Check Out Ariea Brim and A’til Williams’ Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariea Brim and A’til Williams.

Hi Ariea Brim and A’til Williams, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We had this vision about 2 years ago right before COVID happened to start a business but wasn’t sure what to do. We knew we wanted to cater to intimate gatherings but wasn’t sure how to execute that. It wasn’t until April 2021 that we finally decided to put a twist on your typical picnic and offer “luxury” picnics so people could feel like they were experiencing the finer things in life without breaking bank, all while having a great time with loved ones. Although we planned on launching later that summer, we found out that a new addition would be joining our family, so we decided to put the launch on hold. Fast forward to January 2022, we both realized that we were putting our dream on hold waiting for the “right time” when in reality there isn’t a perfect time, so we decided to take a leap of faith. One weekend we had a major shopping spree for inventory (checking out thrift stores/consignment shops along the way) and put together and impromptu photoshoot in Ariea’s back yard. After we had some photos, we created an IG page and offered a Valentine’s Day giveaway to get us started. That giveaway led us to be booked every weekend within our first month of launching and that’s when we realized this could actually turn into something great. Although we are still new to the luxury picnic business, we have also been contacted to design and decorate weddings, motivating us to create a branch within our business called Luxe Events & Design to cater to elopements, rehearsal dinners, ceremony, reception, and pre-wedding celebrations to make it easier for couples to enjoy the wedding planning process.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing ever comes easy when it comes to launching your own business. As mentioned, we had planned to launch back in 2021, however, many things kept happening (which typically does happen in life) I got a new job and wasn’t sure how flexible I’d be if we were to have a request for a weekday picnic and Ariea discovered she was pregnant with Levi a few months later. These of course we beautiful blessings to us both but we knew it would mean Luxe Brunches would have to take a back seat for the time being. Once we got into the groove of things and pushed ourselves to launch, the challenges came rolling in. For starters, we both have very different styles and as you could imagine, that could create some difficulties when trying to plan what the perfect picnic would look like. We would disagree on color arrangements, types of pillows we should use, the sizes of rugs to purchase…anything really (which is funny to look back at now) because our meanings of luxury differed a bit. Financially, getting started was challenging as well. We used the funds we had to get us started but didn’t realize how expensive some things could be which is why consignment shops became our best friend and learning how to DIY many things (like the picnic tables we use!).

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Currently Luxe Brunches is our side business, but we are hopeful that one day it could become our full-time focus. Until then, A’til is in the Clinical Research industry and Ariea was in the Cosmetology industry before having Levi and has since return to it with a special focus on bridal hairstyling.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Ambition is a top characteristic for us. We feel as if you aren’t ambitious with your craft/skill you will get nowhere, no matter how talented you are. When you have that desire or determination to reach a certain level with your craft, in our case with Luxe Brunches, you will be okay with handling the good and bad times until you reach that desired level. We also think that ambition pushes us to create even bigger goals for ourselves; although we started off wanting a business to cater to intimate gatherings, we realized that we do have the potential to push ourselves and grow our skills to be able to tackle bigger projects and thus Luxe Events & Design was born.

Pricing:

• Couples Picnic (2 person): Starting at $250
• Group Picnic (6 persons): Starting at $440
• Add-Ons: Teepee Tent $75, Movie Projector and Screen $100, Bell Tent or Gazebo $250, Fresh Flower Arrangement $45 per arrangement
• Prices vary for Charcuterie, Dessert, or Brunch boards

Contact Info:

• Website: www.luxebrunches.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luxebrunches/
• Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/luxe-brunches-raleigh-nc-2059412

Image Credits
Zach Umphrey Creative, LLC Glenda Mendez Photography