Community Highlights: Meet Shannon Wright of Wright Time, Wright Place Events, LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Wright.

Hi Shannon, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up, I thought I wanted to be an interior designer and then eventually an architect. When I began my college education in these chosen fields, through various reasons, I realized that it really wasn’t what I thought it was going to be after all. So, after going to school for three years, I decided to take a year off. Well, one year turned into two, then three. And, before I knew it, ten years had gone by.
Shortly after my husband and I got married, he joined the Army and was going to be gone for almost a year. I knew that I needed to do something while he was gone. So, I decided to finally go back to school and finish my degree. I had too many credit hours to start over, but not enough to get a degree and I really wasn’t sure what to do. After speaking with a school advisor, and figuring out what I liked doing, we figured out that I could actually do a self-designed degree in wedding and event planning, utilizing and applying many of the same concepts I had learned during my courses studying interior design and architect. So, with this plan in place, we figured out the remaining classes I needed to take to have enough credits to graduate. In May 2016, I graduated from Miami University, Ohio with a Bachelor’s Degree in Integrative Studies with and emphasis in Wedding and Event Planning.
From January to April 2017, I did a 4-month internship at The Event Connections in Dayton in order to get a better grasp of the industry. During this time, I began getting to know other vendors, and I assisted other wedding planners with their events to gain more experience.
I knew that I wanted to open my own wedding and event planning business. I wanted a name that was fun and catching. At first, I came up with “Weddings Done Wright,” but decided against it because I wanted people to know I could do more than just weddings. So, after thinking it through, I came up with “Wright Time, Wright Place Events,” which encompasses weddings and events. Plus, it has a fun play-on-words with “Wright” being my last name.
As my business has grown, I use every event that I have done as a learning experience to better my services for future clients. I have created and offer several packages that allows me to involved in as little or as much of the planning process as fits each client’s needs. I have also been slowly building inventory and now offer decor rentals as well. And, lastly, I offer custom decor options that are made specifically for client’s needs and wants. The client then has the option to keep the custom decor. If they choose not to keep it, then their custom decor gets put into my inventory list to be rented out by other people.
From 2018 – 2019, I went to school for, and obtained, a Master’s Degree in Entrepreneurial Transactions with an emphasis in Small Business Management.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Building a business from the ground up is never easy. It’s expensive – there are advertising costs, along with overhead costs, insurance, and workers that need to be paid. There is also a lot of competition in the field, especially from new brides who “loved planning their own wedding” and now offer planning services for prices that end up undercutting those of us who have been in the industry for longer, have the experience, etc.
Other struggles include, but are not limited to, not necessarily having the support of my family members, having to learn a lot of what I do through trial and error, building a good repertoire with other vendors so that I know just who to recommend to clients, “budgeting” the correct amount of time for each client, and not having the ability to only do this/working multiple jobs in order for me to be able to do this full time.

We’ve been impressed with Wright Time, Wright Place Events, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am a wedding and event planner, coordinator, and designer. I also offer decor rentals and custom decor. I offer packages from as little as just setting up and tearing down one location (usually ceremony or reception area) to full-service planning, which includes finding any and all vendors needed for the event, going over any contracts for the clients, going to any meetings the client would like me to be at, such as tastings, fittings, etc.

My company’s motto is “If you can celebrate it, then we can help plan, coordinate and design it. The mission is to create events that have that special “WOW” factor to each one, and help create good, fun, positive memories for each client for years to come. Our values are: PURPOSE, PASSION, COMMITMENT, TRANSPARENCY, & DETAIL ORIENTED. I take each of these things seriously and apply them to every event and make sure that my assistants are able to deliver the same.

I LOVE being creative. One of the ways I get to do this is by offering custom decor for my clients. I tell my clients if they have an inspiration board or Pinterest board, I can bring it to life, but make it uniquely them, especially when it comes to any kind of custom decor. Being able to offer this option to clients is how I am able to set myself apart from others in the industry.

When my nephew Noland was 11 months old, he was diagnosed with a rare brain disorder called Leukodystrophy, which affects the white matter of the brain. In an effort to help raise awareness and funds for research about this disease, a small portion of everything I make from each event gets donated to the United Leukodystrophy Foundation. This is another thing that not only sets me apart, but is something that I am incredibly proud of being able to do.

I want readers to know that I absolutely LOVE everything about the event planning process, but my absolute favorite part is taking the dreams and ideas of the clients, bringing them to life, and making them better than the clients could ever dream.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Network! Get to know others in the industry! Ask to shadow or work under multiple people in the same field. This gives you a variety of ways of doing things, and helps you find what works best for you, and helps create your own style. Do your research. See what the going rate is for others in your industry, and what their price includes. Charge what you are worth! Charging below this is a disservice to not only you as a professional, but it also ends up undercutting others in the business, which doesn’t help anyone. Don’t be afraid to try new things and branch out to find your niche. With the advancement of technology, every field is constantly changing. Learn these advancements, and seek out the seminars, and conferences to learn from. Don’t be afraid to ask for advise. This is not to say that everyone will always be willing to share with you, but honestly, I would rather be someone who helps lift others up and help them make their dreams happen! There are enough people in the world to share each of our unique work with. Be willing to learn from your own experiences to make things even better for future clients.

Pricing:

• Business Package – Set up/Tear Down ONLY; Starting at $805
• Formal Service Package – Coordination Package; Starting at $2300
• Black Tie Package – Full Service + Decor; Starting at $4100

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wtwpe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtwpe17
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wtwpe17