Lauren is the CEO and principal designer at LLG Events, a destination wedding planning and design firm specializing in experiential events and luxury destination weddings. Somehow, she also manages the roles of technology co-founder at EVY planner and adjunct professor at NYU. After falling in love with the process of planning her own wedding, she quit her job just three months later to pursue her dream. Today, she’s creating an inclusive company that connects married couples-to-be with some of the best wedding industry pros around the world.

The Basics:

Hometown: Bellmore, Long Island
Current city: Brooklyn, New York
Alma mater: Binghamton University; Pace University
Degree: B.A, Biology; M.S, Forensic Toxicology
Very first job: Toxicologist in a medical examiner’s office in NYC
Hustle: CEO, Principal Planner + Designer, LLG Events; Technology co-founder, EVY Planner; Adjunct Professor, NYU

The Interests:

Babe you admire and why? 
Fellow event designer and creative director, Melissa Andre, who’s I’ve been following since the inception of my career. Her designs are out of this world, her taste is impeccable, and she’s the sweetest, most hardworking woman I know in the business. When my father passed away, she taught the last lecture of my semester for two of my classes, putting together an incredible lecture within 24 hours, discussing high-profile events and working with celebrities. She really came to my rescue.

I also love following Seema Bansal of Venus Et Fleur on Instagram. She is such a boss babe and is disrupting the billion dollar floral industry by creating a sustainable floral option. She’s spiritual, fashion forward, inspirational, and more. I can’t say enough positive things about her! I’ve followed her journey from the day she started (since we started our companies around the same time) and I love watching her continue to grow and succeed. 

Favorite self-care ritual? 
Getting a 60-minute massage! I journal every morning, and spend 20 minutes writing down what I’m grateful for, my daily affirmations, and what would make the day great. It always puts me in a positive mood!

If you could go back in time to attend a historic wedding ceremony, who’s would it be and why?
Caroline Bessette-Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Junior. Their wedding will always be timeless, elegant, and classic, and a point of reference for our design clients. We still use her dress in our mood boards. There was really only one photo that circulated from their wedding, and just from that image, I know their wedding was absolutely breathtaking. 

What’re your top three favorite spots for a destination wedding?
Bora Bora, Italy + Abu Dhabi

The Hustle:

Tell us about your hustle, providing a summary of your roles and the work you do daily.
Each day is a whirlwind, I am always juggling something new and I absolutely love it. Whether I’m dealing with a client crisis, onboarding a new client, presenting a design deck, lecturing at NYU, or meeting a client at their favorite restaurant, I am always on-the-go. Each morning starts off with Starbucks, a french omelette, avocado, and a 9:30AM morning meeting, recapping all of our events and media for the week. Each coordinator has their respective roles for each client, and I ensure everything gets done on time. I monitor every task, track progress, manage vendor communication and contract negotiations for every client while also tending to the media side of things: approving blogs, creating IG posts and TikToks and writing newsletters, etc.

What inspired LLG Events? What has the evolution of the company been like since you built it, and what was the most important piece of your vision for it?
Where do I even begin? I was 25 years old when I quit my day job at the lab. I knew it wasn’t for me. I fell in love with planning my wedding so much that I quit my job three months after my wedding, and never looked back. I started at the back of house, volunteering at my local wedding venue and working every position they needed on event nights. From bridal attendant, coat check and valet attendant to wedding coordinator, I did it all, at least 4 nights a week. I worked for free with my husband Paul, and we went to every event together. We learned about every position, and most importantly, about luxury hospitality and service. After I volunteered for six months, I landed my first independent wedding client and I used that wedding to get my next one. In my first year I had three weddings, with a major one in New York City. As soon as NYC vendors learned about LLG and our hard work ethic, they began recommending us to all their clients. Within my 2nd year, I had my first destination wedding in France.

What was the most important part of your vision for LLG Events?
I have always been steadfast on my vision: to work with high-end weddings and continue providing an exceptional, luxurious wedding planning service. Wedding planning should be fun and easy for the couple and their families, yet still ensure they feel like they are getting all of my attention. That’s what luxury is. When you go to an exceptional restaurant, the waitstaff knows when to refill your water. They memorize your order and know the right time to interrupt the table. An exceptional wedding planner does the same thing. We know when to email about your wedding, we memorize your event, and we know when to insert ourselves and when to hold back.

What kind of relationships/dynamics do you have with your clients? What types of clients do you most enjoy working with?
I have such an incredible relationship with my clients. We honestly become great friends throughout the process, and I’m always told that I’m part of the family. The best types of clients are ones who respect my time, who are understanding, and who do not take advantage of my kindness. I really enjoy working with all types of people from all cultures and backgrounds; it’s absolutely incredible how dynamic my client network is. 

How have your past professional and academic experiences and lessons prepared you for the work you do today? How have they not prepared you?
My past professional experience showed me exactly what I didn’t want! And when you learn what you are not, that’s when you see who you are. My previous experience gave me perspective on myself and what I really wanted out of my life. It propelled me into the next chapter. I wish I would have taken classes about marketing, entrepreneurship, business, accounting, economics—all very important aspects to running a business. I learned the hard way, through making mistakes and trial and error, but I find that’s what makes my job that much more fun and interesting. 

