On a cool Delhi evening, guests stepped onto a rooftop where hundreds of diyas floated — not on water, but suspended mid-air by silent drones. Below, a sprawling rangoli shimmered with crushed gemstones and flower petals, its temple pattern edged in soft LED accents that shifted colour like the slow breath of dusk.

For Nikhil Kapoor, founder and CEO of Floodlightz Events, this is luxury — not extravagance for its own sake, but what he calls “intentionality”. “When every element tells a story, when the décor whispers tradition and the details feel like poetry, that’s when you’ve created something unforgettable,” he says.

From rooftop mandalas formed by drones to gourmet prasad, such as saffron-infused motichoor laddoos with edible gold leaf, Kapoor’s events invite guests not just to attend, but to inhabit the celebration.

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Floral & rangoli art

If marigolds are the grammar of festive décor, planners are rewriting the sentences. Floodlightz has transformed entrances into floral tunnels shifting from saffron to blush — a sensory journey of fragrance and colour. Shrih once built a 20-foot peacock from mirror shards, real leaves, and crushed crystals, glowing like stained glass.

“Besides canopies and pillars, interactive installations and floating floral art elevate the experience,” says Oberoi. Rangoli, too, is being reimagined with powdered semi-precious stones, mirror inlay work, and even tiered, moving sculptures that rise like living art pieces. Collaborations with artists aren’t uncommon.

If marigolds are the grammar of festive décor, planners are rewriting the sentences. Floodlightz has transformed entrances into floral tunnels shifting from saffron to blush — a sensory journey of fragrance and colour.

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Fragrance has moved from accessory to anchor. Kapoor curates “fragrance journeys” that shift across spaces — a vetiver-and-rose welcome flowing into saffron-scented dining areas. One soirée recreated an old haveli courtyard with sandalwood, burnt camphor, and the faint sweetness of desi ghee wicks. “The key is not to make a place smell like something, but to make it feel like something,” he says.

Agarwal’s fragrance bars offer mogra–vetiver or frankincense–clove blends in brass vessels, placed strategically at entrances, lounges, and temples. Oberoi creates incense stations where guests blend jasmine, sandalwood, and oud, while Shroff, who says the focus has shifted to “venue fragrancing”, leans on regional signatures — mogra for South Indian soirées, oud and frankincense for West Asian themes.

Scent of space

Fragrance has moved from accessory to anchor. Kapoor curates “fragrance journeys” that shift across spaces — a vetiver-and-rose welcome flowing into saffron-scented dining areas. One soirée recreated an old haveli courtyard with sandalwood, burnt camphor, and the faint sweetness of desi ghee wicks. “The key is not to make a place smell like something, but to make it feel like something,” he says.

Agarwal’s fragrance bars offer mogra–vetiver or frankincense–clove blends in brass vessels, placed strategically at entrances, lounges, and temples. Oberoi creates incense stations where guests blend jasmine, sandalwood, and oud, while Shroff, who says the focus has shifted to “venue fragrancing”, leans on regional signatures — mogra for South Indian soirées, oud and frankincense for West Asian themes.

Written By

Hardeep S Puri

Rana Chhina holds the Korea Chair at the Council for Strategic and Defence Research, Delhi and is a contributing editor on international affairs for The. Rana Chhina holds the Korea Chair at the Council for Strategic and Defence Research

First Published: Aug 27 2025 | 1:00 PM IST

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