Meet Debra Thompson | Weddings & Events Planner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Debra Thompson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Debra, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have always had a passion for events as far back as being the wife of a CEO of a major company. Attending events with my husband always had me so impressed with his staff and their handling of producing large corporate events. I would say to him, “please take care of these folks as this is much work and time to produce”. A few years later, I became involved in non profit events which I so enjoyed as the challenge was to spend less and make more revenue for the organization. I spent many years producing non profit events which lead me to the social events platform where I became a banquet manager at a Country Club where I worked with over 600 couples in 5 years. Within this time, clients would lean on me for all aspects of their events. I was their Food and Beverage manager but they wanted full planning of all aspects of the events which lead me to give consideration to starting my own business. Fast forward to today, Weddings by Debra is 16 years old.

What should our readers know about your business?
I believe what sets me apart from the others is the care that is shown to my clients. It doesn’t matter what the budget is, I give my all. I have a vested interest in their event, it is personal to me if the event doesn’t flow in the manner it should. It is personal when much money is being spent and the clients get what is expected.

I am so proud of all the relationships I have established in 16 years with my clients. The biggest achievement is to work for the same family, four different times.

I believe I got to where I am today is because of the care and love I show for every client I work with. Every client is the only one and I make it a point to have them feel this way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Great question: Recently, I had friends visit NYC for a long weekend! One of the things they wanted to do was to see the play “Harry Potter” on Broadway. They wanted the Times Square experience. I encouraged them to choose a hotel in this area so they could walk and not have to rely on a taxi/uber. We choose a hotel that hosted a rooftop lounge which they so enjoyed. First evening was check in, walk around the area, early evening. On the second day, it was a visit to Chinatown and Little Italy, stopping at Roma Bakery for the best rainbow cookies in New York and a late lunch at Il Cortille on Mulberry Street. Off to the theatre for the play with a quick visit to John’s Pizzeria on Bleecker Street. The third day’s itinerary held a visit to Hudson Yards, going up to the top for this amazing view of the West Side of NYC and a shopping spree at the Yards. Drinks followed at the rooftop bar, followed by a visit to Junior’s Cheesecake (chain restaurant, food that resembles diner-style). It is nostalgic to NYC. On the fourth and final day, an Uber trip to the Botanical Gardens which hosted the annual “orchid show” was not to be missed. For dinner, sushi was the choice and Gari 46 hosted the most creative and fresh sushi in town. The evening ended with a boat tour down/up the Hudson River. I believe when visiting NYC, you have to make the most of your time and try to see different parts of NYC.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a few that have inspired me. First and foremost, my beautiful, talented and creative Mom.

Barbara Christian who will always be my mentor in producing non-profit events .

Thomas Esposito who taught me all the moving parts in the operations of producing a successful event.

Website: www.weddingsbydebra.com

Instagram: @weddingsbydebra

Linkedin: Weddings by Debra

Facebook: Weddings by Debra

Other: Wedding Wire The Knot Alignable

Image Credits
TO FOLLOW, would like to revisit photos.