Starting Kahani has been on my mind for a number of years, as I see a gap in the wedding & event market here in MN with respect to culturally specific and multicultural events. It exists with many venues not allowing “outside” cultural foods, it exists with some planners not fully understanding the complexity of our events, it exists with wedding shows marketed specifically for a white bride. As I value bringing people together, it is also important that I bring a vendor community together that 1) value and support a diverse community and/or 2) are part of a diverse community. Planning events is something I’ve done with my family ever since I was a teenager. Graduation parties, birthday celebrations, weddings, and large scale community events - I planned it all throughout high school and college and earned a reputation for being on-time! In college I completed a BS in Merchandising and Management, a Master’s in Education, and after a few different management experiences, ran and/co-owned a business in the design & construction industry for over a decade in which I gained a lot of project management experience. Meanwhile I still helped with community events, weddings, art shows, etc. Listening to many of my friends about the lack of resources, decor, rentals, and planning services for multicultural weddings & events in Minnesota and nearby areas, I realized I needed and wanted to put my skills to use in helping bridge that gap.