Table for Two
Table for Two
S/S 2019
Intended for pleasure, UPASANA GUPTA guarantees that all the four seasons of love are celebrated with abundance, with a little help from Table for Two
You would expect somebody who studied economics from the University of Nottingham, England, to understand the bulls and bears as well as life-altering market dynamics. But Upasana Gupta, is a lot more than her able-bodied qualifications, as this Modern School, Barakhamba Road, Delhi, the product comes up with projects infused with fresh energy, mirroring the times we live in. That’s what made her begin Table for Two.
It, as all memorable stories reveal, is also about love and longing. “I wanted to take my then-boyfriend and now-husband out on a date. I couldn’t find a place that was either not too boring or outrageously priced. So I booked a farm, hired musicians, brought in a chef and we had a night to remember. It was an emotional journey for both of us and it got me thinking,” smiles the 28-year-old.
Articulate, sassy, and full of beans, Upasana will impress you with her ability to think about monetizing an experience that would not get buried in the dust of time. So whether it was anniversaries, birthdays, dates or proposals, each one was curated with minute details that held a place in your hearts and would make it as a photo frame on the nightstand for a long time.
Table for Two is a boutique concierge service. It conceptualizes events and they have almost 50 venues on their list in the two years of operation. This is besides customized entertainment and even offbeat constructions (think tree houses) and art gallery events crafting a new language for ingenuity. “We design experiences beyond drinks and dances. Most of our clients are between the ages of 25-35 years, and 80 percent come to us again. They are well-traveled and admit to being connoisseurs of fine food, wanting to change the way we spend time with our loved ones,” she explains.
The cost for a special date could be between ₹50,000 to ₹60,000 and if it is an anniversary it could be even ₹7 to 10 lakhs. “I have noticed when one goes out to dine, there is less time spent in talking and more in socializing with people before you actually get down to your meal. We offer uninterrupted rendezvous,” she adds.
Upasana is not an amateur in trying out new ideas as Little Black Book which she sold off to her partner was one such initiative that changed everyone’s event diary. Now Table for Two with Arushi Vaish her partner, is another attempt at not giving a cut copy-paste, experience, but creating private and everlasting souvenirs.
As Upasana shuttles between three cities, Iran, where her husband runs a steel business to Delhi where her family owns Shri Ram Hari Ram Jewels, to Dubai, her second home, she knew, she wanted to do something away from running her father’s company.
“I went by the mantra: if you can sell anything to yourself, others will buy it too. Year one was trial and error. Now when I have understood what doesn’t work, I am in a better position,” she smiles. She’s also a jewellery collector, but never wanted to be constrained by the confines of the store, so she looked at ways in which she could add more, which is kind of her life’s philosophy, much like the hunt for her wedding lehenga. “Meera and Muzaffar Ali embroidered the poem my husband wrote for me on my lehenga, which made it something I will treasure forever. That’s what is called an experience of a lifetime,” she concludes.
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