Today we’d like to introduce you to Akeshi Akinseye.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Akeshi. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in Nigeria with parents in the hospitality field. I grew up in a home with parents that owned several businesses. I was exposed to catering, baking, sewing and decor at a young age. I naturally found myself assisting my mother with her events so I can safely say that’s where I fell in love with the creative field. I was cooking and sewing by age 10. What I loved about growing was that there was no pressure to follow my parent’s footsteps. I naturally fell in love with planning and designing events.
After college in Chicago, I worked several sales and retail jobs but felt something was missing. I needed an outlet to create. I loved to host friends and plan small parties so I decided to try our event planning on my own.
I decided to launch Kesh Events (keshevents.com), my first company in 2012 as I was planning my own wedding. It quickly grew and I expanded adding floral and design, launching Kesh Designs (keshdesignsinc.com).
I love sharing my knowledge in the field so in 2016, I launched “The Kesh Experience” where I teach a series of design masterclasses that offers coaching and education to industry professionals at all level. I travel around the world doing what I love – creating unforgettable memories for my clients for their destination weddings.
I have been fortunate enough to plan events for celebrities and athletes.
Last fall, I launched my first book “The Art of Floral and Event Design” available on Amazon.
My companies and work have been featured in magazines, local and national publications and speaks at Seminars and has appeared as a guest on TV segments and radio.
Our work has been featured in;
Inside Weddings | Grace Ormonde Wedding Style , Chicago Tribune, Modern Luxury Weddings , Red Eye , Strictly Weddings , Aisle Perfect , BET, Ebony Magazine ,NY Times , Essense Magazine, The Knot ,Yahoo, Espn, Partyslate, MOD Wedding , Munaluchi Brides Magazine, News Tribune ,Sun Times, Oh Brides Magazine, ESPN ,Wedding Lovely, The Coordinated Bride ,Chicago Splash.
My focus is on transforming a personal story into a living and breathing moment in time.
Has it been a smooth road?
No road to success is ever smooth all the way but persistence and hard work gets you going.
I have learned a lot of lessons along the way. Some the hard way. Trusting the wrong people was my first lesson. I learned to be smart and consult an attorney before jumping into things.
I learned to protect myself and my business.
Most importantly, I have learned to learn from past mistakes and not let it discourage me.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Kesh Events story. Tell us more about the business.
I own several companies.
Kesh Events specializes in wedding and event planning. This includes local and destination weddings around the world.
Kesh Designs specializes in floral and event design.
This fall, we are excited to launch our home decor company, Kesh Designs Home. This brand expands beyond designing luxurious weddings and events and into the home-decor to offer my own brand of houseware and tabletop accessories which includes items like napkins, table runners, placemats, charger plates, table-top fabrics, home fragrances and vases. The look and feel is modern, couture and feminine focusing on patterns and texture.
All under the umbrella of my parent company Kesh Luxury Group.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The wedding and event industry is growing rapidly and is changing each year. We definitely have to stay on top of things and catch up.
As much as I don’t like to use the word trends, I will say there is a shift in the way events are planned now. Couples are more informed and want more personalization in their events which is a dream. I love to customize every single event.
I think couples are starting to appreciate the value and use of trusted professionals when planning their events.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.keshevents.com www.keshdesignsinc.com
- Phone: 3122537318
- Email: hello@keshluxurygroup.com
- Instagram: @keshevents @keshdesigns
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kesheventdesign https://www.facebook.com/keshdesignsinc/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/keshevents
Image Credit:
Bio Photo is Sy Photography – http://syphotography.com/
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