Meet Brenda Vilchis of Fancy Picnics

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenda Vilchis.

Brenda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m going to start by mentioning that I am currently a Hospitality management student at the Hilton College, I am 22 years old and I am originally from Mexico City, I have lived in Houston for two years (and I am still trying to get used to the heat of this beautiful but hot city). From an early age, I started enjoying crafts and decor. I liked to think that planning and decorating events was my biggest passion. However, my business has led me to all different pathways, such as hospitality, business management, and even marketing! I realized that these three things combined are what makes Fancy Picnics so special since those are my biggest passions. My company started as a simple idea of having a picnic with friends. The idea became stronger and solid when I realized that there were no companies doing this in the Houston area.

The first picnic I had was a very simple one with just quilts and a small basket. It has been growing to the point that Fancy Picnics keeps getting new things and adding multiple picnic designs, which is so exciting and scary at the same time! such as: “Santorini”, “Flower Child”, “Picnic at Tiffany’s”, “Terracotta”, “La Vie en Rose, and “Cotton Candy”. They all have different colors and decorations which allows my clients to know how their picnic is going to look like and also allows me to have a better logistic. Now that I have the experience of being in the industry, my passion for events and marketing have grown so much that I can’t wait to see what’s next to come! I am determined to make my company grow and keep giving people memories that will last a lifetime, in the end, their smiles are one of the bests rewards I have.

Great, 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?
I believe we all know that starting a business is not easy. One of the main obstacles I had faced is learning to manage the whole company by myself. Sometimes I can’t believe how fast the business is growing and I just have to learn in a second how to keep everything under control. As a full-time student and business owner, I have had times where things get hard and making it all work is not easy. But somehow I’ve made everything work perfectly fine with my parent’s help and also my friends that have been close to me in this journey and have seen my business grow!

Fancy Picnics – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Fancy Picnics is the luxury idea of having a whole picnic set up for you and your friends to just be ready to enjoy and have an unforgettable time. We specialize in events such as corporate, birthdays, graduation parties, and even as a romantic design for anniversaries or proposals. The luxury picnic is always on the client’s decision, they can choose how their picnic is going to look by choosing one of our different designs available whether is at the comfort of their home or at their convenient park.

Fancy Picnics is known for how detailed our setups are, my clients are always satisfied because even though they chose their picnic theme, I always try to add an extra thank you note, personalizing the seats with their name or something else that makes them feel special because they really are. We also offer a glamping option for an extra luxurious picnic that you can enjoy watching a movie for a nice and romantic experience with the outdoor cinema that we offer as well!

Something very unique about Fancy Picnics is that I have had unconditional support from my family at all times, for example, my dad helped me with the construction of the tables, even though he has his own company he found the time to support me and built the model of the tables that we chose. My mom and sister help me by setting up picnics and all that effort is reflected through my work and how much people are loving it!

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career has been definitely “The rose picnic” which was a big blogger event at Hotel ZaZa. Everyone had to wear pink, there was a photo booth where the guests could take fun pictures, a Dj, magazines and a photographer capturing this special event. It was very special to me since it was the first event planned all by myself, each detail, every phone call with the vendors, every invite and every little thing that had to be taken care of, it was ALL ME! I had three weeks to plan this event and was very nervous that something would go wrong, and it was such a great turn out! I definitely challenged myself but the results made me very proud and gave me a new direction for my business and career. I realized that putting my heart and soul into even the smallest acts is the secret for success.