Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawna Jackson.
Hi Shawna, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My entrepreneurial journey began with a love for people, creativity, and creating experiences that make others feel genuinely seen and celebrated. I have been part of the event industry since I was 18 years old, gaining hands-on experience and learning the industry from the ground up. I’m also a wife and mom of three, so building my businesses was never just about having a career—it was about creating a life that allowed me to provide for my family, be present for my children, and show them what is possible when you refuse to give up on yourself.
I founded Savvy Southern Events in 2018, starting small and growing the business through word of mouth, long hours, and a whole lot of faith. What began as a passion for helping couples has grown into a full-service wedding and event company offering planning, coordination, design, décor, and bartending services throughout San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country, Austin, and beyond. Since then, my team and I have had the honor of being part of more than 400 weddings and events. We have also received recognition from The Knot, WeddingWire, WeddingRule, and ILEA San Antonio, where I was named Planner of the Year and now serve as Vice President of Membership.
Along the way, I also created Tans2You, my spray-tanning business. While weddings allow me to create beautiful experiences, spray tanning gives me the opportunity to help women feel confident and beautiful in their own skin. I especially love working with brides, which inspired my signature “Bridal Bronzer.” The two businesses may seem different, but they are connected by the same purpose: helping people feel celebrated, confident, and cared for during meaningful moments in their lives.
My journey has not always been easy. I lost my mother to suicide, survived an abusive first marriage, and have navigated motherhood, mental health, and the constant balancing act of entrepreneurship. There were seasons when I had every reason to quit, but those experiences ultimately shaped the woman and business owner I am today. They taught me resilience, compassion, and the importance of building something meaningful from the chapters that were meant to break me.
Today, I’m proud not only of how much my businesses have grown, but also of the life and community they have helped me build. I’m still evolving, still learning, and still dreaming bigger. My goal is to continue expanding both brands while encouraging other women—especially moms and women rebuilding their lives—to believe that their past does not disqualify them from creating a beautiful future.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but I believe the hardest parts of my story are also what gave me the strength and compassion to build my businesses the way I have.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, I experienced the loss of my mother to suicide and survived a very abusive first marriage. I had to rebuild my life while raising my oldest daughter and learning how to believe in myself again. Those experiences had a lasting impact on my mental health, and I have had to learn that taking care of myself is not selfish—it is necessary.
COVID was one of the biggest challenges I faced as a business owner. The event industry came to an almost complete stop overnight. Weddings were postponed, canceled, or downsized, and there was so much uncertainty about when events could safely return. I had to navigate changing regulations, stressed couples, rescheduled dates, lost income, and an unpredictable calendar—all while trying to keep my business moving forward.
Even after events returned, the economic challenges did not disappear. Rising costs, inflation, changing wedding budgets, and the expenses of running a legitimate, insured business have required me to constantly adapt. I have had to learn how to price my services sustainably while still providing genuine value to my clients. There have been seasons when money was tight, bookings were uncertain, and I questioned how I would continue growing while supporting my family and team.
As my businesses grew, another challenge became balancing entrepreneurship with being a wife and mom of three. There is no true “clocking out” when you own a business. I have answered emails during school pickup, built timelines after bedtime, worked weddings on weekends, and still tried to remain present for my family. Learning to establish boundaries, ask for help, and trust my team has been an ongoing process.
Building Savvy Southern Events from the ground up also came with financial risks, difficult clients, long hours, and the pressure of knowing that someone’s most important day was in my hands. With Tans2You, I stepped into an entirely different market and had to build a new clientele while learning how to confidently promote myself and my services.
I have faced self-doubt, comparison, burnout, and moments when I wondered whether I was doing enough in my businesses or at home. Entrepreneurship can look glamorous from the outside, but behind every milestone are sacrifices, mistakes, late nights, and lessons learned the hard way.
Through it all, my faith, my family, and my desire to create a better future have kept me moving forward. I have learned that success is not about having a perfectly smooth journey—it is about continuing to show up, adapt, and grow, even when the road looks completely different from what you planned.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Through Savvy Southern Events, I specialize in weddings, event planning and coordination, custom design, décor, and private-event bartending throughout San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country, Austin, and beyond. Our goal is to give clients a complete, stress-free experience instead of making them hire multiple companies to bring everything together.
We are known for creating beautiful, personalized designs that reflect each couple rather than repeating the same look at every wedding. Our planning packages include access to pieces from our Savvy Décor Collection, with items such as centerpieces, candles, lanterns, signage, table runners, arch draping, easels, and faux florals. This allows our couples to create a cohesive, elevated look while saving money and avoiding the stress of purchasing décor they may never use again. We can also handle the installation and teardown so our clients and their families can simply enjoy the celebration.
Our licensed and insured private bartending services are available for weddings and other special events. We help clients create signature cocktails, determine what alcohol and supplies they need, and provide friendly, professional bartenders who help keep the celebration running smoothly.
Through Tans2You, I specialize in customized spray tans, bridal bronzing, and spray-tan parties for brides and their bridesmaids. These parties are such a fun way for the bridal party to spend time together before the wedding while ensuring everyone has a natural, even glow. Each tan is customized to the client’s skin tone, desired depth, outfit, and event date—because the goal is never to look orange or like someone completely different. It is to look like yourself, only bronzed and extra confident.
What sets both of my businesses apart is the experience and personal attention behind them. Whether I am designing an entire wedding, coordinating the timeline, creating signature drinks, or tanning a bridal party, I want every client to feel heard, cared for, and genuinely excited. I’m most proud that Savvy Southern Events and Tans2You allow me to serve women and couples through multiple parts of their celebration—from the planning and design to helping them feel confident when the big day arrives.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I do consider myself a risk-taker, but I believe in taking calculated risks rather than making impulsive decisions. Every business I have started has been self-funded. I have invested my own money, time, energy, and resources into building each idea from the ground up, without knowing for certain how quickly—or even if—that investment would pay off.
Instead of treating every dollar my businesses earn as personal income, I intentionally allocate a portion of it back into growth. With Savvy Southern Events, that has meant investing in décor inventory, design pieces, professional equipment, insurance, marketing, office and storage space, education, and building a dependable team. Those investments allow us to offer more complete services, create elevated designs, and provide a better experience for our clients.
Starting Tans2You was another major risk because I was putting money into launching a completely different type of business while still growing Savvy Southern Events. I invested in professional training, quality products, equipment, branding, and creating an experience clients could trust. I saw an opportunity to serve brides and women in another way, so I chose to believe in the vision and fund it myself.
I am constantly looking ahead and deciding where my money can create the most long-term value—whether that means strengthening an existing service, purchasing something that improves the client experience, or setting funds aside to launch a new business idea. That requires sacrifice because sometimes I choose to reinvest instead of paying myself more or enjoying an immediate reward.
For me, risk-taking is not about being fearless. It is about doing the research, trusting my experience, making a plan, and then being brave enough to move forward. Not every investment produces an instant return, but each one teaches me something and helps me become a stronger, more strategic business owner.
Pricing:
- Wedding Management $2450
- Full Planning $7950
- Bartending $500
- Basic Mobile Tan $75+
- Tanning Parties $250+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://savvysoutherneventssa.com
