Benchmark Happenings
Brought to you by, Jonathan Tipton & Steve Reed of Benchmark Home Loans, Benchmark Happenings is a podcast that is a biweekly discussion about living in and moving to Northeast Tennessee along with the local real estate market. Join your host Christine Reed as she interviews Jonathan & Steve, local business owners, sought-after industry experts, Veterans, Realtors, Benchmark clients, and more.
Benchmark Happenings focuses on discussing all things related to mortgages and Northeast Tennessee. Placing the spotlight on all the reasons you would want to live in and move to Northeast Tennessee, Benchmark Happenings highlights upcoming events, local businesses, things to do, and other aspects related to Northeast Tennessee. We will also be answering mortgage questions from buyers, sellers, and real estate agents as well as discussing everything going on in our local real estate market.
To help you to navigate the home buying and mortgage process, Jonathan & Steve are currently licensed in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia, contact us today at 423-491-5405 or visit www.tiptonreedteam.com.
Benchmark Home Loans | NMLS # 2143
4138 Bristol Highway
Johnson City, TN 37601
Jonathan Tipton
Senior Mortgage Planner
NMLS # 1188088
jonathan.tipton@benchmark.us
Steve Reed
Branch Manager
NMLS # 173024
steve.reed@benchmark.us
Benchmark Happenings
From Love to Legacy: Jamie Jackson's Journey in Wedding Planning and Community Service
Tune in to uncover Jamie's unique approach to wedding planning, where she likens her role to that of a coach, organizing a team of professional vendors to bring dream weddings to life. From amusing anecdotes like managing butterflies for a bride's special request to orchestrating grand entrances via helicopter, Jamie’s tales are both entertaining and enlightening. She shares the importance of wedding planner certifications, insights into cultural wedding traditions, and the joys of mentoring budding event planners. Whether you’re an aspiring wedding planner or simply intrigued by entrepreneurial journeys, Jamie’s experiences offer a wealth of inspiration and practical wisdom.
To help you to navigate the home buying and mortgage process, Jonathan & Steve are currently licensed in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia, contact us today at 423-491-5405 or visit www.jonathanandsteve.com.
This is Benchmark Happenings, Brought to you by Jonathan and Steve from Benchmark Home Loans. Northeast Tennessee, Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol, the Tri-Cities One of the most beautiful places in the country to live. Tons of great things to do and awesome local businesses. And on this show you'll find out why people are dying to move to Northeast Tennessee and on the way we'll have discussions about mortgages and we'll interview people in the real estate industry. It's what we do. This is Benchmark Happenings, brought to you by Benchmark Home Loans and now your host, Christine Reed.
Speaker 2:Benchmark Home Loans and now your host, christine Reed. Well, welcome back everybody to another episode of our Benchmark Happenings and the star of our show. Today we have Jamie Jackson with Jamie Events. Welcome, jamie, thank you. Thanks for having me. Of course, it's great to have you on because I thought you know we talk about a lot of different businesses here in East Tennessee, especially entrepreneurs and those people who are kind of you know, growing and building their own business. And so, jamie, you've been a wedding planner, event planner for how long now?
Speaker 3:Well, I officially started Jamie Events in 2019. So I just hit five years.
Speaker 2:Wow, it's exciting, wow. So tell us a little bit about yourself, because I know you do a lot.
Speaker 3:Thank you, yeah, so I've always grown up in this area. Tri-cities is my home. I got married really young. Nathan and I have been married 28 years. As of Saturday, we just celebrated our 28th anniversary Happy anniversary, thank you.
Speaker 2:So how old were you when you and Nathan got married?
Speaker 3:Well, he was 19 and I was 20.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 3:So we were young, but when you love the Lord and you love each other and you just want to start life young, I mean. We jumped in and I think my wedding day was one of the best days of my life.
Speaker 3:Just seeing our two families come together and seeing us start our first step was really exciting and it, I guess, sparked something in me with wedding planning and event planning. And right after I got married my coordinator showed me the ropes and I directed back. Then we called them wedding directors at churches we had a wedding director. I was the young wedding director for all of my friends' weddings, and so for the next 18 months I think I did eight or nine weddings of my friends.
