Today we’d like to introduce you to Anelys.
Hi Anelys , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Affordable Party Décor was born from friendship, creativity, and someone believing in my talent before I ever thought of turning it into a business.
It all started with my best friend, who is now also my business partner. For years, I would decorate for her birthday celebrations, creating special details and bringing different ideas to life simply because I enjoyed doing it. To me, it was something I loved; to her, it was something that deserved to be shared with others. She saw potential in me that, at the time, I didn’t necessarily see in myself.
Then, one morning, she completely surprised me. She told me, “You already have a company. We’re just waiting for the paperwork from the state so we can get your Tax ID. We’re going to do this together.”
And that was the beginning of Affordable Party Décor.
What started as an idea between two best friends quickly became a team of three: my best friend, my husband, and me. We didn’t start with everything figured out—we started with excitement, determination, creativity, and the attitude that we were ready to take on the world together.
From there, we began learning, growing, investing, and challenging ourselves with every event. Each celebration taught us something new and helped us discover what Affordable Party Décor could become. Over time, something that started with decorating birthday parties for someone I loved grew into a business where people trust us to be part of some of the most meaningful celebrations in their lives.
One of the things I treasure most about our story is that I didn’t build this alone. Affordable Party Décor was created because someone close to me believed in something I was doing naturally and encouraged me to see it differently. My husband believed in the vision as well and became an important part of making it happen. Together, the three of us turned a simple idea into a business.
We have experienced challenges, long days, late nights, plenty of learning, and a lot of laughter along the way. We still have so much we want to accomplish, but when I look back at how everything started, it makes me incredibly proud.
Affordable Party Décor is more than an event décor business to us. It represents friendship, partnership, family, creativity, and the courage to take a chance on an idea. We started as a team of three ready to take on the world, and in many ways, that’s still exactly who we are today.
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?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I didn’t learn this business by taking courses, and I didn’t have someone teaching me step by step. Life taught me. The events themselves taught me. The mistakes, the unexpected circumstances, the stressful moments, and sometimes the things that went completely wrong became my education.
Every event gave me an opportunity to try a different technique, find a new solution, and become better than I was at the event before. There has been stress, laughter, frustration, and definitely tears. I have cried more times than I ever imagined I would over this business. I’ve gotten a few bumps and bruises along the way—literally and figuratively—and yes, there were many times when I wanted to give up.
Sometimes my husband and my best friend and business partner were the ones who picked me back up and reminded me to keep going. Then I would take whatever happened at that event, learn from it, and tell myself that I was going to do better at the next one.
One thing that has always defined me is that I never wanted to tell a client, “I can’t do that because I don’t know how.” If I didn’t know how to do something, I looked for a solution. I researched, practiced, tried different techniques, failed sometimes, and tried again until I figured it out. Some of those experiences made me stronger immediately, while others took a little more out of me before I could see the lesson in them.
Looking back, I realize that the difficult events were some of my greatest teachers. They taught me how to think under pressure, solve problems, trust my creativity, and continue even when things weren’t going according to plan.
I didn’t get here because everything came easily to me. I got here because every time I fell, either I found the strength to get back up or the people beside me helped me stand again. Through it all, I trusted that God had a plan for me. What He had planned wasn’t always what I expected or what I thought I wanted at the time, but ultimately, it was better than what I could have planned for myself.
I’m still learning today. I still don’t know everything, and I don’t think I ever will. But now I know that not knowing how to do something doesn’t mean I can’t do it. It simply means I have something new to learn.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My work is honestly a collection of so many things that I love to do. I don’t think I have ever allowed myself to fit into just one box.
Of course, people know me through Affordable Party Décor and the events we create, but my creativity goes far beyond event décor. I love floral design and creating flower arrangements. I also have a passion for Christmas decorating, especially Christmas trees. There is something about finishing a tree, stepping back, and looking at what I created that brings me so much happiness. I also enjoy interior design, creating and transforming spaces, and I’m not afraid to pick up tools and be the handyman when something needs to get done.
We even ventured into the floral vending business and had a flower vending machine at a mall in the Freeport area. Unfortunately, the machine developed mechanical problems and, by Allah’s will, that particular chapter didn’t continue the way we expected. But the experience reminded me of something important: I truly love working with flowers, and sometimes an idea doesn’t have to last forever to teach you something about yourself.
There is also another side of me that surprises people. I can spend one day designing flowers and decorating an elegant event, and another day I can get behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler and hit the road. Transportation became another business venture for us. I think that says a lot about who I am—I have never believed that being good at one thing means you have to limit yourself to only that.
But today, one of the most meaningful parts of my life and my primary work is helping children with autism. I work in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis, and there is something incredibly special about helping a child learn, grow, communicate, become more independent, enjoy life, and discover confidence in themselves.
I especially love helping parents see abilities in their children that sometimes they haven’t been able to see yet. I always describe it as helping to break through that little shell. Once you find the right way to reach a child, you may discover the most beautiful story waiting inside. These children are capable of so much. Sometimes, we simply have to change the way we teach, listen, and understand them.
When people ask what I am most proud of, however, my answer goes deeper than any business accomplishment. One of the greatest blessings in my life has been finding Islam and having Allah place faith in my heart. My faith has changed the way I understand success, difficulties, gratitude, purpose, and this temporary life. That is something I carry into everything I do.
As far as what sets me apart from others, I don’t necessarily believe that I am better or more special than anyone else. I believe every human being has something uniquely their own—their essence, values, love, intelligence, abilities, experiences, and the choices they make.
We are all given our own path, and we decide how we are going to walk it. I like to think of life as a story where you are given the opportunity to choose the ink with which you will write your next chapter.
Nothing I have accomplished makes me better than the next person. It simply makes me who I am: a human being being tested, learning along the way, exercising free will, making choices, falling, getting back up, and trying to choose the right path during this temporary life.
And maybe that is what I am most proud of—not one decoration, one business, or one accomplishment, but having the courage to keep discovering what I am capable of while remaining true to who I am.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I have learned along my journey is to love what you do and, above all, learn to believe in yourself.
Nothing simply falls from the sky. You can have dreams, ideas, and goals, but if you don’t work for them, search for opportunities, ask questions, take risks, fall down, and find the courage to get back up, they will remain only dreams.
I learned that believing in yourself doesn’t mean that you will never be afraid or that you will always know what you’re doing. Sometimes believing in yourself means saying, “I’m going to try,” even when you have no idea how you are going to make it happen. It means looking for the answer instead of waiting for someone to give it to you.
I’ve also learned that you have to ask. Ask for the opportunity. Ask for help. Ask the question you are afraid to ask. Sometimes a door doesn’t open simply because you never knocked.
There were many moments when I doubted myself, but every challenge taught me something. Every fall taught me how to stand differently the next time. And every accomplishment reminded me that I was capable of more than I originally believed.
Faith is also a very important part of that lesson for me. I put my trust in Allah, but I also understand that faith doesn’t mean sitting still and waiting for things to happen. I have to make the effort, do my part, and continue moving forward while trusting Him with what I cannot control.
So, if I had to put everything I’ve learned into one lesson, it would be this: **believe in yourself enough to try.** Work for what you want, love what you do, don’t be afraid to fall, and never expect your dreams to build themselves. Sometimes the biggest obstacle between where you are and where you want to be is simply believing that you are capable of getting there.
Pricing:
- Our pricing starts at a base rate of $2,000 and may vary depending on the design, event size, décor elements, and any additional services requested.
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