Joy Boudreau
Nicole Flanders was “kind of freaking out” as she planned for her wedding. She wasn’t sure how everything would get organized on the big day.
After scouring the internet for wedding coordinators, Flanders, of Hollidaysburg, settled on Camp Hill-based Joy of Events. This seemed like a good choice. She liked the pricing and range of services the business offered.
But the service Flanders got from owner Joy Boudreau during her early Aug. 13 ceremony far exceeded her expectations.
“She was willing and ready to help with whatever,” Flanders said. “She had her hands in every part of the day. I seriously don’t know what I would’ve done without her.”
Boudreau attended the rehearsal, set up centerpieces, coordinated with vendors, made sure the processional was timed correctly and helped clean up at the end of the day. But she also handled the details, reminding the bride to hydrate, bringing appetizers to the couple and supplying safety pins from her emergency kit.
“All of my vendors loved her,” Flanders said. “She treated my family like her own family.”
For Boudreau, wedding days like these require a lot of running around, making sure things go smoothly and, when they don’t, putting out fires like locating the beer supplier who showed up late, in Flanders’ case.
But hospitality is Boudreau’s specialty and what she’s been doing for years.
“To me, events are like a puzzle, and I love being a piece of the puzzle,” she said.
Boudreau was born in Cameroon, Africa, immigrating with her family at 3 years old to the United States and growing up in Bloomsburg. She started her company, Joy of Events, with her husband Tyler in 2019 after years of experience in the hospitality, fundraising, events and even sports administration fields. She held jobs as a banquet supervisor for a golf course, a restaurant manager and a college sports administrator, among other positions before deciding to start her own business.
“I dabbled all over the place. I’ve done a lot,” she said. “I have a really healthy appreciation of what goes into events.”
Joy of Events focuses on wedding coordination, but also offers services for birthdays, conferences and other functions. From last year to this year, the business more than doubled its events, coordinating 14 weddings this year.
Significantly, Boudreau recently won a local competition for entrepreneurs.
In early June, she took home the $8,000 grand prize from M&T Bank’s Capital Region Multicultural Small Business Innovation Lab Pitch Competition. The competition came at the end of a six-week business accelerator program that launched in May in partnership with Harrisburg University’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. The innovation lab held weekly courses for participants on business planning, establishing credit, accessing capital, marketing, branding and networking.
“I left the program feeling very fulfilled and thankful that I had the opportunity to be a part of it,” Boudreau said. “It was very gratifying to get validation that what I’m doing is working.”
Boudreau had watched the TV show “Shark Tank” tons of times, she said, but nothing could prepare her for the nerves she felt while pitching her business model to the judges during the competition. When she was chosen as the first-place winner, she was in tears.
“It was truly amazing,” she said.
Boudreau hopes to continue growing her business at a scale she can manage while still balancing her work/home life as a mom of a 1-year-old boy.
One thing’s for certain—her son is sure to have some awesome birthday parties. In fact, Boudreau just recently planned his “Rugrats”-themed first birthday.
“I love doing this,” she said. “And I feel like everyone’s goal is to do what they love.”
For more information about Joy of Events, visit www.joyofeventsgroup.com.
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