12/31/2025
On Christmas Eve eve, the lights at the top of my family tree went out. Did I fix them before everyone arrived Christmas Eve? Absolutely. Was it the perfect visual representation of 2025? Absolutely. When it happened I said it’s just like this year “mostly great, a little fu**ed”.
This year was a lot. There was the good and really good - press I’ve only ever dreamed about (national print in Good Housekeeping and Bridal Guide, and features in the NYT, Southern Living, CNN, Homes & Gardens, The New York Post, L.A. Times…so many!!), work with people that excited and energized me, incredible couples, vendors I love, and palettes and concepts I’ve been waiting for just the right couples to unfurl them on. There was happiness - family in town for visits, little trips here and there for spring break, special occasions, concerts and performances, and a quick trip to the Eastern Shore, my best friend’s wedding, and all the things that mark the cadence of the year, traditions, holidays, and time spent savoring each season.
Mixed with all the good was the kind of fu**ed. This was a growing pains year and it was always going to be, but life likes to give you more than you anticipate for (sometimes a lot more) and 2025 definitely brought it. There was loss, a lot. There was fear, often. And much of the year, just when I thought I found my footing, something else would come along that made me question if I would ever feel on solid ground again. I’m proud of how I’ve managed it. I let myself feel all the things. I let myself be taken under and I trust that I will rise on the other side. Rinse and repeat. And really that’s all we can do.
I’m always candid in this space and otherwise. I know I’m not alone in my mostly great, a little fu**ed year. Why be anything but real in the recap? Every year I choose to hold on to the good which includes the growth that happens most when I’m tested. This year is no exception. Swipe for the good. Happy New Year.
xx, G
