Inspire 101 Presents William Clarke Flowers

We are getting ever so close to our inaugural Inspire101 Wedding and Special Events Workshop. We have a fully packed schedule for the next few days including this post about the dedicated and outstanding team at William Clarke . As one of our VIP speakers it is our privilege to introduce to you their work and give you a brief insight to what our Inspire101 delegates will have the to opportunity to experience.

William Clarke Flowers is a designer florist company based in the heart of London made up of a 4 über creative individuals who work tirelessly in achieving their aim ’to provide a professional but personal service with exquisite results.’ Flowers are such a universal accessory to add to a dull office, special event or occasion; from weddings to funerals to that special valentines dinner that some of us may have been treated to just last week. Thus it is important to have the widest selection of flowers and a trustworthy and experienced florist to create the floral arrangement that will really make your event a distinguished one and leave your loved one pleasantly surprised.

Their clients include private individuals such as yourself, celebrities to name a few – Madonna, Mariah Carey and Lady Pamela and companies such as Elizabeth Arden, Juicy Couture and Christian Dior. They have also worked at some of London’s most prestigious venues including  The Dorchester, the Royal Albert hall and St Paul’s Cathedral. If this is not enough to convince you of their expertise and regarded reputation, below we will be showing you examples of their divine work. William Clarke Flowers also hold their workshops, so for all you budding florists you can check out their website for dates of future workshops so that you can learn from the best.

Without further ado

The CedarEventress:  What can you attribute your success in your industry to?

William Clarke Flowers: Attention to detail, working with the bride on a personal one to one basis to keep  expectations and reality in line with one another.

The CedarEventress: How important do you feel that networking at events such as Inspire 101 are for budding event planners?

William Clarke Flowers: Extremely important to keep up to date with trends and new ideas, every wedding is unique and each bride will have very different requirements, so you need to have an unlimited list of contacts.

The CedarEventress: What aspect of your job do you enjoy most?

William Clarke Flowers: That moment when the bride sees what you have created and the joy you see on her face.

The CedarEventress: Is there anyone is your field/industry that you can say inspires you?

William Clarke Flowers: We can all learn new and exciting ways of being creative, and need to be open to learning from each other, no matter what level we are at. As for florists I think Jeff Latham is a creative genius.

The CedarEventress: Are there any upcoming plans/ventures that you want to tell us about?

William Clarke Flowers: We have a number of workshops coming up where we will be working exclusively with Wedding and Event planners, ensuring that they are able to achieve the best results from their florists when consulting on behalf of brides/clients .

We are also exhibiting at the following wedding shows:-

• Sherlock Holmes Hotel – Baker Street – Sunday 26 February
• One Whitehall Place – London – Sunday 4 March
• Landmark Hotel – Saturday 10 March
• Warren House – Kingston – Sunday 11 March
• St Ermins – London – Sunday 18 March
• IoD – Pall Mall – London – Sunday 25 March
• Designer Wedding Show – October

You can contact William Clarke Flowers via;

Their website

Facebook 

Twitter

Inspire 101 Presents Shegun Olusanya

We are rounding up our preparations for our Inspire 101 Workshop, if you haven’t got your tickets to either our Inspire 101 Wedding and Special Events Workshop for budding event planners OR our Champagne Reception At Harrods OR our Special Wedding Industry Dinner at the Jumeirah Carlton for an opportunity to network with wedding professionals do contact us for further information.

It gives me such great pleasure to introduce my other half, my perfect distinguished gentleman, my long-suffering husband to the blog this evening. Shegun Olusanya, is the other half of Cedar Events. He is the meticulous & pragmatic one & yours truly is the slightly eccentric creative & tireless one of the duo. My husband has a passion for grooming, public speaking and etiquette. He will be our Masters of Ceremonies & Motivational speaker at the Inspire 101 Wedding & Special Events Workshop and I have cajoled him to appear on the blog today

I promise you will all fall in love with him. He is the brains behind the Inspire101 - IEE program (Inspire, Educate & Experience). I present to you the man after my own heart. Shegun Olusanya, BA (Hons), LLB (Laws), London.

