Meet Dipti Shah: Creative Director & Lead Designer Specializing in South Asian Weddings

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dipti Shah and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dipti, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Sometimes risk can be perceived as a negative element but risk can produce great rewards and it can also, and this is my view point, can be the way you must reach your highest potential. I have always viewed certain things in life as if it were on a swinging pendulum. The pendulum is swinging and some people are on a low swinging pendulum so they keep to a lower risk on the positive side because they don’t like how the pendulum can swing to the negative side. So “safe” decisions are made. Lower success means easier failure. But for some of us the pendulum swings high and with that comes huge success and fulfillment of ones greatest potential. But as the saying goes, the higher you are the further the fall. I have been on both sides of the pendulum swinging high in the positive and swinging high in the negative and from those experiences I have had great growth and it keeps me hungry for life and my career.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My career was an unexpected path. My education was in different areas but still applicable in some ways. So to have Kanak Amin see how I could be the lead at a business he had spent 20 years building, it was a great honor. So before my wedding about 5 years ago I began my work with him and Mandap Creations. Specializing in South Asian Wedding Decor is a challenge all on its own. The weddings are expansive and detailed. Not only do you need to produce a good product but you must also be able to capture the visions of your clients for one of the most important days of their lives and their families lives. Along with that is running a successful business with happy employees and a motivated work environment. Each day brings a different set of challenges so I have learned to roll with things. As for what I am proud of and excited about, South Asian weddings can be very traditional and my clients allow for my creativity to bring us forward into fresh and more contemporary designs while still honoring the wonderful traditions of our culture. We have been published multiple times for our work and designs. We are constantly evolving with each and every event for our clients. There is a beautiful future for Mandap Creations and I am so happy that I can be such a strong part of that.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love Houston and my home town of Sugar Land. Things are vibrant and ever changing. With so much diversity in restaurants I have an endless list of my favorites but I would take each day and include a different activity coupled with some tremendous eats. I hunt out anything with Macarons, Charcuterie Boards, Infused Gins and my favorite, High Tea. My husband and I traveled extensively in Europe and the UK before the Pandemic. We visited my family in the UK and saw all the great sights and experiences of Europe. So now when I am home I seek out everything from that trip and it keeps my experience alive. Houston has kept me busy and kept my memories of our trip vibrant because I can find so many offerings here that I found on my trip.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Having other people see great things in you is one of the highest compliments there could be. I have had boundless support from my parents and because of that I have a bachelors and two masters degrees. After completing that education came the confidence from Kanak Amin to be an integral part of Mandap Creations. There I am flexing all of my educational knowledge along with the excitement of running a thriving business. I never would have thought that for myself without Kanak Amin. And lastly, to be able to focus on this mission in my career I can’t do that without the loving and understanding support from my husband, Aniket. He is my best friend and my rock. His care and attention makes each day possible for me to be at my best.

Website: www.mandapcreations.com
Instagram: @mandapcreations
Facebook: Mandap Creations
Yelp: Mandap Creations
Other: The Knot – Mandap Creations Wedding Wire – Mandap Creations

Image Credits
Sarah Ward Photography Bella Lumi MnM Photography Agape House Studio Asaad Images