I can’t believe it is January 7th…. the first week of 2014 is behind us! I feel like December just flew by, and now here we are, at the beginning of yet another year! In the middle of trying to catch up on my blogging, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this past year, and thank those of you who made it so successful for EBC! Take a look at this year’s Holiday Card, the girls and I were excited to spread some holiday cheer to all our favorite venues and vendors! We took this photo at our annual holiday dinner together, where we reflected on the past season, and got excited for the season ahead of us in ’14!

What an amazing year 2013 was for me professionally. I feel so blessed. 2013 exceeded any of my expectations, and was by far the best year I’ve had in the industry. The business grew and expanded in more ways than one, and it was so exciting to watch it all come together. We had some of our amazing work featured on blogs, in magazines and in the OC Register, and I lit up every time I saw “Events By Candice” in print! We were voted “#1 Wedding Coordinator by the OC Hotlist after so many of you flattered us with your votes. We were added to 3 more preferred vendor lists’, bringing our total to 8 beautiful venues that are now proud to refer EBC to their couples. So many moments made me so proud this year….proud to be a small business owner, proud to have such a strong team behind me, and proud to have such strong relationships with vendors/venues who continuously support me.

From the bottom of my heart, I say thank you for it all.

To my 2013 clients….. thank you for trusting me with your big day! Thank you for your friendship, and for your referrals. Thank you for having fun with me along our journey together, and for allowing me to share in such an amazing moment in your life. Each of you is special to me. Each of you means something to me. Each wedding touches my life in some way and brings something special to my business and my life. I just can’t say thank you enough for being so wonderful to work with.

To my vendors….. another season down, and we did it together! Thank you for working so hard by my side, and for making me look good in front of my guests!  I know I couldn’t do what I do without the teams I have in place for every event. We do this together every weekend, and I have such a great time doing so! I treasure our working relationships as well as our friendships. You all mean so much to me and make this job so much more enjoyable.

To my team: Jenna, Julie, Kelly, Cierra, Britne & Becky…..thank you for working so hard by my side every weekend. Thank you for always having a smile on your face, no matter how tired you are at the end of an event. Thank you for having so much fun with me, yet still taking our work so seriously. Thank you for treating my clients like your own, and for always representing my business in a positive way. You all make me so proud to be your leader and also your friend.

To my family & friends….. thank you for your support around every turn. Thank you for understanding when I miss an event/birthday/holiday because I am working on the weekends lol. Thank you for spreading the word about this little business of mine, for voting for me, and for convincing your friends and co-workers that they “must have a wedding coordinator” 🙂 I am so lucky to have such a great support system.

And to Brian….. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I couldn’t do this without you. Thank you for another year of support every step of the way. Thank you for packing me lunches, updating my website, fixing my computer and proof-reading my blog. You do so much for me behind the scenes, things that I appreciate so much more than you know. I value your advice, and love that you are always waiting for me to get home after a long wedding day, ready to listen to the re-cap of the day with a smile 🙂 Next year will bring so many new challenges our way with the little one on the way and I thank you in advance for all we’ll adjust together to make this work for our little family. I know I can do it all, but only with a man like you by my side.

And here we go, jumping into another year! 2014 will be exciting, in more ways than one, and I am so thrilled! I am about to be a first time mother (Baby Girl Sanders is due in Feb!), and about to begin another year as the owner of this wonderful small business. I will take all of the moments and memories from 2013 with me into the new year, and will do my best to again exceed my own expectations for success. The sky is the limit. I am ready. Lets do this!

Here are a few pictures of me with just a handful of my 2013 clients! Oh what fun I had! Oh what fantastic events we put together! What a beautiful chapter 2013 turned out to be!

~Candice