Today we’d like to introduce you to Payton Winchester.
Hi Payton, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a Chicago girl who graduated from Auburn University back in 2016 + moved to Atlanta in pursuit of experience in the event planning industry. During my time at Auburn, I had been involved as the special events coordinator for my sorority. I found that I thrived when I was creating spaces that fostered lifetime memories. Seeing others thoroughly enjoy themselves is something that gave me a sense of satisfaction and purpose. So, what if I could kick it up a notch and add the gravity of it being someone’s milestone in life? The idea of it was thrilling to me.
Before graduating, I reached out to Karen Landis with Pop + Fizz to pick her brain about the industry. I really had no idea where to start. After a couple of cups of coffee combined with a few hours of chatting in some cozy chairs, Karen had offered for me to assist her to get my feet wet.
Our first wedding together, actually, took place the day after one of Atlanta’s immobilizing “snow days”. Being from Chicago, this light dusting of snow was laughable to me. That was certainly not the case across the board. So many vendors went into a frenzy + that presented a very unique storm of challenges. After tackling it all, and with the wedding being flawless upon execution due to Karen’s seasoned experience, she looked at me, both of us exhausted, and said, “so do you still want to do this”? Here I am, 6 years later, absolutely loving every minute of it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like the rest of the world, the pandemic certainly threw a wrench in things.
Professionally, it was difficult to navigate the complex feelings that each of my clients had regarding their wedding day. Outside of the obvious financial aspect, each had spent so long planning, building expectations, and emotionally investing for this moment. A few had almost reached the finish line before everything shut down. Being so close to both the vendor side as well as the client side through this process has given me a refined perspective on how to handle exceedingly sensitive obstacles as a wedding planner. As a team in 2020, we had to reschedule over 50 weddings almost at once. If you had told me before the pandemic that we would be doing that, I would have called you crazy.
Personally, at that time, I was also planning my very own wedding for the fall of 2020. My husband and I met in Italy while studying abroad in college and were so excited to get married. As a wedding planner by profession, I was ecstatic to be able to finally share that (major) part of my world with my loved ones. Our families are very close and come from all over the country. It was important to us that they are able to be there safely. So, we decided to wait a year. The decision was a hard one because we hadn’t wanted our engagement to be any longer than it was, and we had declined to elope. The right choice became clearer as we reflected on what the wedding day meant to us and how we would want to remember it. Ultimately, we wanted to give our loved ones and ourselves the best shot at being together for the occasion.
By the time we got married, my sister mentioned that it was all the more special because it felt even more “earned”. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Articulating someone else’s journey through details on their wedding day is our wheelhouse. My associate, Karen Landis, describes this very well. We are storytellers. Being a visual storyteller is an art. It’s something that we focus on refining with each wedding that we are fortunate enough to design. We specialize in getting to know our clients and strive to ensure they feel that their wedding day is curated specifically for them. It’s important to us that our couples feel that we understand their vision and/or are able to help them foster one if they don’t know where to begin. Having the opportunity to be creative in a professional space is as much a blessing as it is a challenge. And, over here, we love a good creative challenge.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
To me, it is important to stay creatively hungry. This drive is what calls us to make every one of our weddings unique. We get our inspiration not just from online resources but also our personal experiences and curiosities. My minor in college was Art History, and I have spent a lot of time studying different pieces through their respective time period, symbolism, method, and geolocation. When you concentrate on these topics, it’s not simply paintings + pottery, but also architecture and the overall culture of past and present.
Hand-in-hand with this, one of my favorite activities that spark creativity is travel. I have been fortunate enough to have had opportunities to see the works I studied across the globe. Each time, the experience gives me a different creative perspective. Whether it be a new museum, landmark, or excursion, we live in a world that is changing every day and has much to offer in the way of igniting ideas.
Overall, I feel it really is important to utilize any outlet that you have interest. If you like to paint? Make time to do it. If you like to travel? Make it your priority to plan a trip. If you’re not outwardly creative or someone that adventures, pick up a book you might not usually read and give it a go. Whether you are in an artistic occupation or not, I feel that it is important to always feed your creative soul.
Contact Info:
- Website: popandfizz.com
- Instagram: @popandfizz
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/popandfizzatlanta
Image Credits
Sarah Joy Photography, Farrah Power Photography, Ashlyn Cathey Photography, Carrie Joy Photography
