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Gallery
Pictures from our September meeting at Foss Waterway Seaport by 1000 Words. Be sure to check out the Gallery for other photos from past events.
Meet Janis Flagg
Please welcome our newest member of the Tacoma chapter – Janis Flagg! You may have met her at our August meeting when she joined as a guest of Amy Hatcher. She recently published a book about wedding planning titled, Wedding Planning Unmasked and she is also the owner of the event planning company Greatest of Days. However, prior to becoming a published author and successful wedding planner, let’s back up to the very beginning of her journey. Back in the 1980’s, Janis went in for what should have been a routine surgery. Unfortunately, her worst fears came true. She woke up mid-surgery! As anyone can imagine, this had a long-term effect on her well-being, and she fought a battle with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) due to this trauma. She and her husband Dennis were also survivors of a car crash as a result of a drunk driver so for 17 years, she preferred to spend most of her time at home. She wanted to work but needed to find a career that would allow her to do so.
Janis had an obvious strength when it came to event planning and was encouraged by friends and family to pursue a career in that field. She took the idea and ran with it. She started out with small scale events for friends and family and transitioned into wedding planning. She was able to do most of the pre-planning from home, so this was the perfect opportunity to do what she loved but on her terms. In the early 2000’s, Janis began to think of ways for event professionals to get together in South King County rather than travelling to Seattle or Tacoma. She realized the infinite amount of event industry professionals as well as venues right there in her neighborhood. Her solution meant starting one of the fastest growing Meetup groups in South King County (South King County Event and Wedding Vendors) consisting of about 250 members at its peak. During these years, the group hosted 60 meetings in 55 different venues, impressive! Unfortunately, things fizzled out as the economy improved but she says she would love to get it going again. Who’s in?
As she continued to network in the event industry, she realized the importance of building relationships between vendors and venues and wanted to bridge the gap even more. She eventually decided to write her book, Wedding Planning Unmasked in 2019. During the writing process, she interviewed everyone from brides and grooms, to vendors and venues in hopes of being able to get answers for clients struggling through the ups and downs of the wedding planning process. Vendors were given the chance to share their knowledge and expertise in order to guide couples through the planning process. Her book was another way for Janis to use her natural ability to calm people down and work through things one step at a time. In fact, next time you see her you may want to ask about the time she was able to use her calm demeanor to save someone’s life. She truly has a gift!
Janis works hard to keep her clients happy and it is clear she is passionate about weddings. When she isn’t busy perfecting couple’s big day, she enjoys spending time with her husband. They own a home in Forks, WA and are looking forward to moving in permanently in the next couple of years when it is time to retire. We are so excited to have Janis as part of our local chapter!
Wedding Planning Unmasked is now available on Amazon for purchase and to follow more of what Janis is up to, check out her website an blog at https://www.greatestofdays.com.
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Providing catering and event professionals superior education, networking, and resources to enhance career success and deliver excellence to clients. The mission of NACE is “To advance the catering and events industry and its professionals.” |
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