Speaker 3:Wow and so and this was a side thing. I was in college to be a teacher and I did become a teacher and worked as a special ed teacher. But then on the side, bringing my friends' weddings together, just watching them start their first day of their life just joy is addictive, is kind of what somebody told me one day. They're like we know why you like to do this, because everyone at a wedding is so happy and it's just contagious. And I thought, well, there's something to that. It is great to be around so much joy and excitement.
Speaker 3:So over the years I just did it as a side job and then about 12 years ago I became the full-time wedding director at a local venue, really kind of got to know the different wedding vendors through that process, had a great experience, loved my job, but I was at their mercy. I did as many weddings as they had and I think they wanted to do 52. If they could do a wedding every Saturday they would have, and I blessed them for that. But that is not where I wanted to settle. I wanted to find some joy in working through the whole process with a client and just bring in their, their dream day to life. So yeah, that's when I started Jamie events.
Speaker 2:It's a little bit about my journey. That's, that's a lot. So now, what venue were you working at before you decided to branch out on your own?
Speaker 3:So I was at the Chateau Soleil with the original owners and I really enjoyed that. I learned so much. I worked alongside the best of the best. They had the best vendors up there. It was a great staff. It was a great experience. So then, when I was ready to launch into my own, I was fully prepared.
Speaker 2:Yes, so you had lots of experience there, and you're also a mom.
Speaker 3:A mom of three. My oldest is 21, getting ready to be 22. 20-year-old is my next and my daughter's 16. So, yeah, they keep me really busy.
Speaker 2:Yes, and you also recently ran for a political position also recently ran for a political position.
Speaker 3:I did. Yes. I'm feeling busy now that I'm saying all this together. I did run for school board for Kingsport City Schools and I would say I've got to go through one more election before it's official, but there's nobody running against us, so our names should just pass through unless there's a write-in, but I'm already preparing. Our names should just pass through unless there's a write-in, but I'm already preparing. Reading books, talking to people.
Speaker 3:I think, our future with our children in the public school system is vital. We are blessed with some of the best school systems in the state and really even in the country Kingsport City, Johnson City are ranked in the top 10% of the nation.
Speaker 3:So when you see the dismal scores from Tennessee coming through, that's not what we see in our area. The Tri-Cities actually has some of the highest test scores and the best school systems in the country, and I wanted to be a part of that because I really feel deeply for students that are not going to the traditional four-year university. As a wedding and event planner, I don't need a four-year degree. No, my husband is a successful contractor and he does not need a four-year degree for that.
Speaker 3:So I became really passionate about students that were choosing to not go to the traditional route and want to make sure that our school systems are supporting them, are they training them, are they giving them the classes and the opportunities they need. So that's where the school board journey came from and I'm excited to get started in September. And you know I said not every voice needs to be the CTE, the career technical education voice, but there needs to be one voice. So I'm happy to be that voice and be that representative for students that are just going a non-traditional path, and you know, what that is.
Speaker 2:That's the key today, because I don't know if you're familiar with Charlie Kirk.
Speaker 1:Oh yes, Turning, point. Very much yes.
Speaker 2:You know, and he did not go to college and he's probably one of the most well-educated young men in the country, absolutely Self-educated, has read so many books and you know we love what he's doing and I really thank you for what you're doing as well, because that's where the difference is made in communities your local school board, because you know we've got to keep out these woke agendas that are trying to destroy our children and what the schools are teaching, and for you wanting to keep that excellence. So thank you.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. I'm excited. So keep me in your prayers those of you in the listening audience because sometimes when you really fight for what's right, you become an easy target. So I'm expecting my conservative values to get a little pushback here and there, but that's okay. I've got strong conservative values and I don't mind to share them and I care deeply about our students and I think they feel that too so. I think love and care go a long way.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and you're a strong personality, confident, a young woman. We've been friends for quite some time, so I know that you'll do a great job.
