Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tori Perano. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Tori, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Possibly one of the hardest decisions in business was creation of the name. I knew immediately, I did not want it to be my name, which is common in the wedding industry to be the “face to the name”. However, I didnt want the spotlight to just be on me, when it takes a true team to make the type of events we produce come to life. I started to think about my italian culture on my father`s side and how I could incororate an italian word into the business. There were probably a list over a 100 words thrown around that were either too difficult or lacked meaning for me. That is when 3 months passed and I dug a little deeper and wanted to incorporate my grandmother`s love for birds into the mix. Sounds crazy right? Well, my grandmother was the fashion icon and I believe that is were my talent for design and planning came from. Shortly after realizing I wanted to incorporate this, I found out that “Passera” stands for “sparrow” in Italy. In our herritage, sparrows are symbols of good luck in love and marriage. Immediately, I knew that was it. I was going to be the “sparrow” for each of our couples and aproach each event with an editorial eye, tailored precision and a pioneering spirit. After months of thinking, digging deep, and countless hours of research, the LLC was created and then 6 months later Passera Events was trademarked. :)

Tori, 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?

After working in the wedding industry for more than a decade — including planning multimillion-dollar events both in the Southeast and around the world — I bring a superior level of logistical expertise, vendor relationships, and professional enthusiasm to every event. From fabric selection to tablescape design, I keep the client’s inspiration front and center, ensuring no two events are ever alike. My signature style is a sophisticated blend of modern taste, timeless elegance, and inventive vision. An emphasis on relationships is why I’m known as the best destination wedding planner in the Southeast. From a tight-knit internal culture to a stellar reputation with both vendors and clients, my team and I care about creating meaningful connections. I pride myself on silent luxury with emphasis on quality versus quantity. We take on a limited number of weddings per year {less than 10} to ensure each client receives laser-focused attention and our full team’s dedication to each event.

I’m most proud of the network of vendors I’ve developed across the world. It’s one thing to have a team in the USA, but to develop a team internationally was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences, knowing that we can provide our clients with the best of the best regardless of the location they choose to get married in.

I want any potential client to know that when you hire us, you gain a family. You aren’t simply just another couple to us; this is a lifetime relationship, where after the wedding, I will produce any other family event or children’s events and will remain a part of your life. We plan one of the most important days of your life, and the amount of trust we develop during the planning process, we expect to be a lifetime friendship.

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

I am a firm believer that the energy you put out into the world, is the energy you will receive. Therefore, when I started out as the smallest fish in the sea with zero followers, day 1 of opening, I demanded the type of clientele I wanted and would accept. Meaning, I wasnt just taking any and everybody for the sake of “starting from the bottom and working my way up”. From the moment of opening, I knew I wanted to be a destination planner so I marketed on multiple online platforms and did the deep work of reaching out to venues across the USA, showing my presence, my policies and referrals. I had incredible mentors that encouraged me, educated me, and was a huge support to me. I made sure my branding, website, how I portrayed myself online, was all cohesive with what I wanted to attract, From there, my reputation quickly grew in the market and my network expanded, simply because I never refused to down play myself. I knew what it took to jump head into the deep in, and it was a “sink or swim” mentality I had to have to ensure I could succeed.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I am nothing without my team, which means my team needs to be well taken care of mentally, physically, spiritually and financially. Burn out can happen often and fast in this industry and its important, we take the necessary breaks, plan for team meetings, have an open line of communication at all times and know we are a family at the end of the day. Ensuring the team feels heard at all times, having them play an active part in producing an event, and most of all, being their leader to get behind them and give them the support they need to be successful- just as they do for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.passeraevents.com
• Instagram: @passeraevents
• Facebook: Passera Events

Image Credits
Photos of just me: @angelsamples Photos of the greenery design print linens/florals wedding: @ktcrabbphotography Photo of Italy venue: @KatherineandTyler Photo of the large greenery install hanging over the head table: @meredithbenton