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Day in the Life of a Wedding & Event Planner with Zupenda Davis-Shine
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 photos to info@plannerslounge.com. We are excited to feature Califonia wedding and event planner Sandy Nissou today!
Name: Zupenda Davis-Shine
Business Name & Location: Shining Moments Event Planning, Mt. Laurel, NJ
Years Working in the Event Industry: 3 years
Years Owning Your Event Planning Business: 3 years
Website: www.shiningmomentsevents.com
Business Facebook Page: Shining Moments Event Planning
Instagram: @shiningmomentseventplanning
What is your typical day like?
I currently run my business part-time so a typical day is working in an office (8 AM to 5 PM) for a local health department where we have been active in the COVID-19 response (prevention education, testing, vaccine distribution) since March 2020. Working in this capacity has been very helpful when giving my couples (and sometimes venues) guidance about safety protocols and the latest CDC updates.
During my commute, I listen to business or entrepreneur podcasts. During lunch, I follow up on client or vendor emails, research venues, or watch a wedding industry-related webinar.
I get home about 5:30, eat dinner with my husband, and then do work for Shining Moments Event Planning. During the evening I may have a meeting with a couple or use that time to revise a wedding timeline or create an event design for a backdrop.
When I’m not working at a wedding or an event, I use my Saturdays and a few hours on Sunday to work on business tasks like reviewing finances, engaging in various industry groups online, and catching up on event trends.
I am blessed to be able to manage the responsibilities of both my full-time position and my business without skipping a beat. Thank God for having a healthy balance and plenty of vacation time!
How did you get started in the industry?
To get started in the industry, I knew it was important to learn as much as I could. I completed Temple University’s Wedding Planning and Consulting Certificate Program. It is a very comprehensive program and covered various aspects of weddings.
I knew I had to not only be book smart but also needed some experience, so I interned with a seasoned local wedding planning business for 10 months. For me this was more than a hobby. I wanted to own and operate a business, so I also took some general business courses at Camden County Community College.
Prior to becoming a Wedding Planner, I worked as a training specialist where I planned and coordinated trainings for infectious disease clinicians and allied health professionals (for 8 years). In this capacity I had to secure venues, contact the trainers, create flyers, handle registration, order refreshments, and run the trainings on-site. Having a doctorate degree and going through the doctoral journey has taught me tenacity and increased my stamina to work extra-long days. These experiences most certainly helped me start my own wedding planning business.
What inspires you?
For business, Modern Luxury Wedding Magazine and MunaLuchi Bride provide upscale wedding design/décor and fashion inspiration.
Attending wedding planner conferences like The Bridal Masterclass Experience (Philadelphia) inspires me to learn more; be more creative and network with like minds.
In life, I am inspired by people I meet and places I go when I travel both nationally and internationally. Learning about and engaging in different cultures just brings me life! I like reading Essence and O magazines. The people (primarily women) highlighted each month inspire me to continue to tap into what makes me uniquely me. My 95-year-old grandmother inspires me to live life to the fullest but in a smart and enjoyable way.
What are your favorite online resources for your business?
My go-to online resources for my business include: The National Society of Black Wedding and Event Professionals, EquallyWed, Renee Dalo, and Refine for Wedding Planners.
Aside from wedding and event planning, how do you spend your time?
I’m not a big TV person but I love This Is Us, 9-1-1, Queen Sugar and A Million Little Things. I’m a movie buff and love dancing and listening to music. To really get away and relax, I go to the spa. My husband is a full-time professional magician so he does a lot of traveling (pre-COVID). Some of our favorite spots are Iceland, Columbia and Riviera Maya, Mexico. A perfect day for me would be spent at the beach; sipping wine (I love Ikavina wines!); doing community service with my sorority- Sigma Gamma Rho; or hanging out at Rita’s Water Ice with my best friend of 35 years!
Zupenda, 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.
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