January is such a strange month. Whilst it's the start of a new year and new beginnings, it's the month of the year when it takes us at least two weeks to workout what day it is, not to mention the long wait to pay day!
It isn't all doom and gloom though. The joy is there if you look for it. The nights are slowly becoming lighter, mini eggs are back on the shelves and, I've even managed to get hold of my first bunch of 2022 daffodils! As I type this, I can hear the sound of a neighbours lawnmower as the gentle breeze catches hold of the freshly cut grass, the air is full of the wonderful fragrance and it's a sign that Spring is on it's way!!
As January draws to a close, we thought we would give you a little monthly round up of what we have been getting up to at Rustic HQ.
REFLECTION TIME...
Last year can only be described as beautifully exhausting. We won't go over at all again but, it's important to recognise that last year was by no means, a normal year. Most of us in the industry saw in the beginning of 2022 feeling broken, exhausted and drained. Styling an average of 5 weddings a week, keeping up with admin, wedding prep, new enquires and consultations took put us under strain physically, mentally and emotionally.
We ended the year styling the last of our weddings in the week of Twixmas then downed tools for a well deserved rest,
feeling incredibly grateful to still be here with our business intact and somehow, throughout the hardest year of them all, stronger than
ever before.
The break gave us a moment to step back, reflect and make some little changes. Working the way we did last year was no fault of our own and was the only way we could work without letting anyone down, call it a necessity if you will, but it simply isn't something we can maintain year on year - or at least not just yet, just watch this space as we just keep growing so who knows what the future looks like?
Lesley, who finds it impossible to stop and rest, also used the time to pack up her home and move into a shiny brand new family home with her lovely husband Gary and baby Henry AKA "Baby Rustic"
For anyone new here, Lesley not only held Team Rustic together during the pandemic, she also gave birth to the most beautiful baby with the most incredible eyes you have ever seen. Henry, who will turn a whole year old in March, was born amongst the chaos and has brought so much joy to those who love him and get to meet him.
The break this January has given Lesley and her family the much needed down time to be a family and make some lovely new memories. It goes without saying, parenthood is hard enough but throw in a pandemic, a growing business and triple the amount of weddings, Lesley desperately needed some family time. For me personally, I am in awe of her, being relatively new to the team and just one of Team Rustic's covid couples, I know just how hard she works and how passionate she is about her business.
AND THEN THIS HAPPENED...
For those of you keep up to date with our socials, you'll see that Team Rustic once again entered The Wedding industry Awards.
We have proudly built up a little collection of trophies over the last few years and each year, we don't take for granted how truly grateful we are to come away from the ceremony with a new trophy to add to the collection.
The wedding industry is a fast growing industry and there is always incredible new talent appearing. Although there are many stylists on the scene, we all bring something completely unique to the table, and so, each year, we go into the awards completely open minded and never expecting to win.
The awards are personally a big deal for Team Rustic. They are the only awards that are client based and voted for based purely on client feedback and experience. There is a fixed period in which clients can vote, for example, only our clients from a certain timeframe can vote each year to make it fair and current.
Businesses then rely on past clients to vote for them and answer questions about the service we provide from a 7 category specific area. The feedback given from our clients is purely down to you and your honesty.
There are 8 regions in the awards and the regional ceremonies span over a few weeks with the National Awards to come at a later date.
On the 18th of January, Lesley and Jeanette attended the awards for the East Midlands at the gorgeous Norton Fields after entering for the Venue Stylist Award. I was constantly refreshing my socials and checking my phone waiting for Lesley to text me when it flashed up on my screen "We DID IT!!!!"
After winning our first award in 2017 then taking a 3 year break from entering, we sealed a 3 year consecutive winning HATRICK!!! (not an easy thing to do!)
It's important that we thank all of our wonderful couples who placed votes and feedback for us, without your efforts, we wouldn't have won. Whilst what we do is "huge" we are still a small business and how we grow, is not just down to us as a collective team, but to our clients who place so much trust in us to create their dream day.
WHAT NEXT?
Our inbox has been overflowing with emails following lots of exciting festive engagements and with Valentines Day just around the corner, it's a busy time for us as we deal with all the new enquires we are working our way through your enquires and already have the rush of excitement we get when we see the ideas you have in mind.
We've also begun our first consultations of the year in our Mountsorrell showroom. This year is set to be a super exciting year. We will be re-visiting familiar venues and attending others for the first time too. We will be working alongside old and new faces to bring our clients dream days to life - our job never gets boring, there really is never a dull moment!
I (Emma) have been working behind the scenes on an exciting new addition to our blog - TRWC Styling Series. I will be bringing you tips and styling inspiration for different aspects of your wedding even if you are self styling your day. Keep your eyes peeled and if there are any questions or key areas you need assistance with, we will do all we can to help.
You'll also be treated to lots of real weddings from 20/21 as we finally catch up and update the blog. It's all so exciting!!
As usual, we will be taking you along to weddings with us and showing you what we get up to and, prepare for some exciting new stuff to come in stories - This or That? Moodboards, Question Time - ask us anything, Meet The Team... it's all coming your way soon!
If you are looking to book us to style your wedding, it's recommended you place your enquiry sooner than later, we hate to turn people away but already, we have turned down so many bookings because we are almost fully booked for 2022! January through to September is fully booked and December is very limited, however, if you are looking to host a stunning late Autumn wedding, we have a teeny bit of availability for October and November. We might however be able to fit in the odd DIY prop hire here and there too so do make sure you keep enquiring.
2023 is filling up fast and we are now receiving enquiries for 2024 AND 2025!!! Just this morning, Lesley has taken new bookings, so our diary does fill up fast!
We have our first wedding of 2022 next week so for now, we are signing off whilst we get prepared.
Have a blissful Sunday afternoon.
With love,
TEAM RUSTIC
xox