Meet Your Magic Makers

GENEVIEVE ROJA / FOUNDER + principal

Hi! I’m Genevieve, a tomboy who happened to grow up liking some pretty girly stuff. I majored in print journalism and was tracking toward a career in sportswriting, when some long stints driving on Highway 99 from small town to small town made me realize it wasn’t for me.

Back in my hometown of San Francisco, I transitioned into marketing and PR for a non-profit focused on breast cancer and the environment. I spent six years organizing press and community events, training advocates, and doing a lot of impossible things with very little money and things not in my job description (like, at ALL).

In 2012, feeling emboldened by having side-hustled Lily Spruce for three years, I took a leap and went full time and haven’t looked back. Since our inception, we have planned sit-down galas, cocktail party fundraisers, street festivals for 10,000 and night markets for 1,000. We’ve helped people celebrate store openings, product launches, 40th birthdays, holiday parties, and weddings from 35 people to 250 and up. 

I do what I do because I love seeing communities come together for one powerful day, one amazing moment frozen in time. Deep down, I know I love to help, and I love the beauty and magic of being behind the curtain, behind the scenes.

And I love that when the event machine is truly humming, I am immensely proud that Lily Spruce is the engine that has powered it, with a lot of help and collaboration.

We don’t do this event planning thing alone, and neither should you.

MONIQUE CATLEY / PLANNER

Monique joined Lily Spruce as an Event Coordinator in 2020. From anticipating your every need to keeping everything moving in a timely manner, she strives to make your event the very best experience possible.

Having worked in corporate events for 20+ years, Monique has experience in negotiating contracts, managing guest expectations, organizing vendors from around the country as well as working the event, making everything feel seamless.

Although she loved her job something was missing...her love for all things wedding related. She shifted her focus, gathered everything she learned and charted a path to the wedding industry.

When not working on weddings or events, she can be found furthering her skills by taking floristry classes or wedding planning courses, or working in her Lab (aka her kitchen) mixing up spice blends. Her most popular blend so far is a smokey barbecue rub with a mildly spicy kick.

SUPERPOWERS: Figuring out catering logistics; having a ton of backup supplies needed for day of events; triple-checking with vendors on what they need and anticipating those needs!

CLAIRE PAQUIN / PLANNER

Claire comes to the Lily Spruce team with vast experience in both corporate and social events, and - more importantly - an affinity for all things weddings!

She is a devoted event coordinator, with great attention to detail and passion for logistics. Her first priority is always her clients, and giving them the stress-free, thorough, and thoughtful service they deserve! She is able to keep a cool head under pressure, handle difficult changes (or even guests!) with grace, and is always willing to go the extra mile.

Unlike other little girls, who dreamed of their own white dresses and whimsical wedding days, Claire dreamed of being The Wedding Planner (all hail J.Lo). When she is not building timelines, or making endless to-do lists, she can be found on the couch watching a "Say Yes to the Dress" marathon.

SUPERPOWERS: Catering logistics; graphic design + printing; ability to improvise; good humor in stressful environments!

LORRAINE ENRIQUEZ / PLANNER

Lorraine joined Lily Spruce in Spring 2021. She’s known on our team as our in-house, venue search expert, and spent 2021 finding our clients the venue of their dreams.

Having worked in Bay Area tech start-ups, Lorraine has experience in building systems and organizing logistics that are essential to seamless execution of events. Our clients love her tenacity and responsiveness!

Lorraine resides in Pacifica with her partner, two children, and her larger-than-life Chow Chow named Attila.

SUPERPOWERS: Venue searches; vendor bids and comparisons (she shops around so you don’t have to); following up with vendors; finessing timelines

ONIKA BOWMAN / OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

In 2019, Onika joined the Lily Spruce team saying goodbye to cookie cutter corporate events and hello to a world of rulebreakers. As Operations Coordinator, she loves being able to quickly find solutions helping couples achieve their perfect day.

With years of experience in corporate and youth-based nonprofit events (Girl Scouts of America, Boy Scouts of America, and Chabot Space & Science Center), creative solutions, and whimsical ideas come naturally to her.

Those qualities coupled with her attention to detail and stellar organizational skills help keep the planning process running smoothly.

SUPERPOWERS: Client onboarding and offboarding; creating amazing forms; systems, systems, systems!

About lilyspruce

Who we are

WE ARE An AAPI-OWNED boutique event planning studio that thrives on creating, designing, and collaborating ON nontraditional events that break all the rules.

We don’t believe in cookie-cutter anything. Not weddings, not SOCIAL GATHERINGS, NOT corporate events. Nada. Zilch.

We understand you want to impart your personality, your way, when it comes to throwing events.

You’re different, and so are we.

DIFFERENT, IS ALSO BEAUTIFUL.

Our background

We are proudly 100% woman- and minority-owned.

Our diverse team has a rich background working in non-profit workplaces, hospitality, catering, marketing and public relations, and event production.

We’ve done things with rigid rules in place and found our own way to make our client events shine.

In fact, the highest compliment we are ever paid is is from guests who step into an event and say, “this is sooooooo them” instead of “this is such an awesome Lily Spruce production.”

Why?

Because it’s not about us. It’s about YOU.

Our process

Quite simply, we’re here for you. You’ve got busy lives, careers to tend to, friends and family to keep up with. Event planning for your wedding or social event cuts into that time. We’re here to:

• Impart our professional experience from 10 years and over 100 weddings and social events and guide and nurture you to success.

• Ease the stresses of planning so you can be wholly present with your gathered loved ones and NOT be the point person on your day

• Attend to all the details and think about all the things you haven’t thought of, because well, you’ve never done this before (or maybe you have, but forgot!)

• Organize you and your logistics so that the event feels organic, playful, and fun

• Ensure everything runs smoothly so that your guests (and you, always you) are well taken care of and everyone has a memorable, happy time together

OUR IDEAL CLIENTS

We work best with busy professionals who place high value on hiring effective and empathetic project managers for the planning journey. Ultimately we serve as a go-to resource that informs the guest experience, and the overall aesthetic and design of the event that oozes fun and ease.

Our ideal clients aren't afraid to color outside the lines, and consider themselves highly organized, and process-driven.

Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Calendar? Not a problem for our clients.

Zoom and Slack? Easy peasy.

At the end of the day, they trust our work, respect our opinions, and value our experience and expertise.