Today we’d like to introduce you to Jewel Odeyemi.
Hi Jewel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story really started from a place of purpose, creativity, and honestly, just saying yes to what felt natural.
I have always loved bringing people together. Whether it was family gatherings, church events, birthdays, or celebrations within my community, I was always the person thinking through the details, the experience, the flow, and how people would feel when they walked into a room. At the time, I do not think I fully understood that it was a gift. I just knew I cared deeply about making moments feel intentional and beautiful.
Touch of Jewel Events & Designs was birthed from that passion. I started the company over 12 years ago while also building my corporate career in HR, project management, IT, and product management. Looking back, I can see how all of those worlds helped shape me into the planner and designer I am today. The creative side gives me the vision, but my corporate background gave me the structure, organization, leadership, and problem-solving skills needed to manage large-scale events, luxury weddings, destination celebrations, corporate experiences, and all the moving pieces that come with them.
Like most entrepreneurs, the journey has not been a straight line. I have had seasons where I was building the business late at night after work, learning the industry as I went, investing in my brand, figuring out pricing, balancing motherhood, marriage, faith, and business, and sometimes wondering if I was doing too much. But every season taught me something. Every client, every challenge, every event, and every mistake helped me grow.
Over the years, Touch of Jewel has evolved from a passion project into a luxury wedding and event planning brand known for thoughtful design, strong execution, cultural celebration, and elevated guest experiences. We have had the honor of planning weddings and events locally, nationally, and internationally, while serving clients from many different backgrounds. As a Nigerian-American woman, I also love that our brand has become a space where culture, family, beauty, and excellence can all come together in a meaningful way.
Today, I am proud of the brand we have built. Touch of Jewel has been recognized by platforms such as ESSENCE, Grace Ormonde, Loverly, VOGUE, BRIDES, BCollective, Dallas A-List, and other industry spaces, but what means the most to me is still the trust our clients place in us. It is a blessing to be invited into some of the most important moments of people’s lives.
I got here through faith, hard work, consistency, community, and a willingness to keep growing. I am still evolving, but I am grateful that what started as a natural love for creating beautiful experiences has become a brand with purpose, impact, and a story I am proud to keep building.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road, but I also do not think it was supposed to be.
Building a business while also building a life has come with a lot of stretching. When I started Touch of Jewel, I had just gotten married, had no kids yet, and was still growing in my corporate career. At the same time, I was learning the event industry, figuring out how to price my services, building trust with clients, and trying to prove that this was more than just a hobby.
In the beginning, I had to learn so much by doing. Some lessons were beautiful, and some were expensive. But they all taught me something. One of the biggest struggles has been learning how to balance all the parts of who I am as I continue to evolve through every milestone in life: wife, mother of three boys, business owner, career woman, and a person who cares deeply about faith, family, and purpose.
There have been seasons where I was planning events late at night, standing on my feet for 16+ hours while heavily pregnant, missing some of my kids’ tournament games to make another client’s event beautiful, answering emails after the kids went to bed, working my corporate job during the day, and still trying to show up for my family. That part has not always been easy. The magic question is always, “Can you have it all?” My response is yes, you can, but some sacrifices will have to be made along the way. Some may be worth it, and some, well… you have to answer that question for yourself. Lol.
There have also been challenges that come with being a woman, a Black woman, and a Nigerian-American entrepreneur in the luxury event space. Sometimes you are working twice as hard to be taken seriously, to communicate your value, and to not shrink yourself just to make other people comfortable. I have had to learn how to stand confidently in my pricing, my experience, and my creative voice.
Another challenge I have learned along the way is that we are in an industry where creatives are constantly having to prove themselves. The gap has become smaller between the creative who is truly exemplary and the newbie who may not have the same experience yet, but has all the bells and whistles to make social media look attractive.
For those of us who have been in the industry for a while, we have been forced to keep up with the newer generation in a way that is both challenging and necessary. Social media has changed the game completely. But the difficult part is that the true quality of what we do cannot always be captured in a pretty photo or a 30-second reel. You can taste food from a catering company and decide whether you want to hire them. You can listen to a DJ or band and know if you like their sound. But with an event planner, you usually cannot fully experience the depth of our service unless you have attended one of our events or worked with us directly. That means planners have to get more creative with how we market ourselves beyond the pretty images online. Because the truth is, pretty images do not always determine whether someone is a great planner or a mediocre one. There is so much more that happens behind the scenes.
