Every year (usually a bit closer to New Years–oops!) I write a post reflecting on our year and looking forward to the coming wedding season. It’s such a great opportunity to look back at what we’ve accomplished and have learned and set goals—I didn’t want to skip it, even though I’m a tad bit late this year!
First, a long list of thank yous….
First and foremost, thank you to the 29 couples who allowed us to be a part of their special day—we appreciate your trust and we truly could not have asked for better clients. We were so blessed to work with amazing brides & grooms that were filled with love for one another, amazing ideas and brought with them fantastic family & friends.
To the venues & vendors who are kind enough to refer us to their brides over and over, our sincerest thanks—we love working with you and always look forward to weddings where our paths will cross! Thank you for trusting us with your beautiful venues and your wonderful brides & grooms…it’s a recommendation that we don’t take lightly and we truly appreciate. A special thank you to the handful of vendors who are always ready to listen to my ideas and help me out—I think you all know who you are and many of you have stood by me since day 1—you’re the best!
This year was our very busiest yet, and not only did we plan more weddings than ever before, but the Stella Event Design team grew with the addition of event planner Brittany Johnson! As a small business owner (and a detail-oriented one at that) adding someone to the team wasn’t an easy decision, but I couldn’t have asked for a better fit! After a fantastic year as an event assistant, Brittany joined us this summer after graduating from Taylor University, and it couldn’t have been more seamless–she has an amazing heart, an incredible work ethic and attention to detail, and our brides & grooms loved her!
And while we’re thanking people, I need to mention we had 4 amazing interns this summer and fall—Kelsey, Emily, Gina and Morgan—-these ladies get a huge shout out for all of their fantastic work this summer in helping us make some fantastic events happen!
It was an exciting year for Stella Event Design in the press…we were featured in 2 issues of BRIDES Magazine, the March issue where we shared Midwest wedding trends, and June, when we were asked to share our ideas for an intimate reception at an art gallery. So a huge thank you to the gals at BRIDES Magazine who included us in those articles—they were bucket-list moments! We were also thrilled to be included in Brides Michigan, InFrame Bride, Off the Water and Michiana Brides!
In 2010 we also planned our first big bridal event, the Lake Shore Wedding Walk! Over 150 brides and grooms and 300 people joined us in St. Joseph as 4 different venues and 30+ fabulous vendors were showcased. We hit the ground running in May and it was a whirlwind 4 months getting the event together by September 19th, but we were thrilled with how it turned out and are excited to make it an annual event, with the next one coming up on Sunday, September 18th! A huge thank you to the venues that hosted the events: The Veranda at the Whitcomb, Shadowland Ballroom, Krasl Art Center and The Heritage Center, as well as all of the fabulous businesses who participated, and of course a huge thank you to all of the destination brides & grooms who joined us!
In 2011 we’re looking forward to our busiest wedding season yet, we’re working at some new and exciting venues, and we’ll be trying some new things! We can’t wait to see the beautiful weddings, fun couples and new adventures that 2011 has in store for us!
