind blowing so are the services !! Smita the owner always goes above and beyond and has turned out many great events for us ! Her team also is awesome , courteous and very professional!! They take the stress away and we are free to enjoy !! She also has great recommendations for other related services as well !! Every event is so smooth , very well coordinated and classy !! read more

My husband and I decided to get married in California...while both living apart in two separate states! We found Smita barely 2 months before our wedding. From the first phone call, Smita made me feel at home- I wasn't talking to a planner, I was talking to a personal friend, who just happens to plan! She understood both my style, vision, and the perfect way to merge and highlight my husband's and my unique cultural differences and family dynamics. After our initial 15min chat turned into 2 hours, my mom and I hung up instantly telling each other, SHES THE ONE!! She gave us honest advice, was upfront about pricing (with line by line budeting) even before we were finalized with her, and took the time to draw out ideas and sketches that were spot on with the vision that I could barely articulate. But literally within a day of our conversation, before we had officially signed our contract with her, we suddenly found ourselves in a crisis- having to change our venue less than 60 days before our multiple events. Smita jumped right in, helped deal with our anxiety, met my parents at the proposed new venue and literally jumped into crisis mode- well before she had any obligation too. She coordinated the entire transition process to the new hotel, and needless to say, relived an unbelievable level of anxiety we went through, especially since planning from afar, I wasn't able to see the wedding venue until 2 days prior to the wedding!!! And she turned my wedding events into a SHOWSTOPPER. She literally made my vision come to life better than i could have imagined, and I still have people today who mention how stunningly put together our entire wedding event was. She understood the balance between not enough, and too over the top. She was literally always a call or text away. And I finally got to meet her a few days before the wedding on my Mendi! Although she and her staff were incredibly professional, to me, Smita was more than my planner. She immediately put both my husband and me at complete ease! We had multiple back to back events (5 events in 3 days), and every single event was seamless- every vendor spot perfectly on point, and even modified by Smita to be what we needed them to be- she knew all of them, and had worked with each of them countless times over. We had more than half a dozen other assistants/coordinators that Smita brought, at her discretion, to ensure that everything was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better few days to spend with my loved ones, and we are still in awe by how perfect every single aspect of the wedding turned out. Thank you Smita!!! read more

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Smita's skill set is like no other. She can take a vision and make it into a reality, that's easy for her. But what makes her the best is her special ability to understand a person, learn who they are, and create for them. She helps people create vision unique to them. My family has worked with Smita through the years and every time she floors us with what she does. The moment I new I was getting married, she was the first person I got in touch with to see if she was free on the dates we were considering. For our wedding, she was able to take two very different ideas and opinions and create a perfect blend. With Ethnic Essence you can be sure you will get perfection the way you see it. read more

Please do not use for wedding planning. My wedding day was plagued by her rudeness and lack of attention to coordination of the entire wedding day. On a side note, her decor and flower arrangements were done well. read more

Smita and her team are a joy to work with. They are extremely professional and respectful while working with our Hotel staff during the events.They are timely, detail oriented and very pleasant. I really enjoyed working with them on a variety of events and look forward to working with them again in the future. I am always impressed with the designs Smita creates and they come together beautifully. My clients have been very happy working with her team. read more

I truly enjoyed my meetings with the Ethnic Essence team; my mother and I would spend hours with Smita Mohindra and her team, getting our creative juices flowing on how we can make each detail of each event something creative. We all truly loved planning the entire week of events together over the past year and I loved how enthusiastic her team was throughout each part of the process and really took creative ownership for each event. They really pulled off incorporating our desired elements while also bringing in their creative energy together very effortlessly and beautifully. It was so great to work with a team who was just as into the creative process as we were and were excited to push the envelope and try new things. We worked with Ethnic Essence from concept to finish for each event. For our Sangeet both Ashish and I are HUGE bollywood film buffs so we absolutely knew we wanted to incorporate our love for it into our Sangeet. Ethnic Essence coordinated a cocktail hour with a large screen behind our circular bar playing reels from our favorite films, we bought mini rickshaws from Delhi that served as the center pieces, and they created table overlays that were a collages of our favorite films, bollywood themed pillows for the lounge area, a suspended dessert bar, a beautiful austrian curtain stage background to give a theatre affect, and a rickshaw entrance blew everyone away! For the Wedding ceremony I knew I wanted minimal florals as I really wanted the Mandap to be the star of the event, together with Ethnic Essence we envisioned a beautiful ivory structure with red and gold touches to complement my rose pink bridal lehenga. Ethnic Essence executed a Mandap and a Bridal Runway a mandap a bride can only dream of. The gold sequin touch on the bridal runway and mandap really enhanced the beautiful ivory structure that they created. For the reception, we worked with Ethnic Essence and built the inspiration of the entire event with around my custom made Red Ball Gown. We built the theme of the cocktail hour areas and the ballroom all around this inspiration with an elegant gold archway guiding guests to a step & repeat, digital escort screens, unique tray passed appetizers and stations, and gold tufted bars where guests enjoyed specialty "khara" "shah" themed drinks. Ethnic Essence truly transformed the ballroom to a classy, starry night, vintage hollywood themed ballroom room with star drop walls, a gold mirrored dance floor, elegant red rose florals, ice bar, suspended cake; and overall the style was truly magical and our guests jaws dropped when they entered the ballroom. Overall Smita Mohindra and her team work really hard and truly put their hearts into each event and bring their own creative energy to the events while making sure to incorporate elements that you want. Each of our events were truly transformed and gave our guests unique experiences and overall her and her team at each event was always smiling, very positve, and there to ensure things ran smoothly! To see more on their work be sure to check out our wedding video: https://vimeo.com/111780616 read more