CedarEventress: Can you tell us how you got into public speaking?

Shegun: Before I joined Toastmaster I was a good speaker. I had spoken at various events internationally. The first event I can remember was a Wedding in Los Angeles in the summer of 1995, after that I spoke in many other events.

In 2003, I joined Toastmasters International through a local club in Croydon. This opened my eyes to the communication, listening and leadership skills required to be an outstanding Public Speaker.

In 2005, when I was called upon to be the Master of Ceremony for an event in the House of Commons, I was ready! But for the experience I gained in Toastmasters International, I would not have been able to manage the House of Commons event with all the etiquette, the protocol and the decorum required for the occasion.

As a Toastmaster, I have had many roles; some of them are Club President, Club Treasurer and Area Governor. As Area Governor I was in charge of 4 clubs (one of which was started during my tenure – I had to help manage and publicise the club in my area and in other areas). My role involved managing 24 committee members, speaking on a regular basis and providing training workshops for the clubs. The experience in Toastmasters International has given me and is still giving me is invaluable. It is an avenue to practice my speaking, listening and leadership skills on a regular basis. Like anything, the more you practice the better you get.

The CedarEventress: How important do you feel that networking at events such as Inspire 101 are for budding event planners?

Shegun: It is invaluable. When we started Cedar Events over 10 years ago, we did not have access to events like this in the UK. We travelled to the US (Baltimore and Las Vegas) on many occasions to attend these type of events. The Inspire 101 events are different from many similar events. It is where top level players in the industry share trade secrets. New entrants in the business can key into the luxury end of the business by coming to this type of event where players in the luxurious end of the business will share their story about how they got there, how they have been there for many years and how they intend to be on top of their game. Frankly, this is not information that is readily available. We have kept the numbers small as we know this is not for everyone but for those in our industry whose business strategy is to do few but highly profitable events.

CedarEventress: What aspect of your job do you enjoy most?

Shegun: The aspect of my job I enjoy most is when the client calls after the event to say thank you and commend us about the service we provided. The icing on the cake is when they then take it upon themselves to refer other customers. Some are so thrilled that they call every one after their event and tell them they have no choice by to use our services. We had a client who referred us only days after her event and not only arranged the meeting but made sure she was present at the meeting. That is what you get when you have done a good job. It is so good your client believes in what you do!

The CedarEventress: Is there anyone is your field/industry that you can say inspires you?

Shegun: As far as Public Speaking is concerned, I am inspired by the wonderful people I have had the privileged of meeting in my local Toastmasters Club (Croydon Communicators). These are ordinary people achieving extra ordinary things. We have the  2011 UK and Ireland Toastmasters International public speaking champion, the person who came third in the world Public speaking competition and the person who won the Evaluation champion. Working with the best on a regular basis surely brings me closer to the best I can be

The CedarEventress: Are there any upcoming plans/ventures that you want to tell us about?

Shegun: As one of the Directors of Cedar Events, I have been involved in many Weddings. I have been involved in the logistics and many other areas of the plans. What I have noticed is that the groom gets a bit neglected in the preparations for the wedding. Although, I have been the MC of the weddings and helped the groom (and sometimes the Best man and the grooms Dad as well), I believe the groom needs a bit more help. The bride gets help with her hair, her dress (and everything regarding her appearance on the big day).  In view of the above, I have launched our Distinguished Gentlemen’s Grooming Service (DGGS). This will not only include what I have been doing for the groom, it would involve working with Grooms whether they book their Wedding Planning with us or not. We will help with the etiquette for their big day, what to wear, how to wear it, how they look on the day etc. I believe this is a service that is required. I have seen many grooms and I believe a lot more can be done to make them look as good as their bride!

Keep your eyes peeled for his new venture the Distinguished Gentlemen’s Grooming Service (DGGS).

