AH! Mazing Vendor: Vintage Ivy Events

Hey guys!! Today I present to you Tope Olanrewaju of Vintage Ivy Events an extremely talented and passionate wedding/event coordinator! I had SUCH an great time talking with her because she was just so excited to talk about her passion for weddings! I hope you enjoy reading!!

Memi: Tell me about yourself and how VIE came about?

Hello!! My name is Tope Olanraweju and Vintage Ivy Events came about with the idea of me just loving to plan events! I started planning events when I was in college in Northern Virginia at George Mason University to be exact. I was overseeing a department there and as the office specialist I was in charge of all the university events for that department. I didn’t realize I had the bug then, I just knew that I enjoyed planning events for the school. A few years later in 2004 I decided to start helping friends and family plan their weddings. They would just ask me questions and I would just tell them what I knew, meanwhile I got my certification as an event and wedding planner. I got married in 2008 and around that time I decided to launch my own business. The name was the first thing that happened, it’s actually the name of the street that I live on Vintage Ivy Lane. It was just the first address that I could remember so it just stuck! So the business started from there and I just enjoy it, I love planning events and a little decorating here and there.

 
Memi: What was your most amazing experience as a wedding planner? Your worst?

 My first wedding was my most amazing experience, the reason why is because it was my first! It was a testament to myself to prove that I could do it. It is very different trying to plan a wedding that is not your own. But you have to use the same mentality you would use to plan your own wedding and say okay what can I do for this wedding that I didn't do for my wedding. So I had to think of all the things that I forgot to do for my weddings and do it for this wedding. That is exactly what I did for the first wedding I did and it made it sooo exciting from there! The bug did NOT leave me after that I just got more and more excited for every single one. I would definitely have to say my very first wedding was a testament to show that I could fully plan a wedding.


My worst wedding experience was a few months ago when a bride called me two weeks before her wedding and didn't give me the full breakdown of her wedding. She just gave me bits and pieces and I didn't realize till about a day or two before the wedding that her Mom was doing one part and she was doing another part so therefore NOTHING added up. So when Mom is planning one thing and the bride is planning something different that means communication is at a disconnect. So one thing I've learned to do with my brides is ask them who else is planning your wedding? Is it you and your husband, or you, your husband and your Mom or mother in law? If your Mom is helping you plan I need to know what HER contribution is to the planning process and what she has covered or not. Once I know that we can all be on the same page.  

Memi: Many people do not feel they need a wedding planners, can you explain the importance of having help on that day?

The importance of having help on that day is planning out what is going to happen from beginning to end. What a lot of people don’t realize is that there should not be ANY dead air going on during your wedding. Something should ALWAYS be happening. If you get to a point where nothing is happening for 5-10 minutes that is NOT good. That is what a wedding planner does. They plan what will occur from A to Z. Another thing is, the little things that a bride and groom may not know about because they are NOT in the wedding industry a planner is aware of. A prime example is the toasting time when it is time for the toast, someone has to make sure that all the guests have an open bottle of wine...if that is not done everyone will just be sitting there with an empty glass when it's toasting time.

Memi: What do you love about the wedding industry?

WOW! So much to love about the wedding industry. To be more specific…I love the uniqueness about the bride and groom. There are NO two brides that are the same, so it is so exciting to hear their stories, how they met, their ideas…it’s just MARVELOUS!

Memi: Who is your dream bride to work with?

I love Lady Gaga to pieces! I would love to plan her wedding only because I know she will come up with the craziest ideas and I would just love to design that for her!

Memi: What services does your company provide?

I’m a color person, so I love just about ALL colors! But I have to say burnt orange, I don’t know what it is about that color but when a bride says she is using burnt orange I’m just like whooo yayyy! You’re using a bright color! Hahahaa! But if you ever asked me to use burnt orange I would say no, loll! Because my favorite color is light blue and different shades of blue. And blue is such a calm color, so when a bride tells me a bright color I get excited!


Memi: If you could give all of our readers that are planning one solid piece of advice, what would it be?

Be ORGANIZED! If you are planning your wedding be very very organized! If you are having trouble, get a planner RIGHT away! Don't even hesitate, spend the money on a wedding planner it is so worth it!

Memi:What motivates and inspires you to keep fresh ideas, etc.

My main motivation is style and just being up to date. I love things that are beautiful and elegant! I love things that will make people just smile where they see it and are just like WOW you knew exactly what I was envisioning! That is what keeps me going. The idea that the bride is going to be happy at the end of the day and knowing that she is going to LOVE the end result. Just being able to give that superb service is what motivates me.

 
There you have it!! I loved talking to Tope because she was just sooo in love with all things beautiful and the idea of love! Please leave your feedback! 

TOPE IS OFFERING ALL OF OUR READERS HERE AT BCG $25 OFF A PLANNING PACKAGE IF YOU JUST MENTION OUR BLOG DURING YOUR CONSULTATION! Check out their site http://www.vintageivyevents.com/

Stay Beautiful My Loves,
Memi

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