We had the good fortune of connecting with Renée Contreras and Lesley Hines and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Renée and Lesley, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

As cousins, we started our first business back in 1987 as L&R Beads. L&R was born in front of our great grandfather’s house in South Dallas, now the parking lot across from the local dive bar, Lee Harvey’s. At the age of eight, we were showing our entrepreneurial attributes as we hustled our family and neighbors to buy our handmade beaded necklaces. We even wrote, produced, and recorded our own jingle. We are true Dallasites!

We have always been close and every family event growing up was a production. L&R Events was inspired by our love of hosting awe-inspiring events for our close friends and family. We enjoy working together, and we each bring our unique talents to every event we produce.

As the pandemic hit, we all questioned what the future would hold. After planning a few weddings together, we decided we could without a doubt turn our passion into a reality. As events come back to life, we are thrilled at the opportunity to continue building relationships and grow within the event industry.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Renée Contreras has been in the event industry for over 15 years. Throughout her career, Renée has produced event fundraising galas for local nonprofits in Dallas, produced family, and education-related events for the Dallas International Film Festival, and most recently works full time as the Events Director at KERA. Renée brings an energy that is contagious and her passion for creating events provides an experience one will never forget.  She brings her keen eye to detail, knowledge of the industry, and the relationships she has built throughout the years.

Lesley Hines’ first passion is teaching and playing a first-hand role in developing and capturing students’ love for science. After 18 years of teaching, she has developed skills in communication, organization, and task management. When not teaching eighth-grade science, Lesley Hines is researching new trends, and gathering inspiration from various influencers and vendors on Instagram. Lesley is detail-oriented and is always thinking outside the box. Through this new venture, she has developed a new love and excitement for planning events and elevating the brand of L&R Events.
We are unique because we are family, so we understand the importance of traditions and relationships.  By investing time to understand our client’s vision, we produce events that create those unforgettable moments.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We are born and raised in Dallas, this is our city. When friends ask us where to go, we often feel like tour guides…a new business idea might be brewing. We know the staple and iconic Dallas spots plus new and trendy places to check out. One of our favorite places is Lee Harvey’s. This dive bar has one of the best burgers, awesome live entertainment, and holds a special place in our hearts as our great grandfather lived across the street.

Here are some places we always recommend:
Lakewood Landing}
Dallas Museum of Art
Klyde Warren Park
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
The French Room at The Adolphus Hotel
Neiman Marcus Downtown
Reunion Tower
Pecan Lodge
Dallas Farmers Market
Dallas Arboretum
Saint Ann Restaurant
Leela’s Wine Bar
State Fair of Texas (when in season)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We want to thank our family and friends for all of their continued love and support as we take on this journey to pursue our passion. They are still our biggest fans even after listening to all of our late-night Zoom calls and creating storage space for all of our newly acquired event supplies. Nevertheless, they always encourage us to dream big.

Instagram: lr.events.weddings

Image Credits
Lindsay Jones

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