Simply Southern Weddings and Events by Tara

Tara and her team were absolutely AMAZING. We were on the fence about whether or not we needed planning services. Let me tell you - you do! They were so friendly and helpful throughout the entire planning process. The software she uses is amazing as well - and made everything 100x easier. The day of was bliss - we didn't have to worry about a thing! Everything went without a single issue, and it was truly a carefree day for us! Now that it's over, we miss our discussions with Tara and the team - they were such a big and important part of the process and we got to know each other pretty well! 100/10 would recommend!

Tara, "the life saver", Tara "the superwoman". We gave her a challenge by having her plan our wedding during a PANDEMIC and her work was nothing short of incredible. If you're looking for a COVID approved, pandemic approved, natural disaster approved wedding planner who can work around anything... STOP! look no further. Tara is the one!! Cannot thank her enough for helping to make our day beautiful and life changing. Oh and her prices are good too ;)

I cannot say enough about SSWE, Tara, and her staff! I had access to vendors I did not know about, planning and design tools, and Aisle Planner (a DREAM)! Tara was there for me every step of the way, going above and beyond the typical role of wedding coordinator and stepping in no matter the issue. We dealt with COVID, downsizing our wedding, loosing our caterer, our makeup artist and hairstylist, 2 bridesmaids dropping out, and a death in our family all within 2 months of our wedding day and Tara and her girls took it all in stride. At our rehearsal with our consultant Jessica we found out our videographer had come in contact with a COVID positive case and had a fever. Jessica and Tara kept me calm, and had a solution before I even knew there was a problem. Then the day of our outdoor beach wedding it poured, all day. Jessica and the other girls working with her kept Tara in the loop and allowed me the chance to make changes to the plan to accommodate my vision as best they could. They miraculously transitioned the tent space that was set for the reception into our ceremony space, escorted the guests out to the cocktail hour, then transformed it back into the reception space. They made sure I was kept in the loop, that every details was as I had requested, and did everything they could to make our day special. They even managed to lite our fire pit in the rain so my husband could have the s’mores he desperately wanted. Thank you so much for your love and commitment to your brides (and grooms) SSWE. I can not recommend this company more highly!

My Husband and I started out on the journey of putting together our 30th Anniversary Reception ourselves before long we realized that we needed help so I started my search on the internet and came across Simply Southern Weddings and Events By Tara Jones. Our initial meeting with Tara Jones set the tone for what would turn out to be the greatest event of our lives. We Knew we wanted someone that was organized and had the vision to help us create the Winter Wonderland reception we didn’t have 30 years ago. After signing the contract with Tara we had 6 months to get this reception together Tara put our minds at ease as she displayed her skills. Tara demonstrated a unique ability to execute our vision. We had so many wants and needs to make our Winter Wonderland Reception come to life. Tara helped located all of our venders and Tara proofread all of our contract before we sign, she also kept a copy of the contract. If Tara saw something that she didn’t think was in our best interest she brought it to our attention immediately. Tara smiled as each decision or challenge was overcome. We meet with Tara weekly and we spoke with her least two or three times a week. Tara proved her unique ability to gain a leadership role over the vendors. She proved this throughout the event and gave us the relief we needed to handle all the issues and over come any challenges If something went wrong the night of our event My husband and I didn’t know anything about it. Tara and her staff was there from the early morning set-up to the late night break-down. We are forever grateful to Simply Southern Weddings and Events by Tara Jones and her staff for providing us with our dream 30th Anniversary Reception it surpassed our expectations we had an AMAZING night.

Tara and her team were fantastic! My wedding planning started a little later in the timeline than usual and was on a budget. As soon as we began our partnership Tara was quick to help me organize my vision and work with my budget through her extensive knowledge of how to create a beautiful day within a reasonable price. She adds so much value to the whole experience by helping curate a detailed timeline, offering decoration rentals, and connections to many local vendors. Also my bridal party and family were so pleased with how easy the entire “day of” process was. Hiring SSWE for our wedding was truly the best decision my husband and I made. Thanks Tara, you’re the best!

Tara is amazing. For someone who only did a "month of coordinating," she kept in contact with me throughout my whole planning process, which was a total of 10 months. I'm a pretty simple bride but she always asked how I was feeling every now and then and even met up with me when I was stressed about family related issues! If anything went wrong at my wedding on the day of, I wouldn't have known because she was on top of it throughout the whole day.

Tara has been exceptional to work with. Her services were everything I could’ve asked for to complete my wedding planning. Her and I met when I was 2 months out from my wedding, at a tailor shop where I was getting my last dress fitting done. We started discussing weddings and planning and she informed me that she provides a timeline/details assistant package and service to brides who have a wedding in a distant state, outside of her home state, Virginia. I quickly became interested and she met me for a free consultation the next day over lunch to discuss what all she would provide. I was again, quickly convinced to continue working with her. She was so sweet and everything I needed to help finalize what I thought I had a grip of. She provided me with an array of wedding planning resources and enlightened me on many of the details I had still not figured out. Although I initially had a “do it all” mindset when planning my wedding, I quickly became over whelmed during the last few months as I was unsure how the timeline or flow would go. I wasn’t necessarily worried about whom I hired for my vendors, but rather, how the planning and day of would transpire given my limited understanding and expertise in this area of planning. Tara came in at the perfect time and helped me in many ways. For an affordable price and for the worthwhile communication we shared together and what she had shared with all wedding vendors and important wedding personnel, she truly made my wedding day transpire into something so special that wouldn’t have otherwise gone so smoothly. In addition, she offered a unique and modern wedding website that allowed me to access all of my wedding details and vendor information, as well as a detailed timeline that had a variety of viewer settings (Bridal party, vendors, parents, etc.) all in one place. As someone who has OCD with planning, documents, etc. I can tell you first hand that this was a GAME CHANGER. All my details were finally put in a pretty, convenient, and user-friendly way that made my planning and sanity that much less stressful. Not to mention, she reached out to ALL of my vendors (over 15) many times to confirm schedules, and make sure everyone was on the same page and that everything would go smooth day of. I highly recommend Tara and her services and look forward to staying in touch and following her future weddings!

When I first moved to Virginia Beach I was engaged for 4 months. My fiance and I had already set a date for our wedding, but had no idea where to begin when it came to planning it. After sitting down and making a full wedding to-do list, we knew we couldn't do this alone. I didn't search long before a mutual friend recommended Tara to me. From the moment I met her, I knew she was the PERFECT planning companion. From her elegant style to her vibrant personality, I fully trusted that she would turn our dream into a reality. Soon after I hired Tara, I already knew it was one of the best decisions I had ever made. She made what used to be stressful and overwhelming, EASY and exciting. Did I mention my wedding was IN FLORIDA!? With Tara and I both living in Virginia, you would think this would be a difficult event to plan. Absolutely not!! Tara found the most amazing vendors Florida has to offer all from five states away! The day of the wedding took my breath away. I knew Tara saw the vision I had for this day, but her work surpassed all expectations. Between our dream and her professional experience, our day could not have been more of a fairytale. You can see the passion in her planning sprinkled through every wedding she creates. Being engaged to a man in the military means moving away from all friends and family is inevitable, but I can honestly say that Tara felt like family through this entire experience. Thank you for giving us a perfect day!