Do not refresh your screens. Your eyes do not deceive you. It's been a long time since we blogged but, we are back just in time update you on why there has been a radio silence and, of course, wish each and every one of you a very merry Christmas.
It's certainly been a busy year at The Rustic Wedding Company HQ....
THE HONEST TRUTH.
We won't sugar coat it or gloss over the fact that 2020/21 has been the hardest time for wedding suppliers all across the industry and, whilst Team Rustic try to keep things upbeat and positive as much as we can, we cannot deny or ignore the fact that it has been a huge struggle for our couples as well as the industry.
It's no secret that weddings seemed to take a backseat from any roadmap and restrictions certainly didn't make any sense for us in line with other events, we were the forgotten sector and no matter how hard we screamed, shouted, begged and pleaded, it often felt we were being laughed at and sidelined. We were even told by Politicians to "retrain and find a better job" - believe us when we say, on behalf of each individual in our sector, there was never, and never will be, a better job than ours.
The distress caused to members of our industry and our couples was unbearable and so, we decided that we needed to make some important decisions at Team Rustic in order to make sure we could deliver the best service to our couples because we really do pride ourselves on being the very best we can be and always exceeding your expectations. Our top priority was, and always will be, our couples. Your wedding is one of the most memorable and special days of your lives and so we made a joint decision at Team Rustic, to do whatever was needed to support you.
THIS WE PROMISED YOU.
Our last blog post was published in February of this year, we offered you all some words of wisdom and advice on how to navigate your wedding plans dependant of the outcome of Bojo's roadmap. Following that roadmap, things spiralled for Team Rustic. Finally, the offer of hope for our couples and the industry meant that lots of you got in touch to bring your weddings forward and we found ourselves with a busier diary than ever before! Oh how we love a challenge!!
As part of our decision to do honour our promises and meet your expectations, we opened up our diaries and ensured that if we could fit your day in, then you bet that's what we were going to do and so, it ended up that the last 7 months of 2021 proved to be our busiest yet with an average of 6 weddings a week (we only used to do an average of 2 or 3!)
We really did hit the ground running and although it's been exhausting, we've also had so much fun creating some magical wedding days. We have styled the most incredible weddings at the most stunning venues, worked with various talented suppliers across the industry and of course, been a part of our wonderful couple's wedding journeys. We really have loved every second and have taken away so many happy memories this year.
There really has been no such thing as a "summer wedding season" for 2021, instead, at times when we would usually be winding down in the winter months, we are still going! - we even have 3 weddings between Christmas and New Year which we are so excited about. (Right now, Lesley and Katie are locked in the studio preparing for the last two weddings of the week. They really don't stop for anyone - even Mr Claus!!)
Being so busy has meant that we just haven't had the time to blog or keep up to date with posting images of your day across our socials, but don't worry though, keep your eyes peeled for lots of exciting new content in 2022 as Team Rustic have managed to expand the business in order to keep up with demand and have hired a social media manager! (Welcome past bride Emma to Team Rustic!)
SO, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR TEAM RUSTIC?
We were in two minds to talk about where we are at within the industry because honestly, we didn't know the best way how.
We have seen many businesses suffer, either by having to make some huge financial sacrifices, redundancies and/or in some extremely unfair and heartbreaking situations, close their doors for the final time. Covid-19 has had a huge financial impact on Weddings,Events and Hospitality and it's believed that recovery in may cases, could take up to 3 years to fully recover. As I write this, weddings and hospitality are being hit hard once again only this time, there is no furlough scheme, no offer of financial support and no set plan ahead for any of us because once again, we aren't being considered.
For The Rustic Wedding Company, we have been working around the clock 7 days a week, we have rolled out some of the most incredible weddings and have dealt with so many new enquires, it's been hard to keep up at times and so, we made the decision to reshuffle things here so that we never have to deliver anything less than perfection!
We are determined to make sure that we keep our heads high and our standards even higher, in order to do this, we have made some changes to how we do things.
Fortunately for us, these changes are positive...
We have been able to promote our lovely Katie into a managerial role and we have recruited Emma as our social media manager and blogger to join our existing team.
We have opened up our appointments schedule to include video calls for our couples which gives them and us more flexibility outside of the showroom. These calls are 45min slots which mean we can chat to you from the comfort of your own home to keep everyone safe.
We are currently in the process of recruiting two more stylists & back of house staff members to join Team Rustic to help with our upcoming 2022 wedding season.
We now have a behind the scenes instagram account that you will be able to follow as we prepare for your day and share little spoilers to get you excited. (@bts_therusticweddingcompany)
We will be blogging regular content featuring your real weddings, interviews with couples, interviews with the team, top tips for your wedding and, occasionally, you might even be able to virtually come along with us as we show you how we work with a blank canvas in order to create your day.
We will soon be sending out couples questionnaires after your wedding and featuring as many of you on our website as possible with your own personalised blog post.
We feel incredibly blessed that we have been able to grow and expand during such a difficult period for our industry, it goes without saying that we have only been able to do this thanks to the wonderful couples who continue to put their faith in us and chose Team Rustic to make their wedding dream, a reality.
2022 looks set to be another busy year for us, we have some spectacular weddings in the pipeline and you'll be able to see what we are up to by following us on our regular instagram account and our behind the scenes account. You'll also be able to see many more of our weddings on the blog and find inspiration/tips on our social media.
Whilst we will never take for granted how fortunate we have been to come out the other side of this awful period for our sector, we also head into a New Year feeling humbled and grateful that we are able to grow The Rustic Wedding Company and continue to remain in an industry we so passionately love.
OUR MESSAGE TO YOU.
We would like to take a moment to say just how proud we are to be a part of one of the strongest, most resilient sectors in the UK. It's been a tough year for us all but we stood strong, side by side in solidarity.
TRWC are proud to stand as part of the best industry there is, one that celebrates love in all of its forms, a sector that leaves nobody on the outside, we stand tall together. We have loved working with & meeting so many old and new faces in the industry, admiring your incredible talents in awe, working alongside you to create some incredible moments for our couples and offering each other support when it's been needed. You are all the best at what you do because there is no other you. - Here's to seeing many of you again next year and meeting even more fabulous new faces.
For all of our couples, thank you for choosing us, for bearing with us and keeping the faith. It has been a privilege to be a part of your day and to see you celebrate with your loved ones. It has been a tough ride for all of you but you made it finally!
We will forever be grateful for those lovely calls, texts and emails, the face to face conversations and the endless support you have given us over the year. You have brought us so much happiness and, with each wedding, we feel even more blessed to be a part of your memories, we wish you all a lifetime of love, health and happiness.
As for our future couples and prospective couples, we cannot wait to see what next year has in store for us. Your day will be one to remember and we simply cannot wait to work with you.
Whatever your plans for the Christmas Period, we hope you spend it surrounded by those you love the most and for those of you who are separated once again this year, we are thinking of you.
To our key-worker couples- you are our heroes, thank you for working around the clock for us all.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a New Year full of love and hope for an exciting future ahead.
There is NO better job than ours and No better wedding than yours.
All Our Love,
Team Rustic