N.C. A&T Alumna Makes Her Mark in the Upscale and Luxury Wedding Industry

Excellence will always be produced with strong will and discipline, and Nishaka Proctor ‘00 is living proof. She is the owner and executive luxe event planner and producer for Events By Nishaka located in Greensboro, North Carolina. For 14 years, she has built a highly sought-after business due to her unique gift that brings together style, sophistication, and timeless memories.

Events By Nishaka is a full-service wedding producer and designer company that specializes in high-quality, upscale and luxury weddings, destination weddings, proposal planning, and executive coaching.  

“I was raised in a military family and my parents instilled in me that whatever I set my hands to do, I must do it with all my might,” said Proctor. “I have taken this philosophy throughout my entire life, and I have applied the spirit of excellence to my business.”

Proctor, a native of Anniston, Alabama, originally attended Hampton University with the belief that she was destined to become an engineer. After two years, she decided to transfer to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to major in business administration.

“I wasn’t focused at Hampton, and I knew I had to return to my purpose that aligned with my passion and goals,” said Proctor. “When I arrived at North Carolina A&T, I was laser-focused and disciplined in my academics because my environment changed, and I was studying with the best.”

After graduation in 2000, Proctor joined General Electric located in Louisville, Kentucky in their sales and marketing program. She worked in the appliance division as an area sales manager for seven years and was transferred to the Greensboro location.

“In 2007, the economy took a dip and I remember the whispers in the industry of layoffs, so I started preparing myself for the shift,” Proctor said.

“All of the layoffs started happening within weeks and I remember a message from the late Bishop Otis Lockett Sr., founder of Evangel Fellowship, taught on connecting with your passion,” she said. “I was eventually laid off and I made a decision to start an event planning business and I invested my savings into the company, and I never looked back.” 

In 2007, Events by Nishaka was birthed and solely focused on corporate events such as golf tournaments, lunch and learns, church events, and social events.

“I am the pretty version of hustle. I networked my butt off at business events, galas and positioned myself in leadership roles,” she said. “I gained traction from corporate clients due to my warm personality that increased my credibility in the industry.”

Two years before starting her business, Proctor provided makeup services to a bride and in 2008, she planned her first wedding. In 2011, she fell in love with the wedding industry and went on to pursue her wedding planning certification.

“Becoming a full-time entrepreneur has allowed me to uncover a gift I didn’t know existed as a designer and planner,” she said. “I honestly make my client my muse: I study their likes and dislikes, favorite colors, style, and bring to life their dreams. My clients are always top of mind for me, and I incorporate them 100% into the planning process.”

In 2020, when the pandemic hit, it impacted several hospitality and service-based businesses, and the news was daunting for the wedding industry.

However, that wasn’t the case for Events by Nishaka. The business received nearly 200 inquiries and 12 events were produced safely during the pandemic.

“Initially, I didn’t know how the year was going to look but I remembered what Bishop Lockett Sr. taught us in his book, ‘Understanding Your Divine Calling,’ to always have six months of reserve if anything happens,” Proctor said. “So, I wasn’t worried. I stayed focused, and the track record of my company spoke for itself. We entered 2021 with a booked calendar year and superseded financial goals before the year began.”

In the future, Proctor plans to shift to fewer weddings with budgets on a higher scale, expand services to celebrity clients, and add business coaching services for entrepreneurs.

“As an entrepreneur, you have to be everyone in the business organizational chart, and it takes time to build a great team. I am fortunate to have a team of 12 professionals who have worked with me for more than 11 years,” she said.

To learn more about Events by Nishaka, please visit www.eventsbynishaka.com.