A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME
I think all of life’s special occasions should be celebrated and I believe events provide a wonderful opportunity to highlight milestones and bring people together.
I have been planning events since I was seven years old. My mother and grandmother would always include me in any birthday party planning and family celebrations. As I got older my passion for events grew and I became the go-to family and friends event coordinator for birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Valentines day, engagements, bachelorette parties and weddings.
After high school, I completed a diploma in public relations and events management. I really enjoyed my tertiary studies and the first two years of my career which had me planning corporate golf days, conferences, exhibitions and year end functions. I wanted to focus my career towards wedding planning but lacked the confidence to work in the wedding industry because of my appearance and poor self-image.
I was overweight for longer than I had been planning events. From the age of five I was placed on various diets and exercise programs and unfortunately nothing that we tried would help me to lose weight.
At the age of twenty one I weighed 108kg and had to make the decision to change my lifestyle. I managed to find a doctor that was able to assist me. I was diagnosed with insulin resistance, which at the time was not as well known as it is today. She prescribed specific medication to correct the imbalances in my body. I also met with a dietician who helped me to create new eating habits and I worked with a few fitness trainers to establish a workout routine that I could follow each day. It was not easy at first and I had to find a job that would provide the structure needed to be consistent.
I changed my career path to suit my new lifestyle goals and worked in various technical sales and marketing roles for the next twelve years. I did manage to achieve my weight loss goal in three years and lost a total of 50kg. I am proud to say that I have maintained my goal weight ever since.
Five years ago I received the wedding proposal of my dreams from my wonderful husband, Carl. Just a side note – Carl designed the Lifespire Elements and website and is just a creative genius. I have loved working with him on this project. In 2015 we started the journey of planning our perfect wedding. I felt confident that I would be able to plan a beautiful wedding. Aside from a few small hiccups along the way, we had an incredible time with all our family and friends.
The planning process was not as enjoyable as I expected it to be. I wanted to be sure that the decisions we were making about every aspect of our wedding were the best choices we could make at the time. We searched the internet, read books and blogs, spoke to family and friends and met with a number of suppliers, but the process felt so overwhelming, mainly because the available information was so fragmented. We were both working full time, building a home and trying to plan our dream wedding at the same time.
From this experience and many conversations I have had with other brides, I decided to rekindle my passion for events and pursue that passion in a way that would align with my lifestyle. Lifespire and the Lifespire guides, which I call Elements, are the first step on this new path. You can get to know Stephanie a little better through this short Q&A session.
The first set of Elements focus on planning a western style wedding. After almost three years of planning, research and design, I am very excited to have launched Lifespire and make the Elements available online for anyone wanting to plan their dream wedding. If you are embarking on your wedding planning journey, Lifespire will help you create the most magical wedding and I wish you and your fiancé happiness in every moment.
Stephanie