Owner, Wedding Planner, and Designer for Perfectly Posh Events

Seattle

Business Administration major 2008

With a background in business administration, Patton started Perfectly Posh Events, a wedding-planning and design company, in 2010. Patton says she knew she wanted the company to be more than just herself, and is thrilled to have a team of four associate planners working alongside her. They have been honored with being named “Seattle’s Best Wedding Planner” for three years in a row and “Seattle’s Best Overall Wedding Vendor” in 2015 by Seattle Bride Magazine. Patton says they help an average of 30–40 couples a year and she loves that her work is different each and every day because each couple and wedding is completely unique.

How does your time at SPU connect to the work you’re doing today?

One of my biggest takeaways from SPU though was the concept of changing the world and having meaning behind your work. My job connects me with so many people and if I can make a positive impact on someone’s life, even for one special day, then I know that there is meaning in my work. What I love most about my job is the people that I meet, and I really feel that my time at SPU helped to instill that passion for people and genuinely caring for others.

Who made a difference in your SPU education?

Dr. Regina Schlee was by far my favorite professor! She taught a good number of my classes and I can still recall specific lectures that she gave. She is such a kindhearted person who clearly has a passion for teaching and she is definitely one smart cookie when it comes to marketing.

What advice do you have for students about life after graduation?

You don’t need to have everything figured out as soon as you graduate. It took me several years to figure out that the job I thought I wanted in college actually wasn’t the best fit for me and that I preferred something else. You may figure it out right away or it may take you 20 years, both options are totally OK.