My 2019 was supposed to be the year of peace but I’ve found most of the last 10 months have been spent feeling uncomfortable, challenged, and often at a crossroads where I’m pushed to be complacent or bold. Further, what I’ve uncovered is that part of the discomfort I’ve been experiencing, part of the vulnerability that seems to permeate my day to day recently, has to do with my constant choice to always, always be brave.

Brave isn’t a feeling though. It’s not an emotion or something that simply comes over you. It’s instead a choice, a decision to let go or, on the contrary, be all in.

Some ways I’ve been brave this year include:

Telling a close friend how I felt in an escalating situation instead of letting it fester in my heart. This required a phone call and while uncomfortable, resulted in a closer relationship with a deeper level of trust and love.

Making a hard career decision that I know my heart and family deserves in this season, even though my ego is stomping her feet and wailing the entire time. I’ve been required to be brave professionally and to stand up for myself and my boundaries. Sharing this with the world soon will require more bravery.

Deciding to carve out one to two hours a week for counselling. One hour dedicated to myself and my own mental health and a second for time with my husband to pour back into our marriage. The brave part here isn’t me going to sessions but freely talking about them with others like I am now.

Taking a good look at our physical belongings and deciding to let them go to new homes. Not because we don’t like the things we have but because we don’t love many, and many there are. It’s in this process of purging I’ve uncovered yucky feelings of guilt that I (we) have accumulated so much over the years in an effort to fill a void (or so I assume this is the reason this has all happened and many tangible goods have found their way into our possession). I’ve been brave to make a big effort to pare back and live with less. And to be comfortable with the idea of my treasured things belonging to others, an unusual territorial fear I apparently have.

Starting another candida cleanse to clear my gut and my mind. But I’m being brave by sharing here that about three weeks in I decided to take a break from such a restricted way of eating because it was just too hard this time around. I love the intense energy levels and clarity that such restricted eating brings me but more so I loved how much weight I lost and how I looked last time I did the cleanse; and that alone isn’t a reason to commit to such a lifestyle. I’m being brave by believing that me, right now, as is, is enough.

Building new relationships and cultivating existing ones even though it’s taken a lot of vulnerability and planning to do so. Things like play dates with new mom friends and their kids, starting a book club hosted in my home, and even going to lunch with my father in law just for fun, have all been thanks to my bravery.

Admitting my weaknesses. I am too hard on myself. I often feel like I am not enough. I easily fall into the comparison trap. But also celebrating my strengths and gifts. I’m passionate and loyal. I’m a really good mother. I give 100%. I’m reliable. And pretty funny too.

Trying new things that are complete deviations from how I normally roll. This includes new floral designing strategies and approaches, joining a small group at church, throwing out family traditions that weren’t working for us anymore, and making so.much.soap. A lot of days I feel like I’m a circus performer making sure all the things get done well, but I also want to make sure I’m enjoying myself because while a circus performer ends up going home at the end of the show, for me, this is my life. This quite literal act of balancing is all me being BRAVE.

And I get six more weeks in 2019 to be just that.

What brave thing have you done recently?

Xo

One of our 2019 summer weddings took place at a private residence on the west Michigan lakeshore. It was a traditional and classic celebration with a fresh blue color palette, stunning sail cloth tent, and more than 1000 stems of Dutch hydrangea used throughout. I don’t think we’ve ever had such a long wedding day from start to finish but I don’t think we’ve ever had such a beautiful quintessential summer Michigan day either.

At the request of our clients I am not sharing any photos where the likeness of them or their guests are public. So throughout this post is a series of perfectly captured images which show the immaculate details and special moments that remarkably don’t involve any facial expressions. I didn’t think sharing a wedding without any faces would be a beautiful success but I think you’ll see the opposite to be true.

Congratulations to our clients and we wish them the happiest of lifetimes together! Enjoy the story these images tell and enjoy creating your own narrative with some of the things you cannot see but only imagine. I only wish you could have witnessed the spectacular surprise fireworks show that kick started the evening’s dance party!

All of the following beauty was captured by Kelly Sweet Photography.

Isn’t this blue, white and mahogany design palette so lovely?

As I mentioned above, we used over 1000 stems of blue hydrangea to make this event happen. There were three varieties making up our designs, to help give nice depth and variance to the overall aesthetic. My team worked tirelessly to keep the hydrangeas happy and fresh throughout the 95 degree day, a feat we successfully tackled thanks to the many extra blooms we had on hand as back up. I don’t normally gravitate towards hydrangea not because of their aesthetic but because of their finicky nature, but sometimes the effort is worth it! Our clients were so thrilled with the end product and endlessly complimented the flowers we provided.

We’ve executed so many tent weddings in our decade of planning! We’ve tented weddings on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan, the bluff of Arcadia, private backyards in Holland, Lowell, and Ann Arbor, and at many other venues all over the state. While the logistics of a tent wedding provide many planning challenges, hurdles, and often, additional costs, the end result is always something close to magic. If you recall this post from my instagram account the weekend of this event, you’ll remember how perfectly special this event ended up being! A special thanks as always to The Rental Company for their service, inventory, and talents.

The fireworks show at the end of the evening was quite lovely! We had all of the guests gather on the patio under the guise of getting a group photo and then once everyone was in place I called Mike from Melrose to give him the 3, 2, 1 countdown (a responsibility I coveted with honor). For five minutes the sky over the water, and the tent, lit up with some pretty stunning fireworks as guests cheered and clapped. I understand a fireworks display is certainly not in the budget for everyone but if it is for you, you’ll be in the best hands with the team at Melrose! They were efficient, courteous, and designed a magical show for our clients.

The professionals who made this possible:

Planning, design, floral: Rhiannon Bosse Celebrations / Photography: Kelly Sweet Photography / Rentals and linens: The Rental Company / Entertainment and lighting: Mike Anthony Entertainment / Stationery and signage: Mason Jones / Catering and service: The Farmhouse Deli / Fireworks: Melrose Pyrotechnics / Cake: The Cakabakery / Flooring: Levitation Staging