Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiana Wilson of Nicolle Danielle’s
Hi Tiana, 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 backstories with our readers?
My name is Tiana Wilson, and I am the Owner and Lead Planner at Nicolle Danielle’s Event Planning and Design based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The team consists of myself and my sister, Cassea, who I like to call our COO. It takes a team to make this business work, and I consider myself lucky to be able to work alongside my sister to bring event visions to life.
As for the story, I feel like our story is a unique one because of how it all began. Nicolle Danielle’s wouldn’t be what it is today if it were not for its inception over 30 years ago when my mother first created Nicolle Danielle’s as a children’s clothing boutique that was located in Fort Worth, TX. And although the world wasn’t ready for what she had to offer at the time, that small piece of history/ namesake of the company lives on through me and my sister.
At an early age, I knew there was a level of grit and grind that was needed to run a business, especially being a young black woman; but with the right amount of drive and determination, and my parents always encouraging us (me and my siblings), we were always up and ready for the challenge.
One day, I asked my mom about her clothing boutique business… she gave us all the “tea” and more especially having reared 4 kids during that time with my dad. My parents are amazing humans, and in the face of any adversity that stood in front of them, they gave us the best life a child could imagine along with the best bits of advice and wisdom even to this day . “Work hard and you’ll get there, just keep pushing,” is what my dad would say…. and my mom, the one thing I will always remember her saying is this, “Stop focusing on what you don’t want to be, what you don’t want to do, and what you shouldn’t be doing. Focus on what you want to do, what you should be doing, and who you want to become. “- Nova Sheppard-Wilson.
Having the name Nicolle Danielle’s, and being able to take this company to another level has been a blessing in itself. It was, after all, me and my sister’s middle names; we are just in the 2.0 version of it and climbing.
Needless to say, all of what my mom started 30-plus years ago didn’t just vanish into thin air. Nicolle Danielle’s laid a solid foundation for my entrepreneurship endeavors.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running your own business(es) has its pits and its peaks. There are levels of doubt, the feeling of people being against you, and then deciding between having a small successful business, or having a personal life. You learn your own way through those thoughts, and then decide that by moving forward you CAN have it all. We have been doing events since 2010, but took a little hiatus from the industry between 2014-2015. We picked ourselves back up, and then in 2020 there was COVID. Adversity hit the hardest during COVID both personally and professionally, but we considered ourselves some of the lucky few who were able to keep our business going. We were extremely motivated to be more, to do more, to give more, and to better foster relationships not just on a personal level, but with our industry mates as well.
Believe me, it was hard gaining clients, sometimes feeling like we were up against the wall, competing with the next person, saying at times, “why is it so easy for this person and not for us”. Well, we’ve obviously had to remove that form of thinking, to taking ownership of our lives and this business. It’s like waking up one day and realizing that the only person or people standing in the way of your greatness is you.
In all, we decided to push forward knowing that from day one, when Nicolle Danielle’s was created… there was strength behind that name, and we were destined to continue to do everything in our power to give this metroplex we love so dearly, a piece of us by bringing events and weddings to life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Planning events and being creative is our thing, big or small; but we especially have a soft spot for weddings because, at the end of the day, we just love LOVE.
As for me, personally, I consider myself more than just a wedding planner or an event planner. I am a creator, a counselor at times, and a pretty awesome communicator. I keep it real with all of our couples and clients and strive my very best to make sure their big day is stress-free and as beautiful as they imagined. The same can be said for Cassea. She is extremely creative, has a background in producing things, very driven, goes above and beyond, and is quite the wordsmith. In all, we balance each other out, and the fact that we are sisters and we do this together, I think sets us apart from others.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Speaking more positive affirmations, and if I could add one more…listening to people. I think both are important parts of the equation to being successful. If you listen more instead of debating all the time, or thinking “you” or “your way” is always the right way, you can get a lot further than you think. Not saying that you should be 100% passive, but know your limit, use your words with grace, and be an active listener to achieve better and higher results.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nicolledanielles.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolledanielles
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolledanielleseventplanningservices/
- Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/nicolle-danielles-event-planning-and-design-keller-tx-2040126
Image Credits
Indy Photography
Madeline Shea Photography
McAuliffe Photography