My husband and I got married in July and Ethnic Essence helped to create the most perfect and most beautiful day for us! We had a Hindu/Christian fusion wedding all in one day. Ethnic Essence was able to create wedding ceremonies and a reception that honored both mine and my husbands cultures. We also planned our wedding from across the country. Smita and Mary were always available to talk with us even through the time change and hectic schedules. They listened to us and designed exactly what we wanted. The day went perfectly! Everything was so well organized and on schedule. Our family and friends are still complimenting us on how wonderful the day was! We HIGHLY recommend EE for your wedding or festivity needs! read more

First off, it's really hard to find good Indian wedding vendors online. I had to plan a wedding in Los Angeles while living in Northern California. And that's why I want to rave about Smita and her team. When I first talked with Smita over the phone, I hadn't met her, but she still made really great suggestions about other aspects of planning an Indian wedding even before I hired her. When I met Smita, I told her about my budget and she immediately sketched out beautiful, elegant ideas right on the spot. Throughout the planning process, she and her team were very professional, constantly giving me updates without me asking for them. When I saw the ceremony site for the first time as I was walking down the aisle, my breath was literally taken away. Smita had totally exceeded my expectations and had fulfilled my vision of my wedding. She had constructed a simple and elegant setting for both the ceremony and the reception that everyone raved about. For any modern Indian bride, I HIGHLY recommend Ethnic Essence for your wedding. They will not disappoint! read more

To say that wedding planning is stressful is an understatement - but Smita absolutely knocked it out of the park in terms of professionalism and grace. I couldn't have done it without her. She's a gem to work with, particularly in terms of keeping events running smoothly. Just a lovely human being and a pleasure. We got multiple compliments about her work, even months later. read more

As a wedding DJ and Lighting service provider I have to say that Ethnic Essence really has the details down when it comes to decor. I absolutely love working with their team! Smita and Reshma are always a pleasure to work with! read more

I always knew Ethnic Essence was the place where I was going to do the decor for my wedding. Working with Smita and her team was an absolute pleasure. The one thing I really wanted was that on the day of the wedding to not have to worry about anything at all, not just for myself but for my immediate family members as well and with Smita at the helm I knew that would be a reality. From day one, she understood exactly what I was looking for, her creative talent and amazing ability to sketch allowed her to in our initial consultation visualize exactly what I wanted. Her fabrics, colors and creativity are unmatched in my opinion in the decor industry. She brings a fresh, exciting and unique look to every event that she creates. When you meet her, she has such a classy and elegant presence that you immediately know that your event is in the perfect hands. When someone can walk in the room (as my photographer Aman (Samson Productions) did) and say, "Wow! This must be Smita" you know Ethnic Essence has a mark of quality that everyone recognizes. Thank you Smita to you and your wonderful team for my making my event absolutely perfect in every sense of the word. I have three younger sisters who will be getting married and we can't wait to come back and work with you again! read more

My husband and I used Ethnic Essence for our wedding decor, and they were absolutely amazing. From our very first meeting, we felt comfortable and confident that Ethnic Essence would perform. In fact, they exceeded our expectations. We could not have asked for a more elegant and romantic wedding setting. The owner, Smita, truly understood and captured our vision. To this day, we receive compliments about our wedding decor. Also notable, Smita works with your budget. If you give her a range and a vision, she will walk you through how to best meet your goals. She gives you options and tells you precisely what to expect. There is no guessing. Throughout the entire wedding planning process, we felt like Smita was on our side and was willing to do everything to make sure we were happy. It goes without saying that Smita and her team are extremely professional. They promptly returned phone calls and answered emails (even on Sundays!). They were also very organized, which is vital to every aspect of wedding planning I never had a single doubt or concern with Ethnic Essence. They are simply amazing and their work speaks for itself. read more

