I have had the wonderful privilege of knowing and have worked with the incredibly talented Tamara Jones of Tamara J Events. For over a decade Tamara has been planning and elegantly designing gorgeous weddings in Northern California, and all around the country. Her reputation in the wedding industry far precedes her as being an amazingly fun and inspiring woman to work with! Tamara is well known for her creativity, and incredible organization and attention to the smallest details that will make your wedding day amazing!
Recently we stat down with Tamara to chat about what the benefits are of having a wedding planner organizing and designing one of the biggest days of your life. Here is how our chat went. 🙂
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Interview with Tamara Jones
Brian: For those that may not be familiar with your work, please tell us how you got into the wedding industry, and what you love about it.
Tamara: My career in the wedding industry began quiet differently than most planners. I worked for a radio station in the San Francisco Bay Area planning promotional events and concerts. One day, while producing a jazz festival, one of the artists handed me a bunch of papers and asked if I could help him sort things out. Well my focus was getting him on stage and what was happening on the three other stages at the event.
He pressed, I said I’d look at it, stuck them all in the back of my pants and went on about the show. When I looked at all the papers, I realized it all had to do with weddings, his wedding and I thought I don’t do weddings. After some back and forth discussion, I decided I could do it….I mean after all I was used to producing events for thousands, how hard could this one day event be? I planned and produced that first wedding and I was hooked. I loved the details, I loved meeting the families, the bride, the friends and seeing how much love was being poured into this one special day. I pour a lot of love into each wedding that I do and I think of my couples as part of my family.
Brian: Why should someone hire a wedding planner to help plan their wedding?
Tamara: Your wedding day is different than any other day of your life. It’s the day you make a conscious decision to commit yourself to another person and whatever life brings. It’s a day filled with emotion, joy, nerves, laughter and a MILLION details. Do you want to take in all that the day brings and enjoy the day or would you rather be focused on the work that goes into the day? A wedding planner helps articulate your vision to a myriad of vendors who all work together to help make your day one that you will never forget. You should remember your mom’s smile or your grandma’s tears seeing you in your dress for the first time. Brides that have a good wedding planner can be a guest at their own party!
Brian: Doesn’t the venue provide staff to help coordinate the wedding?
Tamara: There is a difference between venue staff and a wedding planner or coordinator. The venue staff’s main function is to care for the venue, not to coordinate your families, guests, vendors and personal details. As a wedding planner, I tend to the personal elements of your event and coordinate with all the vendors. I know which guest is going to need special assistance or that special love note that your father wants to read to you when he comes to walk you down the aisle.
Brian: How many hours, on average, does it take to plan a wedding?
Tamara: Weddings are living, breathing elements and include many details. I would say that the number of hours depends on the complexity of the wedding….an elopement may be about 15-20 hours, a full service or destination wedding could be anywhere from 80-120 hours, not including the 10-14 hours the day of the wedding and 2-3 hours on rehearsal day.
Brian: What makes Tamara J Events so unique? How do you stand out among so many other wedding planners in the area?
Tamara: There are so many talented planners in our industry. I am truly thankful to have been in this business for the past 10 years. I’ve seen a lot and learned much more and what I’ve realized is that hiring your wedding vendors is much like dating….you look for certain characteristics that are going to bode well with your personality and aesthetic.
My reputation, work ethic, personality and attention to detail have afforded me the opportunity to create a company and atmosphere that my clients enjoy, trust and believe in.
Brian: You’ve talked with me in the past about the difference between a full time wedding planner, and one that does it part time to make extra money on the weekends. Can you please spend a moment and share with my readers why having a full time wedding planner is so valuable?
Tamara: One of the key elements in planning successful weddings and events is the relationships I have with other vendors and the trust I can place in them to bring their best to the table. I can’t make solid connections, do the extensive research or make the multitude of site visits and be able to adequately recommend to my clients the right vendors if I can’t connect to the industry because I’m focused on my day job. How do I tell my bride that I can only be of service to her after 5pm or on the weekends? Ultimately, this is a service industry and if we can only service to our clients on a minimal scale, perhaps we’re actually doing them a dis-service.
Brian: What is your process when you are hired to plan a wedding?
Tamara: I like to learn about my couple as much as possible so that I can best articulate their desires on their wedding day and help make their event a true reflection of the couple. I then develop or review their budget, make vendor recommendations and start building the layout of the wedding day. I am also notorious for the three-day world wind tour, however. With many of my clients, we set aside three days and in that time we meet with the caterers, florists, photographers, linen, music, venue and officiant. It’s a lot of work in a very short amount of time, but it allows clients to focus on key elements and then get comprehensive on all the other details.
Brian: Where and how do you find inspiration?
Tamara: Inspiration comes to me from so many avenues. I’ve designed a wedding around a pair of black ruffled heels, a world globe and Indian spices. I also find inspiration in the architecture of buildings, old furniture, classic clothing and sometimes it’s in the story of the couple or something sentimental. I once designed a wedding around the lace of a bride’s grandmother’s dress. I had the dress deconstructed, created an overlay to the bride’s dress and the pattern of the cake.
Brian: What is the process should a bride go through in selecting a wedding planner that fits the vision they have for their special day?
Tamara: Interview your wedding planner and know that they are interviewing you. See if they listen to your vision and offer keen insight for you to consider. Are they conscious of your budget and realistic in their suggestions and don’t be afraid to speak to a bride they’ve worked with in the past. Also, ask what components your planner was responsible for when you look at their portfolio – was it a day of coordination, full service and did they also design the event (décor, etc).
For more information, and to book Tamara J Events for your wedding contact Tamara at:
Tamara Jones
https://www.facebook.com/tamarajevents
(707) 303-0331
Brian MacStay Photography is NOW booking for 2013 weddings! Contact us today for packages and availability!
To see another recent wedding by Brian MacStay Photography CLICK HERE!