Welcome to our “Day in the Life” series! We feature wedding and event planners from around the world with many different levels of experience. If you would like to be featured, download our questionnaire here and email your responses and photos to info@plannerslounge.com. We are excited to feature New England wedding planner Andrea DeLucia today!

Name: Andrea DeLucia

Business Name & Location: Elegance & Grace Weddings / Elite Workshop

Years Working in the Event Industry: 15+

Years Owning Your Event Planning Business: 15+

Website: www.andydelucia.com

Business Facebook Pages: Elegance & Grace Weddings and Elite Workshop

Instagram: @andy_delucia

What is your typical day like?

My day starts off with my feet hitting the ground and never looking back. I get up around 6AM most mornings, before my kids get up an hour or two later. If I can get a jump on the day and tackle some of the least enticing items off my endless checklist, then I’m ahead of the game even if the rest of the day is not as productive.

I try to get done 3-4 things that are pressing or bigger so I feel better about going into the dark hole I call motherhood and working from home. When the kids get up, I get them breakfast and make their lunches. My youngest daughter is 6 and very independent, but still needs some assistance with some morning routine tasks.

The thing is, you never know when you will get that unexpected call from school with someone sick or hurt or I need to drop off a book or lunch they forgot. After my 4 kids are off to school by 9 AM, I head right back to the desk — but not without a quick Starbucks stop on the way home.

Email is usually next on the list along with going through my Facebook profile and answering direct messages or inquiries. I then set aside time to journal some of my creative ideas that I’m working on and don’t want to forget.

I spend a lot of time on social media setting up graphics and posting to my businesses pages and offering some content or conversation in my group. I’m not gonna lie – I get up quite a few times to change the laundry and do the dishes. Getting sidetracked while I work from home has always been challenging. My new office is in my bedroom which actually helps me stay on task. By this time it’s about 11am.

I’ve learned juggling my businesses while mothering is difficult if I’m trying to work, answer e-mails, or on calls when my kids are home. I want to pick them up and be very present when they are with me. I try to end my day at 1:30 and then pick things back up later when they are in bed. This doesn’t always work but I try hard to stick with it. I do most of my conference calling and clients meetings on the phone before 2:00 pm. I pick up the kids at 2:30.

After school, there are activities, homework, and dinner. Then the kids go to bed and I start working again. It feels good to work in a quiet house.

Then we get up and do it all over again!

How did you get started in the industry?

After my son was born I started my journey as a freelance make-up artist and evolved into weddings.

Doing bridal make-up opened a whole new world for me. I met some great vendors and worked with different venues that again evolved into me eventually becoming a wedding planner and designer.

When I got serious about my business, I enrolled in QC Event School and got certified as an international wedding planner. I took some business courses at my local community college and finished my degree in communication and PR.

I threw myself into every educational workshop, seminar, and training I could find.  I took my struggling wedding planning business and scaled it to 6 figures in 5 years only doing a handful of high-end weddings and tapping into my genius.

After many years learning and reverse engineering things that didn’t work in a more and more saturated industry, I began to feel burnt out and I knew my many years of expertise could be used somewhere else. I started teaching at QC and mentoring students. I love educating and advocating for women entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs.

I launched a beta educational brand called Elite Workshop. Elite Workshop is a mind, body, and soul experience for women – it’s a unique workshop that offers education and inspiration. I invite the best of the best industry pros to help educate the attendees. I started off with a small group of 10 women and the big passion project dream now has over 150 alumni and growing. 

What inspires you?

Well, that’s a loaded question, so many things inspire me from color, beautiful design elements, and of course, the most important inspiration is my children and husband. They inspire me to be a better mom and person. They don’t limit me, they support me. Industry wise, I’m inspired by Marie Forleo, I’m a B School grad.

I’m inspired by so many TED Talks, Brene Brown for one. Despite the easy access to the internet and information I still love to finger through magazines, especially wedding ones and read the lengthy real wedding stories. I get goosebumps! I love podcasts and listening to people talk real talk about life, experiences, and business.

What are your favorite online resources for your business?

I’m a huge fan of Canva I use it a lot to design my own graphics. It’s also a great tool to brand your company and create an overall atheistic. Also Mail Chimp or another kind of e-mail marketing. I never thought e-mail marketing was necessary or effective in my business but it allows me to keep open communication in my business and showcase what I’m doing to my dream clients and my past clients. I love the goal digger podcast by Jenna Kutcher.

Aside from wedding and event planning, how do you spend your time?

I spend most of my free time with my family and doing mom things. We are a very busy family and my kids play sports and are involved in a lot of activities. I love to just relax and watch movies. Hallmark to be exact!  I’m not much of a traveler, but I do love to take family road trips and sightsee. I also love to go to breakfast with my hubby we don’t do a lot of date nights, but I like morning dates.

Andy, thank you so much for taking the time to share your story and a day in your life. If you are an event planner and would like to be featured, download our questionnaire today and email it to us along with a photo. If you aren’t sure about being featured, take a few minutes to read how it can help your business.