What’s it like running a business with your husband? How do you find a balance between your romantic and professional relationships?
It is not easy! We just had our toughest year financially (during COVID) and the lines definitely blurred between personal and business. It all felt personal, and at times, it definitely got in our way. However at the very beginning, we made a commitment to each other that our marriage would always come first. To this day, we stayed true to that commitment. No matter how difficult the conversation, we always consider each other’s perspective and give each other the space to talk while the other listens. It’s hard at times, especially when we have differing opinions, but as long as one of us reminds the other of this promise, it always brings the conversation back. We also agreed to stop having business conversations in the car, and after 8:00PM. We view this as family time where we cuddle and watch our favorite TV shows or listen to our favorite podcast.

How has being a woman impacted your professional experiences? What can we collectively do to support and empower women in your industry today?
Early on, I had some challenges, especially being an up-and-coming young woman in the industry. I remember working at some venues where there was a male banquet manager and at times, he wouldn’t even address me (even though I am the sole business owner). He would speak to and directly look at Paul during conversation, and ask him about certain decisions for the timeline of the evening. Paul would always defer to me but it was the fact that they assumed he was the business owner was very frustrating. I also once had a DJ scream at me and my creative director across the dance floor in the middle of an event. I think times have definitely changed, but empowering female leaders in the industry by featuring them and their stories is definitely a great start to empowering women in our industry today.

Specifically, how has being a WOC impacted your professional experience? What can we do to create more supportive and inclusive work environments inside and outside of your industry?
I am a hispanic, first generation American who had zero connections in this industry when I started. My family did not go to NYU, my mom immigrated from Peru when she was 13, and I had no friends in the event industry let alone in the luxury event sector. Everything I built, I built either on my own or with Paul. That’s why I started my free meet-ups and why I am so involved in NACE, WIPA, LEC, NYU—because my personal mission has become to connect people and vendors in this industry. I made my career by being an inclusive wedding planner with an enormous network of clients from all over the world. Your network is your community, and who you surround yourself with defines who you are and shows your core values. You can be inclusive simply by diversifying who you work with, the types of clients you take on or the vendors you recommend. Go outside of your comfort zone and hire someone that works out of another country or speaks another language. It will expand you and your company immeasurably.

What’s one thing you’re proud to have accomplished in your career thus far?
My most memorable event was a 7-day wedding in Bora Bora. It was the most complex event I’ve ever worked on. From scheduling transportation of flowers from New Zealand to making sure food orders were sent three weeks in advance of the wedding to get on the boat schedule, it was definitely a major learning curve. The design was also SO original. We were the first event over water and we did an immersive lunch in Bora Bora’s lagoon. The wedding was a huge success and I was able to spend 16 days in the most magical destination. 

You’ve created a successful, international company. What inspired you to also teach at NYU?
In 2019, I was hosting free student meet-ups in order to meet with event management students and to learn/discuss event education in the universities. I would host meet-ups at new restaurants, hotels, and coffee shops in NYC, giving students an inside look on the cross between hospitality and events. At one of these meet-ups, I was approached by NYU to become a professor for their Event Management Masters program at the Tisch Center of Hospitality. They wanted someone who was young, fresh and relatable, and someone who had international event and design experience. They invited me to speak at several panels where I talked about my event experience, entrepreneurship, and event marketing. The student turn out was amazing, and they offered me the Event Design and Production course where I now teach two classes per semester! 

How do you balance LLG Events with your role at NYU? Any advice and/or tools for fellow babes juggling various hustles?
EVY Planner. My husband built me this tool to keep me organized when I started planning weddings internationally. He has since converted this into a web-based platform to help other event professionals manage events. I keep track of all my clients, their event progress and event budgets, and I’m able to assign events to each of my coordinators where they can update payment schedules, taskwork, and timelines. I use Slack to communicate with my remote team, Google drive for document storage, Zoom to meet with my vendors/team/clients. It is so important to have a solid technology stack in order to keep you and your team functional and efficient. 

What are some major lessons or skills that your students take away from your class?
My class is based on real life event experiences and practical event knowledge. I don’t teach from a textbook, I teach from experience. I go through real life case studies on production failures and challenges (such as FYRE festival) while also going behind the scenes on major fashion brand launches such as the Chanel Haute Couture Show or Philipp Plein’s fashion events. Since I know most of the event pros who create these incredible events, I bring them into the classroom and show students how these pros are able to go from concept to execution.

Who are some women in your field(s) that you look to for inspiration?
Jennifer Zabinski, Sonal Shah, Norma Cohen, Marcy Blum, Mindy Weiss and Guerdy Abraira, just to name a few!

Career and/or life advice for other babes (both inside and outside of your industry?)
Never stop growing, push yourself creatively, and always go after what you want. Pursue your dreams with conviction, tenacity, and faith. Believe in yourself, and if all else fails, remind yourself: “In the end everything will be okay, and if it’s not okay, then it’s not the end”.

Connect with Lauren:

Business Website / Instagram / TikTok / Personal Website / LinkedIn

This interview has been condensed and edited.

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