Lea Stafford

• Lea Stafford is a wedding planner based in Oakland, California, with nearly two decades of experience.
• She is the founder of Lea Stafford Events, a luxury wedding planning company, and Ethos West Collective, a collective comprised of marginalized individuals within the events community.
• She has been a member of the Brides review board since 2022.
  

Experience

An Oakland, California, native, Lea Stafford is beyond proud to call herself a wife, a mother of two, a family gal, and an out-of-the-box creative entrepreneur.

After spending years as an interior designer for the San Francisco Bay Area luxury market, Lea decided to follow her love for fine dining; she shifted focus to a career in the world of hospitality. Lea began her carer in events working for a prestigious catering company. With well over 17 years of experience in both the events and design industries, Lea is proud to say that she remains humble, motivated, and inspired. Traveling and immersing herself in new experiences allows her to continue her growth. Having now produced and designed events ranging in size from a few attendees to thousands, such opportunities have allowed her to work on a number of events that include high-profile celebrities, dignitaries, and political figures.

Modern and natural design paired with an editorial storytelling approach is the LSE style. Partnering with clients unwilling to play by the rules allows us to create bold and authentic events for real people and real companies. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, yet traveling to international destinations, Lea and her team focus on events that truly capture the essence of the client's story and/or mission through highly curated experiences that underscore meaning and priority.

In 2019 Lea decided to begin a new journey alongside event production, one filled with passion from a recurring reality. Lea is the founder of a collective comprised of marginalized individuals within the events community, Ethos West Collective.

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