Exploring Life & Business with Raina van Setter of Weddings & Events by Raina

Today we’d like to introduce you to Raina van Setter. 

Hi Raina, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I like to say that I was born into this business. My mother was an event decor designer. From as early as I can remember I would assist her with all her events. Eventually one of her clients hired me to be her day-of wedding planner. I was in high school at the time, but she and her bridesmaids were impressed enough with my abilities that additional requests for my services began to come in and we added planning as another branch of my mother’s company. Once I was in college, I realized that there wasn’t a degree, like there is now, for wedding and event planning so I did the next best thing. I got my masters in Art History and Technical Theater. I always felt that weddings are very much like live theater. You have months or even years of prep and planning and even a dress rehearsal…the only difference is that the show opens and closes the same night. While I enjoyed working in theater and even had a brief stint on Broadway, I much prefer weddings and events, so I left that world to become a planner in Manhattan where I saw many happy couples walk down the aisle for over a decade before relocating to Nashville for my husband’s job and starting my company up again down south! 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being a small business owner and entrepreneur is never easy. There is always a learning curve and I am grateful to always feel that there is something new I can learn from my friendors in the event industry regardless of their field. Thankfully we are a tight knit group who are endlessly supportive of one another so when you hit a rough patch there is always someone you can turn to for a sympathetic ear and some good advice or, in the case of a worldwide pandemic, someone you can turn to who is in the exact same boat as you are…fearful that this will put us all out of business to help brainstorm on pivot ideas to keep you going. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Weddings & Events by Raina?
Weddings & Events by Raina, is a boutique event and wedding planning firm that has been creating stylish and memorable weddings in the greater Nashville area since 2008. We pride ourselves on getting to know our clients and planning a wedding that truly reflects them personally. We accomplish this by listening to our clients and pulling together a team of vendors that matches our client’s style, budget, and personalities. There is a reason our company tagline is “Say YES to Less Stress!” All of our clients will tell you how my team and I have made the entire planning process a breeze so they can just relax and enjoy this wonderful time in their lives. It doesn’t matter if they are just getting started, have no idea where to get married, or even what style they are looking to create for their wedding, Weddings & Events by Raina goes above and beyond to assist with the selection of the perfect venue, vendor team and contract review. We field all the calls and questions to they don’t have to and will even write your thank you’s while you enjoy your honeymoon! 

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I never stop working. Thankfully, my husband is quite understanding and just as driven to succeed. I am available to my clients from 9 am to midnight and I even tell them that they can call or text me at 2 am just so they can get whatever it is that is bothering them off their minds. (Don’t worry!! My phone is on silent during my off time…I need to sleep at some point, right?!) My team and I take our vow for a stress-free planning experience seriously and we go above and beyond to ensure that this is the case for all of our couples. Often, once a wedding is over, we have had clients ask us how they are supposed to make any decisions in life without checking with us first. We are always happy to hear that because it means that they trusted us with the most important day in their lives, but also that they know, no matter what, we were there advocating for them, their desires and best interests whether it be with a momzilla, difficult family member or unreasonable vendor. We’ve got their backs no matter what! 

Contact Info:

• Email: weddingsbyraina@gmail.com
• Website: www.eventsbyraina.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weddingsandeventsbyraina/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=weddings%20%26%20events%20by%20raina
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb5ozqoFX98
• Other: https://vimeo.com/180120185

Image Credits
Ivory Door Studio
Twila’s Photography
Ardee Chua Photo
John Myer’s Photography
Divine Images.