2020 Year in Review, boy, what a year. Thankful for the Celebrations
We can all say 2020 was anything but normal. In a wedding planners world, it was upheaved. Out of the 31 weddings I was supposed to plan this year, I managed to squeak out 9. 2 of which were new micro-wedding bookings during 2020, and 3 of which were ceremonies only for couples looking to have a bigger reception in 2021. To say my world was flipped upside down was an understatement, exponentially compounded due to the fact that my husband and I just purchased a wedding venue (Twin Willow Gardens) in October of 2019. It was turmoil. It was late nights not knowing if we were going to make it. It was LOTS of tears not knowing what was on the horizon and if we were going to lose our *home* and this property we just bought! 2020 was a terrifying year, and for someone of faith, it rocked me to my core. I wondered where God was in all this. What I was personally supposed to be learning through all this (and what the world was supposed to learn through this). I am ashamed to say, I feel like I really lost sight of God and my faith through this. I know not everyone carries faith, but for me, it is a foundational piece to who I am. So the fact that I feel like I lost a part of me made me even sadder through all this. I am working on getting that piece of me back.
Talking over last minute details for an at-home micro-wedding. Photo by Alante Photography
Restoration is the word that keeps coming to mind. It started in October of 2020 when I said “screw it” and spent money I probably shouldn’t have to book a last minute trip to Whitefish, Montana to a Dude Ranch I’ve followed on Instagram (@barwguestranch) for awhile. All the planning couples were taken care of and we had a game plan for each. All the venue couples were set since we’re a seasonal venue and was already done with the few weddings we managed to pull off by October. I cannot tell you how much this vacation was needed for not only me, but for my husband and my relationship. Purchasing a new home and venue, taking on a LOT of debt, then being told you can’t do what your livelihood depends on wasn’t the best for our marriage. ;) We decided to drive to Montana taking in all the scenery and listening to Christmas music the majority of the way. Which was fitting since once we were in Montana, we managed to catch their first snowfall of the year.
Photo by The Bar W Guest Ranch in Whitefish, MT
This trip allowed us to laugh again, ignore emails, reconnect, and remember why we like each other. :) It was nothing but riding horses through the Montana wilderness, eating, and meeting 12 new friends from around the country. And did I mention eating?
Coming home was the start of the restoration process. I stepped on a scale (knowing I had pretty much eaten my way through Montana), and having never seen that number before decided it was time to do something about my weight- especially knowing 2021 is going to be a beast of a year with 31 rescheduled weddings + 12 organic bookings + over 40 venue weddings + deciding to put in a cut flower garden at the venue. Yeah, I’m going to need some endurance this year. Since the end of October to today, I have lost 14lbs and still going. I can now run (well jog) 2 miles every day, and you guys, I am. not. a. runner. This is truly a miracle.
More restoration came through December receiving Christmas cards. Yes, I know it’s a little thing, but I LOVE getting Christmas cards. I read every letter, each card, and make sure that person is also on my mailing list. It is a little “I’m thinking of you” moment in a hectic season. December also brought news of our one and only grant we actually qualified for (still waiting to officially have it deposited), but that gave us a little breathing room on the finances. Even more came when one of my Associate Planners personal family issues they’ve been dealing with forever finally went through in a positive direction for their family so healing can begin there.
I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions. I think it is just another day like any other. However, I do have hope that 2021 will continue to bring me the restoration my soul needs to know that God saw all this coming before we did, and being a believer, that ‘He will never leave us nor forsake us’ (Deuteronomy 31:6). I have reached out to a counselor to seek conversation with someone not going through what I’m going through and a different perspective, a chiropractor to help keep my body working the way it’s supposed to, and probably most important to me; reached out to a small group within my church to reconnect with those that can help me carry this burden as we work toward reopening the economy.
Always trying to find the little hooks for those darn bustles. ;) Photo by Cameron Zegers Photography
I am so ready to get back to work, to get couples married, and to restore joy- not only in my life, but in my couples lives as well. The one thing that 2020 revealed to me was how freaking much I love my job. The few weddings I was able to have had So. Much. JOY! Not only to me, because I was able to get back to work, but to the couples who decided to move forward with THEIR DAY no matter what. They were determined, they were creative, and they were the most generous, kind-hearted people alive. They knew their day wasn’t going to be what they had originally imagined, but they rolled with the punches and re-imagined what is was going to look like, in whatever capacity weddings were allowed at the time. You never know what tomorrow will bring, as all of us have witnessed from March 2020 to today. The love that was celebrated was a love that couldn’t wait till tomorrow.
Putting on Joey’s boutonnière. Flower by Rusted Vase. Photo by Cameron Zegers Photography
Thank you dear couples for celebrating your love in the time of Corona, and for allowing me to be a small part and witness to your story. You brought me more joy than you could ever imagine and literally carried me through. Forever thankful to do what I love every day.
~Rebecca
