The past few years have been a WILD ride. It’s incredible that as each year comes to an end and I look back, I can’t believe what crazy things were thrown at us. 2019 was our first full year of events. 2020 was, well we all know what 2020 was. 2021 was 2 years combined in one and add in issues with shortages, staffing and it still being a pandemic, it was a challenge. And 2022, I’m calling it the year of getting our groove back.
We danced our way from May to November with couples that pulled at our heartstrings in all the ways. We had 4 couples who we worked alongside through multiple postponements and finally got to see their celebrations come to fruition. We had Weddings in ballrooms, tents, and barns on the ocean, in the city and in their own backyards. We brought to life design stories that told the story of each couple in every detail. We worked with new vendors and old vendors (friendors). And in the midst of all of that, we expanded our team to 4, moved into a new office in Dorchester, and on-boarded new clients for 2023.
We made it through a little storm called COVID and so excited to say there is nothing by clear skies ahead. As I look ahead to 2023, I feel like a well-oiled machine with nothing but inspiration to curate kick-ass celebrations, grow our business and plan our hearts out.
BUT FIRST…..here are my 5 favorite moments of 2022 <3
1. DOGS, DOGS, DOGS
We’ve already wrote about C+V’s Wedding multiple times and we talk about it ALL the time, but this for sure has to stand out as one of the favorite moments of 2022. To catch some of you up, when we first met with C+V to start their planning, they told us they wanted dogs there. They weren’t sure exactly yet what that meant, but they knew they wanted them to be a part of it. CUT TO – us connecting with the Pets + People Foundation and bringing 7 of their cutest 4-legged volunteers to cocktail hour. Dawned in “Wedding Pawty” bandanas, they mingled with guests bringing smiles to just about every face. While having them there was by far a stand out moment, nothing is as cemented in my mind as the image of all of them standing along the wall watching the Ceremony. Who DOESN’T want a dog audience?
2. The dancefloor I didn’t want to leave
Depending on the Wedding, we often will split up hours and shift responsibilities for the day between our team to keep everyone energized throughout the season. At R+T’s Wedding in August, I (Kelly) was slated to head out at 9:00 pm leaving the final hours to Ashley and Paula. WELL – when there is a dancefloor that’s just THAT LIT – it’s hard for me to walk away…I stayed well past my time, dancing along with DJ Rishi and enjoying the incredible talent from Valentina’s Entertainment. ZERO REGRETS. Love my job.
3. Finding our home
For the past 4 years, I have operated most of our business out of a storage unit. With Weddings + Events comes stuff, and the unit allowed me to house it all somewhere that wasn’t my garage. With the growth we saw in 2022, we quickly outgrew the space and needed something bigger and closer to where most of us live. In August, we moved into one of the most beautiful spaces I could have ever imagined. Our space in the Lower Mills neighborhood of Dorchester is spacious, clean, welcoming, convenient and the perfect layout to store all of our décor while having a great meeting space of team and clients. I’m forever grateful to what 2022 brought that landed us in this space and can’t wait for more gatherings to come.
4. Seeing the End of COVID Weddings
As I mentioned above, we saw the last of our postponed Weddings come to life this year. I wrote a long post to these Weddings earlier this year, but they still deserve a shoutout. These couples (and all the couples we worked with) during the pandemic become some of our closest friends. We went through so much together and watching them finally get their day was better than we could have imagined.
5. Making new Friendors
In this business, having vendors that you trust and most of all ENJOY working with is a privilege. As the planners for each Wedding, we put an endless amount of trust into our vendors to show up and deliver the work we have promised to our clients. Our jobs are often difficult enough wrangling Wedding guests and Wedding parties that knowing the team we are working alongside has brought their A-game and has our backs is priceless. This year we truly had the honor of meeting so many wonderful new friendors and already have booked new business with them in 2023. One of the best parts of this job!
