Today we’re putting the spotlight on an amazing destination wedding planner located in the beautiful island of Barbados! Click Wed Caribbean, headed by Shari Green, is the one stop shop for all brides who are looking for the wedding of their dreams located in one of the most romantic places in the world, the caribbean! Get to know who she is and what her company is about below!
Tell us a little about your background and how you got started in the wedding and events industry?
I fondly remember as a young girl my mother getting involved in the wedding industry printing wedding invitations and stationery. I always enjoyed helping her as we got to spend lots of time together that way. Soon I became obsessed with all things wedding-related and scoured magazines, searched for new ideas online and much of my free time I spent soaking up weddings like a sponge. At 16, I decided I wanted to become a wedding planner – to be able to help deserving couples have amazing weddings and vow renewals. Soon after completing my undergraduate degree, I decided to start my company with a lot of encouragement from close friends and relatives. My mother really believed in me and provided the funds I needed to start up the business and it has grown consistently every year since being founded in 2010.
What did you do before Wedding Planning?
I have worked in banking, customer service, sales and marketing.
What locations do you cover?
We are based in Barbados and have been offering our services on this island since 2010. Our goal is to cover many locations in the Caribbean. We have recently added The Bahamas and over the next few years will expand our reach to other Caribbean islands.
What do you love most about your job?
Everything! Can I say that? Okay…if I have to choose just one part, I would say that moment when the two people whom I would have spent a number of months getting to know become husband and wife. That blissful expression they have on their faces when they realize that they are finally married – that never ever gets old to me!
In your area what are some of your favorite venues and why?
We work with many different venues across all budgets. Of course, there are beautiful beaches in the Caribbean but more than beaches, there are stunning resort properties in Barbados like The Crane, where we have executed a number of successful weddings. We also love the roof deck at Limegrove Lifestyle Centre, and Lion Castle Polo Estate as private, upscale venues. Locales rich in history abound in Barbados like the beautifully resorted St James Parish Church in Barbados. The Bahamas too have some lovely resorts like the One & Only Ocean Club and private residences like Bougainvillea House, Exuma, and Serendip Cove, New Providence.
What trends are you seeing with your current brides?
Our clients all come from different backgrounds and travel to the Caribbean from all over the world to get married here. We love planning multicultural weddings. They are so diverse as individuals and as couples, which keepsmy job so interesting. With that said, I’m not a believer in trends because all couples are different and do things their ownunique way. My company exists to create custom events that celebrate each client’s individual love story.
What would you say to brides-to-be who are on the fence about hiring a wedding planner?
Do yourself a favor – hire a wedding planner. His/her experience and industry knowledge is invaluable when planning such an important event in your lives. Leave it to the professionals who can take all of the stress and worry off your shoulders and actually make the planning process a fun experience. Check out what some of our past clients have had to say about working with us and for answers to frequently asked questions about getting married in the Caribbean by clicking here.
Now lets have some fun!
Favorite thing to do?
Read wedding blogs, peruse real wedding and editorial submissions, scan through bridal magazines… anything wedding, I’m there!
iPhone, Blackberry or Android?
I have remained loyal to Blackberry. My very first smartphone was a Blackberry and today I am a Blackberry Z10 user – great device! #TeamBlackberry!
Mac or PC?
PC – everything I need to run my business and my life is readily available in the Windows environment.
If you could travel to any location right now, where would it be?
As a wedding planner in the Caribbean, I should probably answer with a destination in the Caribbean. And while I do love this beautiful collection of islands – Cayman Islands and Aruba being two of my personal favorites – I would love to visit Italy. The food (Italian is my favorite cuisine), the architecture, the language, the scenery, the history. Italy is on my bucket list, for sure!
Favorite song? Book? TV show?
To anyone getting married, I would recommend the classic John Gray book – Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. It really puts things into perspective and helps you understand yourself and your future spouse. Personally, I really enjoy reading books on spirituality too and one of the books that most impacted on my life is written by John Bevere. Its title is Drawing Near: A Life of Intimacy with God. Inspiring read!
Can’t think of a favourite song but I do love music. It depends on the mood I’m in really. I can definitely listen to music from Hillsong all day every day though!
So in a complete about turn, I love watching #ANW (American Ninja Warrior). My husband introduced me to it and now I can’t get enough! Haha!
Guilty Pleasure?
Grey’s Anatomy is my favourite TV show though! I have watched every single episode from the very beginning. Every quiz ABC puts out on Grey’s Anatomy, I have to take it and always get a perfect score! Never post the results to Facebook – no one needs to know. It (was) my little secret!
Something that recently left you inspired?
Recently watched the movies “The Fault in Our Stars” and “About Time” that are both beautiful love stories. Live, laugh and, most importantly, love!
We were left completely devastated by the service provided from Shari and her team and had a complete wedding nightmare. The first meeting was great, we felt like we connected with the girls and believed they understood our vision. Closer to the wedding it became very apparent that actually Shari couldn’t care less.
Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. On the day of the wedding the team refused to roll up their sleeves and help the vendors to ensure our day ran smoothly. At one point my husband and I were in the kitchen grabbing champagne bottles and pouring glasses for the toast ourselves. In lots of of our photos you can see Shari and her team sitting on a bench not doing anything to help. I would urge anyone thinking about using them to think twice.
I am normally a big supporter of small businesses trying to establish themselves and wouldn’t be one to write negative reviews but I want to make sure that any other couples planning their dream wedding in Barbados do not have to suffer the disappointment and heartache we had. We wasted a lot of hard earned money on this wedding and still feel like we never had a wedding day thanks to their gross incompetence and lack of care and consideration for what should have been the best day of our lives.