We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Narelle Allen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Narelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

One of my teachers once instilled a phrase in me that I will never forget: “Risk Is Necessary.” I quickly learned that this is 100% true for anything you desire in life. When I was younger, I always wanted to design and plan parties. I didn’t fully understand what went into starting a business or planning weddings, but my passion was there from the start. I believe that once you have a passion for something, it becomes essential for your growth.

In high school, I planned my prom and my shortly after best friend’s wedding. That’s when I knew I wanted to do this professionally. While finishing my degree in university, the first thing I did was contact several wedding planners to intern with them and gain experience. In a creative field, hands-on experience is crucial to understanding the demands and pressures you’ll face. As soon as I started interning, I realized this was exactly what I wanted to do. I fell in love with both the good and the bad aspects of the job.

They say wedding planning is one of the most stressful jobs in the world, and they are right. It is immensely stressful, and you need to have a love for people and a passion for your craft to thrive in this field. Once I decided to pursue this career, I created a business strategy and went all in. I talked to different wedding planners and entrepreneurs in my field, discussing the positives and negatives, and learning how to manage stress levels.

When my first client booked me, it confirmed that I was doing what I love. My advice to anyone starting out is to just start. With each client, you will learn more about being a business owner and fine-tune your craft. Just start.

Narelle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Narelle, Founder and Creative Director at Narelle Janine Events. My passion and love for event planning and design were born from childhood memories of my mom throwing elaborate and joyful theme parties almost every week—for practically every occasion! I absolutely adored watching her organize, plan, and design these parties for so many people in our lives. She truly was the “hostess with the mostest.”

My mom’s love of life, her desire to celebrate both the big and small moments with family and friends, and her talent for creating epic memories are cherished by everyone who was fortunate enough to partake in them. These experiences have profoundly influenced my approach to event planning, and I strive to bring the same joy and attention to detail to every event I create.

I feel incredibly grateful to work with such special clients and to play a significant role in their wedding day. I never take that for granted.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

My advice for social media is to be consistent and true to your art form. The right clients will come to you when you consistently post content that reflects what you want to attract.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I believe the pandemic tested every business owner. For me, it forced me to create other services for our clients and industry since we couldn’t plan weddings. It’s always wise to consider the “what ifs” and think about what other services you can provide during the off-season or unexpected disruptions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://narellejanine.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/narellejanine/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/narellejanine
• Linkedin: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/narelle-allen-78a13491?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
• Other: https://www.pinterest.ca/narellejanine/

Image Credits

NarelleJanineEvents1 – Purple Tree Photography
NarelleJanineEvents2 – Coessential Wed
NarelleJanineEvents3 – 515 Photo Co
NarelleJanineEvents4 – Caileigh Langford
NarelleJanineEvents5 – Caileigh Langford
Head Shots – Mango Studio