A former hairdresser from Belfast said she intends to “take down the south of Ireland” with her new business after being crowned the first winner of BBC Two series Ultimate Wedding Planner.
Chantelle Walsh was one of eight aspiring wedding planners on the series, but emerged victorious after going head-to-head in the final against London-based former dancer Toby Hawker with her regency extravaganza for couple Aaron and Ordain.
As champion, she won a tailored package designed to help launch her own wedding business, along with exclusive mentoring and an introduction into the industry from wedding planner expert and judge Raj Somaiya.
Walsh, who switched careers to wedding planning after being made redundant during the coronavirus pandemic, said she is still in “complete shock” after judges Fred Sirieix, Sara Davies and Somaiya named her as the winner in the final episode which aired on Tuesday evening.
Speaking about her plans after the show, the 30-year-old told the PA news agency: “I’ve already done two events with Raj when the show finished and he is planning on coming over to Ireland, we want to tap into that market.
“Obviously I’m from Northern Ireland, which is very small and very limited.
“I like to always be challenged and I like being made to feel uncomfortable so we are going to try and take down the south of Ireland, because there’s a lot more big brands and corporate events happening there.
“So together what we plan on doing is taking down the south.”
Walsh picked Somaiya as her favourite judge on the BBC programme, describing him as “exactly who I aspire to be”.
“He really took me under his wing, probably more so than is even expected of him…But he’s like ‘you’re my prodigy, this is what we’re going do and you’re going to be amazing’,” she told PA.
“He is the kindest soul ever…Anything he tells you, you know he’s not saying it just to be nasty, he always has your best interests at heart, and anything he tells you is to make you a better version of yourself.
“What I have learned from him in the past year, you couldn’t get that anywhere, no matter what degree or course or anything that you’ve done.”
The former hairdresser described herself as having “imposter syndrome” during her time on the show, adding that she originally thought she was making a fool out of herself.
However, she said the support she has received from her friends, family and fans from her “small” home town of Belfast has been “crazy”.
She told PA: “When I first put myself out to go on the show I was really worried as to what people would think.
“But since the show being on, I have had the nicest messages ever from people saying that it has been so inspiring and it has pushed them on to do things that they would never have done.
“I didn’t expect this so I feel although winning the show has been (great), the best thing about it is seeing how all the community has come together and they’re all backing me…I can’t believe it.”
The debut series saw eight wedding planners from across the country, including Powys, Hull, Leicestershire, Plymouth, Kent and Luton, organise six themed weddings for real-life couples before Walsh was crowned the champion.
Judge Somaiya said: “Chantelle has a calmness about her beyond her experience and the ability to really understand a couple and what they want from their day.
“These qualities are imperative to being a successful wedding planner and it’s in her DNA.
“Chantelle is going to be a great wedding planner, I’m excited to see where her career goes from here.”
Ultimate Wedding Planner is available on BBC iPlayer
