Dear 2020,

What an absolute mess you were.

I’m interntially writing this a bit late. I feel like 2020 was such a shock to my system, to our industries system, and to everyone in the world’s lives in general that I’m just now coming up for a bit of air. But, in all seriousness…am I really?

The pandemic threw our lives over millions of major hurdles. Left and right it seemed like we were being sucked underneath of the tight grasps of its fickleness, it’s indeciciveness stay-or-go attitude, and were constantly at the mercy of everyone “doing thier part” to help it all passby. It was an award winning combination asking for failure, if you ask me. But my intention here isn’t to speak for everyone else— just for myself.

Reflecting back on what 2020 brought my life from a business perspective, one word comes to mind— UGH. So long were the days of smooth sailing. So long were the days of proactive decisions, thoughtful reactions, and perfectly planned next moves ahead. There was none of that, which made it impossible to feel like at any point I was winning in this business owner game of life.

Instead, what I was faced with as a business was the dread of not knowing how to move. The feeling of “stuck” never had such true meaning. My life, my couples lives, our weddings together, and our entire (seemingly) existence was hanging on by an already thin shred of hope. We were constantly wondering if what we were doing was right. Constantly shifting our plans according to the new CDC Guidelines at the time, and constantly uneasy every step of the way.

But now, 7 months out of 2020 and into a fresh wedding season I have a (somewhat) new perspective. Truthfully, this is one that I have held to be true all along and something that I continued to use as my mantra to all of my couples trying to navigate through their planning processses. In the thick of it all though, it was just a hard message to hear.

“At the end of the day, you still walk away marrying your best friend.”

I know. It’s a happy gut punch, right? Yes, you walk away marrying your best friend. Of course you’re going to be beaming with joy and thrilled that you have your forever partner. But on the flip side, you definitely are still going to mourn “the loss” of not having all 200 of your guests there, as you imagined it, standing by your sides to celebrate and wtiness it all with you. I get it. I metaphorically sheltered and protected many of my couples tears, emotionals, and hearts all of 2020. Having my zodiac sign be Cancer, I feel like I felt their same struggle— and that I feel is what hurt me the most.

Today, on the 12th day of July in 2021 I’m writing this simply just to reflect. I am in the thick of combining two wedding seasons into one. My team and all of the creative partners we work with throughout the season are (happily) trecking through the most intense wedding season of our lives. We are doing our absolute best. We are working most of the time around the clock to best serve our clients, and we are doing so in hopes that you (our insanely wonderful, appreciative, loving, and wanting-to-get-married-and-have-the-absolute-time-of-your-lives couples) can walk away at the end of this whole thing feeling cared for. Like you came out on top in the end with your best friend in tow. That is what keeps us at our desks until sunset, glued to our phones refreshing our email until 10pm, and up at dawn to do it all again the next day.

So, 2020, while you were an absolute hot mess…you were ours and we’re dealing with you like an annoying family member that just won’t leave the family reunion. To end, I say this with as much of a smile on my face that I can possible muster— you will not be missed.

Cold Regards,

Angelica