We recently connected with Shannon Fehr and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Shannon thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

When I first got into the wedding industry, I was shocked at the amount of money people spent on just one day! Things had sure changed since I got married! I was also surprised by the amount of overcharging by so many vendors and the lack of awareness of this from brides. My mission since the start of my business has been to help couples have the day of their dreams without breaking the bank and starting their lives in debt. I begin by educating couples about their options. I let them know that there are good DJs, photographers, and other professionals available for less than $ 7,500. I also educate them on “hidden fees”. I cannot tell you the number of couples who had no clue their venue was charging a facility fee, even though it was in the contract. They did not understand it, and their venue did not explain it before booking! This is just one example of a fee that couples do not know about and do not account for when calculating their budget.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When I was in high school, I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. I had no clue a career in event planning even existed. If someone had told me I would be a wedding planner, I would have laughed.

I graduated from the University of Louisville with a degree in marketing.in 2000. Significant change from law school. After college, I jumped around from job to job, trying to find my passion. It was not marketing! I have always been a big believer that if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.. It is so true! I am also a big believer that you shouldn’t stay somewhere if you are not happy and it’s not a good fit. Take chances, don’t be afraid to leap!

In 2006, I landed a job using my marketing degree, planning events for an IT company. At this company, I met someone who had purchased a wedding venue and asked me to assist them. I did my first wedding in 2016 and was hooked. I knew this was my passion and my calling. I left the IT company in 2016 and worked for my friend for a while. At the end of 2017, I decided to go out on my own. I knew I could do it because I LOVED it and wanted it!

Being self-employed is not for everyone, and it definitely has its pros and cons. I work a lot of weekends, but I love my freedom to take off anytime during the week. I love working for myself and owning my days and my destination.

I also do non-profit galas and corporate events. I started a Women in Tech business called RockIT Women in 2020 because I missed the IT industry and wanted to help women in IT. I host monthly webinars and networking events, quarterly lunch-and-learns, and an annual WIT conference for over 500 women.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

COVID! Need I say more! As a wedding and event planner, my phone stopped ringing completely. My emails no longer dinged. No one wanted to think about gatherings. Not only did new business stop coming in, but I had a lot of cancellations and reschedules to the following year. So I was losing money that way, too. However, because of the most intelligent decision I ever made as an entrepreneur, I had income coming in!

In 2018, when I first started my business, I was slow. It takes time to build a business and clientele. So, when an opportunity came up for me to work for a wedding venue just two days a week, I took it. This job still allowed me to do my own weddings. Because I worked for a company that paid into unemployment for me, I was eligible to receive unemployment benefits during COVID. God sure knows what he is doing. This saved me financially, but I still had a lot of time on my hands, so I decided to launch my second company, RockIT Women. I spent all of 2020 working on this business and launched it in December 2020! When life throws you lemons, make lemonade! COVID was definitely a lemon for me!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Referrals. I would say that 60% of my business comes from referrals, and the other 40% comes from Google searches. It’s a true honor for me when I have the opportunity to perform multiple weddings within the same family. One family, I just did member #3!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blisseventsandco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blisseventsandco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blissfuleventsandco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/107236080

Image Credits

The photo of me in the red shirt and black jacket. Photo credit to: Kylene White