Meet Rachel Hunter | Owner of Celebrate You Events

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Hunter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
When we left Dubai with two small kids to move to Parkland, I thought eventually I’d find work in corporate America doing events, marketing or product merchandising. But with no family nearby or support network, and my husband traveling frequently for work I quickly realized my priority was to get my family settled first and foremost. Being a stay at home mom is no joke. The hardest job I’ve had. After about a year, I started throwing my kids creative parties with loads of fun details. I had really positive responses, so I started helping friends with their parties. It was such a fun, creative process that utilized my event planning background in a festive and rewarding way that I decided to pursue it as a business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started my career working in sports marketing for adidas, and then moved up to Seattle where I worked at Brooks Sports. I helped plan product launches, catalog photo shoots, and trade shows. It was a lot of fun!

But, my husband and I are adventure seekers. We decided we wanted to move abroad, so we thought whoever found a job offer first would be where we’d go. Ten days after getting married we moved to Germany for a job my husband landed. Germany is not an easy place to get hired if you can’t speak German (which I couldn’t), but I managed to find work planning global conferences for the UN. Three years later my husband was recruited to the UAE. I knew there was an adidas office in Dubai, so I was super happy when a role on their golf team opened up.

I am not an amazing golfer, but being on a small team enabled me to do everything from PR and marketing to sales and merchandising. Living and working in Dubai was amazing. It’s a great hub for travel, and we even had our two boys there. In 2018 after nearly 7 years, my husband got an offer to move to Florida. It was our first move with kids, and at first it was hard.

He traveled a lot, and being a stay at home mom in a new town is isolating. But I”m nothing if not adaptable and resilient! When I started Celebrate You Events in 2021, I had no idea the sense of community it would provide. It’s rewarding seeing my designs come to life. The happiness of my clients and repeat clients motivates me to continue doing this, but knowing that my parties help support the dreams of so many small businesses as well is an important driver for me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I still feel fairly new to the area, so I’m definitely not the expert. We’d probably play an early 9 holes of golf then hang out at the beach for a bit. We’d find somewhere serving stone crabs for lunch and then take an air boat tour out in the Everglades. For dinner we’d head to Bravo Peruvian restaurant before popping over to Let’s Chill to finish the evening with some homemade ice cream.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Definitely! Firstly, my husband and family are my biggest cheerleaders and sounding board. Starting a creative business is daunting. It’s easy to have imposter syndrome where you question if people will like your aesthetic? Will they pay for your services? Other businesses are so much more established, how will I cut through? All the things! That you nearly stop for fear of failure. Thankfully, my family and friends push me to believe in myself and remind me that there’s truly enough for everyone. We all deserve a space to showcase what we’re good at. For me, that’s party planning!

I’d also like to thank The Parklander magazine who gave me space in their monthly issues to create a party and showcase all the small businesses who helped pull it together. Doing a collaboration is a lot of hard work, but they are so rewarding. I believe that if we all support each other we all will win.

Instagram: @celebrate.you.events

Facebook: Celebrate You Events @celebrate.you.events2020

Image Credits
Photography credits: Marisa Plotnick Photography Carolina’s Newborn Photography Charmed Photography