Inspire 101 Presents: Pippa Mackenzie

As you all must know by now, the Inspire 101 Wedding and Special Events Workshop is drawing ever near to us. As busy as we are, we still have time to bring to you a range of insightful and inspiring posts from some of our VIP speakers who will be in attendance and imparting some of the expertise knowledge to eager attendees.

Here at Cedar events we work with some of the most creative and talented individuals in the industry to bring our clients flawlessly executed events. Pippa Mackenzie Photography are an award-winning documentary and fine art wedding photography company based in West Sussex. The husband and wife team both have a long standing background in photography, film, design and the graphic arts and can fully relate to the excitement of the whole wedding process. They have covered weddings at some of South England’s prestigious wedding venues including Goodwood, Hedsor House, Hampton  Court Palace, the Walled Garden at Cowdray Park, Waddesdon Manor and the Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire. Their expertise has been recognised and rewarded; in 2011 alone they were the winners of the Perfect Wedding Magazine Photographer of the Year Award and the Master Photographers Association Wessex Winner of The Mario Acerboni Award. It brings us great pleasure to have them as one of our VIP speakers at Inspire 101.

To start off this series of posts, we have one half of the photographic story telling due, Pippa of Pippa Mackenzie Photography. We are rather excited to get these posts started, because we really want you to begin to get an inside peek into what Inspire 101 has in store for all of its attendees.

The CedarEventress: What can you attribute your success in the industry to?

Pippa: I think our success in the industry comes down to a number of things.  Ian and I are very lucky to have a pretty unique skill-set that we bring to the wedding photography industry. I come from a documentary background, having worked previously for clients including Discovery Channel + National Geographic. Not only did it teach me the skills to becoming a true documentary photographer, it also taught me the organization, preparation and social skills that are crucial elements behind a successful wedding photography business.  Ian’s background is in fine art photography and design and these too are crucial to who we are, and how we stand apart from other wedding photographers. We take a huge pride in the design of our books and albums, and have developed a range of products that are totally unique to us. Where many photographers use templates to create their books and albums, every one of ours is customized to the individual client’s need and tastes by Ian. To us, it’s not just about taking great photographs…its about creating a stunning, and unique heirloom for our couples to cherish that will last for generations to come. Our books and albums are one of our USP’s…and this is a huge contributing factor to what makes us different to our competitors. We place enormous importance on the quality of service we offer all our clients. For that reason, we restrict the number of weddings we do each year, so that we can give nothing less than 100%. We have also spent considerable time developing relationships with leading wedding industry professionals, and this has also played a large part in our success.

The CedarEventress: How important do you feel that networking at events such as Inspire 101 are for budding event planners?

Pippa: Networking at events such as Inspire 101 is so important for budding event planners. It’s not only the perfect opportunity to meet a great selection of industry professionals and to chat to them about their area of expertise, but it’s also a chance to brainstorm with other like-minded event planners. Many wedding industry professionals work on their own, and it can be a pretty lonely existence sometimes. But with social networking such as twitter, facebook, and events like Inspire 101, it doesn’t have to be.

The CedarEventress: What aspect of your job do you enjoy most?

 Pippa: I have to say that what I love about my job is making couples happy. To see their faces when we show them their photographs… To receiving their response when they’ve received their album or book. It is the most wonderful feeling to be able to create memories of such an important day and to know that it is our photographs that will keep their memories alive forever.

The CedarEventress: Is there anyone in your field/industry that you can say inspires you?

Pippa: There are many truly amazing and inspirational professionals in the wedding industry. In regards to photography specifically, we believe passionately about being unique, and so for that reason, we don’t spend too much time looking at what other photographers are doing. A lot of our inspiration comes from other areas of photography and also other media such as lifestyle magazines, tv + film.

The CedarEventress: Are there any upcoming plans/ventures that you want to tell us about?

