For Diann, All of Her Valentine's Days Are Happy Ones

Wedding planner is not enough to describe Oakland, California native Diann Valentine (no...Valentine is not a stage name).

She is a wedding designer aficionado and queen of the Big Day fantasy makers. A former host of Mark Burnett's, Wedding Day on TNT, she is now in the beginning production stages of I Do Over for WeTV. (No premiere date yet). [http://www.wetv.com/we-tv-casting#newweddingshow]

In June of 2009, I spoke with Ms Valentine by telephone and asked her what was the most ''...'unusual' wedding she had ever planned. Her response "Wedding events are never unusual, per se, because each bride and groom has their own ideas about what they want." Her job as a wedding planner is not only to fulfill those desires, but to provide a support system to help diffuse the stress level that comes naturally with these types of affairs.

Asked if she had any true 'bridezilla' stories to tell, she said "I really hate that depiction of brides because it's very unfair to them. Brides get a bad rap -- this is a woman in love who is marrying the man of her dreams. She is excited, she's nervous, she is mostly scared, and part of it is because she becomes fearful that she's spent too much money. It's a very stressful situation and my job is to make it all go smoothly. I don't see it as throwing a ''¹..."big party,' I don't do that. I help them to celebrate a milestone in life, which for quite a few of my clients, is the very first time."

Valentine's career as a wedding planner began in high school, when a cousin asked her to plan her wedding. From there, her first business, "Memories," was formed before she finished high school.

Forever "in love with love," she says she did not envision herself as a wedding planner until the moment she realized "I didn't choose it, it chose me." Knowing that a pledge of lifetime commitment is not to be taken lightly, her ''¹..."aha' moment came when found happiness in the company of excited people looking forward to sharing a precious gift to each other: Themselves.

Valentine took on the Bay Area's elite, overcoming a moment in life that found her single parenting at the age of 20 while she was still a college sophomore. Since then, her dreams have reached beyond their wildest. Her work landed her in southern California, where she chanced upon a gig (what she calls her "big break") as wedding producer for actress Lela Rochon and director Antoine Fuqua. Her past clientele included entertainment industry well-knowns Usher, singer/entertainer Kelis, Toni Braxton, Chante Moore, and Kenny Lattimore.

She formed D.R. Valentine & Associates, Inc. of Los Angeles. She was featured in InStyle, Brides, Essence magazines, and USA Today . She appeared on E! News Daily , ABC's InStyle Celebrity Wedding Special , and Entertainment Tonight , as well as on CNN and HGTV.

Valentine's first coffee table book, Weddings Valentine Style , was released in January 2006 by Atria, a division of Simon and Schuster. The cover featured the beaded back of Kelis' emerald and gold wedding dress. Inside are pictorial essays, inspirational messages, and tips from Valentine on achieving the fantasy wedding of a lifetime.

You can reach Ms Valentine on her website, http://diannvalentine.com/.