Another struggle has been learning the business side of creativity. A lot of people see the flowers, the design, the travel, the celebration, and the beautiful photos, but they do not always see the contracts, logistics, staffing, budgets, late nights, problem-solving, hard conversations, and pressure that come with producing high-level events. I had to grow from simply being passionate about events to truly operating as a business owner and leader.
Another challenge has been building and maintaining a team. That part has come with its own lessons. I have had people come on board who did not have the best intentions, people who tried to take advantage of what I had built, and even situations where work, ideas, or processes were taken and used to start their own thing. That was hard, because when you are building something from the heart, it can feel very personal. On the other side of that, I have also had amazing team members who I was genuinely sad to see go, not because of anything negative, but simply because life had other plans for them. Through it all, I am grateful for the people who have been part of the Touch of Jewel journey from the beginning, whether in and out through different seasons, and especially for the team that is still with me today. I am also grateful for the strong network of industry peers who are always willing to step in, support, and lend an extra hand when needed. That kind of community means everything in this business.
But honestly, I am grateful for the road. The hard parts built my confidence. They taught me how to trust God, how to advocate for myself, how to protect my peace, how to lead better, and how to build a brand with more depth than just pretty events.
One big lesson I have learned is that comparison really is the thief of joy. You cannot constantly compare yourself or your brand to everyone else out there. Everyone’s race is different. You make the best of the opportunities you have, and sometimes you have to go out and find those opportunities because they are not always going to come looking for you.
Prayer and my trust in God have carried me through some long, lonely, and dark seasons in business. Because of Him, I am still here, still growing, and still thriving in my own element. I believe where I am is where He wants me to be, and I will keep trusting Him to make a way, no matter what the industry or the economy is saying.
So no, it has not been smooth, but it has been purposeful. And I think that is what makes the journey meaningful.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Touch of Jewel Events & Designs is a luxury wedding and event planning company based in Texas, serving clients locally, nationally, and internationally. We specialize in full-service wedding planning, destination weddings, social celebrations, corporate events, and culturally rich experiences that are intentional, elevated, and deeply personal. At the heart of our brand is the belief that an event should be more than beautiful. It should feel meaningful. It should feel like the people being celebrated. It should tell a story, honor culture, create connection, and leave guests with an experience they will remember long after the flowers are gone and the music stops.
We are known for blending thoughtful design with strong execution. A lot of people see the finished product: the florals, the tablescape, the fashion, the beautiful room reveal, the grand entrance, the emotional ceremony, the dancing, and the photos that live online. But what truly sets Touch of Jewel apart is everything that happens before that moment. It is the planning, strategy, communication, logistics, timeline management, vendor coordination, budget conversations, family dynamics, cultural traditions, team leadership, and quiet problem-solving that make the event feel effortless for the client.
I always say that luxury is not just about how something looks. Luxury is how people feel throughout the process. It is the confidence a client has when they know someone is thinking ten steps ahead. It is the peace of knowing the details are being managed. It is the comfort of having someone who can understand the vision, protect the experience, and still handle the unexpected with grace.
My background is one of the things that makes our brand different. Before and alongside building Touch of Jewel, I built a professional career in HR, project management, operations, technology, and product management. That corporate foundation has shaped the way I lead, organize, communicate, and execute. Event planning may look glamorous from the outside, but behind the scenes, it requires the same skills you need to manage complex projects, lead teams, mitigate risk, manage stakeholders, build systems, and deliver under pressure.
That experience has been a major asset in how I run Touch of Jewel. I do not approach events only from a creative lens. I approach them from a full experience lens. I am thinking about the design, yes, but I am also thinking about the guest flow, transportation, timing, vendor load-in, family expectations, production details, hospitality, budget priorities, risk points, and the overall emotional experience of the day.
We are also very intentional about cultural celebration. As a Nigerian-American woman, I understand how important it is for families to feel seen and respected in the planning process. Many of our clients come from multicultural, African, South Asian, Caribbean, Christian, or family-centered backgrounds where weddings are not just about two people. They are about two families, legacy, tradition, faith, community, and celebration. We know how to honor that while still creating an event that feels modern, elevated, and true to the couple.
