he's hot.. looks like Saif Ali.. i like it!

ill pass u his number..!

Its beautiful! and very exotic.

saucy...

hey you lie hun!!!
nice pecks!

but if you insist! lol


how have you been? jusr disappeared ain't ya!

Tell you what i liked about it.. it was modern, not about just the woman and i liked the whole bath tub thing and i loved the fact that there was not a single sari or wedding dress on the front.

Roses are lovely too

scorps is a naughty missy and she liked the idea of being in that hot tub with the naked bloke.

that's the real truth!

cover is good...but the images side are terrible!the models make up &
photography looks cheap....even the decent looking models look awful!

Have you got a deathwish asking a question like that perfect2? Lot of haters are just waiting for an invitation like this dude!

Should have saved it for the Feb issue...

i like it

thanks for the feedback..good and bad..its all useful!

scorpion: i havent done a paul daniels on u..just busy working on my other projects! thanks for the feedback.

bride2be: thanks! and when will u be a bride??!!

kismeth hardy: no deathwish mate! no point hating if you dnt want to fight...!

Vanity: everyone has their own tastes, im glad i have yours.

KirEn: if you liked this cover then wait till u see the next one...it really is amazing!

musiclover: thanks!

I like it, its different..definitely worth a look!

sorry KiranSamra i missed you out!

KiranSamra: thanks, glad you liked it.

inqusitiv f.m: thank you too.

Cover isn't bad Perfect2. How many pages is your magazine and where can I get a copy in the Midlands?

how do u access the mag??

get on to the website, address is in the news section.

Hey mr perfect2 so where's my
copy of the mag? Is Zim gna help
you out with the next issue? And
hey...wen do i get to be part of
the team??!!

cameron: let me know where in the midlands you are and i'll point you to your nearest stockist!

naj01: www.perfectweddingsMag.com

chocl8coatedbabe: the mags in your local shop! who's zim? and send me your cv and you are in!

Hi Perfect2, anywhere in Birmingham would be fine. I recall you guys promoting your first issue on here last year and as we've been working on a fashion & lifestyle mag over the past year I kept my eyes open for Perfect Weddings but never came across it in any shops.

as in azeem silly!!! and hey u had
my cv like time ago!! and u said
the exact same thing last time!!

This is what makes me wonder about the Perfect Weddings cover:
a)who is the target audience? Is you're going to feature two people in a bathtub, the obvious allusion seems to be towards wink wink nudge nudge, sex. Weddings aren't about sex. The night after is, but it's not purely about sex. It's about two people coming together sure, but it's also about families and all the crap that happens on the wedding day.

b)I see what you guys are trying to do by doing something different. But there are ways of doing things different, and I don't agree that this is it. If I was getting married and I showed this to my mum, she'd think I was showing her a nudey magazine and give me two slaps.

Sorry guys, but I think you read the wrong signs when it came to the cover.You need to get more women on your team.

hhm. maybe next time a cheezy family portrait?

funky cover but.... its a directory!?
case of dont judge mag by cover!

cameron: pop down to soho road and your'll find it in the indian shops!

choc: zim zima's our art director!

madam s: interesting take. however girls get with guys because they initially find them attractive and its the same for guys. we have simply picked up on that and extended it to the wedding night..or morning after (depending on how tired you are!) but thank you for the feedback.

music lover: you read my...asiana! just kidding, interesting idea, thank you for that too.

yankydoodle: thanks and its a case of dnt judge a directory by its cover!

At the expense of being labelled one of those ‘haters’ Kismet Hardy is wary of, I would like to introduce myself as a silent witness to this forum; an Asian man in the British media who enjoys keeping track of what is going on in ‘my’ world by scanning through this rather interesting website. This thread has compelled me to finally add my tuppence worth and I’ve purchased some of the magazines mentioned here (with great difficulty, but then I live in a terribly twee suburban area). I would like to offer some observations and advice. You can choose to be offended by this or you can save yourself a lot of money by not hiring a media consultant and take this constructive criticism for free. I appreciate you will feel uppity that your product is being ripped apart, but my intention is not to humiliate but to help (and I’m going to make this very long so that no one other than yourselves will be interested enough to read it).

