Event planner Justus Kelley is a designer of dreams. With her business Picnics in VA, she sets the stage for small soirées, ensuring meaningful memories and share-worthy moments.
The process begins with idea-sharing. Clients come to Kelley with their own thoughts for an event, and she brainstorms how to make it happen. “My favorite part of planning is bringing to life someone’s vision,” she says. She also loves when clients trust her to run with her own ideas. “I enjoy being able to be creative.”
For clients not sure where to start when it comes to a picnic, Kelley offers prepared packages for clients to choose and customize. Seasonal ones are the most popular, but there’s a UVA-themed package perfect for a graduation celebration.
Kelley also collaborates on location. While she prefers the outdoors, like parks or wineries, she’s happy to accommodate requests for specific venues. She also has a list of places that are hospitable hosts, including Carter Mountain Orchard, Eastwood Farm & Winery, The Bradbury, and the new Kimpton Forum Hotel.
From the initial planning phase, it takes about two to three weeks for Kelley to work her magic. On the day of the event, she is on the scene, cultivating enchantment and assembling adornments, including decorations, glassware, utensils, and more. “I’m making your spread look beautiful so that when you add your food and beverage, you have the picnic that you’ve dreamed of,” she says.
The dining details are left to you to decide. Pick up an order from a favorite restaurant, visit Plenty Cville for its specialty charcuterie Abundance Board, or check out Feast! or Foods of All Nations for elevated to-go items.
As a team of one, Kelley prefers to keep the picnics small—for a party of 10 or less—but she has been known to make exceptions. “I was a bride who had 12 bridesmaids, so I’ll probably be empathetic to someone who comes to me with a bridal party of 12 or 14, but otherwise, I do prefer more intimate events,” she says.
One of her most memorable picnics to date was one she designed for “90 Day Fiancé” couple Kara and Guillermo Rojer at Carter Mountain Orchard last spring. She also has a soft spot for planning children’s events, from gaming themes to tea parties with princesses from Character Connections. You may even see her moonlight as the Madrigal Miracle or Wayfinder Chief.
“The work I do ranges from that beautiful winery setup down to your 4-year-old’s birthday party,” says Kelley. She’s also done styled engagement and wedding shoots for photographers, proposals, bridal showers, bachelorette parties, and more. She regularly donates picnics to charitable causes and partners with companies to create picnics at charitable events.
In addition to giving back to the community, Kelley is mindful of her impact on the planet. “I decided if I was going to be a business owner, it was really important to me to think through how I can be sustainable,” she says. Most of her supplies and decorative items are created for reuse, which keeps costs low for budget-conscious clients. She also composts, recycles, or donates anything she can’t continue to use.
In addition, she shops secondhand and then DIYs her finds to match themes and color schemes. “More than half of everything I use is thrifted. Even my picnic table is a lightweight, wooden fold-up twin bed that I purchased from Goodwill,” says Kelley.
While Picnics in VA is just over a year old, Kelley has been in the business for some time. She started event planning in her home state of Indiana after years of being the go-to person to decorate friends’ parties. When she and her husband relocated to Charlottesville two years ago, her business came with her, but with a new focus on more intimate celebrations.
Picnics had been an idea swirling in her mind, but she hadn’t gotten to try it out in Indiana’s colder climate. “We’re now in a beautiful place where picnics could be a lot more popular. You could be at a winery or a park and want to sit there for hours,” says Kelley. “I’m blown away by how scenic everything is here.”
Get your picnic on
Here are some special celebrations calling for pleasing picnics.
Proposals
Bridal showers
Birthday parties
Tea parties
Family photos
Day dates
Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and other holidays
Bachelorette parties