What I am most proud of brand-wise is that Touch of Jewel has grown with purpose. While we have been recognized by so many global and international platforms in the industry space, the real reward is the trust our clients place in us. We are often invited into some of the most emotional, sacred, and high-pressure moments of people’s lives. That is not something I take lightly.
I am also proud that the brand has allowed me to evolve beyond just events. I am a wife, a mother of three boys, a business owner, a real estate investor, and someone who is becoming more intentional about building legacy. I care deeply about ownership, financial growth, family, faith, and creating opportunities that outlive me. That mindset influences how I show up in business. I am not just building a company for today; I am building something my children can learn from, be inspired by, and hopefully see as an example of what faith, hard work, and vision can create.
That same heart is also leading me into other initiatives, including building a community for mothers of sons, especially within the Black and African community. Motherhood has shaped so much of who I am, and I believe there is a need for honest, supportive spaces where mothers can talk about raising boys, building strong family foundations, and preparing our sons for real life.
I am also developing RJC3 Group, which represents a broader vision around business, finance, real estate, family, and legacy. For me, all of these pieces connect. Whether I am planning a luxury wedding, producing a corporate event, investing in real estate, building a community, or raising my boys, the common thread is intention. I want to build well. I want to serve well. I want to create experiences and opportunities that matter.
So when people ask what Touch of Jewel does, the simple answer is that we plan and design beautiful weddings and events. But the deeper answer is that we help people celebrate life’s most meaningful moments with beauty, structure, culture, heart, and excellence. We are not just here to make things pretty. We are here to create experiences that feel personal, organized, memorable, and deeply worth it.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is living a life that is rooted in faith, family, purpose, and legacy.
At this stage of my life, I care deeply about building something that is bigger than just me. I am a wife, a mother of three boys, a business owner, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a woman who is constantly trying to grow into the person God has called me to be. So what matters most is making sure that the life I am building has meaning, not just momentum. My faith matters most because it is truly the foundation that keeps me grounded. Business, motherhood, marriage, and life in general can all stretch you in different ways. There have been moments where I have had to lean on God in seasons that looked successful from the outside, but felt heavy behind the scenes. My faith reminds me that I am not doing any of this alone, and that every gift, opportunity, lesson, and closed door has a purpose.
My family also matters deeply to me. My husband and my boys are a huge part of my “why.” I want my children to see what it looks like to work hard, trust God, love people well, build with intention, and not be afraid to use their gifts. I want them to understand that success is not just about money, titles, recognition, or how things look online. Success is also peace, character, integrity, joy, ownership, love, and the ability to create opportunities for others. Legacy matters to me because I believe we are all building something, whether we realize it or not. The choices we make, the way we treat people, the work we put into the world, the values we teach our children, the businesses we build, and the communities we pour into all become part of the story we leave behind. That is why I am intentional about not only building Touch of Jewel, but also learning more about real estate, financial growth, family wealth, motherhood, and creating spaces that can impact others beyond myself.
People also matter to me. I think that is part of why I love events so much. At the core, events are about people. They are about gathering, celebrating, honoring love, building memories, and bringing families and communities together. Whether it is a wedding, a corporate event, a birthday, or a cultural celebration, I care about creating moments where people feel seen, valued, and celebrated. Ultimately, what matters most to me is being able to look back and know that I did not just chase success, I built a meaningful life. A life that honored God, loved my family well, served people well, created beauty, opened doors, and left something valuable behind.
Pricing:
- Full Custom Planning & Design: 15%–20% of the overall event budget, with a minimum planning and design fee of $15,000
- Full-Service Wedding & Destination Event Planning: Starting at $12,500
- Virtual & Hybrid Planning: Starting at $5,500
- Event Management & Execution: Starting at $3,500
- Destination Weddings, Corporate Events & Multi-Day Celebrations: Custom pricing based on location, guest count, travel, production needs, logistics, and overall scope
Contact Info:
- Website: https://touchofjewel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/touch_of_jewel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Touchofjewel/
- Twitter: https://share.google/Ml4dj06ghP6gEQTxJ
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TouchofJewelEventsDesignsLLC
- Yelp: https://touchofjewel.com/contact
- soundcloud: https://www.tiktok.com/@touchofjewel.events
