Wedding Planner Extraordinaire
Written by Mary Welch Thursday, September 30 2010
Snapshot: Tammy Elliot
Tammy Elliot, CEO and president of Perfect Wedding Guide, oversees all areas of operation and product development for Perfect Wedding Guide Franchising LLC and Perfect Wedding Guide Publishing LLC. Operating in 45 markets that cover 60 metro areas, Perfect Wedding Guide is the largest national network of bridal marketing companies, encompassing print, internet, database marketing, bridal shows, and more in the United States
Before joining Perfect Wedding, Elliot spent 25 years in sales, consulting, and management in radio, TV, cable, print, and internet. Elliot joined Perfect Wedding Guide in 2004.
Womenetics: How did you get in the wedding business?
Tammy Elliot: I was recruited to Perfect Wedding Guide through a former business associate. My only wedding experience was that I was a bride – twice!
Womenetics: What do brides want today for their weddings?
Elliot: They want to make their vision of their perfect wedding come to life – at a price they can afford.
Womenetics: How much do brides spend and what are the biggest expenditures?
Elliot: Brides budgets vary from market to market. Nationally, the average expenditure is just over $20,000. Here in Atlanta the average wedding is a little higher – around $21,500. Usually the largest expenditures are the reception – food, drinks, décor, entertainment, the cake, etc.
Womenetics: What are the biggest problems facing brides when planning their weddings?
Elliot: Usually first-times bride don’t know where to begin. That’s where Perfect Wedding Guide comes in – we provide all the tools they need to plan their perfect wedding – from our website to handy pocket wedding guide to bridal shows and more. They can get advice on how to find their personal style, how to set and maximize a budget. It doesn’t take much for brides to get some guidance on where to begin and how to move through the process.
Womenetics: How have weddings changed in the past 20 years?
Elliot: Fewer weddings are being held in places of worship and more are taking place in unusual venues – from art museums to lofts, gazebos to aquariums. Of course the fashions change regularly, and there are more themed receptions, food stations, favors, décor. Everything has changed over the past 20 years. The biggest change, I believe, is that couples really make a point of inserting their personal style and beliefs into their weddings. There is a freedom to create whatever look and feel the couple wants. Basically, anything goes. Whatever a couple wants, they know they can get, and the pressure to follow the traditional style is not as great.
Womenetics: What do you think of the TV show, Say Yes to the Dress?
Elliot: Love that show. I find it very entertaining. You don’t have to be a bride to enjoy it.
Womenetics: How as the internet changed planning a wedding?
Elliot: It’s a primary resource for brides along with family and friends, bridal magazines, and bridal shows. Brides turn to a number of different resources when planning their wedding, but with so much available online it makes it easier and more convenient for brides to get information, research wedding professionals, and communicate with family, friends, and vendors. They can create a wedding website to share all their planning details or they use Facebook to share details with friends and family. There are so many great tools to help them track their tasks, manage guest lists, seating charts – everything they need is online.
But make no mistake, the web is a great tool, but you can’t taste a cake, try on a dress, or get a feel for how a wedding professional is going to work with you unless you spend face time together. That’s why bridal shows are so popular – it’s great for brides and wedding professionals because they can make a personal connection. Brides want to work with professionals who understand them and can make their dreams come true so they will use the internet to research and help narrow down their choices – but the vast majority of them will still make a personal connection before hiring.
Womenetics: What are the biggest mistakes brides make in wedding planning?
Elliot: Stressing out over the process. There is so much information available to brides today that if they just get some advice and checklists, they will soon find there is a lot of help available to them.
Womenetics: What makes for the perfect wedding?
Elliot: That’s up to the individual, but from my perspective it’s about making it what you want. Make your dream come to life.
Womenetics: How do brides marrying for the second or third time plan their wedding differently than first-time brides?
Elliot: Second and third marriages traditionally are smaller and many are destination weddings.
Womenetics: How has the economy affected weddings and how has it affected your business?
Elliot: The one thing we can know is that no matter what the economy is doing, weddings will happen. The economy however has affected the way brides spend. Before the economy declined, most brides bought based on emotion. Budgets were more of guideline not a rule. Today, they are sticking closer to budgets and compromising more. Brides are making sure they cover the core areas first, then they add the extras based on their budget.
Mary Welch is a freelance writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Dawson Times, Plan Your Meeting magazine, and Atlanta Business magazine. Previously, she held many positions with Leader Publishing, including editor-in-chief of Atlanta Woman, editor of Business to Business magazine, and editor of Catalyst magazine. As editor of Business to Business, she assigned, edited, and conceptualized a series that was awarded Silver in the 2005 GAMMA Awards for Best Series. Welch was a reporter for the Atlanta Business Chronicle for eight years and freelanced for publications including Glamour, Advertising Age, South, Georgia Trend, and Oz. From 2000 to 2003, she served as vice president of media relations for Bank of America, during which time she authored Forever Green: A History and Hope of the American Forest with Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell.
