Well actually we're well underway. A lot has happened on this end. The notable short list including my own wedding is now less than 3 months away (this means I've needed to dedicate some time planning for it, something that has been tough to balance with a full time job and launching a company), which leads me to my second update, that I am now focused full time on Carina Van Son Weddings!
It's been an incredibly exciting step, mixed in with some stress. Mainly, I feel a sense of relief. I've been challenged the last six months with time management and dedicating myself to a "daytime" job that I was less than enthused about. My heart has been in building this dream for quite some time. I have intentionally been putting pieces into place for awhile, but the actually jump into doing this 100% still felt like a far off dream. To be quite honest, it's not completely sunk in yet. Getting up each day as my own boss, responsible for my own productivity has been a surreal feeling. I've never worked so hard in my life and yet it still feels like at the end of each day there is so much more to do and I haven't accomplished enough.
One day I'll write another post about my journey to this place. How I made the decision to follow my dream, the steps I decided to take to pursue and the support and resources I was so lucky to have to help get me here (not to mention an immense amount of faith!).
For now, there is happiness, eagerness for the future and peace behind making this very scary move.
With my own wedding, it's allowed me to have creative freedom in style and design decisions. I'm lucky to have a fiancé who is interested in the wedding but has for the most part given me carte blanche to create the wedding of our dreams. From the get go, we decided we wanted a formal, intimate affair. We found the most incredible venue that has just recently become available again for events and weddings. We wanted something that was unique and less known, and we were really lucky that this place fit both of those criteria.
With regards to the other details, I've had a harder time finding the things I envision for the day. From my own dress and shoes, to the invitation suite, and decor, it's been a challenge from the get go to find exactly what I want. Luckily, I've come across some wonderful vendors and artists who have been patient to work with me and create many of these details, from scratch, for our day. I can't wait to see how it all comes together (and share the amazing work of the village who's been working hard to build it).
In the mean time, I wanted to share some our engagement pictures. We are so lucky to have Matt Land of Matthew Land Studios as our wedding photographer. Our venue errs on the side of being a little dark. Matt is great at bringing out the light in settings. I got to know him and his work last summer while working for Sinclair and Moore and attending their workshop. It was a no brainer. He was my first choice when it came to finding someone to capture the day. For our engagement pictures, I wanted a formal set up to hint at the upcoming wedding. I also wanted to use some ornate architecture similar to that found everywhere in Paris, where we got engaged. It's something that is a little hard to find in these parts, but the University of Washington campus ended up being a great option!
