Lillis Affairs

Thats me on the right. Im a wife to one amazing husband, Garrett, daughter Arielle, and new baby, James Shepherd. Im an accidental, all-around event planner. Originally I wanted to be a political speech writer. But God had a different plan. Now there are few areas of special events that I havent worked in intimately, from weddings to non-profit gal... as to corporate events and expos. I first experienced my love of the hospitality industry at age 9 when I planned fancy dinners for my baby sister and her friends in my small, South Texas hometown. Helping Mom with the many weddings in the church that my parents pastor, I learned as a pre-teen the hard workand rewardthat they can bring. Many years (and life changes) later, while studying Communications at Baylor University (sic em, Bears!) to be the next Peggy Noonan, I stumbled into a opportunity to create beautiful spaces for clients at a full-turn-key special events company, Pendley Party Productions , where I was given free reign to get creative with inventory (and bend the rules) for brides and other non-profit clients in making their event dreams a reality. I was hooked for life. Upon graduation in 2006, I served as lead event designer for the company, where I gained a strong foundation in event design and set up for weddings, debutante balls, university events, hospital galas and private gatherings. But I wanted to do more than create a pretty party on a budget. I wanted to help them run smoothly, too. We represent years of experience in many facets of the hospitality/events industry: rentals, floral, beverage, catering, graphics, sales, and on-site event management of events for hotel properties. From 2007 to 2010, I personally coordinated and managed more than 120 weddings and social events, and worked droves of amazing vendors. Yowzers! These opportunities gave me a unique perspective on what goes on behind-the-scenes at events that many planners (I learnedbecause I worked with them) simply do not know, such as: Why is a service charge is taxable? How many ...Read More