Today we’d like to introduce you to Talayeh Banan.
Hi Talayeh, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Never in a million years did I anticipate becoming a wedding planner. I can say, that the story of one’s journey is never set in stone and you never know what you are capable of until you try. As a child, I was a big fan of watching live television sitcoms in LA. My mother would take my sister, cousins and I to the tapings and I found it intriguing to watch the behind-the-scenes productions. They were fast-paced, so many details and the finished product was pure entertainment. When trying to decide what to study as I entered college, I decided on advertising since it had all the elements of a fast-paced career, creativity and also included a foundation of business and marketing. I worked in the advertising agency world for years as a buyer and negotiated airtime for big clients to air on television and radio. Looking back, I realize it was the exact basis of what I needed to start my own business. After months of feeling that there needs to be more to my career than making corporations more money, I decided to start event planning. I started off working on social events such as children’s and adult milestone birthdays and then corporate events. This led to an opportunity of working on my first wedding. Not knowing how I would feel about having the responsibility of a couple’s most important day in my hands, I decided to take on the challenge and loved it! One wedding turned into another and my business took off. Only now do I see that this career choice has blended my love for backstage production, creative design, a business platform and most importantly the end goal of being to make others happy on such a special day in a couple’s life!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to happiness and building a successful small business had some struggles along the way. The pandemic of 2020 has thus far been my biggest bump in the road, physically and mentally. I had worked so hard and had secured a full schedule of weddings in 2020. It was supposed to be my biggest year yet with amazing clients, big designs and the most beautiful venues. Then the pandemic hit. Many of the weddings were rescheduled, but some weddings were canceled and what was anticipated as the biggest year for the industry came to an abrupt halt. It was hard to wrap my head around it and stay positive since the future was completely unknown. Through the unknown and struggle, myself and the industry pulled through and 2021 turned into a very successful year!
As you know, we’re big fans of Tala Events LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Tala Events LLC is a full-service event/wedding planning and design company. I offer an array of services for clients of all budgets and needs to choose from. Most of our couples want the expertise and experience offered for full planning and design of their weddings. Others may need wedding day management as their primary needs. The goal is always to be of assistance and guide clients through the process with ease, experience and enjoyment.
Over the years, I feel most proud of the fact that my clientele is diverse. Diverse in design. Diverse in culture. Diverse in personality. I don’t just cater to one type of clientele and one style of design. I created this company out of a love for making people happy through client satisfaction and design. My goal is always to treat each and every client with the same top level of service, attention to detail and love for top trending wedding designs.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
For those new to the industry and just starting out, one major piece of advice. Network! I used to think the industry networking mixers were so difficult to go to, especially when just starting out. I kept going to as many networking events I could go to and pushed myself out of my comfort zone to meet new people. Each event propelled me to new opportunities and I met so many talented professionals that not only helped me along the way but have become such amazing friends!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.talaevents.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/talaevents/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/talaevents
- Other: www.theknot.com/marketplace/tala-events-tustin-ca-978476 & www.partyslate.com/event-pros/tala-events
Image Credits
Photo of myself, Wedding Photos 1-6: Duke Images Wedding Photos 7-12: The DeLauras
