First Things First
I thought a lot about what was the best way to start my blog, I looked at others for inspiration but I was still not sure about it. Everything is new to me. I have never had a blog before and certainly I have never written in a language that is not my mother tongue.
So, after a few weeks of reflection, I realised that if I really want you guys to love and appreciate my posts, you should probably know something about me and my life.
And here I am, starting my journey with you! Let’s see, what can I say about myself and where to start from.
Here I am at the age of 2. Cute isn't it?
Well probably you would like to know that my name is Ilaria (Hilary is the English translation). It is quite a common name in my country but not too common, it comes from latin and it means “a person who is always happy” (trust me, my parents got it perfectly right)!
I am 29 and I am originally from Italy, more precisely from a little village in the north, not far from the Lake Garda and the Alps, kind of lost there in the middle of the map and in the middle of the countryside. And that is exactly how I grew up, free to run in the fields and get dirty, unaware of any real danger. A pretty happy and normal childhood to be honest. Nothing special to mention, I was doing well at school and I had lot of friends. I am lucky enough to come from a big and happy family, where we all love each other even if sometimes you just want to kill someone.
My first big trip to South-East Asia.
I was always in love with traveling and I thought that studying foreign languages was the best path to follow. When you are 15/16 it is not easy to choose what you want to do in life (even at 30 to be honest!), but being a practical person as I am, I picked skills that would come useful in life. And I continued on the same path even at university, adding economics to the languages’ subjects.
It is only after uni that my adventure began. I graduated in July and after a few months of planning and research I left my little world for the big one and I moved to London!
It has always been one of my dreams and finally it came true. At the beginning it was not perfect, I was working as an aupair, living in a family looking after their children. That helped me to feel safe and protected when everything was new and scary. But after 15 months, the feeling for more independence was strong, so I moved out and found a job and a room for myself (with the help of my boyfriend who I met after a few months in London).
Surprise birthday trip to Paris. (PS. I cried!)
A new chapter started and new responsibilities with it. I was working in a theatre as a front of house staff. This job gave me the chance to meet the most amazing and crazy bunch of people, but also to figure out what I actually wanted to do with my life. I have always known that I needed to work with people, and I have always been a pretty practical and organise person, noticing details that other people could not even see.
And that’s when it hit me!! What better job than making people happy on the most magical day of their lives! Everybody loves a good wedding, so why not be a WEDDING PLANNER!!
As you can imagine, I had no clue where to start from and every course looked so expensive! I didn’t even know if I ACTUALLY wanted to BE a wedding planner but I was ready to give it a shot. And that’s when I stumbled across this one-day course for only £99! That was something I could spare: one Saturday and 100 quid. Needless to say that it was the best decision of my life. During those 8 hours I realised that it was exactly what I was looking for.
That day changed everything as I felt so motivated and inspired. I finally knew what I wanted and I was ready to work for it.
First big wedding in Italy!
I didn’t have to wait too long as the wedding planner teaching the course was looking for people to help her with a big 2-days Indian wedding just a month after and I jumped on board. It was an amazing experience and it gave me the chance to meet amazing people and prove myself, show everybody that I could do it. And I did!
Soon after that, the same wedding planner asked me to help her with another event, and to become her intern as she had 2 big weddings in Italy the following year (maybe you don’t know but Italian people don’t really speak English!). During the 6 months that followed I learned some much and I challenged myself in many different ways, sometimes even getting out of my comfort zone, but everything was worth it! The experiences and the lessons I have learnt during the internship made me grow both personally and professionally and opened my eyes on a wonderful world. I know that’s my path and I know I can do it by myself!
Amazing Stylish Events Team during another wedding in Italy!
I decided to start my own Wedding Planning business a couple of years ago. I slowly started to get my logo, my website and my social media up and running. And that is how “Weddings by I” started. If you are wondering what the “I” stands for, it is very simple. “I” is the initial of my name Ilaria, “I” stands for Italian which is my nationality but also the market I mainly target, and finally “I” has the same phonetical sound as “eye” which is how I work. I am not a designer and I can not draw, but I have a good eye for harmony and colours and everything that looks beautiful.
It was hard as I am still working full time in corporate events and that takes a big chunk of my hours and energy but I am determined to succeed. I know I probably still have a lot to learn and to improve but the best way to do it, it’s by trying and making mistakes. I think everybody should get the chance to achieve their dreams, small or big as they may be. My job right now is to help couples making their big day as special as possible and exactly how they have dreamt and imagined it!
My first Photoshoot!
And this brings us back to my blog!
What I have decided to do is a small guide to help people during the planning. Of course, I am always available to help and jump on board, but I know that not everybody has the money or the chance to hire a wedding planner (even though you should!).
Here you will find a guide on how to plan your wedding step by step. I will try my best to update the blog as often as possible and give you some advice but also some inspirations and some practical tips. I truly hope you enjoy it!
I have just realised I wrote A LOT!! Sorry about that. I tent to speak a lot, especially if I am excited!
Thank you for your time and your support. I shall leave you now...
Love,
Ilaria xx
Me in the celebrant's shoes.
If you are interested in the same course I did when I started, it is still on! Go and check out Stylish Events website for more info. Dominique is amazing!
https://stylishevents.com/working-at-stylish-events#b7968ffa-b63d-4eeb-a328-7aa8152cf4a8