Firstly, Perfect Wedding. You are obviously thrilled by this rather daring, funky cover. But wedding magazines are about neither. Weddings are many things: chic, sophisticated, intimate, lavish, but they are not funky. Especially in regards to the Asian community, the word funky itself brings forth notions of young people with strange haircuts getting high and listening to bizarre music. Weddings are family affairs and as Madam Spanky points out above, “If I was getting married and I showed this to my mum, she'd think I was showing her a nudey magazine and give me two slaps”
I totally agree. In the Asian community, the family are very strongly involved in the process because they fund much of it. Agreed, there are funky young Asians who do things their own way, but then why would they be buying an Asian wedding magazine? Even the most modern bride has respect for her family’s ways on her wedding day and is looking for a blend of tradition and western glamour. How does this cover speak to An Asian bride-to-be? This cover says, “Look at us; we’re breaking grounds by being daring.” That is not what she wants, but to know where to acquire the best tiara to go with her lilac gown. Will lilac even be in when autumn comes? She won’t buy this magazine to see the Asian community’s attitude challenged, she will buy this magazine if it offers her what she needs to make her wedding day perfect.

The whole notion of funky covers selling is absolutely relevant when it comes to magazines such as Pop and Dazed. But not to a wedding magazine. If you look through all the British bridal magazines you will see one thing alone: smiling girl, simple looking but pretty, with or without a bouquet. Ask yourself, “why? Can they not afford a brilliant photographer to take a funky image?” They most certainly can, but they do not because that is not what the market wants. Bridal magazines do not have a loyal readership. They are bought by woman who are about to get married, who will buy all the magazines that look as though they will be full of informative articles and ideas for themes, accessories and so on. Your picture suggests the honeymoon … which is a rather different publication altogether.

Even when they flick through it (The name Perfect Weddings is fantastic, but does it live up to its promise?) you are faced with two articles about dating and several fashion campaigns featuring two men and a women, three women fighting over a man, and even five men eyeing up a woman. This is madness. These magazines are bought by women who are madly in love with one man. Other men and other women have absolutely nothing to do with what she wants.

This brings me to my major gripe. You appear to assume that a lot of lads, with your streetwise attitude, will be buying this. Let me assure you they will not. Weddings are such grand affairs because women dream them to be so. No man would put so much effort and money into it if his significant other were not so passionate about it (the very rich would, but they would not to be buying your magazine either). I think you are shooting yourself in the foot by putting your male stamp all over the magazine. The Editor’s page features two men. Name me one bridal magazine (or a woman’s magazine for that matter) that has a male Editor. Why is that? Because women are frustrated as it is that their men are not showing as much interest in shopping and planning as she is; she is stressing that her man just isn’t taking this wedding seriously … the last thing she wants to see is a magazine with more men offering their tuppence regarding her most important day.

If you are truly serious about this magazine as a business venture and not as a vanity project, you should forget about what your friends and likeminded people here think (I dare say many people on this website are young people with strange haircuts getting high and listening to bizarre music!) and think about what the bride wants. To organise a day where all her family and friends will be happy she has found love. Not sitting naked in a bathtub.

Asiana Wedding. From what I gather Kismet Hardy you are involved with Asiana (my sister swears by it and I trust her judgement) and I apologise if you have nothing to do with Asiana Wedding, but here are my thoughts on it. While I was impressed to find the quality of images, articles and attention to detail in terms of flow, themes, advice and so on of a refreshingly high standard, I cannot see it competing with British bridal magazines because:

It is too big. Brides-to-be are bouncing with ideas and they want to roll a magazine in her bag so she can take her ideas to her florist, baker and so forth. This is not a catalogue you are doing.

