Laura Klinger brings all her passion into planning big events for her clients

What is the origin story of your business? Tell us how and why you started — what inspired you?

As the Hamilton JCC coordinator from 2005-2015 I learned how to manage my time effectively, how to be extremely organized and how to work with many committee members. I am very creative and was able to bring my own personal flare to the events. I gained confidence and brought the JCC to life. It was then that I realized I was really an event planner not just a coordinator. I successfully planned my children’s brit milahs, bar mitzvahs and helped with the planning of my sister’s wedding. In 2017 I met the most incredible man. Frank proposed to me and I only had five months to plan our wedding which took place at the Adas Israel. While planning our wedding I joked and said I should have been a wedding planner. Towards the end of COVID-19, a close friend asked me to help coordinate her daughter's backyard wedding. I stepped in and helped manage the flow of the wedding, the set-up, the staff and the timeline. It was the very next day I woke up and thought to myself I want to be a wedding and event planner. Since the inception of my business, I have also volunteered my time and my skills with Kehila, the HHA, the Adas Israel, the Negev dinner and most recently with the Temple Anshe Sholom's 175th anniversary celebration. I needed a business name and after the passing of my son Darrin in 2001, I liked to keep myself busy I like to live it up as life is short, hence the name "Living it up Laura."

What does your business do, and who is your ideal client or customer?

I take on the role of offering full or partial planning services to my clients. I help coordinate baby showers, bridal showers, special birthdays, engagements, weddings, mitzvahs and more. I help source other vendors and bring their visions to life. My ideal client can be anyone who is going to be celebrating an upcoming simcha. My purpose is to alleviate any stress and to guide my clients in the right direction.

What do you love most about running your business?

I love to see my clients smile and bring their visions to life.

How can the community best support you?

I would love to share my knowledge and vision. Feel free to follow me on IG @livingituplaura. To book my services, please email me at [email protected]. I am also just a text away 905-541-7882. To visit my website head on over to livingituplaura.com

What is the biggest lesson you've learned on your entrepreneurial journey?

The biggest lesson I have learned is to always listen and to be available at all times. I have learned that detail is everything: i's dotted, t's crossed, leave no stone unturned.

Has your Jewish identity, values, or community experience influenced your business in any way?

I attended the HHA from nursery to grade 8, it is there I learned about my Jewish identity and values. I celebrated my bat mitzvah at the Beth Jacob at the age of 13 and worked at Camp Ramah. All of these Jewish agencies along with my parents definitely helped shape me into the woman I am today. I am able to incorporate all of my learnings into the simchas I plan. Recently, I created a ceremony for an interfaith marriage that included the seven blessings in a modern interpretation. So many people have asked me for a copy, it was beautiful.