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Posted: Wed 30th Sep 2026
Founded in 2018 by former teacher Mercedes Gale Parr, 4YaParty Weddings and Events is an award-winning event decor and styling business based in south London.
What started as a creative outlet when Mercedes was unable to return to work following pregnancy complications has grown into a thriving family-run business with sustainability at its heart.
Here, Mercedes shares her inspiring professional journey, the challenges of growing a company while managing a disability and how Grow London Local has supported her along the way.
4YaParty Weddings and Events decorates weddings and events, corporate events, birthdays and more across south London.
I started the business in 2018, after working as a teacher. When I had my son, I experienced complications with my pregnancy and wasn’t able to return to work.
I started planning and decorating events for my family as an outlet while I was struggling with postnatal depression. I soon realised it was more than a hobby, and my mum encouraged me to turn it into a business.
I never expected it to grow to the size it is today. I originally thought it would always be a small side business, but it has developed far beyond what I imagined.
There are definitely skills from teaching that I’ve been able to use in running the business. I also studied business at university, so I had some knowledge beforehand, but nothing really prepares you for actually running your own business.
As the business has grown, I’ve had to take on lots of different roles, from marketing and finances to managing freelancers, creating content and developing new designs.
I’m lucky to have a great accountant; my husband helps with bookkeeping, and my mum helps with admin each week.
I had just started the business when COVID-19 hit. I was very excited when suddenly I couldn’t do anything. There was no income coming in, and I was losing momentum.
We pivoted and started creating party boxes, delivering decorations to people’s homes so they could still celebrate. We also made personalised gifts. It was about keeping money coming in so I could cover costs like insurance.
We were lucky because we were small and worked from home, so we didn’t have the overheads many businesses struggled with during COVID. The party boxes eventually evolved into a dry-hire side of the business, where people can hire items without us styling the event.
As we’ve grown, the challenges have changed. When the business was smaller, I only had to think about myself and the client. Now there are freelancers, family members and many more moving parts.
The biggest challenge for me personally is my disability. I have early-onset arthritis, and some days it’s hard to get up in the morning. When you run a business, you can’t simply call in sick, so I’ve had to make adjustments to work around it.
Running a business can also be very lonely. That’s why having time away from work is important to me. I play netball once a week with friends, which gives me that space to switch off from the business.
Sustainability is woven into every decision we make. We don’t supply single-use plastic or decor, and we use reclaimed and upcycled materials wherever possible. We also plant a tree for every booking and offset our carbon footprint annually.
After watching a documentary about the impact of plastic pollution on wildlife, I decided I didn’t want to contribute to that. The next day, I overhauled the business, stopped supplying balloons and single-use plastics, and even refunded one client because we no longer wanted to provide balloons.
It’s been a double-edged sword. Venues, councils and sustainability-minded clients really value what we do, and it’s helped us become a recommended supplier at several venues. But some people hear that we don’t do balloons and immediately lose interest.
That’s fine because they probably aren’t our ideal clients anyway. Not everybody is your client. Once I focused on sustainable events, I started attracting people who shared my values. Many have become long-term supporters and even friends, and now we get lots of referrals and repeat customers.
It was through a Greenwich Council networking event. I signed up there and was assigned a Business Support Manager, Maria. She was amazing.
She came to visit my workspace, helped me find marketing support, introduced me to useful contacts and recommended me for the Meet the Founder event.
I’ve also benefited from marketing and AI support through their support providers, Digital Boost and Foundervine. I was cautious about AI because of sustainability concerns, but I learned ways to use it to support processes in my business without losing my own voice.
It’s helped with things like SEO for my website and made some tasks much easier.
The Meet the Founder event was amazing. I actually gained a client from it, and people came up to me afterwards and said my story had inspired them. Knowing that my journey encouraged someone else was really rewarding.
This experience has also shown me that small businesses need support not just at the beginning, but throughout their journey. It’s been invaluable to have someone who can introduce me to useful contacts and help me find support when I need it.
With Grow London Local’s help, I managed to increase my turnover by 12%, expand my inventory and storage capacity following a move to new premises, and bring in additional freelance support.
I’ve always wanted to franchise the 4YaParty brand and spread the concept of sustainable events across the South East.
Since moving into our warehouse, that’s been on pause while we focus on getting our systems and processes right. Once those foundations are solid, franchising is still the long-term goal.
Stop comparing yourself to everyone else. I suffered a lot from imposter syndrome and spent too much time worrying about how quickly other people were growing. Every step matters, and your time will come. Comparison really steals the joy from the business.
Look for support. Running a business can be lonely, and it’s important to connect with other business owners who understand what you’re going through.
Whether that’s through networking events, Grow London Local or another support programme, talking to people with real business experience can make all the difference. Family support is great, but it’s often business owners who can help you develop ideas, challenge your thinking and keep you moving forward.
And remember: not everybody is your client. Finding your niche and staying true to your values can make running a business much more enjoyable.
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