If you are getting married, you should be hiring a wedding planner (or day of wedding coordinator, at the very least). Simply put, Seattle wedding planner Tamara Anderson of Simply Tamara Nicole is one of the best.
There are many Seattle wedding planners, but if you don’t have the experience with weddings (and why would you), it’s difficult to know who to trust and where to start. All you have to go on (primarily) is reviews, awards, and a gut feeling.Most of the time, those things are spot on. But reviews are all totally subjective. One person might think someone is amazing, and the next person might think the total opposite. I’m here to back Simply Tamara Nicole not because I think she is a great person (even though she 100% is), but because she’s a true professional of her craft as a wedding planner.
I took some time with Tamara to do a brief, little Q&A with Tamara to share her story. Keep reading below!
Q: How did you get involved with weddings & events as Simply Tamara Nicole?
A: SUPER long story short (ok maybe not short). . . Right out of college, I got accepted into Dental School at NYU after getting my Bachelors in Biology at University of Washington . . . BUT there was just something missing. I wanted more. I knew being a dentist (or Orthodontist) would be an amazing career. Would pay well. It all logically made sense, and was the plan. BUT my heart wasn’t in it. I am the type of person that needs to be passionate about what I do. I felt like it wasn’t the right path for me, and decided to take a year off and revisit it after I did some much needed soul searching.
Fast forward a few months after making this HARD decision, and this handsome tall man whisked into my world and everything changed. Andy and I dated for 6 months, and at that point he surprised me by asking me to spend the rest of my life with him! We (Ok who are we kidding, I) planned our wedding in 6 months. It was SO much fun. I made our wedding invitations, we made the jam favors (even picked the berries) and designed and had fun with every detail.
After that, I dabbled in marketing at my current job at an Orthodontic office, opening an Etsy shop with some home decor to flex my creative muscle, which made me happy. Finally (at a Happy Hour with Andy one night) it hit me, I should get into weddings and events! I went home that night and got a website, a business name, license, blog, and the rest is history!). It has now been 6 years, and SO much fun.
Q: We really love working with Simply Tamara Nicole (and we’re not just saying that). As most industries are, there is usually a handful of politics and related drama. You steer clear of it, keep your head above water, and focus on the things that are most important to your clients – results. We just really wanted to say we appreciate that. We love your attitude.
A: Awww I love working with you guys too! Really it’s all about the couples. That’s what it’s all about, making their day gorgeous, smooth and flawless. I trust the wedding professionals, aka “friendors” we work with to do an amazing job, and try to just treat everyone with respect. I have an adorable 2-year old, 4 rescue pups, and a husband at home, so no time for drama! 🙂
Q: Over the past few years, we’ve seen that you have added a couple of associates to your team. That’s great! Do you find your work-life balance has improved, especially with your young son and 4 cute puppies?
A: Work-life balance is always a work in progress for me, BUT I am finding a better balance as I go. I couldn’t do it without my tribe and my village! My husband is the most supportive person and my biggest fan. My son is my motivation when I am up at 12:30 or 1 AM, still working on emails so I can spend the next day with him. My team is the BEST and I am so lucky to have them too! They each have their own unique style and strengths, and I just love watching them learn, grow, and succeed.
Owning your own business AND having a family is tough, but the best thing ever and so rewarding!
Q: Speaking of puppies and work-life balance – what do you do with them when you and your family want to take a vacation? We have two cute little yorkie-poo’s and rely on Haley’s parents, but we don’t want to use up that resource too often. Haha!
A: I love this question, and that you have two adorable pups! We have a great place we board them, they get the “suite” and all 4 get to hang out together. They get like 5 walks a day and a lot of social time. I love when we get back, we get a cute “report card” with photos of them. They are well taken care of, which makes it easier to leave on much needed vacation!
Q: What are your favorite current wedding trends for 2017?
A: I am loving the fun color trends right now, more colors are being brought back into weddings! Also, continuing on this year from the last couple is the hanging installations, but they are getting more unique and customized. Can’t wait to create this year!
Q: Who is your ideal type of client at Simply Tamara Nicole? Do you market yourself to any particular niche? We love adventurous couples, ourselves!
A: YES I can see that through your photos and I admire that! Such pretty scenery!
For us, we try to get clients that we vibe with well. As planners, we can spend a LOT of time with our clients, so in the end someone that we would want to be friends with because then it is so easy to spend long hours with them, and our meetings are super fun!
In addition to an AMAZING party, we love pretty details and decor. Bringing their personalities throughout each detail. People that value our expertise and talents is a plus. We don’t have just one “style” of wedding that we like to design, etc as each is specifically styled to the couple. BUT I think what we look for is more personality and fit. We adore our sweet, considerate, fun, creative think-outside-of-the-box couples. Ones who keep things in perspective, and trust us! We interview them just as much as they interview us at Simply Tamara Nicole, because if it’s a great match, it will be fun for everyone. It’s all about finding the right fit. 🙂
Also I guess we tend to be on the girly side, so that can be fun as well. Someone that doesn’t mind all of the 🙂 and !!! in emails is a plus too! Haha. Gotta love emoji’s.
Q: Do you have any interest of getting into the destination wedding segment, or do you plan to stick your roots in the PNW?
A: One of my HUGE goals has been to plan weddings in Europe (hello castles!) as we have traveled through most of Europe, and have family there as well. Would just LOVE that! Also I know some of my girls would LOVE to do destination weddings, so yes we are for sure open! Anywhere.
Q: You’ve been an award-winning wedding planner for years. Do you have any advice for planners (or planners-to-be) wanting to hit that next level in their career?
A: Oh stop!
Seriously though, put in the hours and just keep on! It takes a while to find your place in the industry, but don’t get frustrated. Also network network network! Building relationships within the industry is so important, and there are SO many talented and astounding people. Lastly, don’t hesitate to reach out to people and ask . . . whatever it might be. People might surprise you. Have a vendor you admire? Ask them for coffee to chat, or to work on a styled shoot together, etc. What is the worst thing that can happen? Don’t sit back and wait for opportunities to come to you, create them for yourself 🙂
Q: What are your social media links? We would love to share those with everybody visiting our wedding blog and share the love for Simply Tamara Nicole.
A: Shucks! Haha you can find us on Instagram @simplytamaranicole, (also @sbtn_claire and @sbtn_nicole) Also FB https://www.facebook.com/SimplyByTamaraNicole/ and check out our website, too.
Thank you again, Tamara. Always fantastic working with you! You are an incredible Seattle wedding planner, and always one that I highly recommend.
Here are some other blog posts I think you might also enjoy while you are here on my website:
- Being strategically authentic and how to do it properly
- An awesome LGBT wedding at Natures Connection Place in Arlington
- Hollywood Schoolhouse wedding venue details in Woodinville
- New Creations wedding planner Q&A
- Alley 111 wedding venue atop a rooftop in Bellevue
- Kitsap Memorial wedding venue on a budget
- Georgetown Ballroom wedding venue just south of SODO
Tags: Seattle wedding planner. Destination wedding planner. Simply Tamara Nicole. Bellevue wedding planner. Woodinville wedding planner. Kirkland wedding planner. Washington wedding planner.
