We recently connected with Breanna Duff and have shared our conversation below.

Breanna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Being a forensic psychologist was always my goal in life. I graduated from East Tennessee State University in 2019 with my bachelor’s degree in Human Services and quickly landed employment as a Family Services Specialist working in Foster Care. I decided to pursue my master’s degree in Criminal Justice at East Tennessee State University to gain a better understanding in that specific field. It was obvious that Criminal Justice was not my thing, so it led me to withdraw from the master’s degree in 2020, which was also amid COVID-19. As we all know social workers do not have the highest salaries, I made the decision to start my own wedding planning business.

At the beginning of 2021, I moved over to the Child Protective Services unit. When the COVID-19 restrictions lifted in 2021, I started booking left and right for weddings. I found myself working two full-time jobs for the duration of 2021. As 2022 came around, I knew I had to choose between the two occupations. In April of 2022, I took a huge leap of faith and left my position as a Child Protective Services Investigator and focused solely on my wedding planning business. I was very scared, but I believed in myself along the way. Today, I have coordinated/decorated 45 weddings so far this year and have accumulated $70,000 in revenue. If it was not for my fiancé and family cheering me on the entire way, I am not sure how this would have turned out. The risk I took changed my life for the better and I am forever grateful that I stepped outside of my comfort zone. The only way to go from here is up!

Breanna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Breanna J. Duff and I am a traveling certified wedding and event planner who specializes in Day-of Coordination. I offer day-of coordination, month-of coordination, partial planning, wedding design, timeline assistance and more. I own a home-based wedding and event planning business based in beautiful Bristol, Virginia. However, I also travel to KY, SC, NC, WV, MD, TN, GA, & Washington D.C. to make wedding dreams come true! We will also travel to any other state shouldn’t anyone be interested in our services.
Twelve19 Events is a one-stop resource for a unique, beautifully designed, and expertly executed wedding or event. Based in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee, I pride myself on crafting exceptional events that are not easily forgotten.

My design-savvy and passionate skills excel at interpreting your vision and ideas, seamlessly bringing them to life. From logistics to decor and making sure everyone is on the same track, I will take care of every detail. Go ahead and enjoy with zero stress- I got it covered.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been promoting my business on Facebook. There are multiple wedding planning groups in each state. Every week I will make a post in each group to get my business name out there. Most of my clientele comes from these Facebook groups.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I always try to build a good rapport with my clients. I completely understand wedding planning is stressful, as I am planning my own wedding as we speak. I never want them to feel like they are alone in the wedding planning process. I allow them to call/text me should they have any questions or need advice, in hopes of releasing some of their stress.

I understand they are my clients, but they can be my peers as well. It is so important to book vendors you get along with and can be yourself around. It makes the wedding planning process much more fun!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.twelve19events.com
• Instagram: Twelve19 Events
• Facebook: Twelve19 Events

Image Credits
Decor: Twelve19 Events Joe Ryan Media (Fredericksburg, VA) Jessica Paff Photography (Baltimore, MD) Sara Grace Photography (Nashville, TN) KJ Photography (Bristol, VA) Kala Caruso Photography (Fauquier County, VA)