Nikki Begg spends her life putting out fires. But Ms Begg is no firefighter. She is a wedding organiser extraordinaire who in a day's work deals with problems that would turn most brides' hair white and would force the less faint hearted to seriously consider cancelling their big day.

But the customer rarely knows about the nail-biting scenarios - and sail through the day marvelling at how smoothly things have gone - none the wiser that Ms Begg has pulled a rabbit out of the hat once again after the flowers were left on the tarmac in New York or the restaurant cancelled the booking at the last minute.

"I think of myself as someone spinning plates," said Ms Begg, who set up her wedding business, Bermuda Brides in 1999. "You start at one end and have to keep the whole lot spinning all the time."

Several surveys have shown that getting married is the most stressful thing people do in their lives - more stressful than losing a loved one or a job.

So the canny who want to avoid going grey young, hire wedding organisers to take the stress out of getting hitched. And Ms Begg has carved herself a niche in the market, catering almost exclusively to people who come to Bermuda to have their dream wedding.

She said: "We specialise in planning, co-ordinating and designing each aspect of a destination wedding. The emphasis has always been on simple yet elegant affairs. From an intimate ceremony for two to a more elaborate affair, we work within the clients' budget to create a day that reflects their personal style."

And Bermuda Brides has grown every year, with business flooding in through her website and carefully placed adverts in the US press.

Ms Begg said: "Ninety-two percent of our clients are over 23, female and from the US. Young, old, widowed, divorced, sometimes pregnant, often demanding but always in love and about to be married; often not for the first time, but all with a desire to escape a traditional ceremony that is often too expensive and a reception with relatives they might never see again.

"They feel overwhelmed, don't have time to make the arrangements themselves but don't know where to start but know what they want.

"They are looking for something fun, intimate and memorable, simple yet elegant. In most instances they are paying for the wedding themselves rather than their parents. They look to us as a sounding board, for reassurance and gentle guidance, for ideas and advice on etiquette. We capture people at one of the best times in their lives. What could be better than that?"

But Ms Begg, always the entrepreneur, has bigger plans for her company but was finding it difficult to find which way to go and her company faced challenges in expanding.

She said: "We need to expand but I don't want to hire someone who doesn't embody our philosophy. However, Bermuda is a wealthy environment and good, talented people are already employed and being paid great salaries. It is exceptionally difficult to compete with that.

"The cost of flights to Bermuda and hotel rates affect peoples' decision as to the viability to host their Island wedding and whether their friends can afford to come. If Bermuda ceases to be financially viable, there will be less destination weddings. It is not so much Bermuda high cost of living, but other countries providing less expensive alternatives.

"Due to immigration we are unable to bring in photographers and while Bermuda has several great wedding photographers, they are often booked well in advance. I would rather turn down a wedding than provide a service I feel does not meet the clients' expectations."

But in a bid to expand she recently entered a competition organised by the Star Group for The Leading Women Entrepreneurs of The World Annual Business Development grant.

She won $5,000 to take her business on to the next level - helping her expand into the lucrative local market.

She is set to open a "wedding library" where brides will be able to go in a choose between venues, churches, beaches, restaurants and so on - even down to being able to feel the different kinds of table linens to choose from for the reception.

"It really is taking the business to another stage," said Ms Begg. "It will allow brides and bridegrooms come in, settle into big comfy sofas with a nice cup of coffee and help them get the wedding they want."

Ms Begg also wants to set up Island-wide registry of gifts which will be online and allow brides to register in several shops through the Bermuda Bride name.

Ms Begg, like most entrepreneurs, almost stumbled into her business when a friend asked her to organise her wedding for her. She ended up making no money ("I'm sure I paid for half of that wedding," she said) but knew she was on to something.

"I borrowed $5,000 in March, 2000 and invested the loan and $4,000 of my own money by developing a website," said Ms Begg. "The loan was paid it back with seven percent interest in July of the same year as the company was making a profit. The website is our number one marketing tool. People love it and although it seemed like a big investment at the time, has been worth every penny.

"I achieved profitability by doing every wedding that was offered, following every lead and developing a solid reputation. The first year I worked alone and spent next to nothing. I bought a second-hand filing cabinet, was given a desk and chair, invested in a fast computer and painted my office yellow.

"After the first year, I invested half of Bermuda Bride's profits into Petals, a florist. This amount has been repaid and the company showed a small profit after its first year. Petals has now expanded into the corporate market to ensure year-round floral business."

Ms Begg has had to learn her business acumen the hard way and has had to learn by her mistakes. One of her first hard lessons was when she confided in a businessman about the idea for her website and she claims he stole the idea by setting it up on his own as soon as her back was turned.

"The biggest thing to remember when you have your own company is to learn from your mistakes," she said. "You have to take the knocks and move on. And remember not to do that again.

"My r?sum? looks like a 'random walk through Wall Street'. I have always been in either sales, marketing or in an administrative capacity.

"At 17, I became a make-up artist in London and entered a world where much could be created, with just a little imagination. Before I started Bermuda Bride, I was an executive secretary at the Bank of Bermuda that in turn lead to a marketing role. I learned that if you are going to work exceptionally hard and be paid the same salary, you might as well work for yourself.

"I thoroughly enjoy being with people. I believe that if we truly listen to our clients, we will learn what they really want but also should convey to them what they also need and why. My frustration at seeing how events were being run challenged me to prove it could be different, fun, memorable, a success."

And she is taking the knowledge she has gained over the past four years and putting it into her new venture.

"There is an absolute need for an incredible, stylish wedding website with the contents mirrored in a physical wedding library. The award will enable me to purchase the domain name and develop the site.

"For a fee, service providers would have their details and examples of their work on the site, and maintain a portfolio within the library once it had been established.

"The site will hopefully become the premier source for a destination wedding in Bermuda. Once established, the funds to set up the library would be in place.

"Those visiting either the site or the library could source and view a selection of service providers (locations, churches, bands, photographers and so on), find out about locations, availability, pricing and conditions; all enabling them to narrow their choices and ultimately save time. In essence they could arrange their own wedding. Nonetheless, those who wish to use a wedding planner always will."

Ms Begg says she has worked around the clock to make sure that she provides the best service possible and she could not have made as much a success of it without the support of colleagues, friends and family.

She has two full-time staff, but relies on a core of about 20 people who help her make the dream weddings a weekly event for her customers. When she expands into her wedding library next year, she will take on at least one more member of staff to help with the business.

"I truly don't believe that I could even where I am today without several very special people. The most important is my husband, Curtis, who has supported me, tolerated my absences and insomnia, brought me coffee and fed me for the past four years. He is my voice of reason, has taught me much about business - especially how to read financial spreadsheets. He offers his experience, wisdom, support and unconditional love."

She also attributes part of her success to Hugh Murray Mason at Insight, who designed her marketing materials.

She said: "I vividly recall sitting in his studio, my arms wildly gesticulating as I was trying to explain this vision I wanted. I am sure I have pushed him to his patience and creative limits in search of getting it absolutely right. He is always receptive to my mad ideas and seeks ways to make them happen.

"I work with such incredibly great and gifted people. I am sure I am a bear at times... I push hard. They make me laugh. We work hard together and play hard together. They follow me blindly, without question. Without them, I have nothing."