Welcome to our “Day in the Life” series! We feature wedding and event planners from around the world with many different levels of experience. If you would like to be featured, download our questionnaire here and email your responses and photo to info@plannerslounge.com. We are excited to feature Illinois wedding planner Henna Raza today!

Name: Henna Raza

Business Name & Location: Professional Party Planners in Carol Stream, Illinois

Years Working in the Event Industry: 12

Years Owning Your Event Planning Business: 12

 Website: professionalpartyplanners.info

Business Facebook Page: Facebook.com/ProfessionalPartyPlanners

Instagram: Instagram.com/profparty

What is your typical day like?

I start my day around 6am after I get my 2 kids  (ages 13 and 10) off to school. I get the house cleaned up, dinner started, and a load of laundry in before I’m off to the office! Once I return all my calls, texts, and emails, I work on the events for the upcoming weekend.

I also manage our deliveries and schedule appointments with clients for upcoming events. We brainstorm ideas, come up with themes, color palettes, and work on event designs. When I’m not with clients, I am working on marketing and branding for wedding planners, bookkeeping, and social media.

How did you get started in the industry?

I started out my event design business over 12 years ago when I decided I didn’t want to go back to corporate America.  I wanted to work in a fun, fast-paced creative industry. I realized that a lot of my work hours would be weekend and evening based which worked well with helping me to balance work, kids, and home.  I was lucky to have a business partner who owned a wholesale floral distribution company with a lot of leads for weddings and parties. She also had a warehouse and office space.

Once all of that was in order, I took a few classes in floral design to learn the basics of event design, however, I learned most of my skill by trial and error: buying flowers and practicing for hours and hours, sometimes overnight, and even while 9 months pregnant with my 2nd child. I also have a certification in event design and event planning.

Where do you find design inspiration?

I get design inspiration everywhere. I love to watch award shows like the Oscars and Emmys and take notice of the colors and backdrops. I have gotten amazing ideas from award shows. I often stop and take pictures while driving and get inspiration from nature, or on vacation at different resorts. My market is mostly South Asian so I am constantly looking at pictures from weddings in India and Pakistan where staging is very elaborate and the style is very different. My daughter and I love to take pictures of displays in craft stores or even at the mall to see how we can incorporate them into my upcoming events.  

I also love Instagram and Pinterest. There are so many ideas online!

What are your favorite online resources for your business?

I spend a lot of time on Instagram and Facebook. There are so many pictures and ideas to work from. My brides send me many pins from Pinterest as well.  I’ve more recently been spending a lot of time watching YouTube channels like event planning blueprint tv. 

I also read many event planner blogs to see what other planners have to say about the industry.  I refer to South Asian Bride Magazine online for ideas and pictures of weddings nationwide. 

Henna, thank you so much for taking the time to share your story and a day in your life. If you are an event planner and would like to be featured, download our questionnaire today and email it to us along with a photo. If you aren’t sure about being featured, take a few minutes to read how it can help your business.