Goodbye 2018 and Hello 2019
Ringing in the New Year and early January is always a good time to take a moment to look back at the previous year and see what we've done. We had an amazing year and looking forward to what 2019 brings.
Let's go back in time and reflect ....
January kicked off the year getting word that we won Wedding Wire's Couple Choice Award for the 3rd year in a row!
It continued when we had one of our 2017 weddings featured in NH's The Hippo Wedding Edition. Heather & Sam had a backyard October wedding, however what makes their wedding so unique and to the surprise of their guests, is that Heather and her dad, Brian came down the aisle on their racing sidecar motorcycle. See, Heather and her dad are semi-professional sidecar motorcycle racers & her husband, Sam is a motor-cross racer .... that's how they originally met!
We also had another one of 2017 weddings featured in Rent My Wedding Magazine Spring Edition. Francesca & Bernard's May wedding was held at the stunning Omni Mount Washington Resort and we transformed the ballroom into a stunning, elegant enchanted garden. Guests were treated to a carefully selected five course meal, starry night, gorgeous up-lighting, unique florals and french-inspired decor.
The winter months tend to be quieter around here which is the perfect time for education and setting goals, as well as, welcoming new couples to the IE family! I had the pleasure of taking a trip to North Carolina to visit another ABC {Association of Bridal Consultants} Chapter to attend their annual state weekend retreat. It was the most inspiring, soul searching, creative event that I had ever attended. It allowed me to focus on what I wanted for myself both professionally and personally plus it gave me the opportunity to meet/connect with other planners. I came back beyond inspired, refreshed and ready to take on the world!
As Spring approached and before the kick-off of wedding season began, I had the pleasure of being a Guest Speaker at Manchester Community College's Career Day. It allowed me to speak to high school seniors about being a business owner and what it takes to work in the event industry.
"I befriend most of my clients, and I like to go out with them. I like to socialize with them: They're interesting." ~ David Kirsch
I always tell potential couples during our initial call that I'm going to be more than just their wedding planner, I'm going to become a friend. I take a personal approach to each client, it's more than just the wedding day to me, I want to know what's going on personally too. That was no different with Darci & Kyle.
Here's us on their wedding day ... which doesn't happen often that I have a picture with my couples!
Image courtesy of William Tangorra Photography
It's been a few years after the wedding & I've been saying "I'm going to visit them in Chicago", I got word {on my birthday, to be exact!} that they were expecting TWINS, so NOW was definitely the time to go ...which I most certainly did .... !!
It was a great long weekend & we had such a blast ... there was lots of catching up to do, we attended a play, played tourist around downtown Chicago {the architecture of the buildings was amazing!}, had fabulous dinners, lots of laughs & adult beverages for Kyle & I! They were the best tour guides & hosts! The Twins arrived safe & adorably in July! :)
"A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work." ~ Colin Powell
Wedding season fast approached and we literally go "wedding MIA" as we have the honor of seeing more pretty awesome couples say I Do! Those will be outlined separately in their own blogs! Stay tuned for those .... :)
In the midst of all the craziness of wedding season, I brought on two more assistant planners to complete my teams. They have both proven to be great additions & I'm excited to teach them the ropes of the industry.
While we mainly focus on weddings, we are planners and if it's any type of party, we can plan it! We expanded our services this year to include planning social and corporate events. We had the honor of planning a Celebration of Life for a family as they said goodbye to their loved one and designed a Holiday Open House for a local NH company.
"Event Planning is passion - Embrace It!" ~ David Tutera
After another successful wedding season & the start of our "off season" ... I began my 2-week conference binge by first jetting off to Las Vegas to attend my first Wedding MBA conference. I connected with some of my local vendor friends, hung out with two of my close planner friends, attended breakout sessions to learn about invitations, trends, business, lighting & design. I also had the pleasure to be inspired by one of the most famous planners, David Tutera. His passion for the industry just radiates from him when he talks about it. It was amazing experience to literally be in the front row to hear him!
After Vegas, I headed back to the east coast to attend the ABC Annual Conference in Tampa, FL. I continued to learn about business strategies, legal stuff and design. It's like a family reunion as I was able to reconnect with my some of planner friends that I've met over the years and met some new ones! As education is very important to me, I made the decision to shoot for the stars within the ABC organization and will strive to become a "Master Wedding Planner". A designation that is held by only 65 people worldwide.
I was also excited to be able to experience this conference with one of my assistants and close planner friend, it was their first time attending & we definitely had a blast all around! This is a conference I attend every year & am continually inspired by the people I meet & education I learn. Next year we're headed to the Bahamas!
"Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life." ~ Confucius
That quote is a daily reminder that I am very fortunate to do something I love & call it work. I'm also grateful every day that I have the ability to work for myself & for the couples who trust me with one of the most important days of their lives. It's not easy being a business owner & it certainly comes with it's challenges, but as I like to say, it's all worth the blood, sweat, tears & wine!
I've had bumps in the road over the course of the year, but this past year has taught me to continue to believe in myself, surround myself with positive & supportive people, take time for self-care, that my ideal clients will find me and trust that the universe works in mysterious ways.
I'm excited for the upcoming weddings we already have on the books and looking forward to chatting with potential couples who like our vibe & want to be part of our family! There are a few business opportunities up my sleeve that are brewing & I look forward to bringing them to life in 2019.
Cheers to an amazing 2019!