Pippa: We have lots of exciting plans for the year ahead. Some we are able to talk about, some are under wraps for now. We have some great clients booked through the summer, with stunning locations and venues, including the Four Seasons in Hampshire, Goodwood House, Highclere Castle, Ston Easton Park, Botley’s Mansion, Scotland, Guernsey…  2012 also sees us moving into training other photographers, and we will be starting this off with a 2 day training photography workshop in Yorkshire in June – http://www.britainsbestphoto.com/wedding-portrait-photography-courses-2day.php In 2011 we started bringing in associate photographers and our plans are to develop this further in 2012, and we’re also soon to be launching a new signature portrait photography experience called “Portrait”” which we’re very excited about. It looks to be a busy and exciting year!

You can see more of Pippa Mackenzie’s Work here

Check out their blog

Follow her on twitter

Inspire 101 Presents Yemi Osunkoya of Kosibah

Good people, I am sure by now we have all got our tickets to our upcoming events for our Inspire101 Wedding and Special Events Workshop. We hope to see many of our dear subscribers there!

Today, we are back with an exclusive and inspiring post from one of our good friends at Cedar Events; the multiple award-winning Yemi Osunkoya of Kosibah. As a Couture Bridal and Eveningwear designer, Yemi specialises in figure enhancing gowns that shape and flatter the wearer. Through his signature use of corsetry and draping, he is able to celebrate the female form by recreating the Classical hour-glass shape

We will be using this feature to show you exactly why he has built up such a reputable following over the years, why so many admire his work and highlight the meticulous process of couture dress making. He is of course a regular mention however we thought we’d use this as an opportunity to officially remind you all that he will be one of our knowledgeable VIP speakers at the workshop and give you a brief introduction to him. Yemi will be telling us how he feels about being one of the guest speakers at Inspire 101.

The MC (master couturist) at work

Kosibah as a brand was established in 1991, however the dream and hard work building up to this  had begun very much before this. Yemi first noticed his fascination with fashion in general and bridal wear in particular at his first high society wedding in Nigeria. From then on, whenever he accompanied his parents to social gatherings, he would feel compelled to draw the dresses and guests after the function. So began his life-long love of figurative drawing.

Below you can see how his creative craft and figurative drawings have only become more intricate. From mind to paper, this is how designs are transferred from client desires and requests to begin the process of bespoke dress making. (Click to view slide-show)

Yemi completed a degree in Textile Design at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. He then went on to bolster his studies at the Paris Academy of Fashion, gaining top marks in both men’s and women’s wear. The name Kosibah was chosen in honour of his mother and is taken from the Republic of Benin being the day name of a female child born on a Sunday. With over 20 years of success, as celebrated with the release of his Bienvenue 20 Bridal Collection he has really made his mark on the industry.

Yemi has worked hard to make Kosibah a truly global brand, but with clientele particularly well represented in the UK, USA, West and South Africa and the Caribbean. Among his celebrated clients, Yemi counts Lady Janet Boateng, Dianne Abbott MP, Kelly Rowland, Alesha Dixon, Sheila Ferguson, Hollywood actress Indra Ové, Louise Rose and members of several royal families in Nigeria and Ghana. Still on Yemi’s wish list of celebrities to dress are Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Padma Lakshmi, and Keira Knightley.

Yemi has been widely recognised in the industry for his hard work and beautiful and graceful designs. To list a few of the many that he has been awarded;

• 100+ Black Achievers, July 2010
• Fashion Diversity, Nov 2009
• Excellence Award, Gathering of Africa’s Best
• Diamond Recognition from National Weddings UK, Sep 2005
• Bridal Designer of the Year, 2002 and 2004, Mahogany Bridal Awards
• Highly Commended, National Wedding Show, March 2002

From figurative drawing to a sublime reality

This is what Yemi had to say about our Inspire101 Wedding and Special Events Workshop

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be speaking at an event organised by the wonderful Seyi of Cedar Events and her team because I know it would be executed with amazing precision and professionalism. It gives me an ideal platform to share some ideas with Wedding Planners on how best to assist and advice a bride during the purchase of one of the most expensive and expectation laden items of clothing she would ever buy – her wedding dress! I’m also looking forward to sharing the secrets of couture that go into creating a Kosibah or any other bespoke bridal gown”.

