Phoebe Dami-Asolo holds an MSc in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management from Imperial College, London.
She also has a BSc in Accounting and Finance from Manchester University in the UK. She currently works as a Brand Manager in a reputable organization, managing brands across West Africa Markets.
Phoebe got married in 2016 and her wedding experience birthed the wedding counselor platform which is a project she runs to help other brides make the right decisions while planning their weddings.
In line with this, she has launched a book- Miss to Mrs which acts as a guide for brides and also runs the Dapper Wedding Hub, a wedding outfit with her husband aimed at providing wedding packages which will solve the challenge of affordability and stress for couples planning their weddings.
In this Interview with SLA, Phoebe talks about being a bride, working with brides, and her new book – Miss to Mrs.
Why did you decide to become a wedding counselor, and how did it transform into a business?
As a bride to be, while planning my wedding, I experienced a lot. I had issues with some of my vendors. I thought planning a wedding was a walk in the park, apparently not.
Every time I complained about something, I realized my friends and peers planning their weddings could also relate. There were good times , really fun times but the few down times were really eye opening.
This is why I decided to launch the wedding counsellor platform and since its launch in 2017, Ive been able to help hundreds of brides overcome many challenges in wedding planning
With this experience, what are the things you’ll advice wedding planners to pay attention to when dealing with brides to be?
Emotions. Brides can be irrational sometimes but if you’ve been a bride or a recent bride, you’d be able to understand every brides thought process.
Every bride just wants perfection. Expectations needs to be managed with optimal emotional intelligence. Its very important for the planner to understand her bride. The relationship wont work if there is no understanding
Negotiation: A good planner also needs to help brides with negotiations. Help brides save money because after the wedding comes the marriage. Its really important.
Have you ever had to deal with any bad experience or challenges during your coaching sessions?
I think Ive been blessed with brides who are willing to listen and learn. The only challenge I have is people taking the wedding counsellor platform as a marriage counsellor platform.
I have instances on a daily basis where people want me to advise them on their relationships or marriage but I relay them to my partner marriage counsellor.
For people interested in the wedding planning biz – what skills or tools do they need to be equipped with before starting out?
- Emotional Intelligence
- Negotiation Skills
- Ability to Multitask
- People Skills
The above mentioned skills are all you need to thrive in this business. Every other thing will follow
What are your sessions like?
My sessions are online. Ive had a few on Skype as well, but mostly via chats and emails. However, they are always in the evenings as I have a 9-5 job which I’m very focused on.
Tell us about your new book, why you decided to write one, and how people have received it.
My book is titled Miss to Mrs. Its a guide to a stress free wedding planning process from a real brides point of view.
Yes! Its the first of its kind in Africa, with 11 chapters about planning your wedding. The 12th chapter is focused on real words from 50 brides, and the last chapter on how to pull through the first year of marriage.
Its been overwhelming. I still cant believe how much love the book has been received. I’d be selling out very soon. 
If you were not a wedding counselor, what would you be doing?
The wedding counsellor platform is a pet project out of my genuine love for brides. I am actually a brand manager, wife and Mom. Those are my core responsibilities.
What’s the one advice you’ll give your younger self.
Go for it. Any idea you have in your mind, try it out. Failures are only lessons to make the next trial perfect.
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