One of my favourite traditions to kick off the new year is to sit down with a big cup of coffee, and write this post. Taking the time to look over the year that was, always gives me an incredible amount of perspective, and I am so grateful for that. 2019 was a great year, but it was also a tough year for me in some ways (I like to keep it real on here). With 7 weddings, it was the quietest season I’ve had in a long time, something which really made me stop, take a good deep look at what was going on, and figure out where I wanted FKE to go. I’m chalking the quietness up to a few things, which I’m not going to really get into here, but it made me realize how much I truly love what I do, and re-fueled my passion for planning & FKE. At the beginning of 2019, I really focused my energy on putting out as much as I wanted to get back (whether via social media, networking, creative work etc.), and I am so SO excited to say that re-focusing worked! 2020 is going to be the busiest year I’ve ever had, and with the expansion of our team (made possible because of this growth), I can’t wait to see what opportunities this next year brings!

With all this being said, 2019 was also a great year! Those 7 couples were the BOMB, and I fell even more in love with being a parent. Our family had lots of fun little adventures, and both FKE & Heyday have achieved some big milestones. In January, I headed down to Seattle for a couple days of planning for C&J, and also made my way up Island to Denman Island for a 2020 wedding site visit. So basically: lots of solo time in the car and lots of podcasts haha! I also collaborated with an insanely talented crew of ladies on a shoot with the Fairmont Empress. I wanted to do something in their space that felt fresh, modern yet still utterly romantic, and it was so fun to get to stretch the creative muscles a bit.

February & March brought classic winter coziness. We embraced the rare snow days with Maddie, had lots of fun family time, and headed to Vancouver with friends to rock our bodies (get it?! lol!) with Justin Timberlake. In April, we headed up to Tofino with our besties for our annual Easter weekend getaway. It was 4 straight days of beach walks, hot tubbing, good food, and Maddie hangs. So yeah, pretty great.

In May, we kicked off our wedding season with a fun one! J&A got married at the gorgeous View Estate, and it was a day time celebration that included 4 dress changes! It was also extra fun to see their wedding featured in the media down in Mexico, and to have played a role in a wedding that received so much attention down there! I also got to celebrate my 2nd Mothers Day in May with Maddie & my own wonderful Mom.

June is when things got a wee bit crazy… Maddie & I tagged along with Nick to Whistler while he raced the Whistler Half Marathon, S&J had a beautiful day full of colour and love, A&A had the most gorgeous backdrop for their wedding, and we celebrated our friends engagement on a rooftop.

The rest of the summer was a blur. We travelled down to Seattle for an oceanside celebration that had challenged me as a planner (planning a wedding in another country is no easy feat you guys) yet the end result blew me away and made me so proud of what our team can accomplish. We hung out in a lavender field, a gorgeous garden, and took in some of Vancouver Island’s most beautiful views. We announced the addition of Bonnie to the FKE team, something that I have been working towards for years and am SO excited about! Adding another planner to this little company of mine means so many different things, and I cant wait for you to all get to know her better. I also took an overnight trip back up to Whistler to start the planning of a 2020 wedding. Phew! Exhausted just writing all this! lol!

September brought a bit of a change of focus. 3 of us stole our best friend away and flew her down to Santa Barbara, for what can only be described as the best girls weekend ever. Insanely good food (The Lark blew my mind), delicious wine, and beach time. Back in Canada, we packed up the car and drove back to Whistler for a weekend with good good friends. The kids jumped in puddles, we came across a bear (terrifying when with children, fyi) , and played in snow at the top of the mountain. I also helped the VIWIA plan a fun night that focused on a great conversation about how vendors can work better together. Super grateful for that opportunity!

At the start of October, my all time favourite wedding (other than my own of course) took place. Our best friends got married! I was beyond honoured to stand as the Maid of Honour, and Bonnie took the reigns on the day, allowing me to be fully present. I honestly can’t wait to share more of this day! So much love was in that room, and we are all so happy for the new married couple!

Later that month, the fam & I headed down to our happy place, Maui, for our annual time in the sun. Man I love it there.

In November, Bonnie & I were treated to an amazing little getaway at the Long Beach Lodge Resort in Tofino! We have 2 weddings in Tofino in 2020, so getting to spend a bit more time in the town, explore the gorgeous Long Beach Lodge, and connect with other planners was fantastic! Come December, holiday season was in full force, and I’m still recovering from it haha! Nick & I escaped to Calistoga for an extended long weekend after he raced the Sacramento Marthon, and had 5 days just the 2 of us. It was weird. But also great. Mostly great ;) Later in the month, we had breakfast with Santa, celebrated Maddie’s 2nd birthday, and we also made the team expansion over at Heyday official with a new team shoot.

Wow. As I mentioned earlier, this post of mine gives me so much perspective on the year, and I am incredibly grateful for the full year I just had. 2020 is the start of a new decade, and with that, I can’t wait to see what it has in store. Happy New Year everyone!

xo
Barb

Year in Review: 2019

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