Speaker 2:So thanks, christine, I want to just kind of give everybody a recap of everything that Jamie does and everything that she's about. It's not just planning weddings, so, um. So let's talk a little bit about you know we already kind of talked about how you got started because you were already getting that experience. You were planning weddings, being a wedding director right For your friends, for um, right after you and Nathan got married a few years ago. And so tell us about some of your passions with you. Talk about joy and planning weddings, but what are some of those passions that just keep you going and wanting to work with that bride to be?
Speaker 3:I think one of the things I really enjoy is the organization of people, so leading a team of people that are professionals in their own right I love. I usually tell my clients I feel like I'm the wedding coach, I'm the coach and I've got all these amazing professionals as my starting lineup.
Speaker 3:You know, I've got this fantastic caterer and I've got all these amazing professionals as my starting lineup. I've got this fantastic caterer and I've got a wonderful photographer and I've got these great starting lineup people and I don't tell them exactly what to do. They are amazing at what they do. I just create the plan and then I feel like I execute by sending them out empowered and ready with the information and the equipment that they need so that they can be the best, so they can star in their own way.
Speaker 3:So we all have to work together. It's not just a great wedding planner, it's not just a great caterer, it's not just a great one person, it's all of us working together. So I love to manage people. I love to create a flow for an event that actually makes sense to the client, for the client's goals. We spend a lot of time talking about priorities like what is the vision for the client? What is the bride and the groom? I love to include the groom in all of our meetings if possible, because his input is super valuable. It's not just the bride's day, it's a bride and groom's day.
Speaker 2:Is that typical for a wedding event planning, or is it just? Do most people just focus on the bride and not include the groom?
Speaker 3:I think it's. I would love to know more what other planners do, but it seems to me that what I'm reading it's all about the bride, all about the bride. And people will say to the bride it's your day, it's your day. And there is an element to that. The bride's family is spending a lot of money, but to me it's their first day.
Speaker 3:So it's their priorities and weaving in a groom's his cool ideas. I mean, some of my grooms have come up with some really cool ideas, Like I had one the other day. They cut their wedding cake with his Marine sword. It was just a neat way to incorporate who he was, and I mean, they really hacked the cake. It was hilarious. Um, luckily there was plenty of dessert, but I love to incorporate some of those creative ideas from our grooms, Um, because sometimes they come up with things that we would have never thought of.
Speaker 2:So I love that, I love how you're, you're including both of them, because marriage is becoming one, we're becoming one flesh with each other, and that covenant relationship, before making that promise before God that we're going to stay together till death, do us part in sickness and in health. And so how in the world do you maintain such organization To me, when you talk about all those different folks that you're working with, how do you do that? How do you stay so organized?
Speaker 3:Well, I do create a lot of checklists and spreadsheets.
Speaker 2:Oh, you would love my husband then, because he's all about checklists. Oh man, I love a good spreadsheet and a checklist.
Speaker 3:So I have a standard template of dates that I want to hit. I've created a long time ago. I kind of created a planning calendar for myself to keep myself on track with my clients, and then it just automatically reminds me um, I've, I've invested in some upgraded software that helped me.
Speaker 3:It's a, it's a timeline software that I discovered last year at a wedding convention that I went to. I went and got certified. I've been certified twice as a wedding planner, but the second certification I received in Las Vegas, was at a convention and there I was able to. You know, kind of research, all the newest wedding technology and wedding software, and I did adopt one because, you're right, christine, there's a. I say, if somebody's spending one hundred thousand dollars on a wedding, there's one hundred thousand details. There are so many details that come with it. So, you know, using the technology, that's right at our fingertips, that was a great investment for me. I'm getting a lot of positive feedback from my vendors that they love the software, they love their own customized timelines, that kind of thing. So, yeah, just a lot of spreadsheets and checklists.
Speaker 2:It's really all about having the right tools in place and processes, and systems. That's what we do here. You know, with benchmark, it's like having the right processes and systems in place for that success. So I had no idea that there are certifications for wedding planners. Yes, so what does that entail, jamie? What? What is I mean? What do you have to do to be certified?