The fonts are too small, the leading too tight. Where are the white spaces? Where do the adverts end and the editorial begin? People do not buy wedding magazine to read. From your posts I gather you are a witty man, but why is there never any wit in British bridal magazines? Is it because their journalists are not as good as those in Glamour? It’s because the bride-to-be wants to know what, where and how when she sees what she likes. Reader friendly means, strangely enough, don’t give them too much to read!

As for the cover, it adheres to the rules of bridal magazines (all the enticing buzzwords were there and appeared informative and interesting … someone has done their research!) but you should tone down the retouching on the cover. Consumers want to see real people looking happy on her wedding day, not models transformed into mannequins.

In your drive to offer value for money, you leave yourself with a product that is simply too blocky and too much to take in. If you take nothing from my comments, take this one word: fluidity.

Interestingly, the first Asian bridal magazine that caught my eye was Asian Bride a few years ago when Selfridges had placed it as magazine of the month. I was almost blown away (it takes a lot to impress me I’m afraid). I’ve been keeping an eye out for it periodically and its decent into the realms of the diabolical has been grotesque. Clearly it is being run by a new team but if anyone from the publication is reading this, where to start? Spelling, punctuation, information … Learn why headlines and standfirsts are there and try not to use every font available in your computer … I could go on, but I do not wish to be nasty. It needs a complete overhaul or at least, using your previous templates might not be such a bad idea?

I apologise wholeheartedly if this has caused any of you offence, but as an Asian, it gives me great pride to see Asians doing well promoting the Asian way of life. I hope you se this as constructive criticism and consider what I have said to help make your respective publications respectable enough to stand a chance in the already saturated bridal market.

I sincerely wish you all the very best of luck.

V

I couldnt read the whole of the above post but I love the cover! There seems to be lots of same mags all the time- n anyone afraid of showing it to their mum shud just take the cover off cos the contents are not risque.

Hurrah for a bit of constructive
criticism at last. I mostly agree with
you.

We spend hours deliberation over
themes, schemes, typefaces,
placements, palette, flow and then
another mag comes out and does
whatever random thing pops up and
we do sit there thinking: why do we
bother? It’s good to know there are
people like you out there who notice
the rhyme and the reason behind it.

But where I would disagree is your call
to emulate mainstream bridal
magazines. There is a distinct
difference between the two. Colour.
While fluidity works superbly with
black and white photos, we simply
can’t do that because, while western
gowns are mostly ivory and white
based, we’re dealing with a palette of
rich reds, golds and intricate
embroideries, organzas and so forth.
It’s inevitable the result will look, to a
certain extent, blocky. Also, while
western mags can get away with
showing just a detail (which always
makes for a better shot), we have to
show the whole outfit… don’t forget a
lot of brides-to-be take the magazine
to India to have it recreated. They
need the whole shebang and that
necessitates big, colourful images and,
for the sake of consistency, that has to
be apparent elsewhere. It would be
foolish to go for minimalist chic
elsewhere where the bulk is dominated
by richness.

As for the size, I’m sorry, but we will
never compromise on content and
value for money as long as people are
shelling out £4.50 for it. We’re not out
to look hip, we’re out to provide a
comprehensive service to brides who
have a £50,000 budget to make sense
of.

There are many other factors I could
set you straight on, but I’d rather not
pass on little tricks of the trade as
generously as you have!

But I like you. You should come back
more often.

It’s been a pleasure.

