Open the Door Events
Photography: Joy Zamora, Ginger's Eyes
The most memorable weddings are designed from the inside out. They stir all senses, evoke emotion, and invite guests into something deeper than just beautiful decor. The texture of a napkin, the scent of a flickering candle, the pause between songs—every element is thoughtfully orchestrated to immerse and connect. Opi Kaur, founder of Open the Door Events, approaches her work with this sensibility. She sees weddings as multi-sensory landscapes designed to be stepped into, felt and remembered. Here, Opi unveils the core details that bring an immersive, elevated wedding experience to life.
Open the Door Events
Videography: Luã Araújo
Follow the Natural
Rhythm of Light
Time your wedding just right. If you're having a destination wedding, you probably know little about the temperatures and light where you're getting married, but these two things can really make or break your wedding. I once had a wedding where the groom insisted on the start time. Although I tried to change his mind, it was impossible. We ended up with guests sweating, uncomfortable, and quite irritated. That was their first impression, and those things last.
The Mediterranean heat is intense, and at certain times of the year, temperatures continue to rise until 7 p.m. So, listen to your wedding team about start times. At Open the Door Events, we time our weddings for comfort, best light, and an elevated experience. We want everyone to enter dinner just after sunset, when the sky is morphing into a thousand colors. This means our couples can have the best light for their photo session, which happens close to the end of the cocktail hour.
Counting back from sunset should look like this: 1.5 hours for cocktails, 30 minutes for the ceremony, and 30 minutes for a pre-ceremony drink. Voilà—you have your wedding start time!
Open the Door Events
Photography: Ginger's Eyes
Engage All the Senses
Designing a wedding isn’t just about how it looks, but about how it feels. We usually focus most on the visuals. And yes, they truly matter: the soft gasp when guests walk in, the colours, the light, the textures. Sight sets the stage, but it’s only one piece.
Photography: Joy Zamora
Sound is what brings us into the moment. Live music in nature, the way your vows carry through the space, the silence in between. Those little sounds stay with you, they root you in the here and now. Scent takes you back. Truly, it’s one of the quickest ways to trigger memory. A bit of lavender, citrus, or rosemary—and suddenly you’re somewhere else. Scattering dried lavender down the aisle is one of my favorites. It smells beautiful, calms the nerves, and keeps the bugs away. Tiny touch, but big impact.
Open the Door Events
Photography: Joy Zamora
Taste is where we have fun. Food is emotional—it’s memory, comfort, celebration. Welcome guests with something fresh and playful: your favorite cocktail, a flavor that means something to you. People do remember the food, so make it brilliant. Touch brings depth. It’s in the little things: the weight of the paper, the texture of the napkins, the softness of a rug under bare feet. You don’t need to overthink it, just make it feel good. People might not notice why a space feels right, but they’ll feel it in their bones.
Open the Door Events
Photography: Ginger's Eyes, Joy Zamora
Make it Personal,
Make it Memorable
We’ve all been to incredible weddings, but making yours unique is easy. Just add an element that is personal to you and get creative with it! I once worked on a wedding for a couple who met in an art gallery and decided to hire a local artist to paint a huge abstract oil painting live throughout the cocktail hour as a surprise for them. However, the moment ended up being even more special than I had envisioned, as the artist wanted to finish the piece and ended up painting into the night. It was a dreamy midsummer scene that felt theatrical but so real.
Open the Door Events
Photography: Joy Zamora
Curate a Culinary Experience
Food and drink design has always been one of my personal favourite parts of styling. It’s a way to bridge aesthetic and experience—whether it’s garnishing cocktails with edible flowers that match the color palette, displaying drinks like artefacts in an art gallery, or elevating food presentation to take guests on a journey through culture and beauty. There are so many playful ways to make food and drink part of the overall design, from how you curate your menu, to how it’s served and enjoyed. People are believed to be at their happiest when they’re eating, so adding intention and beauty to the dining experience can deeply enhance that pleasure.
Open the Door Events
Photography: Joy Zamora
Consider a Full-Service Package
To fully immerse yourself in your wedding experience, knowing you’re in good hands—and that your guests are being looked after—is essential. Choose a package that covers the guest experience, so your wedding team can guide guests on dress codes for each event, share itineraries, offer travel tips, manage hotel bookings, and collect dietary requirements. This will save you so much hassle and let you spend the final days leading up to the wedding with your friends, family, and fiancé—where your energy should be. The lead-up to a wedding is full of last-minute changes, and I can promise you: you don’t want to be caught in the middle of them. Since we started offering this service, the client experience has been completely transformed.
Open the Door Events
Photography: Joy Zamora, Ginger's Eyes
Be Creative with Your Dress Code
Create playful dress codes for each event that match the mood—whether it’s total white, monochromatic hues, or demure sophistication. Give your guests the chance to have fun planning their outfits and arrive excited and prepared. Let them become part of the design!
Open the Door Events
Photography: Joy Zamora
