Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Green.
Hi Lauren, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
SPL was established in 2017. I was inspired by my first daughter Amia. During that time the government just shutdown, which ended my NOAA contracts. So I became a housewife & mom of two with various side hustles. At that time Instagram was just created in the highlight of showcasing your talents, so I created @fashionstarters which was a custom apparel line for babies/toddlers. I wasn’t producing enough profit and wasn’t really intrigued so I ventured out and started making bows for babies and cheerleader organizations. That wasn’t enough income, so then I started SPL. Sophisticated Party Life was founded and created unintentional. I designed my very own Babyshower and the theme was Kate Spade. During that time she just passed and she along with Betty Johnson were my inspirations I loved all their pieces. I loved the brand so much that I said, let me create a Babyshower that will reflect this designer and honor her talent. It was a hit everyone asked who did your decorations. How did you come up with these ideas. A lightbulb went off and then I decided I will make decorating parties into a full-time career. I decorated my daughter‘s first birthday using vendors that took me forever to find to make these event custom and make the experience Luxury on a kid level. It was a hit everyone inquired via Facebook, via Instagram, via text. I thought to myself, I can make a business out of this. I started in the balloon industry. I self-taught myself how to create organic balloon garlands, that transformed a bigger role planning and coordinating the entire event. Once I had a reputation, I was being booked every weekend then 2020 Covid hit and I thought to myself how can I keep SPL afloat. My neighbor at that time was turning 40 and she wanted to celebrate with her friends and family. This is when I created quarantine intimate dinner gatherings. I transformed her living room into a luxury dining experience that look like she was at a restaurant or lounge. I may have been one of the firsts to start dining at home, but transforming the space to make it look like you are somewhere else. This took off it was a hit. I was being booked every day of the week and every weekend. Then I landed my first celebrity Client Bradley Beal from the Wizards & Kamiah. After that I was referred to another celebrity client KCP & MCP so my business took off in a way I wanted on a Luxury scale. I said to myself, I don’t want to step out for nothing less than $5000. Not knowing this was manifestation and that landed me my first $10k event! In one day a check was made out to me for $14,000 from one client. I took a picture and recorded the memory as a reminder to know your worth and stand on it. From that moment, I knew I could make six figures with his business if I continue and work hard. My son was turning 13 so I did some research and found a vendor from Ohio and purchased my first set of 5ft Marquees a number one and a number three. No one really had marquees during this time. At that time I was already doing drive-by celebration so I did a drive-by 13th birthday and the theme was basketball. I had a Gatorade machine that I purchased from Models which was going out of business due to Covid. I used it with some custom treats from one of my girlfriends that was starting her business, decorated the basketball hoop with Balloons with a backdrop, and it was a success!
Today we design, create and produce weddings, baby showers, surprise celebrations, corporate events, proms sendoff, photo activations, custom designs, custom material to make SPL stand out from the rest. We actually customize Events to make that experience more personal. SPL was created for the typical working parent who doesn’t have time to plan their party or event.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Mostly 90% of events always require a plan B & C so that’s where we come in. The true reason of hiring an Event Planner or Coordinator. We help smooth the kinks that may occur deluding transportation/setup or figure out solutions to make the event seamless and stress-free. Outdoor events are very challenging, especially when dealing with Balloons and backdrops you have to have the proper installation to ensure a beautiful turnout. For example it can be 90° , no forecast for rain, but then it rains out of the blue or winds may pick up. I’ve had a wedding the bride was about to come out at a wine vineyard and then all of a sudden pouring hard rain comes down the valley. I had to step in and make so many last-minute decisions to ensure the bride, groom, guests are taken care all while making calls to staff to fix what was damaged. Dry materials all while managing the timeline. Our Production team had to stop what they were doing to go outside and take anything that they could and bring inside or could be covered with plastic.
I’m also a mother of three so I struggle with time management from my personal life. At times I can’t enjoy my personal life because it clashes with my business. Most of the time events are held on Fridays/Saturday so if I’m invited somewhere, I may not go because I already have my own event. Then there’s the kids I have to balance and make time for them and their busy schedules. Introduce entrepreneurial skills to motivate and utilize which shows them the work ethics of being an entrepreneur and the trials and tribulations that come with the job. I’ve had celebrity clients that have questioned my pricing which have made me realize my targeted audience. The struggle with brand influencers, and celebrities is they necessarily do not have to post you or tag you if they “paid” for your services. To just be rewarded or receiving the credit sometimes becomes frustrating when you see your work on social media platforms, but you are not being recognized.
Then there’s miscommunication or too many cooks in the kitchen figure of speech! I’ve had issues where we have booked a whole set up. I’ve talked to Management and then the day off setup the agreement is totally different. This causes an interruption in time management and executing the event flawlessly on time.
The most challenging thing is realizing you cannot wear all hats. In the beginning creating and starting your business you can determine structure but you have to delegate. The struggle of trying to do it all have been very challenging in the Event industry because you know how you want your events look and everybody can do what you pictured in your head so you have to rely and have trust in your vendors and team/staff. For example I check all tables to make sure silverware is placed correctly right before the event starts.
My recent struggles were being pregnant at 40 and still working events full time. In the beginning of my pregnancy I had a wedding that was outdoors the venue was a Castle. The owner of the Castle stated that we can use outside and there will be grass upon arrival. Day of the Castle had mold stench, it was not clean, the outdoors did not have any grass where we agreed to put the tent. There was mud and hay presents yes barn hay at a wedding. I had to hire a cleaning crew the day of five hours prior to start. Overall it was a challenging right to the last second, but client was very happy and we transformed that Castle!
During the ending of my pregnancy. I was 37 weeks and I had a Bridal and Groom suite that I designed. That design has been featured in the latest issue August 2026 in the Washingtonian magazine. During the setup I remember I was in so much pain! I just wanted to go home and get in my bed it was so much walking up and down the elevators. During the end I could not walk anymore I had to take several breaks or sit while delegating. Remind you my son was 10 lbs. 3 oz. at birth, which gives you a little insight of the pressure and pain of carrying so much extra weight during that time. It was well worth the fight! Baby boy is now 19 months healthy & thriving. And we’ve been featured for our bridal and groom suite transformation.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Since 2017 SPL has been setting the bar high we have been turning heads and creating custom masterpieces that showcase milestones that will be cherished forever. We specialized in making custom memories which means we created custom products and materials that will enhance event/experience. For example, I created custom head shots of the birthday boy and sent it to my Designer. She cuts Acrylic and asked her if she can cut the head and its features on wood so the kids can paint it as a coloring book. She said you always push me outside of my limits but I love it! During Covid we added custom sanitizers and sanitizer stations which was a big hit due to Covid regulations regarding events. For a wedding the couple were big fans of Harley’s & were members of a biker club. For their wedding we created an entrance of all his biker friends and named each table of the different brands of bikes. We create experiences that are memorable!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We offer hands on experience for beginners in the balloon or event industry, For full time High School students we offer Community Service Hours. You can inquire more on www.thesplevents.com or visit us and follow @splevents @splrentals @splflorals to stay connected and learn the latest design elements that stand out! Every day it’s a new Trend that we implement to make us standout from the others. We love collaborating with established event planners, coordinators, brand ambassadors, and vendors. This community is about networking and branding each one of us helps build a portfolio every event is different. Let’s stay connected!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.thesplevents.com
- Instagram: @splevents
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UChlSg1rL46A7yrx1X8ORPzw?ra=m