I know tht mr perfect2...he told
me last time i spoke to him!! and
he said he'd let me know if he
needed any help too...i'll email u!

mediamond or is it me-diamond? It’s interesting to see what happens when different people look at the same thing but in a different way.
An interesting read. However, you seem to follow the school of thought that has been around and has dominated the wedding market from its origin. While an orthodox approach to business will stand you good stead it doesn’t allow for anyone to progress in the leaps and bounds that they want to.
Why can't 2 guys edit a wedding magazine? why can't we promote the idea of "sex" on a front cover? Your views are backed by results found in libraries but what you have failed to point out is that there hasn't been a wedding magazine with 2 male editors or one that has a "sexy" cover. Yes you can argue on the grounds of taboo subjects that this cover may not be the way forward and is maybe 10-20 years ahead of its time but "we" won't know until someone tries it and puts it in a library. Call it an expensive hobby or an Asian revolution, perfect weddings isn’t about conformation it’s about being different. We have conducted feasibility studies, have done various consumer tests and found that the Asian magazine market is dominated by…copying. Whilst copying still remains the best form of flattery, it doesn’t always bode well with the consumer who argues that it’s always the same thing over and over again.
We have a clear vision as to where we see the magazine heading to and by no means are our plans "normal".
Your views on weddings being a family orientated affair are nice and picturesque; can I ask do you know how many British Asians still live with their parents after marriage? How many brit Asians go to India to get married as per request of their parents? How many brit Asians have an arranged marriage, again as per request of their parents? How many brit Asians ask the priest to hurry the marriage ceremony up, as per request of the other half!?! I'm not suggesting that brit Asians don't love their parent any less I’m simply saying that marriage, love, and planning your wedding with the family is not the most sought after cocktail. Yes we still want our family to be present at the wedding but do we really want them involved in the planning? Our magazine is about planning your wedding not about family counselling. If you can’t show the front cover to your mother how can you face her the day after your wedding when you go home and have dinner knowing that she knows you have just consummated your marriage?
2nd generation Asians have adapted to their environment extremely well in my eyes, they have face paced lives, they have high powered jobs and they have success; all at the expense of time. Our mag simply allows the bride or groom to plan and explore all the options available to them in one go, saving time.
With regards to our bollywood brides, this feature is designed to show off the outfits adding a touch of fun to the shoot not send out a cryptic message on polygamy.

On a personal note V your indirect suggestions have been noted and I’d like to continue this conversation. If you feel the same please drop me an email, aa@perfect2group.com

Kismet hardy: yet another person who has to hide behind the a.i.m curtain...how disappointing. With reference to your “and then another mag comes out and does
whatever random thing pops up”. If that was the case we’d be copying you. In the words of eminem “grab your d**** if you love asaina”
Like I’ve said to your team, I don’t have problem with you neither does my team, so don’t disrespect them by making comments like that. They work damm hard on the magazine and produce fantastic results. However, if trouble is your poison, why don’t you come and knock on my door and I’ll take you out for a drink.

Choc: still waiting on that e-mail!

"Kismet hardy: yet another person who
has to hide behind the a.i.m curtain"

Er, no. There isn't a single person who
comes on to this forum who doesn't
know what I do because I bang on
about plenty.

And regular AiMers will vouch it takes
a lot for me to bad mouth others,
because I'm blessed with an equal
share of generousity and arrogance
not to feel the need to undermine
others trying to make it in a business
I've worked in for ten years

You chose to think the 'another mag'
is directed at you. That's your
insecurity dear chap. You should know
there are plenty of magazines out
there of a pathetic quality that is
denting what we do. It's sweet you
think we're in competition.

Bless

beautiful cover. not getting married but would definately pick it up and have a flick through just to see what it looked like inside. it has a multi-cultural appeal. nice straplines on the cover too. well done boys!

kismet: there is a person on aim who doesnt know who you are, me. so do tell, who are you? and while your there, do tell me what you think of perfect weddings mag too.

lynn. thank you, im sure we'll be around when your ready to get married, so dnt worry!

and kh - give mediamond a job! it was indeed a pleasure to read that post. bit long, but spot on.

Grr..

forget weddings p2 - i'd look you guys up for advice on shoots!

awww sorry nj - but the diamond geezer/gal knows what they're talking about. sorry sweetheart! ;-)

nice 1 lynn!

norah: grrrrrr back!

