Jacquelyn

Jacquelyn was born and raised in beautiful Northern California, but now lives in sunny So Cal with her husband Nate, two boys Court and Cruz, and their black Lab Dolly. Jacquelyn is our Event Designer at Beijos.  She is the one who helps our clients’ vision and theme come to life, which of course involves giving it the Beijos touch. She spends her time sharing her pretty, and innovative ideas with them, making their events unique and truly one of a kind. She’s also the brain behind all of those gorgeous photo shoots on the Beijos blog, along with scheduling and organizing the blog in general.  After studying theater in college, Jacquelyn transitioned to a career in fashion, which made her realize how good her eye was for design and putting color and texture together. Then soon after, the light went off for her talent to style events when she planned her own beautiful Carmel wedding. Jacquelyn, also being the the jokester and the fire of the group, means you can usually find her poking fun, which is always a necessity when designing and planning events.  And don’t you forget the mama bear in her, she’s a lover and a protector which makes her tenacity shine through in all of her hard work and dedication for Beijos.

Being creative is something I’ve always loved, and how lucky am I to now do it for a living?!  When I was younger I had aspirations to be an illustrator or performer and always admired my mom for planning each birthday and holiday with such excitement.  Working on events brings me so much joy, I love seeing it go from conception to completion. Coming up with unique ideas and details for each client to execute their vision is what I love most.  A close second is seeing their smile at the final product. I also love to create photo shoots and imagery for our blog, putting my own Beijos touch on different ideas or concepts that come to my mind.  It’s so invigorating to put these photo shoots together, it gives me a creative high that is addictive. Which is probably why I do so many! All I can say is I love what I do and I’m so grateful I get to put my creativity out into the world.

5 Fun Facts

My favorite color is yellow
I have a terrible habit of losing and misplacing things, inherited from my Dad
I’m named after Jacqueline Kennedy but my mom’s middle name is Lyn, hence the spelling
Favorite travel destination is Portugal
I love sports and grew up playing soccer

Abby

Abby is our Beijos Northern California native.  After growing up in the Bay Area her and her hubby Mike decided to move with their daughter Dylan and son Jett to the Sacramento area.  They love the slower pace and room to grow in their new hometown. Abby is our food and DIY aficionado for the blog, there isn’t a recipe or DIY challenge this lady can’t meet!  You’ll often get inspired by a tasty cocktail, our Beijos Cocktails or all those mouth watering Beijos Eats Abby creates on our blog. She also loves sharing home projects, her kid’s parties and other fun adventures on the blog with our readers.

I have always been a creative one since I was little. I would have rather been drawing, cooking, or doing any kind of art project then playing sports. This love for art and cooking continued into college and now into my career with Beijos. I have a passion for food and art, oh and cocktails and love how you can easily take something simple and put a Beijos twist on it to make it unique, pretty, and fun for all. My mind is always thinking of new creative ways to do holidays, food, cocktails, interiors, you name it so I can share my new ideas to our readers. Being able to continue to be creative everyday is the coolest job in the world!

5 Fun Facts

I have an obsession with rattan, if I already have something similar, it still ends up in my cart. (Along with my glassware obsession)
I love anything guava
I cry easily watching commercials and some aren’t even sad.
My husband’s grandparents and mine were best friends and we grew up knowing each other. We didn’t date until after college.
I’m constantly barefoot but I have to have sandals or shoes on while cooking.

Leah

Leah is born and raised in sunny Southern California.  Her and her hubby Damon share their home with daughters Edie, Isla and son Henry along with two dogs and two cats!  As you can imagine, it’s a busy house at the Carrigers! Leah is the calm and steady of Beijos and runs our operations for all events.  She is the first person you will speak to when interested in booking us for an event and your point person for all planning. Leah’s background in marketing and management along with her MBA helps keep us in line and ensures your events run smoothly.  She is the person you’d want as a confidant and as your party planner being that she is thoughtful, cool under pressure, and always at the top of her game.

I like party planning because A. believe it or not it’s my creative outlet. I know for most it the most stressful thing ever!!  From a young age I came to realize I was a visual person, always attracted to pretty colors, new fun patterns, and a had a weird knack for being super organized.  Fast forward 25 years and I’m still super in touch with all things pretty, but now adding in my other love, socializing, and networking…aka partying!! And B. I love starting with nothing and seeing an event come to life.  Stressful or not, because, yes it does get stressful. It’s one of the best feelings to be a part of an event, something you’ve helped create from the ground up and seeing the happiness you create on your clients faces and all around.  

5 Fun Facts

I met my husband when I was 13
My go to karaoke song is La Bamba
Favorite travel destination is Mexico
I know how to sing Christmas carols in Latin
I never in a million years thought I would be an event planner