As featured in ShoutOutLA.com...
We had the good fortune of connecting with Nora Ounjian and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Nora, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business was to work harder now in order to be able to play more later. I always wanted to be my own boss and have the flexibility to work and do as I pleased in the future; whether this meant having my own family, traveling the world or both. Throughout the years, I volunteered for a few non-profits and after gaining a great deal of experience, I decided it was time to start a side hustle doing what I truly loved and what made me happy, event planning. I helped plan my close friend’s weddings for fun, and after the 5th wedding, Trés Magnifique Productions was created.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I believe that every event planner has their own style and her own “work mentality” as I like to call it; which is why my first initial meeting with every client is free of charge. I think every client, especially brides and grooms, need to first like and vibe with their wedding planner in order to be able to trust them to make their vision a reality. If a client hires an event planner, regardless of who they were referred by, they may not vibe with them even if they love their work. In this case, that would only add more stress on them as opposed to taking the stress away, seeing as that is one of the reasons for hiring an event planner to begin with. So this is a very important beginning point for me personally throughout my experience.
I also believe that the event planner has to get to know the client(s), especially the bride and grooms as a couple and as individuals, because there may be times during the day of the event where they need to make an executive decision based on what the client(s) would want, but if they don’t know the couple, their decision will not be the correct one for the client(s) and then you will have unhappy client and no one wants that. This is one reason why I do not do “Day of” wedding coordination and the smallest package we offer is “Month of.” Because there is no way you would be able to get to know your clients and make any necessary decisions for them if you’re only meeting them once, the week prior to the wedding and this is very important for me personally.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the diversity of Los Angeles, so If my best friend were visiting L.A., I would try to hit as many different restaurants as I possibly could with her! I would start off by taking her to Malibu, because I love the ocean. We would have lunch at Mastro’s or Geoffrey’s and enjoy the beautiful view and amazing L.A. weather. Mexican food and margaritas are also a favorite of mine, especially since we have some of the best in L.A. With this being said, we would definitely hit Sol y Luna in Tarzana, since I grew up in the San Fernando Valley; This way we give them a taste of real good Mexican food. For lunch, I would take her to the Beverly Hills Hotel, have lunch at the infamous Polo Lounge, while people watching at one of the most popular L.A. destinations. I also love Balboa Island, so I would definitely do a day trip to OC and stop by South Coast Plaza for a little shopping. Finally, I would take her to Sawtelle street where all the best Asian restaurants are for some really good Ramen. After the best Ramen, we would end the day with some amazing Japanese Ice Cream at Somi Somi.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout first and foremost to my family and friends who always support me no matter how crazy my ideas are. They never discourage me and are always ready to help me if and when I need anything; especially my sister Talar who has been my right hand from day one. She understands me and knows how particular I am with every detail. She never lets me down no matter how ridiculous or far fetched my ideas may be and is there to step in 100% at any point if need be.
I would also like to dedicate this shoutout to my previous and current clientele. Honestly, I have always been very blessed with the sweetest, most amazing clients. They truly respect and appreciate my experience and guidance and in the end become part of my family. I believe that you can not have a good clientele base without really happy clients and that is what I strive for with every single client and every single event. Making sure each client is happy enough to become a long term client, not just a one time client. I treat every event as if it’s my own no matter what and I believe that is one reason why I get a great deal of referrals from past clients.
Hi Nora, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business was to work harder now in order to be able to play more later. I always wanted to be my own boss and have the flexibility to work and do as I pleased in the future; whether this meant having my own family, traveling the world or both. Throughout the years, I volunteered for a few non-profits and after gaining a great deal of experience, I decided it was time to start a side hustle doing what I truly loved and what made me happy, event planning. I helped plan my close friend’s weddings for fun, and after the 5th wedding, Trés Magnifique Productions was created.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I believe that every event planner has their own style and her own “work mentality” as I like to call it; which is why my first initial meeting with every client is free of charge. I think every client, especially brides and grooms, need to first like and vibe with their wedding planner in order to be able to trust them to make their vision a reality. If a client hires an event planner, regardless of who they were referred by, they may not vibe with them even if they love their work. In this case, that would only add more stress on them as opposed to taking the stress away, seeing as that is one of the reasons for hiring an event planner to begin with. So this is a very important beginning point for me personally throughout my experience.
I also believe that the event planner has to get to know the client(s), especially the bride and grooms as a couple and as individuals, because there may be times during the day of the event where they need to make an executive decision based on what the client(s) would want, but if they don’t know the couple, their decision will not be the correct one for the client(s) and then you will have unhappy client and no one wants that. This is one reason why I do not do “Day of” wedding coordination and the smallest package we offer is “Month of.” Because there is no way you would be able to get to know your clients and make any necessary decisions for them if you’re only meeting them once, the week prior to the wedding and this is very important for me personally.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the diversity of Los Angeles, so If my best friend were visiting L.A., I would try to hit as many different restaurants as I possibly could with her! I would start off by taking her to Malibu, because I love the ocean. We would have lunch at Mastro’s or Geoffrey’s and enjoy the beautiful view and amazing L.A. weather. Mexican food and margaritas are also a favorite of mine, especially since we have some of the best in L.A. With this being said, we would definitely hit Sol y Luna in Tarzana, since I grew up in the San Fernando Valley; This way we give them a taste of real good Mexican food. For lunch, I would take her to the Beverly Hills Hotel, have lunch at the infamous Polo Lounge, while people watching at one of the most popular L.A. destinations. I also love Balboa Island, so I would definitely do a day trip to OC and stop by South Coast Plaza for a little shopping. Finally, I would take her to Sawtelle street where all the best Asian restaurants are for some really good Ramen. After the best Ramen, we would end the day with some amazing Japanese Ice Cream at Somi Somi.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout first and foremost to my family and friends who always support me no matter how crazy my ideas are. They never discourage me and are always ready to help me if and when I need anything; especially my sister Talar who has been my right hand from day one. She understands me and knows how particular I am with every detail. She never lets me down no matter how ridiculous or far fetched my ideas may be and is there to step in 100% at any point if need be.
I would also like to dedicate this shoutout to my previous and current clientele. Honestly, I have always been very blessed with the sweetest, most amazing clients. They truly respect and appreciate my experience and guidance and in the end become part of my family. I believe that you can not have a good clientele base without really happy clients and that is what I strive for with every single client and every single event. Making sure each client is happy enough to become a long term client, not just a one time client. I treat every event as if it’s my own no matter what and I believe that is one reason why I get a great deal of referrals from past clients.