2025 – Event Planning in a Slow Season: How We Grew, Served & Shifted

From Slower Seasons to Stronger Systems…a Reflective Memoir by Jewel Odeyemi of Touch of Jewel Events

Part 1: Why We Still Say Yes…Even in Slow Seasons

There are always a few moments each year that stop us in our tracks, the kind that remind us why we do this work.

In 2025, it wasn’t about volume. It was about depth. About intention. About service. Whether it was curating a private, design-led vow renewal in Mexico or bringing surprise and sophistication to a 40th birthday group celebration in Marbella, Spain, this year taught us that the right events still fill our hearts, even if the calendar wasn’t packed.

Some standout moments from 2025:

Coordinating a 7-day luxury itinerary for a destination birthday celebration with 12 guests at the breathtaking IKOS Andalusia resort in Marbella, complete with thoughtful surprises and memory-making magic.

Designing a “Phantom of the Opera” masquerade party that transformed a Dallas home into a dramatic and opulent escape.

Planning a heartfelt proposal surrounded by loved ones, reminding us that intimate doesn’t mean ordinary.

Executing a 3-day vow renewal in Mexico while navigating unpredictable weather and multicultural dynamics.

Taking our creative skills into the corporate space with executive retreats, holiday parties, and end-of-year galas.

Supporting meaningful causes like a community Mental Health Awareness event, merging advocacy with aesthetics.

Part 2: What You Didn’t See, The Backstage of Business & Life

2025 was not what we expected. We entered the year with only a couple of events on the books, uncertain, but hopeful. Many of our peers experienced the same. The entire event industry felt the ripple: fewer inquiries, tighter budgets, and a quieter inbox.

But in that quiet… we built.

Instead of panic, we chose presence. And purpose. We focused on the backend of the business—refining, refreshing, and redefining.

This is what we leaned into:

• Consulting: We supported other planners and creatives in refining their service suites, reworking client communications, and rebuilding their confidence.
  
• Speaking Engagements: We stood before rooms filled with passion, purpose, and potential, sharing a decade’s worth of business lessons.
  
• Professional Growth: We took courses in AI, earned tech certifications, and attended industry conferences to stay inspired and in tune.
  
• Digital Planning Shop: We launched our Wedding Planning Essentials Store to help couples find clarity through templates, checklists, and plug-and-play guides.
  
• Corporate Events Expansion: From brand launches to holiday celebrations, we deepened our footprint in the corporate events space, an exciting new frontier.
  

And we weathered storms, literally and figuratively:

• A vendor who ghosted our client post-payment? We stepped in, paid a new vendor, and helped our client fight for justice.
  
• A burst pipe hours before a wedding? We made it work, with backup plans and quiet prayers.
  
• A destination event threatened by rain? We rewrote the timeline in real-time to chase pockets of sunshine.
  

Through it all, I came home to my boys, curious, encouraging, and full of love. They’d snuggle in beside me and ask, “Mommy, how did the wedding go?” And I’d remember: this is legacy. This is purpose.

Part 3: Rooted & Resilient, Embracing the Slow to Build Something Stronger

This year reminded me that slow doesn’t mean stagnant.

Yes, we saw fewer events. But in their place, we created stronger workflows, reconnected with our “why,” and planted seeds for a future that’s not just busier, but better.

We witnessed an industry-wide slowdown, and it wasn’t just us. Many fellow professionals closed shop. Others pivoted. Some paused to reevaluate. And if that was you? I see you. You are not behind, you are being refined.

Personally, this year gave me:

• Time for weekday school drop-offs and bedtime prayers.
  
• The gift of designing timelines while in my robe and slippers.
  
• The ability to balance life instead of juggle it.
  

That’s the kind of success I’ll always strive for, where joy, work and family don’t compete but coexist.

Final Note: A Thank You & A Challenge

To our clients who trusted us with your most meaningful moments, thank you. To our team, vendors, collaborators, and cheerleaders, your support carried us. You gave us room to evolve, to pivot, and to pour deeply into what matters most.

To those who are still rebuilding: your best days may not look like the busiest ones. Keep showing up. Keep planting seeds. And know that even in quiet seasons, you are still growing.

Let’s walk boldly into 2026, not chasing trends, but creating impact!