Name: Jennifer Allen
Company: Just Elope Dallas
Title: Founder and Creative Director AKA- The BOSS!
Instagram: @JUSTELOPEDALLAS
Website: www.justelopedallas.com
Location: Dallas, TX based- but we travel!
Favorite Quote: “ Don’t decrease your dreams, just increase your efforts.”
Jennifer Allen is the owner of Just Elope Dallas LLC, which specializes in unique, intimate and creative Pop Up Weddings and Elopements. She helps couples by relieving the stress, pressure and frustration that often come with wedding planning. Her business Just Elope Dallas, is unique in the sense that they will marry a couple anywhere. Past Pop Up Weddings have included half court at a Pro-basketball game, Whataburger, the State Fair of Texas and a coffee shop elopement that aired on the CW33 news.
Jennifer is also the owner of Dallas Bachelorette, which offers boudoir and beauty photography parties that are perfect for bridal showers, birthdays, girls night out and of course bachelorette parties.
She’s a believer in giving back to my community and is currently seeking partnerships with Hospice Centers to provide free Pop Up Weddings for the terminally ill.
When she’s not marrying dope souls you can find her on an adventure with her best friend/ husband/ business partner Tavarous Allen and their two sons Maddox ( 5) and Jaxson ( 4).
Check out our Q&A with Jennifer to find out why we #COSIGN her and Just Elope Dallas.
As a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? If you’re not doing that, what do you think happened?
When I was a kid I wanted to be a news broadcaster, the problem was as a child I stuttered really bad- like it was horrible. Although I grew out of it as I got older that mental block of not being able to have that as a career was there after so many years of speech issues. To talk to me now you would never know but it was rough as a child.
Why did you create Just Elope Dallas and for those who don’t know what’s the concept of your brand? And what services do you offerOn Tuesday July 22, 2010 my boyfriend asked me to be his wife. I was surprised, elated and so excited! Fast forward five days later and we were standing in the Court House getting married! My mom took the pictures on her cell phone and my husband had on the same clothes he proposed in. I was looking really chic in my $15 white linen dress from Wal-Mart. This should have been the happiest day of my life, I was about to marry the man of my dreams and our forever would officially start. RIGHT? Not quite, I felt rushed and just another number in City Hall. To top it all off my now husband left for deployment the exact same day we were married for 10 straight months! Talk about intense. I said no worries I will keep myself busy by planning the most EPIC wedding EVER!!…. I quickly learned that my definition of EPIC meant expensive, time consuming and stressful!
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Every time I would start planning I would become overwhelmed and frustrated trying to put together the wedding of my dreams and maintain a realistic budget, not to mention I was worried about my sweet husband overseas. Once he came home I was no closer to planning a wedding than I was before he left. Years passed, our love grew and so did our family (we are the proud parents of two little boys) but I never stopped “trying” to plan a wedding. Finally I decided that I was done planning and that I wanted to make getting married simple and affordable for other couples so that they did not have to stress and in that moment Just Elope Dallas was born. We focus on what is important – Getting you married without a single worry!
Every package includes planning with an Elopement Specialist, Professional Photography, Officiant, beautiful location and cake!- Like seriously they simply just have to show up.
We offer Elopements, Vow Renewals and Commitment Ceremonies.
Tell us about your first client and how was the experience? How did you secure them and was it a dream come true? Our first clients are really wanted made us jump out there and really go hard with our business. I received a phone call from a couple who wanted me to photograph them at City Hall since their wedding venue fell through because they were a same sex couple. I of course agreed to shoot their big day. I very nervously told them that I actually had just started an Elopement and PopUp Wedding company and we offered a complete wedding so that they didn’t have to go to City Hall. I told her we would marry them wherever they wanted ( they chose Klyde Warren Park) and we would handle the details. There were legit tears from her knowing that they would have a day that was tailored to them and not just another number from City Hall and from there we were in business. The feeling when I got off the phone was one of pure joy. I was elated that this idea that I had been working on was finally coming together. Their wedding day was a success and they have since referred 2 other couples that we have married. We love the Grant’s!
Tell us what differentiates you from a typical wedding planner?
We do it all. We are the planner, officiant, photographer etc. We don’t have to help a bride find the perfect vendors because our entire business is the perfect vendor. We are the Airbnb of weddings! Visit our website, figure out your dates, select the perfect venue/ location for your wedding size and book! That’s it.
As much as we love success stories, can you tell us some of your pain points as an entrepreneur and how you overcame them?
My biggest pain hands down was not seeing the value in my company early on. When we first started we were charging pretty much pennies on the dollar for our weddings. When people would ask why so cheap ( we were legit charging like $200) I would say “ oh it’s because we are just trying to generate a buzz” The truth was I didn’t have the confidence in the brand, once we did a slight raise in prices and people who had been following us started freaking out ( $500) I was nervous. I thought we were done for. Finally my husband set me down and was like “ You will never be able to quit your 9-5 charging $500 for a total wedding” he went on point out the level of customer service we offer, professional photography, officiant and cake. I finally was like “ yeah! you are right!” . He truly made me see the value in not only our business but myself as a business woman. His support and unwavering commitment to seeing me excel has been the true game changer for anything I do. After that talk I looked back through all the love stories we had been apart of and what it took to put that together and finally found my business voice!
We believe the Power of a #COSIGN is real. Can you tell us how a #COSIGN has impacted your business. Whether it’s been through word of mouth? Or an influencer #COSIGN?
Our biggest #COSIGN has been our 5 star reviews on Facebook and Yelp. We get so much feedback from potential couples saying we see that you have a ton of reviews on Facebook and you are #1 in a google search for Dallas Elopements and that made us reach out.
Where do you see your company a year from now?
I see Just Elope Dallas partnering with venues in different cities across the USA and hosting our first international group PopUp Wedding event! I see us continuing to provide outstanding customer service to all of our couples and offering even more ways to make their day a success without the stress such as partnering with a bridal dress shop, car services etc.
Last but not least, who do you #COSIGN and why?
@muatasharenee – best MUA!
@salonshavon – best short style hair stylists
@lashbyjess16 – best lashes
@ladiishaystyles – best overall hairstylist
@a_seatatthetable – best digital brander
@bynicoledesigns – best web developer
@nailsbytim – best nail tech
@dallasbachelorette – best boudoir photographer
@flawlessbeautylab – best body sculpting company
@styles_by_chaz_b – best natural hair stylist