We are absolutely delighted to have Yemi as one of our VIP speakers and we know our ardent delegates and special guests will be inspired, educated and will have an experience to remember.

To see more of Yemi’s work and keep updated on the Kosibah line head over to his;

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Getting to Know: Kasia Fortuna

We are winding down to our final Getting to Know features from some of the amazing individuals who were behind the Kosibah at 20 event last year.  Today we have an amazing hair stylist, Kasia Fortuna who runs Kasia Fortuna Bridal Hair and Make-up founded in 2010. She will be letting us in on her business and how it runs and will also be giving interested readers the lowdown on wedding hairstyles that will be hot in 2012.

The CedarEventress: Describe your business in one paragraph

Kasia: Breath-taking, bespoke hair designs from elegant bridal styles to Avant Garde catwalk creations

The CedarEventress: Number of employees

Kasia: I’m self-employed but work with number of fantastic make-up artist, photographers and stylists

The CedarEventress: Did you always know that you would start your own business ?

Kasia: Looking back, I was always going to be my own boss and I always needed to be doing something creative. I’ve had training in dress making and flower arranging as well as hair and make-up.

More than a year ago a close friend was getting married and her hair stylist let her down at the last minute. I had done hair and make up for friends before back home so I was asked to step in and I just couldn’t say no. I was so nervous but the bride looked fantastic, the feedback was amazing and so it was decided, I was going to be a hair stylist.

The CedarEventress: What was your career path prior to starting your first business?

Kasia: I’ve always worked in client facing roles. I’ve got various qualifications in customer care and dealing with clients. Prior to my current job I’ve always worked in events.

The CedarEventress: Can you describe your typical working day?

Kasia: Monday to Friday I’m busy with photo shoots, music videos and makeovers.

Much of my work comes from a small group of my favourite photographers. Once I receive an email from a photographer with the theme of the photo shoot I visualise the hair designs in my head and introduce them to the rest of the team. During each shoot the model will have up to 3 hair and make-up changes and so it is very important to work with people you trust and know that they can deliver top results every time. Photo shoots are very hard work. The schedule is very tight and the expectations are extremely high, as is the reward.

At the weekend I work with brides on their big day. I like to create bespoke hair designs, helping them look and feel great so their wedding day is everything that they expected.

The CedarEventress: Describe your clientele

Kasia: What a question…. Where to start? I really try to get experience with as many different clients as possible. One of the things I love about my job is that I can work with different people every day. I never know what the day will bring.

The CedarEventress: What have been the highlights of running your own business?

Kasia: I’ve always followed fashion, whether it’s catwalk or vintage trends. When I started, there were a list of photographers and projects I wanted to work on and I’m very proud to say that less than a year in, I’ve already worked with many of them. BINTM was probably a highlight for me but I’m actually more excited about all the things the future holds.

The CedarEventress: What is the hardest part of running your own business?

Kasia: I love styling hair, I love being involved in weddings, photo shoots, cat walk shows. I really enjoy being around creative people. I find that I’m much more creative when I’m around people who I can bounce ideas off. But of course running a business also means paperwork, taking bookings, advertising and book keeping. But I have a fantastic boyfriend who helps me with those things.

The CedarEventress: What has been your proudest business moment so far?

Kasia: I’m proud every time I see a happy bride who loves her hair on her big day. I had a bride last week who started crying, she was so happy! I take real pride in my work, it’s important for me to feel that way when I create something. That’s what it’s all about, otherwise it’s just a normal job. Probably my proudest moment though was seeing my work on TV. I was told the project was a music video but a few or two later I saw it on MTV. That was surreal.

The CedarEventress: What, or who, inspires and motivates you?

