We had the good fortune of connecting with Yadeline Lara and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yadeline, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have always wanted to own my own business and work for myself. Up until 2020, I hadn’t found my passion. SWFL Lovely Picnics started as a way for my husband and I to celebrate our anniversary during the pandemic. Since everything was closed and travelling was limited, I began searching for fun things to do. I came across the “luxury picnic” idea on social media and wanted to create my own version of what I had seen. I asked my husband to build a low picnic table for us. The original plan was to take the table, a few pillows, along with some of our home décor to the beach and enjoy a date night watching the sunset. In the midst of planning that, we decided to post it on social media to start offering the set up as a service. We wanted others to get to enjoy a unique way of celebrating special occasions in a safe manner. What started as a fun way for us to celebrate our anniversary turned into a beautiful way of helping others propose, elope, or just enjoy the amazing FL outdoors.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We are a luxury picnic business. My husband and I set up picnics for any occasions, from elopements and proposals to date nights. We were one of the few luxury picnic businesses in our area that started back in 2020. We’re extremely proud of how unique and authentic we’ve stayed to our brand throughout the years. Anyone who manages their own business, can tell you it is not an easy task. It’s taken me a lot of trial and error and getting out of my comfort zone to get to where I am today. It has definitely not been easy, if you know me, you know I’m very shy. I’ve worked really hard to get out of my shell. I’ve had to learn all it takes to run a business and create content on social media to promote my business. It’s been such a beautiful experience!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Florida has so many amazing places to explore. Our “go to” place is always going to be the beach. SWFL has great beach options from Fort Myers to Captiva all the way to Naples. We would set up a luxury picnic on the beach and have one of our favorite chefs, Chef David, cook an amazing dinner on the beach while enjoying a beautiful sunset photoshoot from one of our many favorite photographers, Ceci Liz Photography, Fabiola X Photography or Sam Copland Photo.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband, Jonathan and my mother, Jackelyn. They’ve been amazing through this whole journey and my number one supporters from the very beginning!

Website: https://www.swfllovelypicnics.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swfllovelypicnics/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swfllovelypicnics/

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@swfllovelypicnics?lang=en

Image Credits
Ceci Liz Photography, Fabiola X Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.