IT did not happen overnight but she had been thinking about it for some time. Nihad Sulaimani was working on her final project at King Abdul Aziz University when she decided to design a website for weddings. A year has passed since she came up with the idea and now she owns her own website with detailed information on how to organize and plan wedding festivities.
Sulaimani’s idea bore fruit in September 2000. She was helped by her sister, Noha, a PR manager, and Deena Hakim, a project manager. The three entrepreneurs set up bases all over the Kingdom. There are now four women working in Jeddah, one in Riyadh and another in the Eastern Province. The business has also expanded to include Taif, Dhahran, Madinah, Makkah, Bahrain and even Dubai and Egypt.
Thanks to the Internet, all you have to do is log on to Sulaimani’s website at www.saudiafrah.com and piles of information are readily available. The site provides information about services and accessories for the special occasion. The site includes information, from "choosing ballrooms, to dreamy dresses, exquisite makeup" and flower arrangements. There are also those little things that many brides might forget while caught up with day-to-day wedding arrangements. Such items may include "an extra bag with important accessories such as aspirin, breath mints or gum and panty hose."
The site is also useful for other reasons as well. There are icons such as "wedding music suggestions," "step by step wedding planning," and "talking to a wedding coordinator."
So how do you start? Simply follow the user-friendly steps online. You can either browse on the Net for beauty tips or search in other categories from flowers, dress designers, jewelry, singers’ platforms, wedding cakes and wedding halls to hiring photographers, cards, gifts, tourism packages, interior design, furniture, discount cards and budget. You can also send in questions via e-mail — but before inquiring, check the archived Q&A; your question may have already been asked and answered. Even better, go to www.saudiafrah.com with your budget and they will arrange things within your limits.
The objective of the website is to help customers plan their weddings smoothly and to publicize clients’ companies and products. That way, both customers and clients benefit from the new service. Saudiafrah.com also arranges contests, gives out free gifts on the Net and so forth.
In fact, saudiafrah.com has gained so much support that many Saudis are seeking to develop their own websites as well. "Afrah" is the second newly established business. "This will help us," said Hakeem. "It will increase competition."
Saudiafrah.com profits in many ways. One is to attract the customer to buy products advertised on the Net — through attractive discount packages that may reach up to 50 percent or more. Planning the customers’ budgets from A to Z and advertising on Saudiafrah.com are also paid for.
There are plans for Saudiafrah.com to expand, explains Nihad. She hopes to create a site to advertise baby products and accessories for special occasions.
"We’ve achieved a lot," said Noha. "We have lots of people sending their inquiries to us and asking for our help. They’ve even offered to help us."
There are, of course, obstacles that Noha, Nihad and Deena face. "Some people aren’t used to the Internet," said Nihad, "while others would rather plan their weddings themselves rather than ask for help."
It is only a matter of time though before people get the hang of it. Until that time, however, you might as well visit their website and start from there.