Perfect2, I have little desire to engage
in a slanging match. I know the work
that goes behind a mag. You'll notice I
didn't get on my high horse when you
mentioned the name of the mag in
conjunction to Musiclover's comment,
so it was irritating to find you get all
defensive and on the offensive when
you decided I was having a hidden dig
at your product.

for what it's worth, I think Perfect
Wedding provides a valid service and
anyone getting maried to won't feel
cheated buying it, because it's other
wedding services they're looking for.

What do I do? I make a lot of coffee
and leer at the ladies.

Now, come now. Group hug

thank god curtains, blinds, and aim.
kh your already in the match mate. if you dnt want to say who you are its ok however
your last comment about insecurity seems to be flashing on my screen..is anyone else having that problem??

Try to give a guy an olive branch...

I work for the magazine in question.
You work for another magazine.

It's really rather simple

Sigh

Oh and a little helpful advice, in the
spirit of goodwill.

In publishing, when you use dot dot
dots, you use always three, thus…

And there can never be more than one
question mark, you see?

And it's generally advisable never to
resort to text speak, even when
texting. It makes for a better editor.

I hope some of this helps with your
editorial content.

Kind regards old chap and do get
some salt for that chip dear fellow.

your one funny person! i'd like to take you out for a drink. what do you say kh? we could even go for a good old northern curry and chips after?

Now that's the spirit!

By the way, aren't you one of our
eligible bachelors?

If you're the one I'm thinking of, then –
while I'm not envious of your mag –
I'm certainly envious of your looks you
terrible bastard.

Your round!

no my dear friend im not one oh the oh so great bachelors, apparently im too young to go in that list although im not to young to get a round in! snake bite with black suit you?
and I'll be sure to pass on your affection to the two guys in question!

Done!

you've got the mag, the no.s in there, call me. who knows whats in our kismet...hardy!

well i know both u boys...so if
ask and maybe i'll tell all!!!
perfect2...emails on its way -->
check ur inbox! x

mediamond
you're a breath of fresh air!

kh
didn't make the connection about colours - very valid point. (despite ur justification, i do think pagination IS massive. just my opinion tho.)
p.s here's to many, many more ellipsis' in your future...

pw2
like i mentioned via email, i found the cover compelling. haven't yet seen the issue. BUT, is it just me or do the 'bride and groom' on the cover look like they cud be sis and bro? (okay, okay, i know there is a skool of thot which says we're attracted to ppl who look like us...brad and jen ended up as clones of each other and posh and becks tend to wear similar skirts.)

hope your respective mags continue to do well.

ahhh... KH and AA...Hey can i come and take photos of you boys eating chips and curry sauce?

;-)

ofcrs you can scorpion, but old KH, rather SA, hasnt called me yet :(

SA? he's SS babes!!

or are you talking SA .. eww! ;-)

oi come back into my life and take me to a party or two!!!

oh yes..sorry i thought he had the same surname! SS it is!
and party or two??

oooh are you offering! ha ha...

three if your kindness goes that far

;-)

name the place and ... tell me how it was!! hehe!

Why i oughtta...!

FINE BE A BUM!

;-)

im joking! name the place and we'll be there :)
and your so sweet callin me a BUM:

Beautiful
Unmarried
Male

;)

In response to the following Perfect2: 'Why can't 2 guys edit a wedding magazine? why can't we promote the idea of "sex" on a front cover? Call it an expensive hobby or an Asian revolution, perfect weddings isn’t about conformation it’s about being different.'

You're starting to sound like a petulant child, who on the discovery that no one likes his new toy, is starting to whinge.

