Since branching out on her own with Shiloh Events & Wedding Service, Lydia Collymore says she is busier than ever.
To her, this is a good thing as she was laid off from the event and décor company she worked with after things got slow. She then started her company which offers event and wedding décor, as the name says, two years ago.
She worked with another small businesswoman who planned and decorated for children’s parties while she looked after the weddings. That relationship lasted for about four years and after they parted ways, she decided to continue in the same business as it was something she liked doing.
Collymore likes “everything” about the decorating business which she got into when she tagged along with her sister who worked for another décor company. Passionate about her job and the business named after her deceased son, the managing director looks forward to each task with zeal as she sees it as a way to unleash her creativity.
“I love to see an empty space turn into a wow factor. I was trained on the job. I love weddings, that was my first passion. Most brides have their dream wedding from the time they were young, so it’s a matter of channelling from that. What we do is try to pick up on the bride’s personality, if she is bubbly, glitzy, fussy or simple but elegant person so we know what look to go for,” she said.
As for what’s trending right now, Collymore said purple for weddings and Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig at children’s parties.
“There is a higher demand for birthday parties as parents are going all out. Yes, there is a birthday every year but I don’t think that people get married as much as parties happen. We have a package that offers caterers, a DJ, party management where we not only plan the whole thing but we entertain the kids and we clean up and, of course, the décor,” she said.
Clients also have the option of choosing the service they want.
Collymore said she plans for events weeks in advance. She also has “everything sorted out” ahead of the day and she has a checklist that she goes through “countless times” and the team uses.
The managing director has a dedicated team of family and friends who help out at the various events. These include her fiancé Carl Campbell, daughter Leanna McCollin, friend Glennita Alleyne and her mother Allison Collymore who she said is her biggest supporter. Her hope is to offer other people, women, struggling mothers, the opportunity to earn a living to support their families.
“The drive behind my business is my children ages 11, 13 and 15 and I have them to support. Their dad died ten years ago and it’s been me doing it mostly and my fiancé helps. I would really love to become a legacy…I would love to see myself becoming so busy that I have to bring more workers in.
“I would really like to help out the struggling mum because I have been there, I am still there, so I would like to provide employment. By next year, I would like to expand my employee base,” she said.
The Louis Lynch Secondary graduate gets a lot of clients from her social media pages on Instagram and Facebook plus her strategy is to hand out business cards directly to potential customers wherever she goes.
Collymore said when she was younger she wanted to be a doctor and studied nursing first. When the nursing home she worked at closed its doors, she worked with a patient but then she started with the décor company and did not look back.
Asked if she considered teaching a course in decorating, she said: “I always liked interior decorating.…I was taught, so I don’t have a problem teaching.” (GBM)