Thanksgiving week is upon us, and anyone who knows me knows it is not my favorite holiday . . . because that would be Halloween, duh! But let me say what I love about Thanksgiving is the thanks-giving part. I love the posture of gratitude. I love the push to frame our minds around giving thanks. This year, in particular, our business has a lot for which we are grateful.
No surprise that our thanks is all about community and relationships . . . after all, that’s sort of our “thing.” With all the changes in our business, it is quite easy to venture out willy-nilly because you think you have a brilliant idea all by yourself. Successful ideas, however, are vetted. Our idea to grow this business out in new ways, shift brands, and change our name would never have worked without feedback, streamlining, and fine-tuning by some most amazing people – we affectionately call them our Beta Babes.
These Beta Babes are trusted colleagues, as well as friends. They’ve know us for a long time, and innately understand who we are and what we do. They trust us, and believe in us. They pep talked us, and gave us critical feedback. They were the first to see our mood board, they voted on logos, they threw out ideas and tweaked our work over lunches. They gave us their time simply because we asked them. These women are at the heart of the wedding industry in Austin, Texas, veterans in the industry, and full of insights and knowledge. We are grateful and thankful for them. We are better for them, and in this week’s post, we give thanks for them: Amy Mader with Platinum Wedding and Events
Barbara Hearne with Barbara’s Brides
Dawn Earley, the Fairy Godmother of Travel
Kristen Lloyd with The Terrace Club.
Thank you BetaBabes for the role you played in our business rebranding!
May the holiday season bring to mind those people in your life who create fun, beautiful, honest, and trusted community. May the very thought of them warm your hearts.

Sarah has been crafting custom weddings for couples of all kinds since 1999. Sarah is a Ravenclaw, and loves mythology, historical fiction, hot tea, and cycling of all sorts. She is an ordained minister who believes in coloring outside the lines. Sarah has been married to her best friend, Joe, since 1994. Together, their greatest treasures are their two children and the marriage they’ve worked hard to cultivate.