Speaker 3:Well, I went back to school right after I decided to start my own business. I launched in 2019. That year, I felt like I had learned some skills on the job training basically some great experience training but I wanted to know what are the industry leaders say that I need to know? Is there anything different? Am I missing anything?
Speaker 3:So I went ahead and did an online course for an online wedding planning and event planning certification and it really just. It takes you through the whole process of everything that I do how to research and find vendors. One thing that I didn't know so I did learn this was different cultural events and cultural weddings and all the different processes that it takes for a Persian wedding, for a Jewish wedding, for a Catholic wedding, and those were some differences that I was not used to, so I was really glad to learn those. Add those into my notes. They've come up very handy. In the recent years I've done several Jewish weddings, several Catholic weddings, so it's good to know those traditions so they don't step on too many toes by using the wrong kind of verbiage and that kind of thing, so that that was really helpful.
Speaker 3:Um, there was also some really neat chapters and whole courses on budgeting, um, and budgeting for your clients and and researching priorities and realizing that you don't have to max out the budget in every single area.
Speaker 3:There are ways to save money at a wedding and and I thought that was I've already been doing that, but just to kind of read some and research some more ways to do that, because I think one of the most important things I do is protect the wedding investment. Whether somebody is spending 15,000 or 150,000, it's an investment. It's probably the largest investment in one day that anybody's going to make in their life, just in one day. So it is my job to protect that, like it is my child, you know, and not let any penny go wasted and not have any penny be overspent or underspent. So, researching and reviewing contracts, I caught a big mistake in a contract about two years ago and I saved the client $1,500. I had two vendors that were covering the same area. So when I kind of found that in the contract, I reached out to the vendors and I said okay, which one of you is going to do this, cause we don't need to pay twice. And so I was able to save that client quite a bit of money.
Speaker 3:I do that often with photography timelines. So when they photographer package comes through the, when I see the contract, I'll say oh well, our sendoff is early, we're not, we're not doing very much dancing and the getting ready time is early. We don't need an eight hour package. We really. I go back to the client. We really could you downgrade and just get the six hour package, but more often than not I'm saying oh, you guys want to dance all night long. We need the photographer to stay an extra hour, but catching that before the week of the wedding, before they're already maxed out.
Speaker 3:But reading those contracts and protecting that investment is probably one of the most important things that a wedding planner can do and when I'm, when I'm wedding coordinating, which is when I'm just bringing together someone else's team. I don't have that opportunity as much, and I see things going through that you know I think, oh, I could have saved them so much money if they'd just hired me to plan their wedding. It's my goal to save my entire fee, and at least my fee for their day, by strategically connecting them with the right vendors and strategically combing through these contracts and making sure that they only pay for what they need.
Speaker 2:You know that is so much detail, and just knowing that you're doing this and protecting that investment for that client, then I mean most people don't do that, I wouldn't think. I mean that gives me just peace of mind knowing that Jamie's out here. She's looking out for my best interest. I have a $25,000 budget. I can be at peace knowing that I'm not going to go over that budget, Right, and especially this day in time where money is just so it's tight, Right.
Speaker 3:And Pinterest is not our friend Sometimes.
Speaker 2:Pinterest is very grandiose.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, and so Pinterest, you know, is the, is the maxed out budget. And then my brides come and they share with me what they're able to spend, or what they want to spend, because some of them want to invest with you guys. They want to get their house, they don't want to spend all their money on a wedding. But, no, they don't realize that the Pinterest pictures are staged. They took that shot 14 different times before they got it. That pedal toss I had one client say I just want my pedal toss to look exactly like this and I said, well, that'll be our goal. But just so you know, they probably did like 14 takes of this pedal toss, you know, before they posted it on Pinterest.
Speaker 3:But anyway, yes, you get my point there, where you know Pinterest isn't always budget friendly and just getting them to have some reality checks and say we can create beauty and we can create your amazing day and we can still do it and respect your budget at the same time.
