We favour thoughtful, personalised, and refined details without ostentation, tailored to our client’s style and taste – a subtle glimmer rather than a blinding sparkle; that’s our definition of true ‘luxury’ and what sets us apart from others. People are at the heart of ByChenai Events, and I invest a great deal of time and energy into forging close relationships with my clients, often remaining friends long after the event is over. It’s a joy to see our couples take the next step in their journey and to play a part in bringing their day to life…”
Chenai Bukutu, founder, ByChenai Events
Chenai Bukutu is the owner and lead event producer at ByChenai Events, based in London. Chenai plans sensational weddings, parties, and events for stylish clients in the UK and abroad, many of which are held within Royal Palaces and buildings of major historical significance. Here, we discuss everything from overcoming challenges when planning the special occasion through to receiving feedback after the big day…
C&B: “Chenai, firstly, congratulations on being named one of the CITY & BEACH LIFESTYLE TOP 10 EVENT PLANNERS 2025. We know you’re exceptional at what you do and that you work only with the best. How do you ensure that each wedding you produce reflects the unique personality and style of the couple?”
CB: “We take the time to get to know our clients, their brief and stories, to design an immersive experience that’s as personal as it is beautiful. We like to weave personal touches into their day – it could be something quite subtle but it creates an authentic experience. The ByChenai way is to ensure that the process of wedding planning or organising an event is a calm and collaborative one. We believe that the experience of event planning should involve almost as many enjoyable moments as the event itself, and we strive to be flexible, adaptable and creative to exceed our client’s expectations and make the journey from planning to partying one to remember…”
When starting a venue search, after an initial conversation with our client we prioritise the ‘must haves’ and work our way through our little black book of venues to shortlist…”
Chenai Bukutu, founder, ByChenai Events
C&B: “You mention the process of ensuring everything remains ‘calm’ – do you ever come up against challenges or obstacles that could possibly derail that ethos?”
CB: “Occasionally, logistics can present challenges in certain locations. While this may keep us on our toes during the planning stages, it is also an exciting puzzle to solve. We’ve got to manage multiple suppliers and ensure we’re rigorously vetting suppliers to guarantee they can handle the logistical challenges and deliver to the high standard that we set. It’s all about cultivating strong relationships and bringing together a team which all has the same end goal and determination to get there. I think back to beautiful weddings we’ve planned at Hampton Court Palace and the Natural History Museum. Both are open to the public during the day and we have very little time for access the space and set up and, like I said, it’s a challenge but it gives great satisfaction when you know you’ve overcome it!”
C&B: “You spoke about the Royal Palaces and museums – can you share some insight into the process of selecting venues and vendors that align with your clients’ vision?”
CB: “Choosing a venue and selecting the right supplier team requires such careful consideration. For each client it is like playing a game of chess and you’ve got to constantly consider each element to ensure you curate a team which will deliver on the client’s vision and execute to the highest standard. A venue or supplier which was perfect for one client, might be a poor choice for another, so it’s all about remaining true to your client’s brief to find the right fit. When starting a venue search, after an initial conversation with our client we prioritise the ‘must haves’ and work our way through our little black book of venues to shortlist. When it comes to suppliers, we follow a similar trajectory but carefully consider their portfolio and style of work to ensure it will resonate with our clients…”
C&B: “Between the venue and vendors and all the other aspects to include, how do you manage and allocate the budget to ensure that all aspects of the wedding are adequately covered?”
CB: “We always say that a client must be clear with their budget from the outset as it will help inform what they can achieve. Both the planner and client must be clear on the vision and their priorities and stick to them. We ask what is most important to the client to enable us to apportion the budget as necessary. We create an initial budget guide based on the budget shared at the outset, and ensure budget is allocated to every element imaginable – plus some all important contingency, of course! The budget is a ‘movable beast’ throughout the planning stages, but as a planner our task is to manage this and juggle as needed to ensure the budget stays on track without compromising on the vision and guest experience…”
C&B: “It would be so easy to get sidetracked as the planning progresses and new ideas are always randomly being put into the hat! Could you elaborate on specific aspects of an event or wedding that make it highly memorable?”
CB: “Yes, for one of our clients summer wedding at Avington Park, the design was a joyful celebration of colour – in all aspects of the design. This really came to life with the long dining tables, where we created an innovative ombre design. Running the length of the table, the colours transitioned from purple to pink to orange to yellow, but in the most stylish way possible. Every detail was carefully considered, from the florals to the candles to the place cards to the menus. Often people are afraid of bold colours but they needn’t be…”
“Another example – just before Christmas last year, another of our wonderful couples wanted their wedding to feel playful but to truly reflect their personality throughout. As they are a Chinese/French couple, we transformed the ballroom at Monkey Island into a red restaurant-style dining room. We re-imagined the whole space, brought in creative touches to bring character to the concept – and, as a guest, you truly wouldn’t have known the event was staged at Monkey Island…”
We care about our clients and we care that they have a wonderful time…”
Chenai Bukutu, founder, ByChenai Events
C&B: “When you’re working on location at venues such as Monkey Island, how do you handle unexpected issues or last-minute changes that may arise?”
