Meet Lesia Ramsey of Extravagant Events in Plano

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lesia Ramsey.

Lesia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My love of entertaining came very early in life. As a little girl, I always enjoyed entertaining friends and family and spending time in the kitchen with my mother, Doris Ramsey, while she cooked and prepared. Seeing her take time and care in setting up the table and entertaining family and friends stuck with me. I was like her little “assistant,” and I guess you could say that my interest and eventual passion started there. Whether it was a crawfish boil in the backyard or Christmas with a house full of family and friends, for as long as I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed decorating and entertaining.

In fact, when my now ex-husband first proposed, instead of hiring a wedding coordinator, I was determined to do my own wedding planning from start to finish. So, it was a no brainer for me to go ahead and step out on faith to start my own event planning business, Extravagant Events, which I’ve owned and operated now for almost 25 years. I started small and used my networking experience to develop a list of vendors, bartenders, bakers, etc. and have since expanded my business to include a variety of venues and luxury transportation services. My background in finance and accounting helped as I’ve worked in the banking industry since high school.

The idea and concept for Extravagant Events came out of my desire to make any event or experience I planned as luxurious and extravagant as possible. Prior to that, one of my best friends, Derenda Whitaker, owner of Dash of Flavor Bundt and Homemade Cakes, were in business together for many years before amicably parting ways to pursue our own personal passions; mine being Extravagant Events. We are still friends and continue to collaborate and support each other with our own events to this very day. In addition to putting on corporate events, weddings, birthdays and family and holiday events, I have recently expanded my business to include transportation services. I now partner with various local luxury vehicles and limousine vendors to offer a “party bus experience,” which my clients seem to enjoy – especially the ladies!

In addition, I am proud to announce that I have partnered with Affluent Luxury Travel, which is a full-service luxury travel management company. As a lover of local and world travel, it was a perfect fit for me to team up with my friend, Linda Scroggins, to expand and grow her business and mine through a company that offers a unique combination of leisure and business travel services. As a Lifestyle Manager and as part of the company’s mission, we strive to elevate luxury travel lifestyles of distinctive and worldly travelers through a selection of authentic and cultural experiences. Our services are designed around freedom of choice, freedom from time restrictions, elegant amenities, and unstructured experiences.

Outside of planning events, I’m also very passionate about helping others. In fact, I’ve been involved with several local and national non-profit and philanthropic organizations, including Mothers Opposing Bullying (MOB), where I serve on the Board of Directors. My sister, Belinda Ramsey, is a former Ms. Texas United America (2010-2011) and founded the organization to bring awareness to kids who have experienced bullying. Also, having close friends and family who have battled breast cancer, I am very active with the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and was featured in 2015 on the cover of the Garland Journal for my work with the organization; particularly the coordination services I provided for the Survivor’s Tent. I wanted the experience to be memorable for participants because it is such an important cause. Through my network of resources, I was able to do just that, from a glitzy and glamorous pink carpet to the photo booths, entertainment, and breakfast feast. Lastly, I find myself collaborating quite a bit with my friend and local radio personality, Lynne Haze from KRNB 105.7, on a variety of ventures. One of the events I’m most proud of included myself, Lynne, and Stafon Jackson-Bishop, where we put on a party boat experience for about 100 guests.

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?
Doing what I do and growing my business hasn’t come without its challenges, but I’m grateful for all of them because they have stretched me in ways I’ve never imagined and helped me to grow and be a better planner and organizer. As they say, we are our own worst critics so I would say that the only real challenges I’ve had are when I reflect on events I’ve planned and completed and have afterthoughts of things or details I could’ve and should’ve added to the experience. Also, in the current Covid environment, it’s been challenging to maintain a consistent flow of business since travel has slowed and clients aren’t putting on as many events. But it’s also challenged me to think out of the box and come up with creative ways to plan and put on events, keeping safety and social distancing in mind.

Please tell us about Extravagant Events.
Everyone has a special moment in their life that warrants celebrating, and our goal is to make that moment, one that will never be forgotten. I think what separates me from my competitors is that I personalize everything that I do and make it a point to get to know my clients before I contract with them to get to know them as much as possible – their likes, dislikes, preferences and passions. From there, I customize their experiences and add my “personal touch” to ensure it’s one they’ll never forget.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood is waking up early on Christmas morning, walking into our living room and seeing two bikes under the Christmas tree for my sister Belinda and me. I was so excited that Santa made my wish come true. I rode my bike up and down the sidewalk all day long, learning to ride. My dad said, “Lesia, you can do it!” He pushed me and away I went. Yes, I did believe in Santa Claus.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.extravagant-events.com/
• Phone: 469.774.0875
• Email: Extravagant.events@yahoo.com
• Instagram: lesia_ramsey
• Facebook: Extravagant Events

Image Credit:
Eva D. Coleman; Haute Shots Photography; Good Friends Photography; Eryk G Photography; Tony Boyattia; and D Photography

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