Kasia: It’s very difficult to put my finger on one thing. I always keep up to date on the latest trends but I like to push things a little further than that and push beyond the boundaries, have my own unique style. Fashion and wedding trends are different but I like to stay on trend for weddings too. Everything I see really inspires me. Each inspires the other. And to be honest, when you can be creative all day every day, do you really need any more motivation to get up in the morning? I don’t. I get really excited every morning at the thought of what the day might bring.

The CedarEventress: Can you tell us more about some recent work you have produced?

Kasia: The last few months have been so exciting. I’ve really just put myself out there. I want to experience as much variety as possible and work with as many people as I can. I’ve done all sorts really, from a music video with Bluey Robinson to Britain’s and Ireland Next Top Model and of course bridal catwalk shows and various photo shoots.

I’m really excited about doing some work in a West End Theatre, which is going to be a new experience for me. I’m designing hair for Hat Company who are selling at Harrods

The CedarEventress: Tell us about your involvement in the Kosibah 20^th Anniversary event and why you got involved.

Kasia: I met Yemi Osunkoya for the first time in June of last year, I visited him in his studio where I came across his fantastic drawings. His work is so precise and immaculate that I decided to bring his hair drawings to life really as accurately as I could. We worked together on a photo shoot and Yemi was so delighted with the final result that he asked me to design hair for his Bienvenue 20 bridal catwalk show. I created 10 bespoke hair-ups for his beautiful models and I was really pleased with the results as was the crowd from what I could tell.

The CedarEventress: Do currently have any special offers or any information about your product or service you would like to talk about?

Kasia: Over the last year I’ve really built up a great team of photographers, make-up artists, stylists, designers and more but actually, for those brides who really want something beautiful or even spectacular on their wedding day, I just want them to remember one thing – Kasia Fortuna.

The CedarEventress: Any wedding hair style trends for 2012?

Kasia: Low Bun, the perfect wedding hairstyle for 2012!

Vintage inspired look

Low bun with raised crown area

The possibilities are endless. If you are not a huge fan of structured hairstyles it can be loose bun with curls on the sides.

The CedarEventress: What advise would you give brides when choosing their hairstyle?

Kasia: There are a lot of things you should take into account when choosing that perfect style for your wedding day. Of course the first and the most important is the shape of your face, the shape of the neckline and style of the dress .

The hairstyle need to be comfortable to wear and match your personality and preferences, the theme and the overall formality of the ceremony. After the trial, wear your chosen hairstyle at least for 2 hours, it will give you an ideas if the loose curls around your face are for you, if the low bun is putting pressure on your neck, if the padding is too heavy.

The CedarEventress: How long does it take typically to have bridal hair styled?

Kasia: Up to 40 minutes for a blowdry, another 30-40 minutes for curling and up to 40min for styling.

The CedarEventress: Any hair style trends for 2012

Kasia: Low bun is also a great choice for ladies with hair just above shoulders. If you always dreamed of an up-do you shouldn’t settle for anything less, as with hair padding and extensions, a skilled hairstylist can create a beautiful bun simply by wrapping the extensions around your natural hair and pinning it up creating the illusion of long hair full of volume. Just remember to buy extensions that perfectly match your natural hair colour.

You can find out more about Kasia via her;

Website address: http://www.kasiafortuna.co.uk/index.php

Twitter: KasiaFortunaHi

Facebook Page:Kasia Fortuna Hair Designer

Elizabeth Solaru: New cake inspired by Kosibah wedding dress

Today we have an exciting post with one of our previous guests on our Getting to Know features. The wonderful Elizabeth Solaru who has given us the first glimpses of her latest catwalk inspired creation. We will be briefly going through how this piece of cake art came to reality.

The inspiration for Elizabeth was the amazing designer Yemi Osunkoya, her favourite wedding dress designer of all time. In honour of Kosibah’s 20th anniversary celebrations she wanted to reproduce one of his stunning gowns in cake form. The dress that she wanted her cake to resemble did an amazing job at highlighting the beautiful silhouette of his female model, as you can see below.

