We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Williamson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Event planning and design has been my passion for as long as I can remember. As a little girl I grew up attending the elaborate parties my parents would host. My mom found any excuse there was to throw a party and as you can imagine, it became ingrained in me. Long before I ever realized I could make a professional career out of it I was planning theme parties in high school. I’ve come a long way from the Laguna Beach inspired “Black & White Party” days, but my favorite events will always be the ones that I have full design control of. I’ve worked in the hospitality & event industry for 18+ years in all different types of positions and finally decided to start my own company in January of 2018. Save A. Date Events is a simple name with big meaning; the “A” in between save and date doubles as a symbol for both my name, Amanda, and my deceased mother’s name, Adrian. She inspired me as a little girl watching her flawlessly host many events and her spirit still inspires me today to keep working towards my dreams. Save A. Date Events specializes in social events such as weddings, engagement parties, birthday parties, holiday parties & showers. “Let the life of the party plan yours!”

Amanda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Service, hospitality and creativity is a part of who I am to my core, and I believe it’s what makes me so successful at event planning. I enjoy getting to know each one of my clients as I find that it helps me to truly cater to their needs and make their event dreams come true! Event planning and design is much more than a business transaction to me. It’s about fully immersing myself into each one of my client’s celebrations to ensure their special day is memorable and that is what sets me apart from others. No matter what type of event or the event budget, I treat all of my clients with an equal level of respect. I pride myself in professionalism, organization & timeliness in order to service my clients to the best of my ability. I am most proud of my perfect 5-star review average and having repeat clients. Having clients who turn into friends is my favorite perk of the job next to taking home flowers after an event.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I always dreamed of owning my own event planning company but was scared to take the jump. Back in January of 2018 I finally decided to start Save A. Date, LLC. I was still working a full-time corporate job in the event technology industry and worked my business on nights and weekends when I could. It was hard to dedicate time to my business when my time was owed to my corporate job, so growth was slow, and I was tired. In March of 2020 I was furloughed from said corporate job for the unforeseeable future. I took this opportunity of newfound free time to build my website and really grow my social media presence. I planned a styled shoot for new content since the event industry was at a halt and did whatever I could to grow my knowledge and presence in the event community. 2021 turned out to be my most successful year yet and when my corporate job finally asked me to return, I was able to politely decline. I am so grateful that I took a chance on myself and that I turned the pandemic into a positive for my career.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Hands down the best source of new clients for me is referrals! Every single event I’ve ever been hired for was referred to me by a friend, co-worker, previous client, or acquaintance. People trust those who they know which is why I think this is the best source of new clients for me. I do advertise on the standard wedding and event websites, but the capture rate just isn’t as high as a referral is. Growing up my dad always taught me to never burn bridges and the value of networking, and I am fully committed to that train of thought.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.saveadateevents.com
• Instagram: @saveadateevents
• Facebook: facebook.com/saveadateevents
• Other: https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/save-a-date-orlando/67d470000f925619.html

Image Credits
Photographers: Trent Robinson, Light by Megan Photography, Chris Glenn, Sufia Huq, Dreamtown Co.