It always catches me off guard when a fellow wedding industry friend makes a comment about how busy we are, or how things seem somehow easier for us, because we seemingly grew overnight.
Well let me let y’all in on a secret friends— it doesn’t always feel that way from this side of things. Yes, it is true that our calendar filled rather quickly our first full year in business, and again the second year. But what many people don’t realize, is that I was planning weddings and working in events for a decade before I ever branded myself as a wedding planner. Summers spent working at country clubs and winters spent filling specialty bakery orders had been a part of my life for so long, that it was a natural progression to take my side hustle to a full time job.
Another thing that people don’t often think about is the fact that now there is this pressure for me to have a constantly full schedule. Because I created a volume-based business rather than a boutique-style planning service, a 20 wedding season is considerably empty for us, since we have a team of 5 planners. I have these amazing planners who want to serve wonderful couples, so when our events are spread out, it means I have less work to pass down the line.
Sometimes we have seasons where we can book 2-4 events a week, while other times we may go weeks without ever hearing the phone ring— and that is scary stuff. It can lead to self-doubt, stress, and feelings of inadequacy. But then, the phone will start to ring again, and we put those feelings on the back burner, and the cycle continues.
Owning a business is not for the faint of heart, and it is almost a constant struggle to remind myself that we are exactly where God intends for us to be right now. Just as there are seasons of growth, there must also be seasons of rest (which we all know I’m not the best at).
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that there is truly no such thing as an overnight success. Social media has this tendency of painting beautiful pictures of people’s lives that look perfect and easy— but that’s not always the case! So before you compare yourself to someone who looks like they have it all together, consider instead that their struggles and stressors are just different than yours, and that God is using your struggles to prepare you for YOUR next big venture, rather than someone else’s.