Today we’d like to introduce you to Mandy Lyons.
Hi Mandy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, I’m Mandy Lyons. I’m a Mother, Wife & now-Business owner! I’m the founder and owner of Starlite Event Company. Growing up, I’ve always wanted to create a solid foundation for myself and my family by having my own business but I was often torn between being a Social Worker or a Creative Event Planner.
Any opportunity to create and style a celebration, I’d take with eagerness, especially for my 3 beautiful babies and close friends or family. I enjoyed the time spent collecting things, decor, and elements to create a special moment and it never got old to me. I always have tons of ideas that I want to bring to life and that’s what I do passionately at Starlite.
I’ve always been a crafty and creative person but often lacked the confidence to execute my visions and display my skills that were constantly evolving. I tried to create memorable experiences for my older kiddos with their birthdays being so close by combining the things they loved at the time and making them into one big magical experience just for them!
Going to college and working in the field of human services, mental health, and welfare; I found myself feeling unfulfilled most of the time. While my career path and experience have created the skills I need to operate my business; I knew that deep down I would be happiest being in a role where My creativity was welcomed, admired, and desired.
I officially launched my business in November of 2020. I brought the idea to my best friend & husband in the middle of the night & they were on board and so encouraging ever since. Community and Team are so crucial and I’m glad I have them to grow with through this experience. I noticed how much Covid reduced the excitement and planning of a celebration which motivated me to face my fears and doubts to help change that for others. I felt that I would be able to create a safe and healthy way to celebrate even with restrictions. Life is too short to give up celebrating moments that are special to someone and I felt like 2020 was the perfect time to bring a unique business to Harford County and surrounding areas of the DMV.
I absolutely love being able to change the perspective of a room! Sometimes life is all about perspective and when we take a moment to style it with our ideas and the elements that represent us; we create a different view to appreciate that we never thought about when it was a living room, basement, hotel room, or venue with a look that was once familiar.
Starlite Event Company offers Event planning and party rental services. My business specializes in offering services for Sleepovers, Luxury Picnics, and Social Occasions. We do so much more than just book a party and show up to decorate; We plan every aspect of the event or party by designing the perfect theme, coordinating all moving parts & we handle all of the tedious tasks that come with perfecting an experience.
We also personalize party favors right from our home and office which is often used for party favors and gifts. Sending our guest of honor and their guests home with a piece of the celebration to remember is special to us. While owning a business has its challenges and is a constant learning experience; I’m eager to continue offering creative Event planning options and services to help others have more than just the perfect celebration but a memorable experience.
We anticipate changing many more perspectives of a room with special elements that will make our clients seize the moment and capture it with their cameras, hearts, minds because every celebration should feel personalized, luxurious, and magical.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Launching and owning a business isn’t always smooth. I’m always learning from my experiences, mistakes, and others. However, it truly is just like life-it is all about what you make it! I had to do a lot of research, networking, falling, and standing back up. But two things that I learned that are crucial to the journey of being an entrepreneur are support and self-care.
Support and community are empowering in so many ways. I didn’t realize this until I was about 9 months into my journey but better late than never. Inevitably, growth will come with difficult occurrences but the best thing to do is to learn from it and apply because as you grow as a business owner and entrepreneur; greater things will demand different parts of you that will require being committed and invested.
The hardest part of my journey was in the midst of Covid when everything came crashing down for my family and we found ourselves homeless before we had an opportunity to repair the damage from Covid. However, Even in a hotel with a family of 5, a storage unit, and just enough money to maintain -I couldn’t give up and I never will. Learning to push even when life is tough in other areas -is hard but not impossible.
Another challenge is remembering to invest in self-care as much as our business but with practice and commitment -it has become a normal part of my daily routine. Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything because those bumps in the road taught me a lot, and continue to do so. The hard times, challenges, and experiences have shaped me into a better person, individual, and business owner.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My business specializes in creative Event planning and is demonstrated through Sleepovers, Luxury Picnics, and social occasions. We help plan, create and style every occasion so that our clients can focus on showing up and enjoying their special day! I am most proud of seeing the growth from when I started to now!
Each event or party turns out even more beautiful than I expect each time because of every experience along the way. What makes me unique is my creativity and ability to teach myself anything with little research, discipline, and determination. When I want to do something and I’m truly passionate about it like I am for Starlite; I put my all into it.
One last thing that makes my business unique is the program within my business called “Starlite Stars”. As a former foster child who aged out of the system and encountered youth that doesn’t always get to experience special moments and create memories like their peers that aren’t in foster care; I give back by providing two celebrations per year at no cost to programs that service youth in foster care. This was created to help youth feel celebrated and be able to create greater memories and moments to reflect on as they get older.
This was inspired after working with the youth in a program that shared her sadness about not being able to have a home, memory of parties, or family. When She spoke about that and shared such an intimate thought with me -I started researching the point for contact for the program she was in and extended a donation in the form of a Spa Sleepover for her and her 6 friends in the program.
We love having this opportunity and will remember all of the smiles and laughter our youth got to experience because of Starlite.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory was the times I spent styling my room, binders, bags, and clothes with the little things that I loved to make it more eye-catching.
I decorated my entire room from the ceiling to the wall literally. I would cut certain things from clothing like fur, lace, or a design material and sowed it to the slit of a skirt, the collar of a shirt, on the inside of my ripped jeans.
Changing the perspective of something was always a passion to me and when I’d have new ideas or see something unique -I couldn’t wait to get to my room and transform it into something my friends had never seen.
Pricing:
- We offer convenient packages that vary in pricing
- Sleepovers- $350 & Up
- Luxury Picnics -$150 & Up
- Social Occasions vary based on clients’ needs & preferences.
- Personalized Add on items – $5 & Up
Contact Info:
- Email: Info@starliteeventcompany.com
- Website: Www.StarliteEventCompany.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/Starlite_Event_Co
- Facebook: Facebook.com/StarliteEventCo
- Other: TikTok.com/StarliteEventCo
Image Credits
Solay Events & Decor
