How I came up with the idea of becoming a Wedding Planner
I love weddings, love stories, films about weddings — basically I love being at weddings because they are so beautiful and emotional. At the same time, I am very structured in everything I do: spreadsheets, lists, schedules, roadmaps, that is my life. I laugh about it, but even going to the beach requires precise planning. I also organized my own wedding, okay, with my husband's help. So combining my love of weddings with my sense of organization felt like the right fit. It seemed obvious to me that this was what I wanted to do in life, my passion: to become a wedding planner, train for it and specialize in wedding planning.
My background before getting started
I did some research about the profession and how to train while I was still working in a retail company. Since on Réunion there is no organization that trains people for the wedding planner profession, I had to travel to mainland France. I therefore enrolled with IWI, which I had found by chance. A few months later, the adventure began, with distance learning and an in-person week. I had found the perfect support to succeed in this new path.
The difficulties I faced before getting started
To be honest, I did not think about it much. I knew what I wanted, and I even applied for my SIRET number during the program, on the day we covered that lesson. Everything was clear in my mind: I was going to become a wedding planner and make a living from this passion. Oops, I had forgotten that I still had my salaried job. I did not leave it immediately and instead spent the next two years moving forward in parallel, working on my communication, making myself known and already planning a few weddings.
Then came the day when baby number three arrived at home. Managing family life with five people, my salaried position, and a few professional meetings in the evenings and on weekends quickly became impossible. So a decision had to be made — and what a decision it was. Of course there were doubts and moments of questioning, and finances were at the heart of many conversations. But in the end, I decided to work full time on my wedding business, and it is the best decision I could have made.
My biggest day-to-day challenge
Showing up every day on social media, or at least finding content to feed my different platforms. It is not easy at all. But people want to see, in images, what the work of a wedding planner looks like. For me, it is difficult to show daily work visually, especially when the day is all about paperwork or answering emails.
My agency
At Fairy Events Réunion, we support you from the proposal all the way to making the project happen and to your wedding day. We have a proposal package, a day-of coordination package and a full planning package. A bachelorette party package is currently being created in collaboration with several partners. Fairy Events Réunion has now existed for three years. It is full of joy and good vibes: 9 weddings in 3 years, 2 proposals with wonderful yeses, 12 wedding contracts for 2024 and already 2 for 2025.
What I love about my job
Meeting new couples and their families. Every client is different and has different wishes. I step into your world and share your emotions during those months of preparation. I am the little fairy making sure everything runs perfectly on your wedding day. I love first looks and venue reveals — those are truly unique and intense moments.
I am happy to see that more and more people call on me and follow me every day. They even recommend me. I have been able to separate my two essential packages, and couples really like the idea of being supported on their wedding day. I also already have a lovely list of trusted vendors and partners who recommend me in return.
My best memories
A lovely bride I met at a wedding fair came with her mother. She had planned her wedding in only a few months and asked for my day-of coordination services. We had several meetings and resolved a few issues with vendors before the big day. She often told me about her family and how every member had actively taken part in preparing the wedding. On the wedding day, when I arrived at her home, I discovered such a loving and caring family. That day, I was no longer just the wedding planner, but truly felt like a member of the family. Parents, brothers and sisters, everyone taking care of one another.
In short, there was just so much love during that beautiful day. Her kind mother had prepared little jars of jam as gifts for me and thanked and complimented me until the end of the evening. Truly. It was a more than successful wedding and a family I keep in my heart.
What I am most proud of
Hearing my children say, 'Mum, when I grow up, I am not worried, you will organize my weddings. It is so beautiful.' I am also especially proud of having a family that supports me, and of seeing that my business is recognized and truly appreciated.
What IWI brought me
Wonderful encounters, beautiful memories, an efficient and precise working method, and fundamental notions that you do not necessarily master without training.