CB: “No matter how prepared you are, it’s inevitable that things will crop up on a wedding day. I always say that when these things arise, you have to maintain perspective. I remind the team that we are, in fact, well prepared and while it might be something outside of our control, we must remain calm and professional, and work to come up with a solution. We care about our clients and we care that they have a wonderful time, so we crank into a new gear when the unexpected crops up and we work gracefully behind the scenes to manage issues or changes without the client or their guests sensing a thing!”
Many of our florists work hard to give florals a second life, whether that be by donating arrangements to hospices or donating to charitable organisations who make confetti…”
Chenai Bukutu, founder, ByChenai Events
C&B: “That’s truly commendable, Chenai! On another topic altogether, what about sustainability practices? Is this something you ever take into consideration? We ask because many planners take the time to dispose of installations in an eco-friendly way…”
CB: “Yes, couples are definitely becoming increasingly conscious of the sustainability aspect of their weddings, which is great. Part of our role is to educate and empower couples to enable them to make sustainable decisions. We also rely on support from suppliers to share our commitment to sustainability. The simplest ways to incorporate sustainability include checking the provenance of the food with the caterer and opting for local and seasonal produce. We love working with caterers who think outside the box to reduce their food waste as well as omitting foods from their menus when the production of said foods have such negative impacts on the planet. Also we like to look at waste reduction – avoiding single use plastics when it comes to drinks service and also thinking about what happens after the wedding. Many florists work hard to give florals a second life, whether that be by donating arrangements to hospices or donating to charitable organisations who make confetti. There is still a long way to go in making our industry more sustainable but we always make a conscious effort to play our part!”
C&B: “That’s great to hear! On the subject of keeping everyone informed on all aspects of how the planning is progressing, how do you keep clients aware and involved?”
CB: “When planning a wedding or an event, communication is everything, and it goes both ways. We have to effectively and concisely communicate with our clients, and in return they need to be responsive to us. However the key to effective communication is keeping it clear and to the point, knowing what is essential information to share and what a client doesn’t need to worry about. It also really depends on the nature of the client. Some like to be informed of every detail, and some do not. We take their lead and keep them involved and informed to the level they expect and are comfortable with. In this day and age, so much is done online, however we always have regular face-to-face meetings to ensure our clients have an open forum to bring up whatever is important to them…”
On the day of the wedding, I like to think that ‘the eyes are the window to the soul’… we catch glances before the ceremony and can see the joy on their faces, without them needing to say a word…”
Chenai, founder, ByChenai Events
C&B: “Among the aspects that concern clients is the initial sequence of events and the overall timeline of the wedding. What is your general structure and strategy for managing the timeline of wedding events to ensure that everything runs smoothly?”
CB: “We love a schedule! Crafting the perfect timeline takes months and so we spend a lot of time creating a super-detailed schedule before the day of the wedding to ensure that every supplier team is aligned. While we account for every minute of the day, we have enough experience to know that delays do happen and so we’re constantly looking ahead of the schedule, keeping one or two hours ahead to see what the impact could be, how we can gain back some time and how to still have a smooth and seamless day. Managing a timeline effectively means you have to look ahead, predict things before they arise and keep clear lines of communication between supplier teams so that everyone works cohesively together…”
We love learning about cultural traditions and weaving them into the day, coming up with something that is unique to the couple whilst also respecting their cultures…”
Chenai Bukutu, founder, ByChenai Events
C&B: “One important factor of any wedding day is tradition – how do you approach working with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds to ensure their customs are respected and integrated?”
CB: “We regularly work with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds and it is a joy. Our initial meeting will always begin with a conversation that’s usually less about the wedding itself but more about the couples’ lives, what brings them happiness and what’s most important to them – and this often includes hearing about cultures, traditions and customs. We love learning about cultural traditions and weaving them into the day, coming up with something that is unique to the couple whilst also respecting their cultures…”
C&B: “So much work goes into the production of a wedding – how do you measure the success of each occasion?”
CB: “Measuring the success of a wedding is about more than just the day itself. There is so much emotion and adrenaline on the event, that our first measure of success is whether our couple feels calm and relaxed in the days leading up to the wedding. We’re there to alleviate their burdens and enable them to soak in all the pre-wedding excitement rather than worry about final details. On the day of the event, I like to think that ‘the eyes are the window to the soul’… we catch glances before the ceremony and can see the joy on their faces, without them needing to say a word. I can gauge from their body language and the way they interact with their guests how much they are enjoying the day. I love to do a ‘room reveal’ with the couple, taking them away from the reception for just a few minutes to share a moment together. The post-event period is invaluable as we have the opportunity for a proper debrief with the couple. We listen and consider any feedback to continuously learn and improve. We always prefer to conduct this meeting in person so we can raise a glass to them!”
CONTACT: http://www.bychenai.com