Smita Smita Smita. If you want excellence you should hire Smita and her team. Smita is a creative genius who uses her art to execute your vision. What I appreciate most about Smita is her professionalism and charismatic charm that is so naturally exuded in the quality of work she produces. She is a visionary who masterfully executes your dream with precision and class. Every bride should be certain to know there are many other vendors attempting to prove to themselves and others their worth in wedding decoration & planning, particularly in the field of Indian weddings. Smita pillars over any competition, as her education in artistry and years of experience is the reason her work product is the only proof she endorses. My wedding decor exuded class, sophistication, attention to detail and above all elegance. The emotions evoked by our guests were synonymous to the hard work and dedication committed by Smita and her team. With regards to wedding planning, Smita executed our requests and commitment to time in a flawless manner. As I read some of the comments here, I would emphasize to any future prospect, that Smita can only execute to perfection what is in fact conveyed to her, she cannot read minds. Hindsight is 20/20 and any bride that demands perfection must always appreciate that the origination of that execution is the responsibility of the bride, and it begins with what is conveyed and communicated to her vendors, prior to the event. With that being said, I thank Smita for executing what I conveyed to perfection. Both sets of parents felt absolute zero stress and instead simply focused on enjoying their children's wedding, as they were humbled to know the responsibility was in the hands of a professional, who executed the wedding as if were her own children getting married. Thank you Smita for allowing our parents to feel that level of comfort, that security alone makes you and your team invaluable. I must also give a special thanks to Nina, for being so wonderful to work with throughout the entire process. Nina thank you for your professionalism and allowing me to feel that I truly was a valued client of both you and Smita; I appreciate that immensely. Final thought, your wedding is an investment that will last a lifetime, as it is an expression of your self worth and reputation. You get one opportunity, take that opportunity to invest in experience, professionalism and art, not a novice. Thank you Smita and the entire team at Ethnic Essence! xoxo 1/16/16 read more

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Smita and her team were fabulous. They did an excellent job with staying on top of all the wedding planning, communicating with the vendors, and allowed us to have many meetings throughout the year. They were cost effective and reliable read more

This review has been a long time coming!!! I don't post on Yelp, however I got married in San Diego - at the Marriott Coronado Island in December 2016, and hired Smita and her team to help with the wedding planning for my wedding day. Throughout the wedding planing Smita and her team were always on the ball, and often gave me the push I needed to keep everything on track. Smita only did the decor on the pre wedding event - but she helped keep me in budget and made recommendations along the way to help us keep the costs down, and coordinated with the Marriott wedding planner. However, Smita and her team gave the full service and more on the wedding day making me feel so relaxed and stress free that I could not recommend her enough!!! She had everything sorted out and brought her team with her, who worked tirelessly to make sure the event went smoothly! My mother in law got very stressed and tense leading up to the wedding worrying if everything would go to plan - but safe to say every person including her were extremely happy and relaxed and impressed with the care and attention the team gave - one of the things I miss about my wedding is not having the joy of working with Smita after the event. Thank you so much ladies, I appreciated the day and the coffee run you made for me, the kindness and having you feel like family!!! read more

Smita Mohindra and her team seamlessly help create a truly memorable experience. They are able to magically transform any event space to a one of a kind masterpiece! All details are always meticulously followed and executed with a great attitude and smile. read more

Smita and her team (special shout-out to Iris who helped with all of the organization along the way) did an amazing job for our wedding last month! The floral centerpieces, bouquets, rentals, etc. were all out-of-this world-AMAZING! I only had a few pinterest pins and verbal descriptions to give them about how I imagined my wedding to be, and the entire team just nailed it! I added a picture of the floral centerpieces, but the chivari chairs, gold chargers, blush napkins and the uplighting were also provided by Ethnic Essence. The flowers were fresh and perfectly arranged... they lasted us for quite some time! I highly recommend Smita and her team for any floral arrangements and rentals you need! read more

Ethnic Essence Inc. - Floral arrangements (tall and short), gold votives, chivari chairs, gold chargers, blush napkins, uplighting all provided by Ethnic Essence. - Wedding Planning Near Me - Anaheim, California

Within 2 months before our wedding, Smita and her amazing staff at Ethnic Essence was able to put together amazing decor and coordination for our 3-day indian wedding! We are so grateful she was able to leave us in AWE at each event even though she also had a huge corporate event to prepare for that same weekend as well. Smita and her staff are very flexible, prompt and did such a great job with communicating between our vendors! Her staff was on point with any questions we had as well as keeping us ahead of schedule (shout out to Iris, Ryan, Sneha who were incredible!). Thank you for a memorable weekend! read more