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While it’s just one year since Elizabeth De La Pena joined forces with Ayca User to launch La Belle Fête event, she is no stranger to the hospitality industry.

A Rumson native living in Atlantic Highlands, De La Pena spent her half her childhood at her father’s hotel in Mexico watching him plan events.

“My family in Mexico are all in hospitality, they are all hotel owners,” De La Pena said. “I grew up in this environment. It wasn’t like an Eloise type setting where I could do anything I wanted in the hotel. That’s where I learned how to cook, how to make a bed, all of that kind of stuff.”

The fine arts major said she knew at an early age that event planning was what she wanted do. After a brief period working in the world of finance, De La Pena opted to move out to LA and found an opportunity with renowned event planner Kristin Banta.

“It was hard to get into this field” she said. “Everything I know, I really owe it to her because she really threw me into it. There was no micromanaging.”

Upon moving back to New York, De La Pena opted to work in advertising by day to support the launch of her own event planning venture – ESPoused Events. User also left banking and finance to create Antoinette Boulangerie, a Red Bank based French pastry shop she runs with sister Zeynep Ozdemir.

The pair set out to change the face of weddings, from its planning to delivery, offering busy couples a tailored ‘out-of-the-box’ wedding planning experience. Last year, they launched La Belle Fête in Red Bank, an event that showcases carefully selected small wedding related vendors who hold their services to a great standard of quality.

“Asbury Park and Red Bank have a collection of exquisite businesses who can help any bride and groom or party host create memorable events whether it be through décor, food, sweets, or drinks,” User said. “We are thrilled to bring these brilliant companies together for an intimate event that will treat busy couples and their loved ones to a relaxing afternoon, while giving these businesses a stage to showcase their talents.”

For De La Pena, their edict is unmistakably clear – community over competition, 100 percent.  

“[We are] building the bridge between local communities and creating a network between vendors that is about community and overall elevation,” she said. “We are only as great as the company we keep.”

La Belle Fête aims to fill what the duo saw as ‘a need for an authentic event that springs organic connections with like-minded people.’ The mock wedding experience gives a first hand look,  taste, sound, and feel of an eventual wedding day.

“We want to create a unique event where guests can feel like they can have authentic conversations and that they can go to an event that they can see working and running as a live event, De La Pena said. “At the end of the day you are going to be having this incredible day that you are going to be spending a massive amount of money on; don’t you want to see all your vendors working in the way they are going to be working on the day of.

“On the vendor side of things, it was really important for us to drive the whole goal of community over competition just because you go to these different wedding expos and you’ll be one vendor our six or seven,” she said. “You kind of lose your place and space and you don’t really get to shine and show off what you really can do. With that being said, the guests feel that energy so conversations are not as organic, they are kind of forced.

“And guests feel overwhelmed,” De La Pena said. “When you have 72 different photographers to choose from, rather than one specifically chosen and curated photographer, it’s the difference between going to diner and the menu is 85 pages long or going to restaurant with a tasting menu and the options are made for you. After working with brides and vendors for years, we realized that this service of connecting and helping out our tribe needed to be revamped.”

This year, La Belle Fête will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 19 at The Asbury, the city’s newest hotel and entertainment venue.

“We want to create this opportunity in a bunch of different towns,” De La Pena said. “With that being said, Asbury lends itself so well to this type of event just because all the vendors around here are open to the different, to that not normal, if you will. It’s finding the people who we think are the best at what they do. It’s quite unique when you can find a bunch of creatives who have the same drive and passion as we do.”

And while their curated vendors hail from throughout the Jersey Shore and beyond, Asbury Park businesses being featured include Wanderland’s glamping tents, Boho Hair Salon, Cardinal, Chocolate Sage, Juice Basin, Sweet Dani B’s, Porta, Mogo, Nettuno Truck, and The Asbury itself.

There will be giveaways and raffles, with chances to win goods, services and discounts from the featured vendors, De La Pena said.

To reserve $20 tickets to La Belle Fête 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 19 event at The Asbury, visit the EventBrite page. For more information, visit Takacs’ website and via Facebook and Instagram.

[Photos courtesy of Sam Lopez and Cate Scaglione of Life is FinE Art]

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