Two Planners and a Designer

BRIEF INTRODUCTION
Hi everyone, my name is Ayoteju Akhionbare, aka AJ, aka ABoogie!!!! As you can tell I am a very excited and passionate person. I am a consultant by day and an event designer at all times!!! I know without a shadow of doubt that this is what I will be doing for the rest of my life. I eat, sleep and breathe designs. LOL!!!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE BUSINESS?
Well, I think I have always been designing and decided to go full time when I started planning and designing my wedding. So, back to the question: I have been designing events now for about 4½ years.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF WEDDING DESIGN/DECOR?
Hmmm. this one is a tricky one, because I love all aspects of it from the initial consult with the client, to the design inspiration, design sketches and mock up presentations. But what I absolutely love is the full event set up. To me this is the icing on the cake. To see everything come to life, the feeling itself is inexplicable, for me. Words can’t describe it. And guess what? I’ll wake up and do it all over again.

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL BRIDE AND GROOM ON THEIR WEDDING DAY?
Unless I have been invited to the wedding, I usually do not get to see the couple on the wedding day. However I see them a few times before the wedding and I would say most of them are nervous because they are making all these decisions about what they want their wedding to look like, what guests will eat and drink, etc. Then comes décor and design and it is just so abstract. They can’t touch, smell, see, taste or feel the concept. They have to use their imaginations. When you are planning a wedding, ladies and gentlemen, even that can sound far fetched. But most times than not, they just want their day to be beautiful and memorable to all and sundry. And yes, most can’t wait until the minister says “You may kiss the bride”.

TELL US A ABOUT MEMORABLE WEDDING EVENT?
Ok, so Ms. Boomie stole the first one I was going to share. LOL! But in this industry, we never lack memorable moments. This wedding was set to be in the fall. I met the bride about a month before her wedding and we decided on her designs. Please bear in mind again that décor can be abstract and sometimes completely out of context. Therefore, most times than not it takes a lot of descriptive imagination to envision what it will look like. Needless to say the bride was very nervous about what this would look like when everything was pulled together. I assured her and repeated those fateful words “Trust me”. Whether or not she trusted me before the wedding day, I can’t quite say. Her face, however, when she walked into her reception room was pure joy! I got a hug and kiss and even tears. That, absolutely, was memorable for me.

FAVORITE COLOR
I love fabulous pinks and purples.

ADVICE FOR NEWLY ENGAGED COUPLES.
you want to really spend time getting to know one another outside of the dating “mindset”. Trust me (yes I said it), you need it. It will save you so much bewilderment during those first weeks and months of marriage. Get pre-marital counseling. It will help build a solid foundation because hey, you’ve never done this before or if you have, you need to know what not to do next time around. Also talk, talk, talk about everything.

ADVICE FOR NEWLYWEDS.
Ok, keep it FRESH. Don’t lose it. Don’t let yourself go just because you got the guy or the girl. The one area that must always be hot is PASSION. Keep the fire going. BURN BABY BURN!!!!!! And always remember why you married each other, write it down somewhere because sometimes you may find yourself asking that question.

I think that about sums it up for me for now. I honestly look forward to interacting, sharing ideas and tips with you. This indeed is a journey and I look forward to the many interesting things that will happen along the way.