Tommy Waters (Photo by Jay Paul)
With more than 20 years’ experience in the wedding industry, Tommy Waters has planned nearly 700 weddings. He took an unconventional path into the business, starting out as a singer-waiter on the Annabel Lee riverboat that formerly cruised the James River. Two decades later, Waters is a wedding planner, national public speaker and co-host of the podcast “It Takes Two to I Do”, which airs every other Friday at 3 p.m. at toidopodcast.com. He and partner Jon Beattie have co-owned the historic event venue The Renaissance, at 107 W. Broad St., for five years. Waters also manages The Shoppes at The Renaissance, a collective of wedding professionals located within the venue. We caught up with Waters, who shares a few of his tips on wedding planning.
Bride: What is the concept of The Shoppes at The Renaissance?
Tommy Waters: The Shoppes at The Renaissance started as an idea by [wedding stylist] Lou Stevens. … We just have a goal to be a true, very upscale, one-stop-shop. We do our own little events, pop-up shops during First Fridays. [We’ve had] DJ Eric [Cunningham of Debonaire Entertainment] play on the sidewalk with Lou Stevens [hosting] a clothing pop-up shop. It's just one of the many ways that the vendors that call The Shoppes at The Renaissance their home get to experience a little more than just the normal day-to-day work. Plus, when my clients come in, they get to meet the “Glammies” [the nickname for Lou Stevens’ staff] and pick up cards and information for all of our vendors. When our invitation specialist's clients come in, they get to walk past the DJ's office and see what they do and maybe get to poke their head in. We have a wonderful meeting room in our facility that all of our vendors can book for their needs by a simple Google calendar. It's quite festive when our clients come in and see a lot going on. … We also have brought in florists, an amazing wedding planner, a lighting and A/V specialist, a wine sommelier, an invitation specialist, a dress alteration master, a photographer, an aesthetician, a DJ and band coordinator, health and beauty consultants, and even a top wedding consultant.
Bride: What are your top tips for couples planning a wedding?
Waters: First, do not try to plan everything that first week or just as soon as you become engaged. And you may pride yourself on being an organized person, but give yourself a little break, since you can't predict your final head count and guest list. Second, do not settle! I know that folks will hear this a lot, but if you go to bed at night with the thought of, “I guess I’m happy with the florist we chose” or “I guess we can learn to love the venue we have chosen,” then you need to give yourself the chance to find something that you are in love with instead. You will always have the vendor you felt like you were settling for to fall back on, but, for gosh sake, don’t sign a contract until your head and heart agree that it’s the perfect fit for you. Third, make two lists; this can be done to the extent you want — as fancy or as non-fancy as you want, too. Do a "need" list and a "want" list, making sure to fit the "needs" in first and allowing yourself the chance to potentially move some of the “wants” things over. You'd be shocked at how this way of thinking will save your stress level a bit. Another key is to try not to second guess your “need/want” list too much.
“If you surround yourself with the right people, established professionals, and just be mindful of your date, everything will fall into place.” —Tommy Waters
Bride: What is a common mistake or pitfall couples make when planning a wedding?
Waters: Speaking from my experience, one of the biggest pitfalls or mistakes that couples make today is trying to get all of their planning done as soon as they are engaged. This is such a special and exciting time that, of course, they want to jump headfirst into the planning. So when you start to write everything down, read the wedding magazines that are there, visit the countless wedding websites, and start seeing the cost of all of this stuff, you can freak out easily. If you surround yourself with the right people, established professionals, and just be mindful of your date, everything will fall into place. I'm kind of famous for time and time again reminding my clients to enjoy the journey.
Bride: What is it about the wedding industry that makes you passionate about your job?
Waters: The journey is huge for me. There are no clients, couples, or their parents, for that matter, that would ever walk away from me not knowing 100 percent that I care about them and their big day. It's just not something that is ever going to happen. I know it sounds cliché, but I do try to put myself into my clients' shoes and thoughts to see if I can get a feeling for what they want, the speed they want to plan and their stress level. I tell people, "I don't do this [for the paycheck], this is what I do, and I do it ’cause I love it."
