The wedding that inspired a business

When entrepreneur Trudy Croad attended her sister’s wedding, she was so inspired that she decided to enter the lucrative wedding industry, offering brides-to-be planning, styling and fashion advice through her company Events By Design. In doing so, she has carved out for herself out a market niche in Noosa, Australia’s premier wedding destination.

Croad launched wedding planning and styling company Events by Design in October 2007, offering full-service wedding coordination and design for brides on the Sunshine Coast.

While working in the magazine industry in London, Trudy was inspired by her colleagues who were crafting clever and creative reader events that grabbed the attention of consumers and the media.  “We were encouraged to take risks in order to create event ideas that were new and eye-catching,” she says.

After whetting her appetite for events in the fashion, beauty and celebrity arena, Croad prepared a business plan for a distinctive events company; one she could manage in time to come. That was four years ago. Despite having a sound appreciation of the wedding industry from her experience as group marketing manager at Time Inc, which managed a host of fashion and bridal titles, it was not until her own sister took the trip down the aisle that she decided to specialise in weddings.

 “My sister’s wedding was uniquely different, beautifully styled, and so much a reflection of the individual bride and groom, it inspired me to create a new business concept concentrating on wedding planning and styling.”