It’s funny how life works out. That saying that ‘When man plans God laughs’ is so true in my life.  I have a BA in Political Science and a Masters degree in Government, but when the time came to apply to law school, I decided instead to try teaching, and promptly fell in love. Instead of an LB, I opted for a Post Graduate Diploma in Education and continued down that track for a while, enjoying every minute. After 10 years in the classroom, however, my interests began to diversify. I still enjoyed teaching but I was being pulled in a new, interesting direction: Wedding Planning.

My interest in Wedding Planning didn’t actually begin with my own wedding ( I’ve been married for 9 years now). I was doing my Masters in Government when I got married and could have cared less about wedding details. I picked 3 things that were important to me and the rest I saw on my wedding day. But when my sister-in-law, who lived away, got engaged a year later, I became her unofficial planner. A few months later, another friend got married and I found myself at the center of her planning as well. This went on for a while, friend after friend, and I enjoyed each process and became more knowledgeable each time.

After three 3 years of ‘unofficial wedding planning’, my husband insisted I investigate Wedding Planning as a profession. I felt that I had some good experience, but I wanted to be sure that I was really capable of charging someone to plan their wedding.  I decided to become certified first.  As history has shown, one certification is never enough for me. I went ahead and did another certification in Destination Wedding Planning.

Even then, I still did not feel confident that I could charge for my services. Was it fair to get paid to do what you loved? I wasn’t sure. I continued ‘helping out’ a few more friends with their weddings until my husband, being the quintessential businessman, put his foot down.

I was at a crossroads in life. I loved teaching and I loved wedding planning. It so happened that I was due some leave from school. Instead of taking the amount I was entitled to, one term off, I held my breath and applied for an indefinite leave of absence. I needed some space to see if I could really make it as a Wedding Planner.

Fast forward a few years and voila! I Do Islands went from dream to reality and here we still are, almost a hundred happy couples later!