THE EVENT OF THE SEASON

Being the CEO of sparks and blooms, an event company that had been in business for over twenty years had made me immune to a lot of crazy things. As an event planner I had seen it all, the good side of it and the ugly. Things like late cake delivery, power outages in the middle of wedding vows, halls cancelling at the last minute, and difficult clients to handle. I was used to it all. But the one thing I could never have foreseen in a million years was the utter chaos which took place at the Adekunle's wedding.

The Adekunle's were an incredibly wealthy family. Well known in the streets of Lagos. Their only Daughter, Aisha was about to get married. And this wedding wasn't just your normal typical wedding. It was meant to be one of the biggest weddings in the whole of Lagos. The talk of the town and most importantly, the headliner over the news for months to come.

My team and I had planned every single detail of this wedding for months now. It was supposed to contain over five hundred guests and more. We were instructed to use strictly gold decors for the decorations and designs. We searched for the perfect venue for months, and finally ended up in a gorgeous open-field garden with golden lightings and chandeliers hanging from trees.

But little did we know, the sky had other plans for us.

The day of the wedding, it began as a small drizzle at first. Then thunder struck, the clouds changed, and it poured down heavily on the garden. This wasn't your usual rain. It was more like a storm, descending heavily on anyone who dared to stay in its path. Guests began to call in, some cancelling, others stuck in traffic, the sound equipments began to malfunction. Little by little, what was supposed to be the perfect wedding, began unravelling before our eyes.

I stood and watched dumbfounded, Aisha's eyes were red from crying. The father, Mr Adekunle barked like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey on his wasted millions. My team members and assistant looked at me with fear in their eyes. This had never happened before. But that wasn't what scared me. The fact that Mr Adekunle could unmake us with a snap of his fingers scared the hell out of me. He was an influential man indeed. One who you dare not mess with and this was his only daughter’s wedding. He had put his heart and soul into the preparation of it.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. My palms began shaking, not from the cold but from a certain old man who kept on barking at us. Quickly, I ransacked my brain for a solution to this disaster, but was met with silence. I looked around me, utter chaos. “What am I going to do?” I thought silently. I closed my eyes, and took in a deep breath to calm my already racing heart. Somewhere beneath the silence, I heard a voice speak to me “Move the wedding inside the banquet tent.”

My eyes snapped open immediately. That was a good idea, in fact it was the only idea I had at that moment. It was crazy and almost ridiculous. The tent was barely ready. A lot of work needed to be done on it. It was barely decorated even. But it was very spacious and exactly what we needed at that point. “It would work,” I said to myself.

I called my team members and assistant and told them what we were about to do, issued orders and assigned tasks to everyone. They all looked at me like I was crazy.

“ Ma this is madness” my assistant said to me with disbelief

“I know, but trust me okay”.

We quickly got to work, despite being soaked. We removed the flowers from the garden, moved the big dessert table to the front center of the tent, making it the centre of attention. We used the golden drapes to decorate the inside of the tent, brought the lanterns and used it at the entrance. It wasn't easy, flipping an ordinary tent in barely one hour to something out of this world. My team and I worked like crazy. With muddy shoes, and soaked clothes, I kept on tying ribbons, coordinating the caterers, the band placement and photographers

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A little after two hours, the tent sparkled with life. We had managed to pull off the impossible. Guests began arriving little by little, some gasping in shock, others taking videos and photos of the beautiful setting. It was crazy but beautiful nonetheless. Mr Adekunle and his daughter stepped inside stunned. Aisha, blinked several times, a big smile framing her face

“it's even more beautiful than the garden” She gushed at me.

I heard some of the guest whispered “This is a work of art”.

Mr Adekunle stood tall and proud, seemingly satisfied with the turn of events. Soon the wedding began. Everything went on smoothly. The band played a beautiful acoustic piece. The reception was a blast. People ate and drank to their heart contents. The MC did a great job to keep the life of the party going.

During the reception, Mr Adekunle took the mic, delivering a heartfelt speech to his only daughter

“Today didn’t go as planned. But thanks to Tola and her team, it turned out better than I ever dreamed.” He started off

“ I stand before you not just as the father to the bride but as a man whose heart is overwhelmed with so much love and gratitude, and a touch of disbelief that my baby girl is now a beautiful bride.” He continued

By the time he was done, the crowd applauded and cheered him on. I watched from the back, leaning on a small chair, completely tired and soaked to the brim but still smiling. The wedding was a success.

Sometimes, it takes madness to pull off a brilliance like this.