Chapter 2 Events Launches Its European Base In Portugal-
The Next Big Indian Wedding Destination!
#C2Euro | November 2022
Chapter 2 Events, one of India’s foremost luxury wedding planning firms, expands their operations to set up a satellite base in Portugal with Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts. Based out of Delhi, the brand is known to organize larger-than-life Indian destination wedding experiences in countries such as Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Serbia, Oman, and UAE. Europe was the favoured region when it came to setting up a base to complement the interests of a large number of overseas Indians based across UK, the Middle East, Canada and US and to build on the increasing non-Indian clientele. Having a physical presence in Portugal has opened up a wide range of avenues across the European continent not just for family clientele, but for strategic partnerships as well.
Portugal is an unexplored segment for the Big Fat Indian Weddings. The country offers beautiful landscapes and architecture, mountains, wine regions, coastal vibes all mixed in with a rich culture, fantastic food and entertainment and easy accessibility, making it the perfect destination to curate experiences for Chapter 2 Events. 
“Whether it's a fairy-tale engagement at a palace in Sintra, a vintage wedding in the vineyards of the Douro Valley or a dreamy beach reception on the coasts of Algarve, Portugal, World's Leading Destination, offers an unforgettable dream Indian wedding destination. Portugal offers a perfect blend of luxury, history and nature with a refined taste. We are committed to providing support to partners like Chapter 2 Events, to promote unique celebrations in Portugal.” said Claudia Matias, Director- India at Turismo de Portugal.
Based at the edge of the Iberian Peninsula, The Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts in Sagres stands out as a preferred destination within Portugal, surrounded with carved cliffs and sea, with a rich nautical past, grounded culture and exceptional hospitality. 
Speaking on the collaboration, Chitra Stern, Owner and CMO, Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts says, “We are very happy to welcome Chapter 2 Events to their new base at Martinhal and we also hope to welcome many more family celebrations in our luxury resorts for families across the globe including Portugal! With Chapter 2 Events onboard, we are looking forward to bringing new clientele to Portugal - increasing the awareness about our amazing country in the western corner of Europe”. 
Since its inception in 2013, the C2E has been curating world-class bespoke experiences and milestone events across the globe. Chapter 2 Events began their journey with a foresight to make celebrations more experiential and personalized. In a short span of 8 years, they have delivered key firsts and award-winning projects such as the big fat Indian wedding takeover of the top two properties in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan in 2018; the debut transcontinental Indo-Serbian Wedding across Serbia, Turkey & India in 2020, and more. The ongoing pandemic gave the team at Chapter 2 Events the opportunity to reassess and restructure their business model to adapt to the #NewNormal. It led the way to the discovery of newer opportunities by diversifying and recasting themselves.
“We used this time and opportunity to re-strategize and expand our geographical reach to increase our offerings and move closer to our vision of discovering unexplored destinations for our clientele. The idea to set up a base in Europe was germinated on these travels owing to the demands for authentic and uncliched experiences from our clients. With strategic partners like VisitPortugal and Martinhal supporting this endeavor, we are really excited to bring forth larger than life celebrations to Europe.” Says founder Kunal Laungani.
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C2E kicked off the European chapter this year with a grand celebration of an Indo-Lebanese union in Girona, Spain. We hope to carry on the European momentum with the launch of this partnership in Portugal and bringing in weddings and events that will epitomise the multicultural immersive experiences throughout the continent.
ABOUT CHAPTER 2 EVENTS
As luxury wedding & event planners, Chapter 2 Events transcend borders and bring forth unique virgin destinations by curating niche and immersive celebrations across the world. C2E strives towards flawless execution with a high degree of transparency, which is an integral part of their ethos. Right from conceptualizing, guest management, vendor coordination, logistics to final execution, their proficient #Wednerds make sure your celebrations are hassle-free every step of the way by deftly unveiling the new Chapter of your life.
C2E has been associated with leading hotel chains including Martinhal Resorts, The Leading Hotels of the World, Fairmont Hotels, Hyatt Group, Address Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, The Accor Group, The Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts, The Indian Hotels Company Limited, Ritz Carlton Hotels, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Tree of Life Resorts & Hotels. 
C2E is also working closely with tourism boards of emerging wedding destinations such as Visit Portugal, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, Visit Malta, Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority, MySwitzerland, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Azerbaijan Tourism Board, Oman Tourism, Turespana, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in Dubai (DTCM) etc.
#C2Experiences
GIRONA, SPAIN
2 weddings in Spain in a span of less than 1 year; these events were our opportunity to carve our niche in Europe. For both these events, the location was – Castell d’Empordà – a hotel located on the picturesque Costa Brava in La Bisbal in Girona city situated in the Catalonia region. The place is famous for ceramics, antique arts, and many castles. La Bisbal retains its rural countryside charm along with a modern yet slow pace of life.
These weddings – September 2021 & June 2022 - fit right into our profile of organizing transcontinental events with both our couples hailing from different nationalities. The brides were Indian and the grooms were from Lebanon and Germany. These were international matches in their truest form. Spain weddings gave us credibility and helped establish our foothold in Europe.
PORTO, PORTUGAL
The Porto wedding in October 2022 became our opportunity to expand our footprint across Europe. Continuing on our C2Euro journey, Portugal became the second country where we hosted this exotic affair. In 2021, we set up our base in Sagres, Portugal to promote the country for celebrations and events. Many stakeholders who were part of this effort – from tourism boards, event service providers, hotels, transporters, etc.,– helped us succeed in organizing our maiden Indian wedding in Porto.
It was new territory, moreover, the wedding was a challenging affair for the other stakeholders because it was a first-time experience. The couple was based in London and their parents were from Singapore and US. Again, a true blue international, exotic affair. Porto– famed for its Port wines – was the dream destination chosen by the couple. All events carried elements of Indian traditions and a touch of European elegance. Ranging from culinary delights which had a mix of Indo-European delicacies to entertainment which catered to the international mix of guests, the whole wedding became a grand Indo-European spectacle.
In the end, this wedding in Portugal has proved our mettle as global event planners and we are hungry for more such unique, uncharted destinations to be added to our portfolio.