Speaker 2:Yes, well, and the other thing, I think just go back a little bit when you were working on your certification and you're doing more weddings, not just a traditional Christian wedding, but there's also Jewish, catholic, I think about Indian weddings. My husband and I we went to a party Friday night oh, saturday, I'm sorry it was Saturday night. It was a graduation party, the most fun party I've ever been to in my entire life. How fun it was. Fantastic. The classiest people, I mean. It was just. It was amazing.
Speaker 2:And I thought, wow, now if they have a wedding, I can't even imagine what this would be and what they would spend on it, cause this was just a graduation party, you know. So, um. So I think that's really important, um, to be able to have that knowledge base to share and be able to plan those wedding events for others, because we're seeing more and more of that here East Tennessee. It's not just everybody loves it here. Oh, it's amazing, it's beautiful it is, and you and I were both born and raised here, so we're extremely blessed. Our husbands were born and raised here.
Speaker 2:So we have extremely blessed. Our husbands were born and raised here, so we have very deep roots. But we know that this place is. There's just nothing like East.
Speaker 3:Tennessee, it is special.
Speaker 2:So tell us, jamie, what is the most memorable, probably unique, wedding that you have planned.
Speaker 3:Well, if, if, if anybody knows me personally, you know I'm a massive Lord of the Rings fan.
Speaker 2:I love.
Speaker 3:Tolkien, I love the books, I love the Hobbit, and so I did a wedding. Uh, I guess it was almost two years ago, in September, and it was Lord of the Rings themed, and so we just turned their venue um into, uh, basically the Elfin kingdom, but it was just flowers everywhere.
Speaker 3:Um, they, they're the ones they actually. They weren't the um Marine sword. They actually cut their cake with a handmade Elvin sword, um, but they. One of the things that was kind of unique for me is she wanted a butterfly release and so I thought, oh, no problem. She said, can I send the butterflies to you? I said yes, because they were coming from out of town, it was a destination wedding, and so they sent me the butterflies. I had no idea that babysitting these butterflies for a week was going to be so intense, but anyway, I had to keep them on ice and temperature, control them and check on them like all the time. It was really cute, but it ended up being one of the best moments of a wedding. They just opened the box and the butterflies flew out. The box and the butterflies flew out and and I thought, oh, that's, that was really special. But I've done a lot of unique cultural types of weddings, chilean weddings.
Speaker 3:I did a Latino wedding recently, so I love the cultural weddings. Those are some really unique ones. You know brides and grooms riding in and in and out on horses. I had a bride brought in on a helicopter once you know, I think. Steve knows the helicopter pilot. I can't remember his name but I'm sure you know him. He's a friend of Alan's. But he brought this poor brat in like a rescue drop or something like that, Like he just dropped out of the sky to bring her in. Well, it made her like really sick.
Speaker 1:So, that was like a moment.
Speaker 3:So she gets out and I can see it all over her face. She was like a moment. So she gets out and I can see it all over her face. She's kind of a little bit green and I just had her, you know, put her hand, her. My hands were kind of chilly, so I put my hands around her face and I just said keep looking at me, Just look at me, Just breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. You're not going to throw up, You're going to be fine. She was, I'm sure, but you know.
Speaker 3:I love the unique qualities of each person's way.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and I mean, you are that person that that bride is looking to, depending on, to make her day perfect.
Speaker 3:Right Her neat little idea.
Speaker 2:Yes, and you're creating that memorable experience and I was looking at your website. So what's the website where people can find you?
Speaker 3:So it's jamieeventstncom, and when you spell that there's only one E, so it's J-A-M-I and then eventstncom and you'll be able to find more information there. I'm updating it, currently switching more to focus on wedding planning and I'll offer a power planning for if I'm booked on your date and you just want to make sure you're on the right track, I've got a power planning package and I still do some coordination. I'm not going to say no to the wedding coordination, but I really enjoy building my own teams and strategically choosing the right vendors.
