You are wondering what floppy ear baby goats have to do with our wedding business?? Just wait and see!
The beautiful thing at the end of the year is, that I get to reflect on all the goodness which has danced through my days & be pretty jolly about it. 2016 has been so full of highlights & of dreaming big & of growing our team that I can hardly believe it. And then there have been a whole bunch of days of just work. Plain, quiet, tucked away behind the desk or stretching under the daylight lamp & getting it done. Not glorious but good. With many days on the road & a loaded calendar all the weeks till December I can tell you, I could not have done it on my own.
Of course, there is Jan, as you all know. The best boss in the whole wide world. I can hear him chime in, Rici, we are colleagues. Which is true, I am working many days as if I were self-employed, but he is always around to answer super duper quick and at times with steeling confidence riddles of my every day life as a wedding photographer. So, this part of the team ya´ll know. He is the good soul and calm rock of the studio, who keeps it all together.
Then there is Viktoria who joined the team in spring and is so fast learning that she already is outperforming me when taking business portraits. Something which I am super grateful for by the way. You can find our business portrait homepage here.
During the warm weeks of summer as the weddings were chasing themselves in our calendars and Jan & I were a bit (very) stuffed on editing, Fred walked through our doors. What was meant to be a tiny tour of the studio turned into the job offer of editing for us. A task which is as time-consuming as it is important. Another super power he has are his skills as a videographer and visual storyteller. Which is why, should our calendars align at any time throughout the months following we would love to welcome him back in our team as a wedding videographer. You can find his online home here.
Then there is Anna, the angel of the house. Between us, she has already been the biggest cheerleader of our business long before we hired her. She is the friend to call when you circulation collapsed on a hot Monday morning after a (maybe a little to full weekend) and you are laying on the floor in your office while Jan is having clients up front. And no, calling Jan is no option… then there is Anna. And if you really want to know the phone call went something like, come and get me, I am on the floor in my office.
She is the most charming lady you ever met & we are currently playing with the idea of training her with even more powers she already possess.
Beside keeping the office together she is also know as my Stuttgart muse & fulfiller of dreams. Her handsome husband and her have hired me for an after wedding shooting in Paris. OMG, I know!!
And last but never ever least there is Mau. My dearest friend who has filled in with consoling words, hugs, surprises, pj parties, hours of phone calls and even one or the other wedding when te hours were just to long. She is the friend who keeps it cool should the timeline crash right in front of your eyes. Who can put the bride in her dress and shoes should some of her girls get stuck in traffic or their own dresses. She fetches the flowers & keeps me awake after a sixteen hour day on the highway.
She is also know as professional fruit eater & world champion of positive.
She is the friend who gets emergency messages and prayer requests. I know I can count on her just any day. Which is also why, she got the message which went something like this: there is a tiny Italian gold dealer with pointed shoes who is hitting on me. help!
Be assured this was not a prayer request but a cry for help and I cannot reveal any more. Except that I might write an anonymous book on all the crazy that sometimes happens. One day…
Did I say there were baby goats? Yes. And if you were here for a client meeting you might have heard them mentioned. As for me, I love castles & cheasy & cream coloured weddings like crazy. But every now and then I love myself a rustic barn affair. This day in particular Jan was down with the flue… and we therefore decided to team up, since I was free. Should Jan feel unwell he would retreat to the car & I would take over. Nothing like this happened. So I was free to make new friends with floppy ears. My word! Have you ever seen anything cuter?
Needless to say I was at the goat house more than twice and had a little chit-chat with these fellas.
Three floppy ear baby goats at the same time.
With my eyes on the couple.
A bit distracted with kisses.
Bending over backwards to make it work. 😉
To all who have encouraged us, cheered us on, helped us, sat down, prayed or drank tea, who have called and helped on crazy car days. To the couples who hired us & praised us, who have showed us a piece of their heart. Thank you! To the couples who have asked how we love to work, what we would like to eat, the ones who have offered champaign, the ones who have hugged us like their friends and who have made space in their days to share their stories. Thank you!!!
This whole dream would be nothing without you!
Have a wonderful & blessed new year friends!
See you in 2017.
