Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Hopkins.
Hi Andrea, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I love sharing my story! It all started with a statement in 2002 to some friends in my dorm room back at Tougaloo College. The statement was, “I wanted to be a wedding planner”. To this day, I have no idea where or why that statement was made; however, it was the statement of destiny. In August of 2008, one of my sorority sisters called to share her recent engagement and asked if I would plan her wedding.
I was completely confused on why she was asking ME; however, she quickly reminded me of the statement I made in college and ironically, I agreed and executed my first wedding in December of 2008. I have now executed over 400 weddings and over 500 weddings and events. PWC started as a wedding planning company to now a Full Event Planning and Design Company, where we offer a variety of services and have 30+ employees on staff. We are located in Mississippi but travel to the surrounding states Atlanta, Memphis, Texas and Louisiana. Our Office, Warehouse and Rental Showroom is located in Pearl, MS. This journey was not traveled alone. I was blessed with great mentors and partnerships that assisted in propelling PWC – Frank Wilson (Frank Wilson Photography), Sterling (Sterling Photography), an amazingly dedicated staff, wonderful family support from my husband, children and parents and most importantly the guidance and blessings of Jesus Christ.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
With any walk of life, there will be obstacles and yes, PWC faced many. In the industry of event planning, the planner is not always the priority. Clients who desire parties and weddings are fulfilling a want and not a need therefore when a need arises, the want is forgotten, as in canceled. In 2014, it appeared that in the 2nd half of that year, every client decided they didn’t want to get married anymore or they didn’t have the resources to complete the contractual agreement of their contract. Therefore, it placed us in a financial predicament. Nonetheless, we survived that hurdle until we were faced with the year of 2020, the year of the pandemic of Covid-19. I am not going to pretend as if we were the only business that suffered however, I do believe that our industry was one of the ones hit the hardest. Clients canceling, requesting refunds etc. It was a tough 15 months and we are grateful for finally seeing the light!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an Event Planner that specializes in Weddings. My job is to assist brides in fulfilling their dreams so that they can relax while offering them an experience. At PWC, we are known for the “PWC Experience”. We go above and beyond for our clients. When a client becomes a #PWCBRIDE or #PWCLIENT you gain a new set of Gal Pals and a set of Honey Dos! You don’t just hire Andrea, as your planner/coordinator you gain a Lead Planner, a Co-Planner and several event specialists that are accessible to you. Our entire staff is trained and equipped to step in at any moment to fulfill any planning/styling duty.
When I think about what I am the most proud of, I must say it’s the ability to impact so many people by just doing what I love!
How do you think about happiness?
Happiness, to me, is defined by what gives you fulfillment and the engagement of the activity that is associated with happiness is effortless. I am happy with my husband because our relationship and how we love each other isn’t forced and I do what I do for him with ZERO effort…it’s willing. PWC makes me happy!It fulfills me and I EFFORTLESSLY get up everyday and go to my office, on time. I worked in corporate America for 15 years while operating PWC for 14 of those 15 years and when I decided in 2018 to walk in my true destiny, I could not have made a better choice. I love what I do, I love the people I do it with and I love how it allows me the opportunity to invest more time with my family.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.perfectionwed.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/perfectionwedevents
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/perfectionwed
Image Credits
Firelenz Photography Ken Gordon Photography
