Happy 2017, friends! We’re three weeks into this new year and I must say it’s already been quite the adventure! Not only did we ring in the new year with Jocie and Graham’s winter wonderland wedding on Saddleback Mountain, but also had a blast designing this camp styled holiday party for Idexx at The Westin Harborview.
These first few weeks have certainly been a whirlwind of fun, but we’ve also been taking a little time to rewind and reflect on the year behind us. 2016 was a memorable one, a year filled with growth, remarkable couples, supporting families (including my own!), hardworking teams of vendors, and most importantly, a great deal of love. Our little team would not be whole without the love and support of all of you. How did we get so darn lucky?!
Throughout 2016, we had the pleasure of welcoming many new planning and rental clients to the AFA family and proudly donated 31 hours of volunteer work to remarkable charities and organizations across the state of Maine. In January alone, the AFA inventory grew by 912 items…912!! In June, our team successfully executed five weddings, three rehearsal dinners, and one graduation party, and by August, our Instagram following had reached 1,000. We are so blessed!
The year took us to new destinations and beautiful venues throughout Maine and New England. From celebrations overlooking the ocean at Point Lookout and The Inn on Peaks Island, to watching dreamy sunsets over the mountains at Granite Ridge, 2016 proved to be a year filled with travel and breathtaking views.
We reached some milestones in 2016, both big and small, that we are so proud to have accomplished. In fact, this was our most successful year yet! We’ve welcomed amazing new team members, we were featured in Style Me Pretty, Vogue, Ruffled, 100 Layer Cake, and Real Maine Weddings to name a few, started blogging once again (a pretty big accomplishment if you ask me!), and collaborated with incredible talents in the industry to produce some seriously fab shoots.
And of course, we could never forget about our 2016 Clients! These incredible people truly made our year so remarkable. They are the reason we love what we do. We have been fortunate enough to work with the sweetest, most sincere couples and we are blessed to have them as part of the AFA family. Just look at these gorgeous couples! Thank you all for entrusting us with your special day and we wish you continued happiness in 2017 and beyond! Thanks too, to all of the amazing photographers that shared these striking images with us.
Most dear to my heart, and most important of all, was the continued love and unwavering support from my family and closest friends throughout the year. I am forever grateful to know such special people who bring happiness and laughter to my life each and every day. 2016 saw a few changes for us as well: In September, we saw our youngest off to Kindergarten, putting both of our girls in school full time. It was a bittersweet time, but we’ve all thrived from the experience! After our beloved dog Rosey passed away from illness over the summer, we acquired a new family member to our crazy household, a Vizsla named Charlie Brown! There may only be five of us, but there’s never a dull moment in this family!
We learned much in 2016, and continue to use this knowledge to grow and strive for more each day. Thank you to all of our Clients and those we had to opportunity to meet and work with for making 2016 a year we will never forget! We wish all of our readers, fans and followers continued joy and love for this year and many years beyond. Here’s to 2017, with so much more in store! Xoxo
A Family Affair Design Blog 