Snap and Chat with Lucia from Guiding Star Events

Trish met Lucia at the fantastic wedding of Lauren and Ben last year. When she got back to the office on Monday she told me all about the wedding and how seamlessly it all went thanks to the talents and patience of Lucia (wedding planner, organizer, and executor extraordinaire). I couldn't wait to meet her too, so we figured she'd be the perfect candidate for a snap! and chat.

We asked Lucia how long she's been organizing events... "Ten years! Well, if you include the proms in high school- 13! I've always wanted to do it, in high school I'd ask my parents if I could have a party, and then I'd theme it!"

Lucia has a ton of experience planning all types of events. In high school and college at BU she was involved in theatre, and was concentrating on stage management. She later moved on to communications thinking she would work in concert promoting. In fact, she did work in that field for a while, at Great Woods, which is now the Tweeter Center. We couldn't resist asking her a little about the "stars" she encountered... her favorite? Bon Jovi! Biggest Diva? Mariah Carey (no shocks here). She was also hit in the head by Alex Van Halen (long story). Anyway, clearly any difficult client would be a breeze for Lucia after that lineup!

From there, she worked in corporate events in DC, and did planning for friends and family as well. Lucky for us, she moved back to Rhody... where she met her husband and went to JWU and earned a masters degree in Event Leadership. Impressive!

Here's Lucia showing us her "Event Box", or as she affectionately calls it, the "oh sh#*t!" box.

What's in there you wonder?.... Ummm, everything! This box is incredible. I think you could survive on a deserted island for at least a few weeks living solely on the contents of this box. In fact, Lucia has even managed to cram an inflatable life raft into this box, so you wouldn't have to stay on that deserted island if you didn't want to.

Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration- but she could seriously save your wedding day ten times over with the contents of this box.... duck tape, ribbon, shoe polish, sunscreen, Tylenol, lint roller, sewing kit, hydro cortisone cream (in case the bride gets hives!), Benadryl, shout wipes, a whistle (?!).... etc. etc.

Here's the most popular item in the box... go figure.

What is Lucia's favorite thing about her profession? "The celebrations! I love to make people happy and watch them having a good time."

Lucia works closely with the other vendors involved in the event. She always contacts them before the event and also makes herself available to them the day of. This lovely arrangement was done by Sayles Livingston..

Here's Lucia hard at work at Lauren and Ben's wedding ( notice the curly haired lady in the background of the photo trying hard to coax the flower girl down the aisle). Lucia's main selling point is the wedding day itself. She says, "Having me at the wedding takes the stresses off of the bride- her headaches become my headaches."(this is where that Tylenol comes in handy!)

Lucia has different packages available that equal different levels of involvement. She has large packages that take you from the engagement through the reception with all the details involved, or small packages to cover the rehearsal and day of details.

Lucia says she enjoys the "day of" work most of all. "I thrive on chaos! I love to fix it, I love every ones smiling faces, it feels nice to be the hero!" Oh and by the way, Lucia isn't kidding about that hero part, she plans to get certified in life saving this year... you never know when that could come in handy.

Luckily Lauren and Ben did not fall into this pool, so they did not require Lucia's life saving talents... but if they had....

End of the evening at Lauren and Ben's wedding- which was a huge success! Lots of smiling faces for Lucia to enjoy here.


Here's Lucia sharing some of her awards and accolades with us... I didn't mention this earlier- but Lucia and her husband Vinnie (her silent partner) are expecting their first baby this summer. Congratulations! Doesn't she look fantastic?!

Lucia can help point you in the direction of terrific vendors if you catch her early on in your planning... like this invitation designer http://www.designbysofia.com/ I thinks she'd make a good snap and chat too!

A lovely person, and a queen of organization... Lucia has a great sense of humor and a sweet disposition... combine that with knowing how to get things done and you have the perfect personality for event planning!

We joked that we would have Lucia come into the Snap! office and straighten us out... but maybe that's not such a bad idea! Who couldn't use a little more organization in their life?

Thanks for meeting with us Lucia (and lugging that box all over Providence!).

Can't wait to see you out there this season organizing and planning, planning and organizing..
events all over Rhode Island are running more smoothly thanks to your finesse!

Lucia can be reached at http://www.guidingstarevents.com/

Animal Crackers in My Soup

When I was little, I don't believe there was another treat that felt quite as magical to me as Barnam's Animals Crackers.

I loved the short and thin cotton twill handle on the box, which I would slide around my wrist as proudly as if it were the fanciest of handbags. Looking back, it was probably my first love affair with packaging!

here

Lately, I've had a hankering for these animal crackers. I wonder if you can imagine what led me to this craving...

No, it's not this song, but watch this clip and try not to smile!

