Somer Khouri Bedran

My name is Somer Khouri Bedran, and I am Syrian. I was born in the USA to an immigrant father from Syria and a Third-Generation Syrian American mother. I grew up in Cleveland and spent my summers between Syria and Lebanon. My husband is Lebanese; born and raised in Lebanon. I am a mother of three little ones, and I try to seize the opportunity every day to create wonderful and precious memories with my family. I went to High school at St Joseph Academy in Cleveland and I graduated with my BSBA in Marketing from John Carroll University. I also studied at Virginia Marti College of Art and Design. I am the Co-Founder and Event Director of “A Charming Fete”, which is named a Best Wedding Planner in America by BRIDES magazine. As the Events Director, I oversee the planning, production and execution of contracted events, direct weddings and high profile social events, and corporate events for my clients. Our work with “A Charming Fete” has been featured on BRIDES, Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, Elle Décor, inStyle, and Style Me Pretty. My family owns and operates the Land Rover/Jaguar/ Volvo Westside Dealership, and I manage the dealership when I am not planning events. While growing up, my father was my inspiration in business, although he wasn't artistic as an event planner perhaps, but I always looked up to him for a sense of strength when operating business and running the show. My dad inspired me to shatter stereotypes towards women in business. He always gave me the power to be all that u can be. My father came here with nothing and built himself with no help. I am proud of my heritage in every way, You will find me dancing in my kitchen to Arabic music and constantly making foods that my family enjoys. I love being able to show my friends everything that is amazing about our culture. Never forget where you come from, your heritage is what makes you! And as Nelson Mandela once said, “I never lose. I either learn or win.” Every day is a learning opportunity, and every moment is a step closer to winning.