Today we’d like to introduce you to Lydea Christie.
Hi Lydea, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been called extra. If my name is attached to something, I like it to be over the top. This side of me often flowed into my creative hobbies and early on, I found that I had a real passion for planning and executing events and projects. My experience with event planning began in undergrad where I was involved with an organization that is very near and dear to my heart, the Black Student Alliance. We regularly organized networking and social events aimed to bring students of the African diaspora at Georgia State together. There was a specifically wonderful feeling that I got when seeing our friends having a good time at an event we hosted, knowing that I had a part in making that happen. These experiences with BSA are what prompted me to consider a career in hospitality. I took an Event Management course my junior year in undergrad which I loved so much that while taking it, I actually changed my major from Business Management to Hospitality. I did end up changing it back two weeks later; I felt that Hospitability would be too confining as I still had ambitions in Corporate America outside of the events industry, but the love was still there.
The very first event that I did on my own outside of BSA was my brother and his wife’s baby shower. In the months leading up to it, my anxiety was through the roof during the planning process. Thinking back, it’s kind of silly how nervous I was because it turned out lovely. But it was just such a special and important event and given that it was for my first and only nephew, I felt it had to be done right! This was the first spark at what would eventually become LovelyLUXE. At the time when I agreed to do their baby shower though, I had no intentions of launching a business just five months later.
One random August afternoon, a good friend of mine and I decided to have a picnic. And again, I’m extra! So I went and bought some tablecloths and pillows and picked up a packing crate from my old job that we used as the table. I went to Trader Joe’s and got an assortment of dainty, picnic food. We set everything up, took a few pictures, and posted them on Instagram. From there, I got inquiries from people asking if I do picnics. I said no to the first few that came in but after a while, I thought, you know what, maybe I should! The next few months, I got to work researching, planning, and purchasing things to build my inventory. And now, here we are!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think the biggest challenge I faced was my own fear. Growing up, I always felt I had one of two paths to follow, entrepreneurship or a corporate career. Fortunately, I had insight into both sides as my mom had an affluent career in business healthcare and my dad was a freelance photographer, painter, and graphic designer. Both were wonderful role models but I always identified most with my mom; we are big on stability and the idea of putting my all into something and it not being successful was terrifying!
In fact, I specifically decided to launch in the middle of fall, the end of picnic season, so that if my business didn’t take off immediately, I would have the winter season to re-strategize. I am somewhat of a perfectionist, which was another mental hurdle I had to work through. Acknowledging that you’ve done all the planning and pre-work needed and getting to the point where it’s time to actually put your work out to the public is the toughest part in my opinion!
But I decided to quiet all the noise in my head and listen to my heart. I am so glad I did because thankfully, I was welcomed with open arms. I look at how far I’ve come and feel such gratitude for each person who trusted me to execute their vision because I learn so much from each experience.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an event planner who specializes in luxury picnics!
Sometimes people ask what a luxury picnic is.
Luxury by definition is “the state of great comfort or extravagance”. This, by the client’s definition, is what I aim to create with each event that I do. Luxury is a state of mind and can be interpreted in so many ways, which is why event planning is so fulfilling; you are constantly challenged!
What I love most about special events though is that whenever a person reaches out to me, their goal is usually to express their love or appreciation for someone else. That’s a beautiful thing. And I get to help with that! I am also a huge romantic, so being able to facilitate events where love is the core incentive brings me genuine joy and fulfillment. Whether the client is going for a grand gesture or something intimate and meaningful, each event is special and specific in its own way. This is also why I focused on the niche of luxury picnics. I wanted to provide a service that allowed me to be creative but wouldn’t become overwhelming.
For now, LovelyLUXE is my beloved creative outlet. I have plans for more in the future, but for right now, I am really enjoying expanding in this space.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I think that what I and a lot of other people learned during the past two years is that life is short but there is so much out here for us to experience. So many different ways that we can add value to our lives. What I mean by that is that if there is something you want to do, just do it. Whether that is traveling the world, learning to make bread from scratch, or starting a business. If it will make you happy, you owe it to yourself to make it happen.
And to those who are apprehensive about starting something because other people are also doing it, let my story be a testament! I can’t tell you how many event planners there are in the city but I can tell you that we are booked and busy! Atlanta is home to some of the most creative people in the world but there will always be room for another light to shine. In the beginning, a lot of marketing I did was through word of mouth and doing mock-ups in local parks. During this time I had the opportunity to connect with locals and tell those interested more about what I do. What I was most surprised by was how many people had never heard of luxury picnics; most thought it was a completely new and unique idea I started! Now I know that couldn’t be further from the truth but it just further affirms that when people see you and like what you’re doing, that’s the focus. They aren’t thinking about how many other people may be doing the same thing.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@lovelyluxeevents.com
- Website: https://lovelyluxeevents.as.me/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelyluxeevents
