A wedding can never happen without the vendors who team together to make it possible, to make it special and to make it memorable. With that in mind, we decided to interview Wedding Consultant Nada Khedr, who knows all about putting a wedding team together, and making a dream wedding come true. Many brides find it difficult to plan their own weddings; this is when Khedr takes over. Her job is to make the bride and groom happy with what she has created for them.
What inspired you to start a career in the wedding field?
It all traces back to when I was still in high school. While attending any event and specially weddings, I would pay so much attention to every tiny detail and make it a point to check all the factors that helped in making this event come to life. I took things to the next level and started managing school events, which helped me to start building connections with people in the field since a very young age. On the other hand, all my friends started asking me for help with their engagements and weddings, and thatโs when I decided to turn this passion into a profession especially since I always received so many compliments about the services I offered. Things started from there.
What are the differences between a Wedding Consultant and a Wedding Planner?
There is no comparison to begin with. As a wedding consultant, I sit with couples in the very first stage of planning their wedding. I listen to what they want and how they want their wedding to be like and based on their preferences, I start directing them to the right vendors who will meet their expectations starting with the venue, wedding dress, hair, makeup, etc… to every single detail in the wedding. And of course everything has to fall within the budget. One of the main vendors I recommend is the wedding planner, so basically my job is totally different than theirs.
What would you tell brides who donโt think they need a Wedding Consultant? What are they missing out on?
My main role is to make sure that the newlyweds get everything they agreed on with the hired vendors. I donโt leave any chance for surprises and I spare the couple the hassle of dealing with everyone working in the wedding. Having a wedding consultant gives them a huge space to enjoy every single moment in their wedding, as Iโm the only one responsible for dealing with all the crew.
They are missing the friend who knows a lot about weddings and will definitely do her best to make everything just perfect.
Are the bride and groom required to book only the vendors you recommend or do they have the freedom to hire anyone even if you havenโt worked with them before?
I totally understand that itโs their big day and they have the total freedom to choose whoever they would be comfortable to work with. And on my side, working with new people gives me the chance to increase my list of suppliers so it falls into my benefits as well. Itโs quite normal to work with someone new, but I would have to check their work first of course to know who I am dealing with.
Whatโs the biggest wedding mishap youโve ever encountered and how did you deal with it?
I remember handling a big destination wedding and we had an entertainer coming from abroad, but due to unforeseen circumstances the day before the wedding, he couldnโt make it. So I managed to find a substitute that falls within the same genre that the bride likes.
I didnโt let the bride know about the problem until I had already found a replacement. For that reason and for similar circumstances itโs very important to understand and know the wedding requirements very well.
Do you take clients who have a very low budget for their wedding?
Of course yes. Itโs my job to help brides have their dream wedding and provide them with what they need within their budget.
How do you help brides and grooms stay within their budget?
I have a long list of suppliers and vendors with different price ranges, so I guide them through it to always make sure we are within their budget.
Will you be the person on-site the day of the wedding or will it be another consultant? Do you have assistants?
Of course it will be me personally handling everything from start to finish; thatโs why I canโt have more than one wedding per day. Yes, I do have assistants but they are handling other tasks, the on-site job is totally my responsibility.