Seaside birthday : Razor clams, a bust

Matt, Indy and I spent Saturday night and Sunday at Seaside this weekend and despite not finding one razor clam in a record breaking season, we had a wonderful time. Indy was a terrific travel companion and didn't whine or complain. On Saturday, the wind and rain blew at us sideways while we were clamming by lantern light in the evening/night. At that point, the tide was already a bit too high. It was crazy. I felt like my face was getting a microdermabrasion treatment. Indy's face and body turned completely gray from all the sand.
At night, we ate at Girtle's Restaurant. Matt had steak and I got the fish and chips. Yum! On Sunday, we forced ourselves out of bed after staying up late and went clamming again, but still couldn't find any. We hit the snooze a few too many times, so I suspect we still got out too late. We're thinking of trying again next weekend, when low tides will be in the early afternoon. For breakfast, we ate at Pig'n Pancakes and afterwards, we walked around Seaside's downtown to shop and go to the Arcade. For lunch, a healthy serving of elephant ears and candy. When we were out with Indy, without fail, every person that saw her came over to pet the cutie pooch. Her ego, I am sure, is enormous by now!
Here are some photo highlights:

On the beach at Seaside, the lone fisherman searches for clams. Okay, it's just Matt.

Indy was a Pointer in a previous life. "The clams are that way!"

"Maybe if I close my eyes, the clams will appear."

"oooh, lots of water!"

"Okay, I've had enough water!"

Indy with "dad".

Indy with "mom". Update: Just wanted to say that the rubber boots I'm wearing are from Joe's. The brand is Western Chief and here is a link to a very similar pair - the only difference is the contrasting color of green on the sole and trim. I don't know if you can tell, but I'm wearing two pairs of pants in this photo. It was chilly at the beach. Both pairs soaked through, but these wellies kept my feet warm, comfy and completely dry! Amazing! Everyone... go out and get a pair!

Missing you...

"Look at how pathetic I look! Take me with you!"

Matt made me wear it! We're at the shop, Seaside Mostly Hats. Like the scarf? I got it at a neighboring shop and it is made using recycled silk.

Typical couple's tourist shot. :)

Here is a photo of Indy's brother, Badger! Isn't he cute? I recently exchanged some emails with his owner. It is great to see his progress and to hear updates. He is so big! Thank you, Kelly!!

Isn't It Odd

Every time I look at this bag, I find myself laughing a little; it's a bit "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy." Laughter, especially on Monday mornings, is always a good thing.

Dallas Clayton

Nothing says "thank you" like buttercream frosting...

Much to our delight, Trish and I had cupcakes waiting on our doorstep yesterday... Jennifer from Sin Desserts had left us a few tasty morsels as a thank you for our snap and chat...

I am salivating on my keyboard...

Unfortunately Trish is OFF the sugar. She is a reformed cake addict and now must abstain completely or risk following off (or onto in this case) the cake wagon. She really wants one though... poor Trish....

Oh Well! More for me HA HA (evil chuckle).

A yummy perk to our fun job!

Dun dun dun! :: Turning 1 year younger

Matt and I are heading to the coast this weekend to celebrate my b-day. Funny... I used to get so excited for these things when I was younger, but now I'd like to push them out a bit. ;) This morning, I took Indy out for a jog and she completely outpaces me. I feel so old! I can get really competitive with running and under my breath I was thinking, b*tch (no pun intended). Just kidding. She had to keep slowing down for me. What a good girl. I'm not old (turning 27!), but running on empty for a year takes a toll on the body!

Anyhow, overall I am excited to finally take a day or two off to spend with the hubby and Indy. This will be her first experience on the beach! Oregon had a huge influx in razor clams around Seaside, so Matt and I are going to go clamming and crabbing. I hope we get lucky! Did I ever mention that Indy started her first day of puppy classes last week? Every Saturday, Indy, Matt and I are going to puppy class together. I thought it would be a good chance for her to get more socialization. I thought there would be a ton of puppies there for her to play with, but there is one pitbull puppy that is a bit of a bad influence on Indy (barking in class is infectious so it appears) and one itty bitty toy dog, that would rather sit quivering in the corner on her pee pee pad. Not a great opportunity for Indy to interact with other dogs, but better than nothing! SO we'll go to puppy class tomorrow and then make the drive to Seaside, OR. Over the holidays, we watched the Deadliest Catch marathons and I have a craving for some crab!

Speaking of turning 1 year younger, here's an old picture of me from 3rd grade. My mom recently found this x-mas ornament and thought I would appreciate it. Ah, to be young again! My mom used to cut my hair. Look! I'm sporting those super short bangs that are usually 99% unflattering... but 1% of women can pull it off beautifully! I'm so jealous. I used to have such chubby cheeks that all my mom's friends wanted to pinch them to the point where I would run away, but I lost a ton of that baby fat from my cheeks. My mom always tells everyone, "Oh, Myra used to be SO cute when she was young (*show old embarrassing photos). I don't know what happened." Thanks mom. And look... I used to have more pouty lips. Do lips lose weight with age? Damn it!

New piece in the Etsy shop :: Feathery necklace

I just listed a lovely necklace in my Etsy shop today. Fun to wear and eye catching, this necklace will surely turn heads! The more adventurous types can also wear it as a headband/wrap. Ultra pretty... I want to go run in a meadow while wearing it!