The Farewell Trouvaille Workshop

I have so many mixed emotions writing this post but most of all I feel tremendous gratitude.

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In 2013 after only being in business for a little over three years, I had a strong urge to create a workshop for wedding planners and designers that was unlike anything else being offered. I wanted to redefine what the term ‘workshop’ meant and instead create an experience that would hopefully change the lives of many. Like most business owners would tell you, my journey has been a hard one met with a lot of obstacles and resistance from others. Yet that’s exactly what motivated me to start not only my business but also this treasured workshop experience.

A desire to treat others well, educate and inspire, give back and most of all leave a mark in both the professional and personal lives of my attendees, has fueled this journey that spanned four cities and three states.

This last workshop in Northern Michigan at Hotel Walloon on Lake Walloon was bittersweet. I could write for days about how it all unfolded but instead I want to share five things I’ve learned about this experience in the four years, and five workshops I’ve spearheaded.

5. Workshops are a lot of work! Each time I planned a new workshop I would think the process would be easier but in many ways it felt like things kept getitng trickier. Maybe it was because of the many moving pieces that made up Trouvaille, or perhaps it had to do with personal changes happening at the same time but it was a lot of brain space and physical labor to make this workshop come to life. On that same page however, it was always worth it, and I am SO forever grateful to Betsi, Jess, Andrew and even my mother in law, for being a part of the behind the scenes. I could have never done this alone and any workshop is a testament to how valuable teamwork is.

4. Our problems sometimes feel really isolated from everyone else’s (and sometimes that’s true) but at the end of the day we are all facing the same problems, fears, and insecurities as the next person beside us. I can’t even recall how many times I would listen to someone share a story at Trouvaille only to sit and nod my head in agreement thinking, ‘Me too!’ or ‘Yes! I’ve been there.’ There have been women with businesses for more than a decade who have attended Trouvaille and women who haven’t yet started their businesses, and at the end of the day there was always a common thread that united us all. I loved that so much.

3. The little details make a big difference. Reading a room of people and tending to unique needs is an underrated skill. Presentation is key. Grace for your own mistakes and the mistakes of others is important. And fresh burrata is everything.

2. The way you treat people matters. When you treat others with compassionate, grace and love, it matters. The things you say, write, think, and do, manifest in other ways and often in a ripple effect much beyond any sort of boundary you can even comprehend. What I’ve learned through my workshop is that we may all be wired differently, want or like different things, or even disagree on many fronts. But at the end of the day we all desire to be respected, treated fairly, and worthy of love. I hope I’ve been able to give just a bit of that to every person who has been a part of this experience.

1. And finally, gratitude changes everything.

With that, I share with you the photos from the farewell retreat, taken by my dear friend Samantha of Samantha James Photography. Sam was one of the first people I told about my dream for Trouvaille back in 2013 and she and her husband, Brad photographed the first workshop in early 2014. It was only fitting she would be a part of this fifth and final workshop, and I’m so grateful she was there to capture it all.


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Host and concept: Rhiannon Bosse / Photography: Samantha James Photography / Venue and catering: The Talcott at Hotel Walloon / Linens: Nuage Designs / Stationery and calligraphy: MM Ink / Rentals: The Rental Company / Candles: Creative Candles / Floral supplier: Florabundance / Acrylic goods: Jenn and Jules / Ribbon: Midori Ribbon / Beauty: Onsite Bridal / Gowns and veil: Spring Sweet