Speaker 3:It is such a powerful event. I really create these dream teams for the client and then we're all just having the best time. I mean, I know a lot of great vendors you as well. We have a great network of great caterers, photographers, cake people. So just putting the right team together is my passion. So I'm kind of leaning more in that direction. If I do fewer weddings and just plan more, that sounds great to me as opposed to just being busy for busy's sake and just booking every weekend. So I stick to 25 to 30 weddings a year. That's a lot.
Speaker 3:It is, I guess, when you really I've got. I have seven weddings in June, this June, so I've got six more starting Saturday. I have six weddings. I do have some coordinators that work for me with me.
Speaker 2:I was going to ask you do you have people on your team?
Speaker 3:Yes, and so I do have several different people. One interned with me last year. She's absolutely amazing. She actually got her four-year degree from ETSU in a field that she's not interested in and it kind of just happened that way. But she, through her college career, was planning college events and so she reached out to me. She said I love planning these college events, would you mentor me? And I usually say no to these things because I get so busy, it's hard for me to do it. But something in the back of my mind said give her a second chance, look. And we hit it off. She was a great intern. She started slowly running events for me and then now she can just take a whole wedding for me. I just give her the timeline, she runs it. She's amazing. She got hired by ETSU as an event planner and and she kind of. She wrote me back the other day and she said I think it's because of being able to intern with you and having that experience running all these events with you was able.
Speaker 3:I was able to include that on my resume and they were able to hire me for the alumni association event coordination team, so I was really happy about that. So she comes back and runs things on the weekends for me occasionally and I've got another girl, uh, to actually that that run things. When I am already booked for the date and the client would really like to still hire me, I can still plan. See, the planning is takes 200 hours or something. I mean it's insane, it takes so long to get everything planned.
Speaker 2:I was going to ask you that part of the process because you know what if we don't have a good plan, we don't execute well.
Speaker 3:Exactly, exactly. So that's what takes so long. That's the hard work, and then the weekend of the wedding should just be smooth going.
Speaker 3:The only thing that would be unpredictable is the weather you know everything else and we should, and I've had four plans, backup plans before in place. So you know we just roll with it, we just kind of run, and so I feel like you know, if it's a good plan, anybody should be able to execute. It is my goal. So I don't do that very often, but I do it occasionally and for sure I'm going to do off of a referral. You know, if somebody refers me a friend or family or vendor I'll take it on if possible, just so they know I may not be my face that shows up, but it'll be somebody and they'll do a great job.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Good. They can trust you. Yeah, and I was actually looking at your Google reviews. They're all five and how you planned. There was a couple from France, yeah, and so you planned their wedding. You weren't together, I guess. They were in France and you were here and helped them plan their wedding and they just gave you rave reviews. I thought now that takes talent.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that was, and it was a little bit of a language barrier, but yeah, we did. That was a really fun wedding and they love East Tennessee and their love of the mountains here. It just it was intoxicating just to be around them to hear because you think, oh, why would they leave France and get married here? It's because we are truly blessed. We take it for granted sometimes how gorgeous it is here and the area of France that they're from is a little more commercialized. She said she lives in a big city and it's just not the same and she wanted to come to the mountains and get married and they spent three days together. It was a wedding event is what it was, but yeah, that was a fun one Now.
Speaker 2:do they live here or did they move back?
Speaker 3:Well, they live in France, Okay.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:That's amazing. They knew someone that was from this area. The groom's family was originally from this area, okay, so that's kind of what drew them back to this area to share their wedding day.
Speaker 2:So I love, jamie, how you are pouring into others and that you also have taken such an interest in young people. You know your position, that you know we're going to be on the school board for Kingsport City Schools but also looking at the trades, and we know that that's where the bread and butter for people is going to be. It's not that college degree a lot of times because they don't use it. Just the example that you just shared. So we've got a little bit of time before we wrap up. But what advice would you give someone that was interested? You know, like man, they listen to this podcast, they're like I would love to learn more about being a wedding planner, or what would you say to someone and they don't have any experience? Or maybe they're a young person or an older person. They want a career change. What would you recommend?
