We recently connected with Tia Ballard and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you as a business owner?

My most important lesson at my job as a teacher in Alternative Education was that family plays such a major role in the success of students. We were constantly reminded that support and structure were the most important factors in the lives of our students even more so than our practices and well laid lesson plans. Students in stressful situations simply have barriers that prohibit them from performing their best. My love for bringing families together came from a seminar by Malcolm Gladwell during my time as a teacher. He simply explained that all the barriers we think our students have like single family home, incarceration, and parental drug use are all directly linked to marriage and partnership. Students who had strong family structures were more successful than those who didn’t. The students who experience these issues all have a single factor of lack of support. I then petitioned a judge to be able to perform marriages in the state of Virginia and my company Hello Love was born. I fell in love with joining families of ALL makeups to build strong support systems. I eventually went full time into the world of weddings and have loved it every step of the way!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got into the wonderful world of weddings to build strong families and help to build strong communities. I love helping clients who want to have a ceremony that connects them to each other and the communities from which they come from. I am definitely the officiant for couples who are looking to have a meaningful ceremony and explore all aspects of their lives together from customizing love stories to incorporating customs and rituals. My couples know that the celebration begins at the altar not the reception. Bringing joy into vows while honoring traditions is my absolute jam. Performing weddings and elopements I noticed a hole in the market. Couples who wanted to elope but have a little more than a courthouse ceremony were often confused even though the options for an intimate but exciting celebration were all around them. I build a team of industry professionals and the all inclusive micro-wedding and elopement package became a favorite for clients who were having a small celebration but needed help to structure the event. We come to you and bring all the joy of a wedding day like wedding cake, floral design, photography, and an officiant of course.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

My vendor partners in the all inclusive elopement side of the business are those who I have watched perform amazingly at weddings. My event stylist is my dearest friend who happens to work for a top wedding planner and industry pioneer in the area. My florist and I started around the same time and I simply was in awe of how quickly she grew her business and the photographers on board shot my former officiant clients and continued to produce mastery work. Each and every member of this all girl squad have successfully built their own names in the industry and I have been so lucky to shoot for the stars and actually get a chance to work in the realm of major girl power.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

What helped me to build my reputation within the market was networking and checking in with my fellow vendors at weddings and elopements. Weddings are a collaborative effect, respecting the time and talent of those who help me to produce these dream days for clients has been a game changer. I receive referrals and invitations to incredible opportunities from my fellow vendors or “friendors “in this industry. Performing well and being kind can build an amazing network of elite talent.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hellolove.one
• Instagram: helloloverva
• Other: The Knot – Hello Love Wedding Wire – Hello Love

Image Credits
Peaks and Waves portraits, Schuyler Shoots