Can I be honest with you? Dreaming big doesn’t come naturally to me. In this industry of “Big Hairy Audacious Goals”, I get a little torn because I find such rest in a completed task-list. Responsibilities handled with excellence. My dreams tend to look more like front-porch-swinging and good-wine-sipping rather than conquering the world one wedding at a time. I’m not interested in spinning my wheels, exhausting my creative energy, to produce something that I am not.

Shay Cochrane said it best, I don’t have to be the best in the industry, but I want to be my client’s favorite. That’s my dream. I want my people to love the work I’ve done for them, the hours, the hustle, the sacrifice, the experience. I want to create beauty, serve joyfully, and celebrate generously, and I’m just fine with that being enough.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the millions of voices on social media and lose sight of my own voice, my own why. But today, I’m just going to tell the truth. I’m not a crazy big risk taker. I love to have a plan; tangible accomplishments. I have to work at being spontaneous. Letting go of perfection isn’t easy for me. And I think that’s okay. The joy is in the journey, right? The thing is, I have learned so much, experienced so much, by the big risks I have taken. Owning a small business never made my childhood list of ambitions. Honestly, it was never my plan. Going full time with this little dream of mine this past March came as a huge shock to me. I’m still processing it all.

But one of the biggest things I learned when we uprooted our perfectly content lives in Newport News, was that sometimes “dreaming bigger” is exactly what I’m being called to, and exactly what my heart needs. So I’m spending some time this summer doing both. I want to define what is “enough” in my work, and where I could stretch to dream a little more. Because the truth is, I love my job. I love serving in significant moments. I love creating and preserving beauty to be enjoyed for a lifetime of memories. I love crying with the bride as she dances with her dad, I love joking with Grandpa during family formals, I love being trusted with my creativity and leadership. If it counts, my big dream is to always do this work.