We were lucky to catch up with Rachel Hunter recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

There are quite a few party planners and party vendors in South Florida. So many that I nearly let imposter syndrome and fear stop me from even trying. But in my heart I knew there was space for us all. We all have different aesthetics and offerings.

When I started in 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, I didn’t have much of a marketing budget. I knew I needed to show potential clients what I could offer, so I reached out to a few other female-owned small businesses and asked if they wanted to collaborate on a styled shoot. We had a blast pulling it together, took pictures on my phone, and then I pitched an editorial to my local city magazine. Thankfully they loved it, and have continued to support showcasing our creativity month after month.

Now in 2023, my styled shoots have evolved. We still produce fabulous, festive and fun event ideas, but I’ve made a point to allow time for an intimate networking experience at the end. We discuss wins and frustrations of the small business journey, which is often an isolating one, and we try to help each other out. I love seeing people connect afterwards knowing that I had a hand in bringing them together.

So while the bulk of my business is focused on celebrating special occasions and milestones, another main focus is elevating and supporting like-minded small businesses.

Rachel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Rachel, owner of Celebrate You Events. Wife to my husband, Ryan, and mom to two fun boys. My life has been eclectic and nomadic and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ve been in Florida for nearly 5 years now. Prior to that I worked in sports marketing in Dubai for 7 years – doing product launches, grass root events and marketing. Both my boys were born there. Before that my husband and I lived in Germany where I worked at the United Nations supporting conferences and events across the globe. I met my husband in Washington State, where our families still live, when I was working for a sports brand focusing on marketing and tradeshows. I spent my early adult years in the UK, getting my degree in Liverpool. As you can see, I love to travel!

When we moved to Florida in 2018, I thought I’d continue with sports marketing in some way, but with no family nearby and no support system we quickly realized I was needed at home. Once we got settled and my boys found their rhythm, COVID hit and it was a blessing I was still home. I did my best to make the most of the situation for my kids, and I realized how important future celebrations were going to be because everyone went without seeing loved ones for so long. I started with my kids’ parties, and then my friend’s kids’ parties, and I realized there was space for me in this industry. I officially launched in 2021, and have been helping families celebrate their loved ones in unique ways ever since.

I understand that we’re all time-crunched (especially full-time working mothers), and my business aims to help bring their vision to life while supporting the dreams of fellow small business owners. While I am the main touchpoint and designer, I bring all elements of the party together in a cohesive way working with locally vetted bakers, crafters, balloon artists, etc.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I feel like Resilience is my middle name! When you move as much as I have, one of your core competencies has to be adaptability. Starting completely over in another country is not for the faint hearted, but I’ve never regretted any move and have amazing life experiences and global friendships as a result.

It’s hard putting yourself out there, feeling vulnerable and the process is isolating. But I’ve learned to give myself grace – knowing that even if I get it wrong I’ll learn from it. The same goes for my business. I’m on a journey where my key focus is learning and improving on each event. I’m grateful to be a part of such special, positive occasions.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is a double edged sword. It’s where most of my customers find me and therefore very important, but can also be stressful trying to stay consistent, relevant, and not so time consuming.

My social media following is completely organic, and has grown slowly but steadily year on year. Last year I tried to round out my digital presence by creating my brand logo, colors, website, blog and finally launched my newsletter this year. All major milestones in my book.

My advice to those starting out is to be true to themselves. Set boundaries on what you want to share, but don’t let fear or perfectionism stop you from joining the party. I’ve found that people’s memories are short, and that maintaining consistency is more important than getting it 100% right every time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.celebrateyouevents.com
• Instagram: @celebrate.you.events
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/celebrate.you.events2020

Image Credits
Marisa Plotnick Photography Carolinas Newborn Photography Photography by Christinas