I'M A PLANNER ON BE A PLANNER: Andria Lewis

Andria Lewis | Andria Lewis Events

Name: Andria Lewis
Location: Based in Memphis, Tennessee serving Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas
Company: Andria Lewis Events and Studio IV (design services)
Years in Business: I've been a planner for 13 years. I've had my company for four and a half years.
Website: www.andrialewisevents.com
Blog: www.theplannerpages.com

What do you specialize in (Day of Coordination, Full Service Design…): 

We specialize in the experience for brides. Therefore, we offer planning and design services and we offer linen rentals. We also work with a fabulous stationery designer out of New Jersey for custom paper pieces for all of our brides.

What are your three favorite sources of wedding inspiration? 

My first favorite is the mind of my bride. We take what she wants and marry that with the practical and tradition to create the best wedding environments. As for tangible inspiration (on color mostly) I get that from nature and people watching (interesting patterns in clothing). I found the most beautiful redish-yellow flower recently that I snapped a photo of with my Blackberry. I'm saving it for just the right design for a bride.

Why did you get started wedding planning? 

I realized 13 years ago when a relative asked me to help plan their wedding that doing that encompassed all the talents that I wanted to use. Logistics planning (I am a Logistical Queen), planning, design, working with varying people on a daily basis, project management. And, to be truthful, because I like to run things. A little bit of control-freak is needed for a wedding planner. Seriously.

What is one thing in your office that you could not live without, technology excluded? 

My new event assistant Brittany!

If you could make one recommendation to a new planner, what would it be? 

My biggest piece of advice is make sure you can handle that this is not a glamorous career. A lot of times I hear that newlywed brides enjoyed planning their wedding so much, they've decided this is what they want to do. Sometimes, those brides had a wedding planner themselves, which means they didn't get the full experience of ALL we do. Someone else was doing all the grunge work for them. And for those who did do the planning themselves, they only planned that one wedding. Ask yourself, can you plan 6-7 weddings at the same time and be efficient and all you need to be for your client? This career requires a lot of multi-tasking and a lot of personality differences. You NEED to be able to handle that without blinking. Then there is the business aspect of what you do. P&L statements, inventory, employees, payroll, vendors, networking. It's all a part of it. I encourage new planners to consider it all. But, I wouldn't trade what I do for the world! It's the best job ever!

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