Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara LeClaire.
Hi Tara, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hello! My name is Tara LeClaire, I am the founder and CEO of Tara LeClaire Weddings. Thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about me! I was born and raised in Richmond Hill, GA until I was 18 and met a handsome Airman from Long Island, NY!
We then traveled and lived all over the world until getting orders to Charleston, SC 12 years ago we have been here ever since and he has just recently retired after 23 years in the Air Force! I have two amazing teenagers, my son attends Charleston Southern University to become a pilot, and my daughter is a junior at Fort Dorchester High School.
Before becoming a wedding planner, I worked for youth services with the Air Force for 9 years at our different bases. A few years back a sweet friend of mine asked me to coordinate her wedding since she knew I had managed several events for the Air Force in the past. It was then that I fell in love with weddings! For 6 years, I was a freelance/contract coordinator all over the Low Country until I started my own company three years ago.
Even though I now call Charleston home, I will always be a Georgia girl at heart! My family is all still located in Richmond Hill and Savannah and I come home any chance I can get.
Both of my grandmothers were/are business owners in Savannah! Laureen Herrington who owned ‘The Bee Hive’ (a children’s clothing store) near Victory square in the ’80s and Betty Dubberly (who still to this day at age 90 goes to work every day), owns a TV center on Bull St!
I always try to find inspiration from them to expand and improve. Once I became established in Charleston, I was ready to expand the home to Savannah! I have done several wonderful weddings and styled shoots with my all time favorite being The Perry Lane Hotel!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been an eventful road for sure! Nothing is smooth when the military and kids are involved. It’s always changing and needs constant adaptation. This has also made me very good at handling pop-up situations in my career, I have had my fair share of mishaps making each wedding a learning experience.
The biggest obstacle was the same for most, COVID. My business was finally in full swing in October 2019 just in time for things to shut down in March of 2020. Everything was canceled and postponed but we were able to rally and recover and still make up nearly all of the wedding dates that were changed.
Coming into this career at an older age was also an obstacle at first, (not as tech-savvy as my millennial peers) but now I have embraced it as a blessing and perfect life timing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in wedding planning and coordination. I offer services from elopements to full planning! Day of coordination has become my biggest request for services. It allows clients to plan the weddings they are hoping for and then we bring their vision to life!
I do love the full planning aspects because it makes the day more seamless when I plan from the beginning. I pride myself most on my team. (Including my own kids who love to work with me). They are all wonderful and I could not do what I do without them!
Some are past brides that fell in love with the industry. Several were interns with me from the College of Charleston and stayed on board, and others are college and high school kids eager to learn and help! I am lucky that I have not had to hire out staff. Everyone has either approached me, or I offered them jobs based on their abilities.
I get compliments on how wonderful and efficient they are after each wedding! Knowing that they do such amazing work when I am not even there is one of my best accomplishments as a business owner.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
That is a great question. Wedding planning is a slow business to build since things book so far in advance. In my first year, I had 4 weddings, this year I have 76.
I have found my success in the referrals of vendors and clients. Knowing that so many people are happy with my work and refer me to other people is a wonderful feeling!
Managing someone’s stressful wedding day to be fun and breezy for the clients, as well as the professionals, is a true success for me! We are also a ‘family business’ so knowing my kids and husband love helping and are proud of me, means the world!
Pricing:
- Day of Coordination $1200
- Partial Planning $1995
- Full Planning $3000
Contact Info:
- Website: www.taraleclaireweddings.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/taraleclaire_chs/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taraleclaireweddings/
Image Credits
Shelby Stewart Photography, Palms and Places Imagery