Mediamond, in his succint and spot-on answer, has pretty much covered everything. You just don't seem to grasp:

a) No one is saying 2 guys can't edit a wedding mag. The only problem I would have with it, is if the two guys in question don't seem to have a proper grasp of what brides want or are too caught up with -how shall I put this - being 'different' than making their magazine serve the purpose it was created to do.

b) In your naivety, you say 'waah, why can't we promote sex on the cover?' Are you kidding me? If you want to do that so badly, do a lifestyle magazine, but it is not appropriate for the wedding industry. In fact, I'm surprised your advertisers aren't in uproar at having chosen a cover based on your own vanity, rather than one that best promotes the inner contents.

c)Being different to break moulds, challenge the audience - now that is groundbreaking. And I would've applauded you for it. But your concept is just unbelievably transparent and shows no complex thought behind it at all.

Like I said, you need to do more research (and no, I'm not talking about your survey conducted at Wandsworth bus station or wherever it was to find out that Asians want something new)and find out that ok, if people (i.e, brides) want something new, then this time, actually ask them what it is. I'm sure that you'll find the answer isn't two people in a bathtub.

what about BUTT?

;-)

Madam S: Have you done any research into the wedding sector? Do you know what "brides" want? If you did or do you’ll be sure to get a surprise.
As for your comments on my “touchy” behaviour, I see it more as a paternal instinct, where I am simply defending my “child”.
However, thank you for your growing concern and you’ll be glad to know that I will raise the issue of the lack of intelligent brides available in the Wandsworth area with my research team.

Scorpion: sorry im a BAT Man!

anish - did you get my email??

no Farhana?
aa@perfect2group.com

BAT???

Butt???

U cheeky monkey...how is ur wife
gna feel if she finds out u been
saying u a
Beautiful
Unmarried
Male
I ought to smack ur butt!!!

i said i was a BAT Man:

Beautiful
And
Taken!

Are you married now?!
ha ha

Taken is the way forward doode!!!

lol u joker!!! hey do me a
favor...tell zim zimmer im
sorry...he will kno wot i
mean....its just i cnt contact him,
altho he's got my number...oh
also tell him i did see his pic and
he luked gorgeous bless him
*^_^*

cheers baby x

i know quite a few girls who wanted to buy this magazine, to see what it offers but simply did not because of the cover and the idea that their parents may think they are heading down the wrong path! It may be old school, but it is still alive today.

I also think you need to use different models for various adverts. As gorgoues as neil is, we need variety along the pages... My tuppence worth anyway.

be interesting to see how the pw cover
fairs against the new asiana wedding
cover.

i know where my money is.

Vintage... balissimo

The cover design has been done many times before in shoots (even though you state the concept is yours on your "Editors" page)

Talking of Editors page, how can you have such bad spelling and grammer?

"Weather it's flawless jewellery.."

Your spell check may be on but a word of advice, next time read the damn thing after you write it.

I wonder WHETHER you guys have a clue?

Hi everyone this is my first time to comment on this forum.

I do browse alot here but this time i'll give my judgement on this subject.

perfect2 lads you wont last you have no advertisers to back you and cover your costs and your mag it isn't really original.

(it's like afm and elegant beauty brides & look what happened to them)

mediamond your great.

asian woman/bride went down hill along time ago but the titles are still really strong.

asiana wedding and asiana you look exactly like asian woman/bride. Try and do something different to break away from them.

viya magazine "wow wow wow."

(but where was the first issue i didnt see it anywhere, but it is very upmarket)

congratulations to you and the team.


judging by the editors page it's the same editor who did asian woman and bride back in the day.

cant wait for the next one.


god bless.

And the award for viya magazine
employee of the week brucie
bonus goes to...

only kidding. I like viya. The black
theme on every page is
revolutionary. Who'd have
thought there was a market for
Asian goth marriages? Still
kidding...

If you said the words 'wow wow wow really fast (out loud) it sounds akin to the noise a lapdog might make. Try it!

mal: thank you for your kind words! in defence however can i just say that with an 87% retention rate of advertisers from our first issue and a national launch with our second issue me thinks we will be around for some time :) :) :) :)

go to http://www.ashaboutique.co.uk