2020 Year End Review

We ended 2019 with big plans for 2020. And, let me tell you….we had BIG plans. We started out the year strong – Three weddings and a wedding planner certification retreat. Our highlights all took place right before a stay at home order caused by an unexpected worldwide pandemic that no one saw coming.

Education

Let’s start with talking about the wedding planner retreat that took place in Austin, TX. I attended this retreat along with 9 other established planners to further educate myself in the industry. As a bonus, I was able to meet and work with other planners from around the country. I am officially a Certified Wedding Planner under The Refine Course. The retreat included 3 days of intense education and we got to have some fun in the city, too. We had a fabulous night out, which included delicious food and even dancing! I returned home to Los Angeles with an arsenal of education, positivity, and energy.

Let’s Talk Weddings…

Ian and Jessica were married on February 1st at The Maxwell House in Pasadena. Their wedding was intimate and romantic. They hired preferred SBSN vendor Michelle Sobel Photo to capture the memories of their day. Not only do they have forever photos, they have a small video provided by a videographer hired by Ink & Rose Events for a Promotional Business Video. Our couple graciously agreed to allow us to utilize their wedding as a backdrop for our promo video. Miguel Garcia Studios was the talent behind this video and it is absolutely beautiful. He not only captured highlights of their wedding, he was able to capture the behind the scenes footage of what a day for me, as a Wedding Planner entails.

Sandra and Anthony were married on February 15th at The McCoy Equestrian Center in Chino Hills. Their wedding was extra special to me as the groom is the nephew of one of my best friends and fellow event industry partner. Not only did I get to coordinate their wedding, I also had the absolute privilege of marrying them. I normally send brides down the aisle, but in this case I was at the receiving end of the aisle watching the bride walk towards me. I won’t lie; I did shed a tear or two. She was so beautiful, and I loved being able to officiate their very intimate and personalized ceremony. Jessica Hickerson did a phenomenal job capturing all the perfect moments from this special day.

One week before the National shut down, I was able to perform a ceremony for Ramon and Lucy. They had a small wedding of 10 guests after they had to cancel their initial larger wedding due to Covid-19. They held their ceremony in a small gazebo overlooking the ocean in Palos Verdes. They were the sweetest couple and were not about to let a pandemic stop them from saying their “I Do’s”.

Let’s Talk Babies…

All three of our couples mentioned above are now expecting little ones! That’s right – they are ALL pregnant! Isn’t that exciting? I am so, so happy for them and so honored to have been able to be part of their lives. Our lovely bride, Sandra allowed us to share a photo taken by: Karina Ixta Photography.

Our Business Accomplishments

2020 has definitely been a challenging year for everyone. Couples and vendors alike are still hopeful and planning for future weddings. We have seen some cancellations, but we have also had couples sign on with us this year. When a couple signs on as an “Ink & Rose” client, they not only receive personalized attention, they also help animals in need. 10% of their entire wedding planning fee goes directly to a local animal rescue, Hand in Paw. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all our new clients. You give us so much hope for the future and we are excited to take this journey with you.

We are so proud to have been selected as a preferred vendor for The Maxwell House in Pasadena as well as the SBSN Bride Group.

Since we have been primarily at home this year, we’ve busied ourselves with revamping our business logo and business process. We continue to network with other event vendors, and setting goals for the upcoming wedding season. We’ve even squeezed in a few Photo Shoots in collaboration with some pretty awesome industry professionals! 2021 is going to bring so many new opportunities and challenges, which we can’t wait to tackle.

For most of us, 2020 was supposed to be “Our Year”. Although we’ve had our ups and downs, we had a strong start to the year and we’ve used the down time to become better at our craft and prepare us for the upcoming New Year!

Stay safe and healthy and be good to yourself. We can’t wait to see you in 2021!