Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Karen Mehanna. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Karen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

It didn’t start as a business idea it started as a way of life. I’ve always been a creator. From planning my own childhood birthdays, to designing my wedding, to creating my children’s celebrations, first communions, baptism gowns, and handcrafted details making meaningful moments has always been part of who I am. That passion evolved naturally into designing for others, favors for events, decorative pieces for friends’ weddings, and eventually the full design and handmade creation of my daughter’s wedding in Lebanon. That experience shaped everything for me it showed me the power of storytelling through design. When I moved to the U.S., I intentionally entered the industry as an assistant coordinator to learn the structure, systems, and standards of the wedding industry from the inside out. At the same time, I committed myself to learning the business side; taking courses, studying branding, building my website, and learning how to show up professionally on social media, especially Instagram, in a way that reflected my work without centering on my private life.
Grace & Lace was built slowly and intentionally through learning, refinement, and lived experiences. Even today, I’m still a student of my craft. Design and styling are always evolving, and I remain deeply committed to learning, growing, and refining, because for me, creation is not a phase, it’s a lifelong practice.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

At my core, I am a storyteller and a guide. Grace & Lace Events was born from a lifetime of creating meaningful moments — not as a trend, but as a calling. Long before I entered the wedding industry professionally, I was designing experiences: family celebrations, handcrafted garments, milestone events, and deeply personal traditions rooted in care, culture, and connection. Creation has always been the way I express love, meaning, and presence. When I formally entered the industry, I did so intentionally, learning the structure, standards, and systems of the wedding world while refining my voice as a designer and stylist. But what truly defines my work is not logistics, it’s relationships. I guide my clients. I don’t rush them. I don’t overwhelm them. I walk with them.
My work is rooted in one-on-one connections, listening deeply, understanding not just what my clients love, but why they love it. I help translate their emotions, memories, values, and vision into a cohesive, tangible design story for their wedding day. From color palettes and textures to symbolic details and spatial flow, every element is curated with intention. This is why I take on a limited number of weddings. Not because I can’t do more; but because I choose depth over volume.
Each couple receives my full attention, my full creative presence, and my full care. I hold their hand through the process, from vision discovery to design development to execution; guiding them with clarity, calm, and confidence. For my clients, I am not just a designer, I am a trusted partner, an advocate, and a steady presence in an emotional season.
The services I provide go far beyond décor. I offer creative direction, design storytelling, styling, visual identity for events, and experiential design; all centered around personalization, emotional resonance, and intentional beauty. My role is to remove overwhelm, bring clarity, and create alignment between dream and execution.
What sets Grace & Lace apart is not aesthetic alone, it’s philosophy.
I don’t design trends. I design meaning.
I don’t create for spectacle. I create for memory.
I don’t rush process. I honor it.
What I am most proud of is trust. The trust my clients place in me to hold something sacred, personal, and once-in-a-lifetime; and the relationships that remain long after the wedding day ends.
What I want people to know about my brand is simple:
This is not transactional work. It is relational work; that its heart-led.
This is presence-driven creation; as well as guided vision-building.
Grace & Lace is for couples who don’t just want something beautiful; they want something meaningful, personal, and deeply theirs. My role is to help them feel seen, supported, and held every step of the way as their vision becomes reality.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivoting has never been a single moment in my life ,it has been a way of living. I am a woman who has learned to adapt to circumstances beyond her control, again and again. I grew up in a war-torn country, fleeing with my parents to the United States, not once, but twice, and returning again to my homeland, where I eventually met my husband of 40 years and built a family. I had my children in Lebanon, built a life there, and then pivoted again. Returning to the U.S. as a mother to create stability, safety, and a future for them. Later, when my children finished college, my husband, an actor, felt called to return to his career roots, and once again, we pivoted. We returned to Lebanon, where I rebuilt my creative world from the ground up through Simply Karen Designs, creating accessories, clothing, favors, décor, and handmade pieces for all types of celebrations and life moments. Then came COVID, and with it, another turning point. We returned to the U.S. to be close to our daughter and grandchildren, and once again, I began again. Not from loss, but from purpose. That transition became the foundation of the career I am building today; fully immersing myself in the world of wedding design, launching Grace & Lace Events, and building a business from scratch with intention, vision, and meaning. Each pivot has reshaped me, but none of them have broken me. They have taught me resilience, humility, adaptability, courage, and faith. They have taught me how to rebuild with grace, how to create without fear, and how to lead with heart. My life has definitely not followed a straight line; it has followed a calling. And every pivot has brought me closer to the work I was always meant to do:
creating beauty, guiding others through transformation, and building meaning where there was once uncertainty.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding part of being a creative is not the art itself, it’s the moments. I have always valued moments deeply, because life is promised to no one. There is a sacredness in being present for milestones; the fleeting, once-in-a-lifetime seconds that can never be recreated. Creating beauty for those moments is an honor beyond measure. A bride’s quiet smile before she walks down the aisle.
A mother’s tears as she watches her child step into a new chapter.
A grandmother’s embrace.
A child blowing out birthday candles.
The laughter, the stillness, the joy, the gratitude. These are not just events, they are memories being formed. To be invited into those spaces, to serve families during their most meaningful chapters, and to help shape the atmosphere in which those moments unfold, that is the true reward for me. The greatest value isn’t monetary. It’s trust. It’s presence. It’s connection. It’s meaning.
Being a creative allows me to give form to emotion; to turn love, memory, and celebration into something tangible. And to witness the happiness of the people I serve, that will always be the greatest reward of all.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.graceandlaceevents.net
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/graceandlaceevents
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/graceandlaceevents

Image Credits
Geoffrey Photography, Liza Eve Photo