In order to make this innovative idea come to life, she set about finding the right pieces of jewellery to mimic the beaded embroidery effect on the hour-glass bodice of Yemi’s dress. Once she found the jewels, she constructed a mould from food grade silicone and after covering the cakes, she embossed and quilted the bodice. She then decorated it with the moulded sugar jewels and painted it with edible 22 carat gold to emphasise the detailing, just like the dress………Luxury at its finest!  This contemporary bespoke cake really took a lot of effort in terms of getting the details right. However, she was not done yet!

The rest of the cake except the base tier is covered with thin and delicate sugar frills. Those on the top-tier were made asymmetrical as a nod to the exquisite ruffle detail framing the bodice of the dress. Lastly the cake is topped by a flamboyant sugar Cattleya Orchid which matches the design perfectly as the fringed petals with their natural ruffle detail mimics the frills of the gown entirely .

Now whether you could actually eat this cake or just gaze lustfully at it is a different story. Let us know your thoughts and comments on this masterpiece in the comments box. Elizabeth is such a talented and gifted individual who has certainly done Yemi’s dress justice. For all our lucky subscribers you’ll be excited to know that Elizabeth will be one of our VIP Award Winning speakers at the Cedar Events Inspire 101 wedding and events workshop.

The three-day Inspirational, Educational and Experiential program (IEE Program) will hosted at the grand Jumeirah Carlton Hotel in Knightsbridge, London.

We will be supported by our VIP dream team of award winning industry experts whose clients include royalty and celebrities such as multi award winning Yemi Osunkoya of Kosibah, Award winning Queen Of Cake, Elizabeth Solaru of Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium, BAFTA Award Winning Photographer Pippa Mackenzie of Pippa Mackenzie Photography. Extensively published in national and international magazines such as Conde Nast Brides, OK and Hello they are rated as amongst the best in the UK.  The collaboration of these amazing individuals plus many more to create an inspirational and experiential workshop is something that you do not want to miss out on!

Just to give you a brief lowdown on the 3 day event;

BRIEF OUTLINE SCHEDULE

Day 1 – 24^th February 2012 (9am – 5pm)

Business Day – Full day of business presentation

Champagne & Canapés Reception at the Champagne Bar, Harrods with our VIP dream team of award winning industry experts

Day 2 – Saturday 25^th February 2012 (9am – 5pm)

CREATIVITY & VENDOR RELATION DAY – Full day of presentations from our Award Winning Industry Experts giving insight into their craft, business stories & success

Private Dinner Party for attendees at The Conservatory with our VIP dream team

Day 3 – Sunday 26^th February 2012 (10am – 5pm)

Developing design concepts for venue styling

Practical & Interactive Group Task

Cost: £875 for early bird registration if booked by 16^th January or £925 thereafter

For more information visit our website: http://www.cedar-events.co.uk/wedding-workshop/ Or email inspire@cedar-events.co.uk or call Mob: 07958 527 176

We look forward to hosting all you budding events planners and more info will be made known as we countdown to this exciting 3 day occasion.

Getting to Know: Tunde Oguntolu of JohnMarxis

Today on Getting to Know, I’ll be chatting to an amazing photographer who I had the pleasure of getting acquainted with at the Kosibah 20th Anniversary event. Tunde Oguntolu, founder and owner of JohnMarxis, the professional wedding photographers who pride themselves on ‘the creation of beautiful, stunning images for the wedding and fashion industry’ will be filling us in on their latest work and how he got started in business.

The CedarEventress: Describe your business in one paragraph

Tunde Oguntolu: Our vision at JohnMarxis is simple: Be Unobtrusive, Creative & Unique. We are known for delivering beautiful and distinctive wedding photography that captures our clients in a moment in time, forever gone. Our wedding photographs echo Classic Romanticism, Passion, Love, and Intimacy and are Full of Emotions. We offer highly-personalised services that suit our clients’ needs. Clients come to us to get something beyond the ordinary – The JohnMarxis Look.

 

The CedarEventress: When was your company founded?

