By Claire Green, Stylist & Marketing Assistant
Yep, you read that title right. Being fully transparent, I thought writing this was going to be extremely difficult, like pulling teeth. I mean, 2020 has been NUTS, how can I come up with 20 things to be grateful for? It turned out, however, I could not have been more wrong. I could write 30even 40 things that we are grateful for. Even through all of challenges that we have all had to face this year, the silver linings, the little bursts of light that shine through the darkness are 100% there. You just have to look for them!
Here is a list of 10 things that we are grateful for this year, and 10 things that brides can be grateful for.
Happy Thanksgiving, friends!
10 Things We Are Thankful For
-
Our 2020 BridesWOAH: We 1,000,000% believe we win for the best brides. With everything that 2020 has thrown at you, postponed weddings, cancelled receptions, stress, fear, each and every one of our brides walk through our doors with the best perspectives and most positive attitudes. You all deserve an award for planning your wedding or getting married during a pandemic! Your perseverance, kindness, and continuous kind words and support is something that we could not be more grateful for.
-
Your love stories: In all honesty, THIS is what is keeping us going. You, our brides, have the most inspiring stories, with couples becoming closer and ever, relying on each other and appreciating each other all the more through all of this craziness. Love was never cancelled, and it sure as heck never will be.
-
Our Stylists, Manager, and Owner: These babes are truly rockstars. From gracefully dealing with shutdowns, shifting around schedules, ever-changing guidelines, and wearing masks for hours upon hours, their enthusiasm, passion, and flexibility for this job and our brides is something that keeps us going. Our staff group chat is always poppin with Saturday Selfies, highlights of our week, and celebrating each other. These ladies are the most supportive, smart, and hilarious gals in all the land. WE LOVE YOU!
-
Expanding Amidst a Pandemic: Our New Shop, Dearly Consignment Bridal: Who the heck thought opening a business during a pandemic was a good idea?! You got itits us, and it could not have turned out better. We have been able to meet the needs of brides who were literally getting married 24 hours later, for brides who had changed plans, and for brides on a budget. Grateful is an understatement.
-
New Killer Dresses: Okay, we MIGHT be biased, but we carry the dreamiest designers who are still designing some of the most beautiful, jaw-dropping wedding dresses we have EVER seen. Yep, even during a global pandemic. (Book an appointment here to see them for yourself). We even got to attend a few virtual fashion shows from the comfort of our own shop that were put on by our designers. How cool?!
-
New Ways to Connect Virtually: PSA: We now carry iPads! We are having way too much fun finding countless ways to connect with people we love who we cant see in person (or who arent at your bridal appointment). FaceTime and Zoom are our new BFFs :-)
-
The Spokane Community: We read ever single review, comment, DM that comes out way. Spokane has really showed up this year. It is our home, our community, and at the end of the day, we could not imagine being in any other city. Much love, 509!
-
Frontline Workers: Hats off to you, frontline workers! We are feeling extra thankful for our medical workers, grocery store clerks, bus drivers, social workers, sanitation workers, and mail carriers. Our hearts are with you this season.
-
Amazing Vendors and Partners: I dont know if you all know, but we work with some of the most incredible vendors in the WORLD. Our little community of people who make weddings happen is tight knit, and oh so special to us. Photographers, florists, coordinators, caterers, hair and makeup artists, you name it, we could not be more honored to work with such an amazing group of people.
-
Our Brand New Shop Baby, Rowan: Our owner, Cassie, had her baby in June and having her in the shop has been SO magical and fun. Her little smile lights up our corner of the world!
10 Things Brides Can be Thankful For
-
Your Partner: Your rock, your support system, and someone who you know will ALWAYS be there for you. If you can get through a global pandemic, you can get through anything, right?!
-
Your Better Than Any Nicolas Sparks Book Love Story: Again, love freakin makes the world go round. We know that love is all over the place, its being tested, its growing, its sometimes really really hard. But it is what keeps it all together, and something we can always rely on at the end of the day to make it all worthwhile.
-
Extra Time With Your Family: We totally get it, you love em, you hate em, but this time stuck at home is a time that we will likely never have again. Lets cherish it today!
-
Friendships: Our automatic thought when we think of friendships is bridesmaids, but with weddings looking totally different this year, any and all friendships mean SO much, and something most of us will never take for granted again!
-
Hate Wedding Planning? Youre in Luck: Its 2020, all bets are off. Expectations of what a wedding is supposed to look like are squashed. You dont have to invite people you havent seen in years, or who are your parents friends. Youre off the hook, babe;)
-
Creative Freedom: Like we said, All. Bets. Are. Off. Weve heard SO many cool ideas of minimonies and elopements, on the top of a mountain, on a hike in Glacier National Park, at the beach, or masked up with a white lacy mask and a big bottle of hand sanitizer. 2020 is a free pass, so take advantage and make your wedding as unique and out-of-this-world as you want!
-
Opportunities to Help Others: This season, there are so many ways that we can extend a hand (metaphorically of course) to our community. We are all struggling in one way or another, to various degrees, but coming together for a common cause is powerful.
-
That Quarantine Hobby You Got Really Good At: Knitting? Cooking a new recipe? Picking up photography? Or maybe it was just simply reading a new book! We will someday look back on 2020 and laugh (crossing our fingers). When you tell stories about this years down the road, you might just have a new hobby to show off:)
-
Nature: Getting outside in the fresh air has never felt so good, dont ya think? Even if its just for a walk around the neighborhood, this crazy time has given us the opportunity to really reflect upon and be thankful for how insanely beautiful our world really is. (It also makes us REALLY excited to travel again)
-
Time To Yourself: Time to grow, time to just be quiet, to think, and to slow down. The world has quite literally told you no maybe some of us needed that to just take a breath and ground ourselves. See? Those silver liningstheyre there, youve just got to look for them.
Well, there you have it, folks, our list of 20 things to be grateful for in 2020. Even though we cant quite say we will miss 2020 when its gone, there have without a doubt been some really beautiful things that have come out of it!
Thankful for you this Thanksgiving and always,
xoxo,
Honest in Ivory
