Cheers to the new year! Another year has come to an end, and to be honest, I think I'm ok with it. Don't get me wrong: it was another fantastic year, and I feel seriously blessed to have the life that I do! I get to share it with an incredible man, and am surrounded by a truly inspiring tribe. But, 2016 was filled with both highs and low's for me. It was a year of wedding's that will top my list for years to come, but also a year of working myself to pure exhaustion, and enduring some personal struggles that I am still recovering from. 12 months is a long time, and a lot of things can happen; It's been quite the journey, and I am really looking forward to reflecting back on it all. We tackled 15 weddings, 7 events, and made it onto Vogue (eek!). We got to work with some of the industries best, and started to spread our wings a bit further beyond this lovely Island of ours. We launched a sister company to FKE, Heyday Events, and started to focus more on nurturing and training of young planners. These year end reviews can put so much into perspective and I am so grateful to have you follow along!

I kicked the year off with a mission to be the healthiest version of myself possible. I joined a half marathon run clinic, and instantly loved the connections that I made through the running community. Planning for the upcoming weddings was going at full tilt, and the rest of January was spent doing what basically everyone does in January: a whole lotta nothing.

In February, we managed to sneak away to one of my favourite places, Salt Spring Island, for a relaxing weekend with good friends. I was also completely floored and incredibly honoured to be included on this list by Vogue, of the world's top wedding planners. Talk about a pinch me moment! And I loved seeing this wedding featured on Wedding Chicks!

We celebrated everyone in the Victoria's Wedding industry in March, with another Meetup party! And I was seriously stoked to see our Taylor Swift shoot from last year, featured on Inspired by This here and here. At the end of the month, we took off to the beautiful Galiano Island and enjoyed a magical weekend at Bodega Ridge with friends over Easter. If you take anything from this blog post, let it be this: go to Galiano Island immediately!

April saw the start of the wedding season, and the first one was definitely a good one! We also teamed up with a slew of talented vendors to host a Farmed and Foraged dinner, in support of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. It was a beautiful night, and a meal I will surely not forget! Mid month, I took off down to Seattle for a weekend with Bash Specialty, to shop and hang with some other fabulous industry ladies.

We were hired to plan a ridiculously romantic proposal (she said yes!). And the month was finished off with a very special 1st birthday party we planned for one of our best friends daughter. I mean, if you can't celebrate the big milestones like turning 1, what can you celebrate?

In May, we worked on an insanely gorgeous elopement, for some insanely wonderful Texans! More of that to come in the new year... We married a doctor & a runner, and I completed the Oak Bay Half Marathon as well! Fitness goal achieved. Phew! We also had our first ever Heyday Events wedding! Paula, one of our fabulous planners, knocked it out of the park!

June is when the season really started to take off, and thus began the most intense 6 weeks of my career. Before things got really crazy though, I helped completely surprise this lovely lady on her 30th birthday, and indulged in a night of charcuterie and wine. Then, we went from Victoria's inner harbour, to Pemberton's mountains, to Salt Spring's coast, to Hatley Castle, to a sprawling field, and back to Hatley Castle, all in the matter of 6 weeks. Man, I'm tired just thinking about it. Amongst all that crazinesses though, were some pretty incredible weddings, and ones that I am beyond honoured to have been a part of. We got to work with the insanely talented Erich McVey on one (another pinch me moment!) and witness love like we've never seen before. I can't wait to share ALL of them with you in the new year!

In August, Nick & I managed to escape to Ottawa for a weekend and spend some QT time with some very good friends. The rest of the summer was a beautiful whirlwind, and filled with a whole lotta pretty! We got to bounce around a ton of different venues, and loved spending time with every single one of our couples.

In September, we finished the season off with a couple more gems. I then spent a week in Alberta visiting my brother and my 2 nephews. They made my heart melt every. friggin. day.

October was spent in total recovery mode, and getting ready to escape to the sun, as we always do at this time of the year. We spent 3 magical weeks in Hawaii, splitting our time between Oahu and Maui. This years trip couldn't have come at a better time for us, and it was the perfect way to recharge. Spending an afternoon with photographer superstar, Wendy Laurel, was a highlight for me, as well as celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary!

The return to reality brought on a slew of meetings in November, and left me feeling ridiculously excited for all our 2017 couples! As the holiday's quickly approached, I focused on spending as many relaxing nights cuddled by the fire, and preparing for Christmas. On Dec 15th, on the eve of my 30th Birthday (#flirtythirties), I was given the ultimate surprise. My amazingingly incredible husband, planned a surprise weekend in LA for me with some good friends! I don't think I can ever complain about him ever again! haha! It was the perfect way to ring in a new decade, and to reflect back on the year that was.

Year in Review: 2016

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