Spotlight Friday With Tatum Pettrey of Make My Day Wedding & Event Planning

I had the pleasure of interviewing Tatum Pettrey of Make My Day Wedding and Event Planning all the way from Jacksonville, FL.

Wedit: How did you get your start in the Event Planning Industry?

Tatum: I have always been organized and great at logistics and always had an eye for design. After I planned my wedding I found that my talents could really be useful in the industry. I sold wedding dresses for a while which is when I knew I would love working with brides. I became a certified wedding planner after I graduated college and started my business when I moved from Oklahoma to Florida. I have gone on to create the Make My Day Wedding Expo and have really loved helping create beautiful memories.

Wedit: What is your favorite part of the industry?

Tatum: Connecting with other professionals is one of my favorite parts of being in this industry. Many other event professionals are small business owners who are in a similar path as myself and it has been wonderful to connect with like-minded people and collaborate on designs as well as working as a team to make a happy client.

Wedit: What are your favorite wedding trends this year?

Tatum: I love that more couples are focusing on the experience of their wedding and making sure there are details that the guests will remember forever. Whether that be notes to the guests at their place settings or personalized wedding favors that are meaningful, etc.

I also love the dessert bar trend – I am a huge sweets girl – so this is a fun trend for me.

Another favorite is lounge seating. I think these are such fun photo ops and an easy way to add decor to a space!

Wedit: What is the biggest change you have seen since the start of your career?

Tatum: The way brides are finding their wedding professionals is always changing – when I first started my business, we received a lot of leads from The Knot and Facebook and now we are starting to see a transition to Instagram.

We are also seeing changes in the length of engagements or brides taking longer to book their vendors.

Wedit: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

Tatum: Serve your clients well and perform at a great quality. Don’t let others discourage you – if you are running your business to a high standard, you don’t need to worry about what others are doing.

Also, community over the competition is a big deal to me. We strongly believe that you can be friends and help other business owners who do the same thing as you do. We love to encourage others!

Website: http://www.mmdplanning.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/makemydayplanning

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mmdplanning