We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Budvitis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, what do you want your legacy to be?
When I think about the term, “legacy,” and what that means to me, two amazing quotes come to mind worth noting here: 1) “Legacy is not something for people but rather a way to leave something behind in people.” – Peter Strobler and 2) “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou Now, if we begin to conceptualize what that looks like for myself, and our business; Harpershand, I think it’s also important that I share a little background story of my Nana’s influence on my life. Growing up, my Nana was easily my favorite human being, like ever. Easily, and without a doubt, and I’ll tell you why. She had this unwavering and natural ability to make you feel instantly seen, heard, and safe. She was warm, compassionate, and even made strangers feel like they had known her for years although they were often just meeting her for the first time that day. She loved, honored, and celebrated all my life achievements, birthdays, and holidays – really just any event where she could shower you with gifts and love. We shared the same birthday which also made our birthdays even more of a big deal. My all time favorite quality was her heart though, she absolutely loved watching our reactions as I would open her thoughtful and special gifts and would immediately light up like the proud and happy Nana we knew her as. You could see it in her and could also feel her love from across the room. She got so much joy out of these moments, you could tell. This was my Nana’s legacy – making people feel special, loved, and celebrated in their most exciting moments in life. And to be fair, she did a damn good job of it too. My point in sharing her story is this: I now carry on her legacy through not only my personal life, but also, in my professional life as well. Harpershand allows me the freedom to create custom hand-crafted calligraphy pieces for all my clientele’s most special and memorable moments in life. Also, worth noting here: I too get that same giddy, and fulfilling feeling watching and sharing in on all these special and exciting life moments for my clients. If I can be even half the woman my Nana was to me, through my business, family, and friends, then that will be my legacy, and an honorable, proud one, at that.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Harpershand creates beautiful handmade calligraphy pieces for local couples most special and memorable moments throughout Orange County, Ca. Harpershand also offers both calligraphy and wedding coordination services. With over 10 years of experience, we aim to continue providing quality services that are both memorable and meaningful through careful coordination and custom crafted calligraphy pieces. We are most proud of our recent publications shared in both Carrots & Cake and Destination I Do Weddings websites.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since I’m definitely an Orange County girl and beach girl at heart, we would most likely be at the beach of some sort. Add our pups and some coffee in the mix and now we are talkin! Some ideal local spots to try would be Bear Flag Fish Co. and Ce Si Bon Bakery – so yummy, and you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu either!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This would be 100% my grandparents. They always believed in me even when I might have doubted myself. They encouraged me to strive for excellence in every aspect in my life and will forever be my inspiration.

Website: https://harpershand.com/
Instagram: @harpershand
Facebook: @harpershand
Other: Pinterest: HARPERSHAND Thumbtack Pro: HARPERSHAND

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