Kumar Bahukhandi
DWP Prive – Limited Edition set hearts racing and spirits soaring in the vibrant city of Colombo from April 9-11, 2025, as the world’s foremost leaders in destination weddings and luxury celebrations gathered for an unforgettable experience. The globe’s premier B2B platform for the wedding and celebration industry, DWP Prive, welcomed an extraordinary community of visionaries, creatives, and tastemakers from every corner of the world.
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World’s foremost leaders in destination weddings and luxury celebrations gathered for an unforgettable experience at DWP Prive – Limited Edition at Cinnamon Life,Sri Lanka
The Host Hotel Partner, Cinnamon Life – City of Dreams, provided the ultimate backdrop for this iconic gathering. With its ultra-luxurious design seamlessly infused with touches of Sri Lanka’s rich cultural heritage, every corner of the property became a living, breathing canvas that brought the magic of DWP Prive to life.
Speaking of the extravaganza on behalf of the host hotel partner, Lisa Mendis, Director of Events at Cinnamon Life. said, “I think for us it’s a first time, and it’s been phenomenal. I think it gave us an exposure, put ourselves in the map of international market giving us that opportunity where we can tell people our story and also take their story to us and kind of create a nice marriage between the two… it has given us that opportunity and definitely we are going to get lots of business from this.”
The celebration opened with the Goutez Le Luxe experience, an exquisite affair where guests explored the art of wine tasting and the elegance of champagne and cocktails-adding a glamorous touch to the world of luxury celebrations.
As the conference days unfolded, the audience was treated to deeply inspiring sessions that set a new standard for immersive learning. The event kicked off with Pillow Talk, an exclusive keynote by the legendary Preston Bailey, USA, a savant for creating theatrical environments, who delivered a heartful, honest, and intimate talk that set the tone for what followed. Attendees were then taken on a poetic artistic journey by set, lighting and costume designer Sumant Jayakrishnan, India, who explored the emotional depths of creativity in event design.
The agenda was thoughtfully curated with impactful B2B networking sessions-one of DWP Prive’s strongest pillars. These sessions cultivated genuine business relationships between global planners, key decision-makers, and premium suppliers.
Among those who found the experience truly rewarding was Digvijay Singh, Director of Sales & Marketing, Alila Fort Bishangarh also spoke about the direct business potential. He quoted, “DWP Prive overall has been fabulous, it’s been a great interaction with stalwarts of the industry who are into high-end weddings, and the meetings have been really fruitful. In fact, we are almost discussing closures at this point of time.”
The diverse mix of attendees-from designers to planners and suppliers-added immense vibrance to the event. Bryan Tachie-Menson, Founder, Whitechalk Global Ghana’s leading event planner shared his delight at this global coming-together of talent commenting, “People from all walks of life, different lands and fields, people from different background with different expertise and it makes it very colourful because they you get into heads of different planners, decorators, hoteliers, property owners and all that. On a scale of 1 to 10, it’s a 100.”
For many, it was an emotionally enriching experience as well. Shade Fatusin, Event Planner and Designer, A Conceal Affair, USA described the event as a deeply grateful journey expressing, “This was the most amazing experience, filled with so much gratitude. There were so many insightful and knowledgeable experiences, with such amazing networking from meeting new suppliers, new friends and new connections!“
From insightful learning to industry foresight, the Congress balanced it all. Mahesh Shirodkar, Managing Director, TamarindGlobal highlighted the need to embrace change commenting,”I think it’s a combination of fun, education, connects and overall great organizing. I would like people to try and educate people on how to manage finances, evolving environment which is changing towards digitalization etc., from now till the next 5 years.”
New formats, fresh perspectives, and standout sessions elevated the experience. Tapiwa Mukoti Managing Directo, RSVP Events, Africa shared his appreciation and said, “A refreshing experience with a vibrant new lineup of delegates, bringing fresh perspectives to the event. The well-curated topics, insightful speakers, and high-quality presentations made it a standout gathering.”
The reimagined format of DWP Prive was particularly loved for the way it enabled genuine bonding among peers. Guadalupe Alvarez, Director, Penzi Weddings, Mexico captured this sentiment by saying, “Love the new format and loved getting to know colleagues from all over the world, It was insane!!“
Echoing the power of meaningful connections, Pervez Taufiq, , Founder, P. Taufiq Photography, USA shared how this edition opened doors to long-term creative partnerships. He says, “I feel like this allowed us more intimate kind of look at people and be able to get to know so many people, you know that gave us an opportunity to create collaborations and partnerships that in my opinion are going to create some amazing, amazing work out of this.”
As the curtains closed on this magical edition, DWP Prive – Limited Edition reaffirmed its reputation as not just a platform for business but a movement of inspiration, artistry, and genuine human connection, setting the tone for what the future of luxury weddings and celebrations truly looks like.
Reflecting on the resounding success of the event, Sidh NC, Director of QnA International, shared, “We are incredibly proud of what DWP Prive – Limited Edition has achieved in Colombo. It was not just an event-it was a celebration of global talent, cultural richness, and the spirit of collaboration. Bringing together industry trailblazers under one roof created the perfect energy to foster ideas, partnerships, and inspiration. We look forward to pushing boundaries even further in the next edition.”
