Raj Somaiya is the UK’s most sought-after wedding planner.
But what is the story behind the entrepreneur and what is his net worth?
Who is Raj Somaiya?
Raj Somaiya was born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1969 but moved to the UK at a young age.
Somaiya settled in Ashton-under-Lyne near Manchester and went to a Catholic school.
“The school warned my parents our culture could interfere with things like me learning and speaking English, so they decided to bring me up in a very ‘English’ way, hardly ever speaking Hindi, going to Mass and not having Indian food,” he said.
Somaiya would help his mum in their family-owned post offices from the age of seven.
But in the late 1990s, due to the financial turbulence, Somaiya’s mum went bankrupt.
READ MORE ON THE 24/7 PROJECT
The family later moved to Barnet, London.
“I went to a comprehensive school, which was almost entirely white and I suffered badly with racism,” Somaiya added.
“I couldn’t understand why because I was brought up, for all intents and purposes, British.”
The family’s financial trouble didn’t deter Somaiya’s mum though and she started selling balloons.
Somaiya said her big break came when “we went to the rescue of one of the managers at the Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester, which was hosting an Indian wedding that was getting out of control.
“Mum and I went down and brought some order to the chaos.”
Somaiya and his mum founded Paypal Events in 1991 and became the go-to wedding coordinators for Indian weddings in Manchester.
Somaiya has become renowned for creating some of the most luxurious and memorable events in the world.
The entrepreneur has also become well known for his appearance on TV shows including The Real Housewives of Cheshire and My Big Fat Asian Wedding.
Somaiya co-ordinated Amir Khan and his wife Faryal Makhdoom’s no-expense spare wedding which reportedly cost £1 million ($1.25 million).
In 2015, Somaiya founded Silverfox Events which specialises in events outside of the UK.
In 2019, Somaiya opened a £1.5 million ($1.9 million) Indian restaurant called GupShup in the upmarket area of Hale, Manchester.
What is Raj Somaiya’s net worth?
Raj Somaiya is believed to be worth in the region of £8 million ($10 million).