Tunde Oguntolu: JohnMarxis was founded last year in 2010.

The CedarEventress: Why did you decide to start your company?

Tunde Oguntolu: They say inventing a job is better than finding one, and I think this is very true. When you start something of your own and are passionate about it, no one can say you don’t have enough experience. This was one of the many things that prompted me to start the business.

The CedarEventress: What was your career path prior to starting your first business?

Tunde Oguntolu: My career path was in engineering but after graduating from University of Hertfordshire, I realised there was a thirst that engineering could not quench and thus began a quest the journey.

 The CedarEventress: Did you always know that you would start your own business?

Tunde Oguntolu: I think everyone has the dream of starting their own business, but few turn it into reality. Deep down, I knew that sooner or later I would start my own business, but it required a little push and when that came, I grabbed onto it and never let go.

The CedarEventress: Can you tell us more about some recent work you have produced?

Tunde Oguntolu: I’ve covered numerous weddings across England and the most recent one was at Brands Hatch. It was beautiful, the setting romantic and the wedding guests eager to party all night long. Others included Africa Fashion Week, which was full of incredibly beautiful African-inspired designs from across the world.

 The CedarEventress: What are you working on at the moment?

Tunde Oguntolu: Right now I’m working on images from weddings that I’ve recently covered.  There’s so much to sift through and each wedding requires dedicated time to process and more weddings are still coming. It’s unbelievable but that’s why I love doing what I do.

 

 

The CedarEventress: Can you describe your typical working day?

Tunde Oguntolu: A typical working day starts off with a walk through the park to breathe in some relaxing air and then a cup of coffee to gear my mind for the rest of the day. I work typically 13 hours a day working on images, dealing with wedding queries and meeting clients to discuss their wedding. Sometimes I think 24 hours is just not enough.

The CedarEventress: Describe your clientele

Tunde Oguntolu: I would describe my clientele as professional people who know what they want, aren’t afraid to go for it and know the value of beautiful wedding photographs and the emotional impact they carry throughout time.

The CedarEventress: What have been the highlights of running your own business?

Tunde Oguntolu: I see more stress than highlights in running the business though at times something special does put a smile on my face. My joyful moments surface when brides and grooms call me to say thank you for the quality of service delivered and more importantly the unquantifiable value of the work we deliver that really makes my day.

 

 

 The CedarEventress: What is the hardest part of running your own business?

Tunde Oguntolu: Running a business is hard from start to finish; you have to fight for everything just as you do in any other part of life, but running your own business requires that bit extra because failure is not an option.

The CedarEventress: What has been your proudest business moment so far?

Tunde Oguntolu: There are many proud moments, however the proudest is realising that you only need an idea and by nurturing that idea you turn it into something incredibly special and life fulfilling.

The CedarEventress: What, or who, inspires and motivates you?

Tunde Oguntolu: There are a few people that inspire me, and Steve Jobs is one of them. His story is an inspiration, starting with nothing but an idea that is now a world leader in the technology world and changed the way we interact with technology. His story really inspires me and is a source of constant motivation.

The CedarEventress: Tell us about your involvement in the Kosibah 20^th Anniversary event and why you got involved.

Tunde Oguntolu: It was a pleasure to be part of the anniversary. My part was to capture Yemi Osunkoya’s incredible and beautifully unique collections of bridal and evening wear. Kosibah a brand that’s synonymous with beauty, class and elegance which is something JohnMarxis is also known for and being involved in its 20^th Anniversary was wonderful.

The CedarEventress: Extra info – in addition to your company website, is there any other information you’d like to share?

Tunde Oguntolu: Check out our blog at http://johnmarxis.tumblr.com where we share our ethics, work philosophy and everything else that’s on our mind. It might just inspire you.

Please feel free to further explore JohnMarxis via;

Website address: http://www.johnmarxis.co.uk/

Twitter:  @JohnMarxis

LinkedIn: John Marxis

Tumblr: http://johnmarxis.tumblr.com