Funke Bucknor-Obruthe

Some events come and go. Others stay with you long after the lights go out, long after the music fades. Those are the kind of experiences Funke Bucknor-Obruthe has built her name on.

As the force behind Zapphaire Events — a brand known for creating events made just for you — Funke has spent over two decades shaping celebrations that feel personal, intentional and unforgettable. Since founding the company in 2003, she and her team have delivered more than 500 weddings and events, from Lagos society to destination celebrations across Europe, the Middle East and beyond.

Her portfolio spans luxury weddings, high-profile society events and large-scale corporate functions, including landmark celebrations like the royal wedding of the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, alongside projects for leading brands, banks and multinationals. In 2023 she was crowned the Destination Wedding Planners (DWP) ACE Awards Planner Globetrotter of the Year for Africa — a global recognition of a body of work that consistently crosses borders without losing its soul.

She is a lawyer-turned-event architect — a graduate of the University of Lagos and the Nigerian Law School — known for blending precision with creativity, bringing structure to complexity and turning ideas into experiences that feel effortless. What truly sets her apart isn't just the scale of her work. It's the fact that she saw the future early. At a time when event planning wasn't widely recognised as a profession in Nigeria, she built systems, introduced standards and created a blueprint that many in the industry now follow, often without even realising it.

And she didn't stop at execution. Through the Zapphaire Academy, her mentorship circles and speaking platforms across Africa, Europe and North America — plus her writing, including the book Perfect Weddings — she continues to shape the next generation of planners, showing that excellence is not luck, it's built. There's something deeply powerful about her journey. She didn't just create events: she created direction. She didn't just follow a path: she made one.

As this list unfolds, Funke Bucknor-Obruthe stands tall as a reminder that true impact goes beyond moments — it lives in the standards you leave behind.