We were lucky to catch up with Avani Fernander recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Avani thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

I was a front desk agent at The Radisson Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas. I would see countless couples walking past all dressed and headed to their ceremony and was mesmerized. Then one day, I said to a colleague, I can only imagine what goes on behind the scenes to make these celebrations happen. Well, a few days later I spoke with the manager for weddings and events and told her that if ever a role opened up, whatever it was, I wanted to join the team. I was curious as to how it all came together.

A few short months later, a role as the office admin opened up and I jumped to apply and got the job. I was responsible for building the couples files, assisting the coordinators where needed and over time, in a few months, I became an event coordinator. From there I worked several hotels touching different areas of hospitality, and advancing in my roles. I worked weddings and events on the side. Eventually, in 2014 I officially launched my company via social media platforms, and built a website. In 2016 I switched gears and went to work for a telecoms company as their Head of Retail Mon- Fri, so that I would have weekends free to execute weddings. February, 2024, I hosted my very first wedding show and expo called “So You’re Engaged! What’s Next? and it was a huge success. The show was geared towards educating couples on what comes next after they are engaged.

Fast forward to August 2024, I left my corporate 9-5 and now fully involved abd running my wedding and event planning company.

Avani, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Avani Fernander, I am a mother of 1 son. I am the Owner & Creative Director of 4 The Love of Events, with more than 15+ years of destination wedding and event planning, My industry colleagues say that I have an innate ability to connect the dots between my clients and vendors, providing creative ideas, with one-of-a kind events.

While we are all in business to succeed financially, my team and I pride ourselves on ensuring that all of our couples/ clients, regardless of their budget, feel special, heard, and given a white glove service from start to finish. During the first year of COVID-19, my company saw a 15% increase in new clients for the following year. I strongly believe this was because I offered free consultations to couples to help them navigate and negotiate their contracts with venues and vendors for a new date to celebrate. They needed to know that they were not just dollars and cents to us in this industry during such an uncertain time. My clients/ couples peace of mind is extremely important to me when planning. I absolutely love what I do!

When I am not planning weddings or event, I can be found spending quality time with friends and family or binge watching a TV series!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In January 2022, I was home with COVID and as this is peak engagement season, my inbox was full of brides saying they just got engaged and wanted to know more about what we offer, what comes next. So, I called a few colleagues in the industry, dress and suit designers, makeup artist, floral and decor, cake etc to help me pull of a one time (or so I thought) virtual ‘So You’re Engaged! What’s Next?’ session. This FREE session allowed couples to pick our brains on all they needed to know now that they were engaged. It was a success and my business was moving in an even better direction.

Three weeks later, without warning, no signs of being ill, my beautiful 17 year old daughter, only 4 months to graduating high school, passed away suddenly. No words….

With a few weddings on the books, I mustered up the strength to complete 2 but then needed to defer all other inquiries because I no longer wanted to be bothered by it. For one full year, I needed to focus on me and my son. By God’s grace, and daily prayer for strength, I was able to put one foot in front of the other. I started to think of what would my Alyssa want me to do. She knew I loved weddings and was always so proud of how far I had come and the brand that I had built.

So I got back out there. I turned pain into purpose. I kept going. My once virtual engagement show, became an in person show February 2024 and my business is doing great. I have also started a non- profit venture called ASC Cares Family. Our mission is to extend hope, strength and love to families who have lost loved ones suddenly, especially children.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The wedding and events industry is amazing, but can be challenging, especially as a wedding planner. Unfortunately, there are persons who feel planners are a luxury and not a necessity.

I believe that I have come this far in my business because I have been that champion for my clients when negotiating contracts and pricing, especially because I do not take commissions from vendors so they trust me to get best pricing for them always.

Also, my ability to work with my colleagues, and ensure they are fitted with the right clients and couples and because I also look out for their interests as well and show them respect. I truly believe in building relationships and networking. No one man can do it all, we all need to work together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.4theloveofevents.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/4theloveofevents
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/4theloveofevents
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avanifernander33978085
• Twitter: none
• Yelp: none

Image Credits

Stanlo Photography
CSM Photogrpahy
Phylicia Ellis Designs
Bahama Fantasies
The Wedding Salon Bahamas