Out and About STYLE Magazine Issue 4 Vol. 2

1. TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
I was born in Nigeria. I moved to the UK when I was
five and grew up in London. In 2012, I moved to
Dubai for a teaching role.
I currently live in Abu Dhabi where I work full-time
on weddings both worldwide and locally. We have
planned weddings and events (including corporate)
in UAE, London, Lagos, Thailand, Africa and the
Seychelles.
2. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN WEDDING
PLANNING?
I am a planner and meticulous when it comes to
organising events. I enjoy planning parties, dinners
and social events for my friends. Back then, I had
never even thought about being an event planner, but
I always knew that I would not be teaching forever. In
2013, I planned my own wedding for about 11 months,
and the experience made me acquainted with many
vendors and contractors in Dubai. My own first-hand
experience in planning my own wedding made me
decide to try my hand at planning weddings. I was
eight months pregnant in December 2014 when I
was contracted as a wedding planner for a beautiful
wedding at The Waldorf Astoria.
3. WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU THINK
BRIDES SHOULD ASK WHEN LOOKING FOR
A PLANNER?
You must have a phone conversation with your
planner to ensure that your ideas and personalities
align. It is better for the bride and the planner to
meet in person to discuss matters. If there are certain
‘special’ requests or unique highlights of the wedding
that the bride wants to happen, she should ask the
planner the experience they have with those things.
Brides should also ask matters in the aspect of
planning and execution, including an inquiry of the
kind of people or staff that they involve in their team.
Brides should also request ideas that fall within the
budget, or make smart allocations between expense
items, as well as advice on increasing or decreasing
the budget. It’s also great for brides to give their
planners a scenario to assess how they would act in a
stressful situation.
At the end of the day, selecting a wedding planner is
most certainly a ‘job interview’: you are paying for the
service, so you want to make sure you get the right
person.
4. HOW DO YOU GET THE IDEAS OUT
OF BRIDES SO THAT THEY DESCRIBE TO
YOU EFFECTIVELY THEIR VISION FOR THE
WEDDING DAY?
I typically have an initial phone consultation with my
clients, where we discuss the types of things they
like. Afterwards, I send my clients a questionnaire
detailing different aspects of the wedding, asking
them to indicate their preferences.
We use Pinterest as inspiration for colours, florals,
accents, and other aspects, and eventually work from
there. Both my clients and I are active in pinning
suitable themes, colours and décor that they like. I
find a common thread in their collection of pictures,
which I translate to a ‘mood board’ that we use as a
foundation of how the day will look and feel.
5. WHAT WOULD YOU TELL BRIDES WHO
DON’T THINK THEY NEED A PLANNER?
WHAT ARE THEY MISSING OUT ON?
I specialise in destination weddings, and 99% of my
clients do not live in the UAE. It makes sense to get a
planner for brides who aren’t on the ground and find
it difficult to look for the ideal vendors without having
a number of trips to the destination country, which is
sometimes not feasible due to money, work or other
commitments. An experienced wedding planner can
bridge brides-to-be with the best vendors within
their budget and preferred expertise, as well as offer
them hidden gems in other aspects such as special
contractors or venues. The in-country planner is able
to have meetings with vendors that most clients will
not be able to attend and work closely to ensure a
seamless day.
Wedding days can be very stressful. Brides should not
be thinking about things that haven’t been set up, or
hearing about anything that may not be going right.
This is where a planner steps in to ensure the bride is
focused on her prep and enjoying her day. We take
the stress and pressure, so you do not have to. I also
throw the question out to my brides apart from the
cost: what is stopping you from having a wedding
planner? If there are no other cons, then we can
discuss how we can work on the payments to ensure
it doesn’t break the bank.
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