Rhiannon Downie Hurst

Founder / Editor in Chief at Bride Club ME

Speaker

Rhiannon Downie-Hurst is a multi-passionate entrepreneur and the founder of Club Media FZE, a digital publishing and creative marketing agency. Her entrepreneurial journey commenced in April 2012, upon her engagement, when she faced numerous unanswered questions and encountered a notable lack of inspiration in planning her wedding. This personal experience led her to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the bridal media landscape in the UAE, where she identified a significant market gap for a contemporary, sophisticated, and interactive platform. This platform was envisioned not only to inspire brides-to-be but also to serve as a comprehensive, curated marketplace providing access to vendors, venues, and crucial guidance for navigating the intricacies of wedding planning. Additionally, she aimed to create a platform that would facilitate networking and business interactions within the UAE wedding industry at a business-to-business (B2B) level. Thus, BrideClubME.com was created.

A decade after its launch, Bride Club ME has evolved to become the premier online wedding platform and community in the region, catering to brides and grooms planning their weddings in the UAE and further afield. It has become the central hub for the UAE’s wedding sector, fostering connectivity and collaboration among industry professionals. Beyond her contributions to Bride Club ME, Rhiannon has emerged as a distinguished speaker within the wedding industry, participating in esteemed events such as the RSVP Symposium in Venice, the Destination Wedding Planning Congress in QATAR, and various wedding fairs and expos globally. Rhiannon is also a regular wedding industry expert guest host on both radio and television.

In 2015, she launched RhiannonDownieHurst.com, establishing the first business consultancy in the UAE dedicated to assisting wedding entrepreneurs, businesses, tourism boards, hotels, and creatives in developing their marketing strategies and activations within the wedding market. Her profound insights into the UAE and MENA wedding markets, from both consumer and vendor perspectives, have been instrumental in promoting the region as a leading destination for weddings, contributing to a 30% increase in destination weddings in the UAE over the last decade.

Rhiannon’s expertise and leadership have been recognized in numerous articles across global entrepreneurship platforms, newspapers, and wedding magazines, including prestigious publications such as The National, Khaleej Times, Time Out Dubai, Style Me Pretty, Good Magazine, Bridal Musings, and Asian Bride.

Furthermore, Rhiannon is the co-founder of The Big Proposals, a luxury proposal planning company. Her extensive career and contributions to the wedding and events industry underscore her commitment to innovation, excellence, and enhancing the wedding planning experience in the UAE and beyond.