Micaela Rene’s luxury picnics have inspired at least one wedding proposal. One client was so impressed with Rene’s spread — and his girlfriend’s delighted reaction to it — that he spontaneously decided to pop the question during their picnic last May.

But the 29-year-old business owner and brain behind Mick’Nics is humble. “I can’t take all the credit.” Sure, she provided the breathtaking setup, including a tent, cushions and tall gold candlestick holders (always). But her client provided the ring.

Such moments were exactly what Rene was after when she started Mick’Nics during the pandemic.

In 2020, Rene was stuck at home and burned out from her day job in mental health. “I wanted to really feel like I had one good reason to get up in the morning,” she said. So she took to TikTok, the platform of short videos that has inspired trends the world over, from cooking blocks of feta for pasta to the prevalence of contoured makeup.

In user-created videos, Rene started seeing fabulous table settings that looked like they were in an elegant dining room, only to pan out to a grassy hill. She joined a Facebook group and connected with elevated picnic planners from as far away as Spain and South Africa. As people have flocked outdoors during the pandemic, Rene said, “This concept has reached every corner of the world.”

Rene put her two stimulus checks toward her business registration and website. “I wanted everything to be super duper professional,” she said. Then came the fun part: Shopping.

Rene decided to do her picnics a little differently than the boho-chic ones she was seeing online. “Don’t get me wrong, I love a great boho aesthetic,” she said. But she wanted her tables to be an explosion of colors. She stocked up on A-frame tents and began to partner with local businesses to offer specialty cookies and charcuterie boards from .

She’s also accumulated quite the assortment of luxury picnic gear at a shed outside her home in Streets. “I don’t even want to know how many items I have,” she said. “I have almost every color of napkins.” Many of her goods come from Target, Michael’s and Joann Fabric. Amazon has been a boon for last-minute bookings.

Setup can take anywhere from 30 minutes for a date night to two hours for a bigger event — then Rene greets guests. She discreetly camps out nearby while they finish before dismantling.

Prices start at $150 for a two-hour picnic for two, including snacks, setup and breakdown. Rene also offers customized services for special events like bridal showers; those rates start at $375 for four people.

Clients often pick a unique location, but Rene researches ahead of time to make sure luxury picnics are allowed without a permit. “My worst nightmare is to set up someplace and then have park rangers say ‘You’re not supposed to be here.’”

Her first client was a close friend and her boyfriend, who offered Rene feedback and recommendations for how she could fine-tune the business. Since then, Rene has hosted tea party birthdays in Cromwell Valley Park, date nights at home and a sunset sip-and-paint date where one man asked his future girlfriend to be exclusive (she said yes). “It was very, very nice,” Rene said.

Being part of people’s special, everyday events has been a ray of sunshine during the dark times of the pandemic. “It brought me so much joy. I felt myself starting to feel like myself again.”

Mick’Nics

443-371-3914. micknics.com