Speaker 3:I think a great place to start, if they're wanting some online training, is to look into the online courses just to kind of get a background. Next steps would be to get involved in a local company that offers event planning services. Great opportunities at Marriott at the MetaView. They do a lot of big events there. They have a huge event staff. Getting involved at a local wedding venue that offers what they call venue coordination, which is what I did. So I was the coordinator that worked for the venue. It's the lowest level of client support that there is, because really a venue coordinator is really tasked with protecting the venue first and then the client's needs, and then the next step up is a wedding coordinator and then, of course, full service wedding planner. But I would say, get involved at a venue nearby you know, the Chateau Soleil or Sugar Hollow.
Speaker 3:There are several venues in the area that offer coordination service. I think Cherokee Creek Farm, there's several. So I think if you really specifically want to be weddings, that's a great place to kind of get started. Waterstone, I think, is looking for a hostess. Right now. Their main salesperson, I think, has taken a different job. I love Waterstone. That's a magical, magical venue. So really I would say that would be a great next step and then, once you know the vendors, connect and mentor with a local wedding planner and then you're ready to start your business.
Speaker 3:So I would tell my high school students get that online certification in high school. They don't disqualify you for not being 18 to get that certification. It's a self-paced program. You work as fast as you want to work. So I have been telling my students that I have in my sphere get as many certifications in high school as you can, even if you are going to go to UT and become an engineer. Rocky is in computer engineering my middle son but he got an IT certificate in high school. That's now allowed him to intern. He interned as a freshman, which is kind of unheard of. But the certifications in high school, whether it's event and wedding planning, or maybe it's just event and gala fundraising planning. Those are that's a huge area right now. That we have a need for in our area is is planning for these nonprofits. They don't necessarily know how to plan an event.
Speaker 2:No, they don't.
Speaker 3:Right, so you know there.
Speaker 3:there's an open door there for a young planner that might just want to get their certification and then offer some services for a young planner that might just want to get their certification, and then offer some services for a low fee to get some experience. I'd love to come in and plan your event. So those are some ideas that, if you want to get started in it, of course, feel free to reach out to me. I can usually point people in the right direction and I'd love to see us grow this industry.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and it has grown since Steve and I got married and I'm embarrassed to tell you how much we spent on our wedding. We've been married for 23 years and we spent $500.
Speaker 3:I wish it was that.
Speaker 2:So we had a lot of family and friends that pitched in.
Speaker 2:But it was a beautiful wedding, know it was, it was for us it was, and the most of that money was spent on my dress that I found, yeah, but you know I think it. It doesn't matter how much you spend, it's all about you know, the, just the experience and and. But I love what you're doing, jamie, and I just so appreciate you coming in and sharing Jamie events with us and for us to get to know a little bit more about you. So any famous last words before we wrap up.
Speaker 3:Well, I love the network that you're creating with small businesses and entrepreneurs. It gives us all a chance to be excited, get bragged on for a minute and what you've done for me is just absolutely made my whole year. So thanks for including me and thanks for all you guys do for our veterans and our military and just everything you're doing for our community to help people have a home. I mean, it's the goal right. I get them married, you get them a house, right, and then they create the family with the Lord.
Speaker 3:So I just I love all the things that you guys are doing and for including me, and that just feels like such an honor.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you Jamie. Well, we hope to have you back to get some updates on Jamie events. But thank you again for coming. It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 3:Thanks guys.
Speaker 1:This has been Benchmark Happenings, brought to you by Jonathan Tipton and Steve Reed from Benchmark Home Loans. Jonathan and Steve are residential mortgage lenders. They do home loans in Northeast Tennessee and they're not only licensed in Tennessee but Florida, georgia, south Carolina and Virginia. We hope you've enjoyed the show. If you did make sure to like rate and review. Our passion is Northeast Tennessee, so if you have questions about mortgages, call us at 423-491-5405. And the website is wwwJonathanAndStevecom. Thanks for being with us and we'll see you next time on Benchmark Happenings.
