Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffanie Elliott.
Hi Tiffanie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I fell in love with the wedding industry in 2006 when I stumbled across an internship with an event planning and decorating firm. I was really good at the work, and when the internship ended, I stayed on for another year. Then came marriage and a baby. I needed the stability of a full-time job and found one in marketing. I still dreamed of starting my own company, though. In hopes of gaining clients, building a portfolio, and getting my foot in the door, I established Elliott Events as a side hustle.
A year after soft-launching Elliott Events, I received a call from the owner of the company I had interned at. She was filing for bankruptcy and presented me with an opportunity to purchase her business. Essentially, the offer was to absorb her clientele so that those couples could still have their weddings. My husband was wonderfully supportive, and we jumped in with both feet. I quit my marketing job and took on 40 events that first year. It wasn’t easy working 70-80 hours a week with a young family at home, but every wedding happened as planned, and every client was happy.
I started to come into my own after that first grueling year. I was booking new clients beyond the ones I had inherited and found my confidence and my style. I began to build the business on my own terms, with consistent referrals from friends and former clients who believed in my talent and recommended me to people in their networks.
The real turning point for Elliott Events came in 2013 when I booked my first high-profile client. Someone I had waitressed with in college got engaged to a Titan football player, and it meant everything that she trusted me with her wedding. It was by far the grandest one I had ever produced, and it was simply exquisite. The business grew from there. I started traveling around the country to plan events and produced several weddings for NFL players. I’ve now had the pleasure of bringing hundreds of weddings to life and it never gets old.
Today, my company is structured differently. I’ve expanded into a few distinct brands: Bash Balloons and Events, which specializes in balloons and small party decor, and Bloom, our florals-only concept. Elliott Events still focuses on luxury wedding/event planning and design, but now I only work with 6 clients a year myself. Another planner on the team also produces weddings/events, so Elliott Events is averaging 10-12 weddings/events annually. I am grateful to have some amazing ladies by my side helping to run these businesses as we continue to grow and thrive.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve certainly faced my fair share of challenges. Especially early on in my career, when I was young, some people doubted my ability to do the job at just 25 years old. I constantly felt like I had to prove myself and suffered from pretty severe imposter syndrome. When I finally decided to embrace my talents, I realized clients were hiring me based on my body of work and I learned to believe in myself.
Staffing was also a struggle in the early years. When you love your business and pour so much of yourself into it, it can be hard to find other people who care about it as much as you do. Thankfully, now that I’m 12 years into it, I have a fantastic team that I trust implicitly.
And then there’s the life/work balance that so many of us juggle. I basically missed the first few years of my daughter’s life. My husband took her to Mommy and Me dance classes while I could never even make it to her recitals. As many entrepreneurs can attest, clients get the best of us and family gets the rest. I’m a work in progress when it comes to balancing it all, but I’m learning how to say NO. Now I turn off the computer during family time and try to be present at home so I can give my best to all the people in my life.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Elliott Events is a full-service planning and design firm. We also do all of our florals in-house, so everything you see on my website comes out of my imagination and our creative studio. Design can be the most challenging part of the process, but it is by far the most rewarding. I take immense pride in that every event we execute is unique. The design phase typically takes 40-60 hours, but every single one is tailored to suit the individual client. To walk into a room that I literally dreamed up and finally see it in all its glory is simply magical. I love it when a client says, “Go make some magic, Tiffanie!” Challenge accepted.
I am a creative type for sure, but I also enjoy all the details and planning that go into a flawless event, which is why this is my dream job. I rely on the help of a large and talented team to execute the designs, freeing me up to make sure all the wedding details come together as planned.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
“If it was easy, everyone would do it.” I find so much truth in that old adage. You simply cannot be successful without taking risks. My most recent risk was taking on my first full-time employee.
It’s a lot of pressure to feel responsible for someone else’s livelihood, and it’s a leap of faith to trust that the positives will outweigh that fear. When I add it all up, though, I’m looking at business growth possibilities, more time for myself and my family, and being able to show up as my best self in all aspects of my life. I’d be lying if I said every risk I ever took worked out, but I’m a perennial optimist and I tend to see failures as learning opportunities.
Contact Info:
- Website: elliottevents.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/elliottevents
- Facebook: Facebook.com/elliotteventsdesigns
- Other: bloom615.com and bash-balloons.com
Image Credits
Smith Studio Photography, Kathy Thomas Photography, Stephanie Sorenson Photography, Matt Andrews Photography, Sara Ozim Photography, and Jao Photography
