Welcome to our Planner Profiles! Planner Profiles share inspiration and insight from Planner’s Lounge coaching and mentoring clients. Today we are thrilled to feature Chicago wedding planner Laura Patterson from The Ideal Day!

Tell us how you got started in event planning

I first discovered my love of the event world as a catering waiter in New York City.  I loved the pace of events and I found it fascinating how events came together so quickly.  You walk into a blank space, and in just a short number of hours, that blank canvas can be transformed into something so memorable.  When I moved to Chicago in 2001, I started to learn the planning side of the business and I was instantly hooked.

About 3 years after I moved to Chicago, I was in a wonderful position in catering sales with a very well known local caterer, and I always joke that they paid me to get the best education possible for my business!  In my role at Food For Thought, I handled corporate and wedding clients.  I got to the point where the only projects I wanted to work on were the weddings….shortly thereafter, The Ideal Day was born.  I have the utmost respect for Food For Thought and absolutely love when my clients choose them to cater their wedding!

What successes have you had in your business in the last six months?

Just this month, I launched my redesigned website!  I am so proud of the collaboration I had with the design team behind the new site, With Grace and Gold.  I think it’s beautiful and look forward to the impact the redesign will have on my business! Along with the redesign of my website, all of my branding is completely new and I love it all!  Putting it together took a lot of work – totally worth the effort!

How has the Planner’s Lounge Mentoring Program helped you and your business?

On the broad end of the spectrum, the biggest thing that has come from working with Debbie as a coach is a renewed and strengthened confidence in myself and my business.  I approach tasks, appointments, and communications with far more ease than before. I am really excited about the projects I get to work on this year!  

But on a day to day, smaller scale, Debbie has helped me in innumerable ways.  She has helped me determine the best way for ME to do things, given my strengths and weaknesses.  She’s pointed me towards so many wedding planner tools and resources that have all contributed to established processes, better pricing, and the push I needed to redesign and solidify a brand I am really proud to market.  

Tell us about you! What do you love to do outside of your work?

I love my time in the kitchen and enjoy cooking savory dishes as well as baking all sorts of treats!  I also love to read on my iPad, mostly NYT Bestselling Fiction type stuff.  Most recently, I read Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult.  Highly recommend. Live music is always fun as is the occasional movie by myself.

My free time is mostly spent with my husband (Joel) and our two children (Micah, almost 6 and Tamar, almost 3).  We love to go to our neighborhood pool in the summer, and in the winter, we are fond of indoor activities like the trampoline park or a family bowling outing.  I have a tight circle of friends.  My ‘dude of honor’ from my wedding was my pal Dan, who I met when I was 16, when we were randomly put in the same group traveling to Israel for a youth group trip.

Vacation, to me, is time by the pool or the beach, drink in hand, music playing, good conversation going.  Naps are crucial.  My day to day life is so busy that I prefer to relax.  My husband is far more adventurous so we compromise when planning vacations and try to include days geared towards each other’s preferences.  

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I’m so happy I found Debbie in the research I did to hire an event planning mentor.  I have learned so much and feel like we’ve really put together a plan and activated the steps to take my business to the next level.  

Where can we find you online?  

Website: theidealday.com

Business Facebook page: The Ideal Day

Instagram: @theidealdaychicago

Twitter: @TheIdealDay

Pinterest: The Ideal Day

Take a few minutes to connect with Laura on social media!

Are ready to take your event planning business to the next level? Do you need help getting systems in place for your planning business? Do you need professional guidance on pricing and service offerings? Do you need an effective marketing strategy in place? Are you stuck in a rut with your business and aren’t sure what to do next? Our one-on-one coaching and mentoring programs offer the professional expertise to guide you through these questions and so much more. Learn more today!