Well, we made it! At the end of 2020 we just weren’t quite sure what the future was going to hold for us here at I Do Events, but low and behold we went all in and came out on the other side stronger and better for it. It’s been a year for the record books!
January – The start of something new and fresh. We officially opened our doors at our new Shoppes at Grand Prairie location in Peoria, IL. We had been outgrowing our shop for years, but just never seemed to find the right time to create a new space to showcase all that we have to offer. When Illinois shut down the event industry again in November, we figured now or never. And we’re so glad we did! The new studio is AMAZING! We try to showcase wedding designs in several themes throughout the showroom each month. We have an empty “play” table for our free design consultations and a we now have a custom floral design room. It’s honestly a dream come true!
February – New inventory, such as our extremely popular champagne wall, seemed to be arriving every day and looking back this was such a blessing. Who would have known that shipping and inventory backlogs would create such an issue come fall? Our warehouse in Washington, IL still holds all of our goodies, but now we have the room to put them on display from time to time.
March – We’re not sure exactly what happened in March of 2021, but clients all of a sudden just decided that it was time to move forward with their weddings and events. We were meeting with so many clients each week, both rescheduled weddings and new ones all together. It finally started to feel like things were turning around and we were going to be okay after all.
April – Our first few events of the year we’re off to a great start and trends we’re already starting to emerge. One of our biggest trends in 2021 was the resurgence of the neon sign. We’ve added it to backdrops behind head tables, to arbors for ceremonies, and to boxwood walls for selfie stations. Whether brides are renting our “Better Together” neon sign or purchasing a custom one they are showing up at almost every event!
May – We spent most of May dusting off the cobwebs. We had gotten somewhat used to the slow pace of 2020 and the push in May caught us a little off guard. We quickly regrouped and adjusted to our new pace and no one knew the difference, but for a couple minutes we had a slight panic about being ready. The May pace continued to increase all throughout the year and by November it was a full on sprint. None of us ever even thought about complaining though. We were all just so thrilled to be doing what we love again.
June – June came in hot and with LOTS of color! I love that brides weren’t afraid to go BOLD in their color choices this year. The above photo is from Arin’s wedding from Big City Bride. Her backyard wedding in Bloomington was an absolutely perfect June wedding.
July – It was a scorcher of a month and the above setup was one of the hottest. The dramatic tent draping at Allerton Park in Champaign was worth every bit of sweat we put into this one (quite literally!) Amanda from Inspire Your brought us in just a few weeks out with a vision of grandness and I’m pretty confident it turned out even better than she imagined! Fancy Floral by Nancy brought the drama with this amazing floral wreath.
August – We always have a bit of a “break” in August. Kids and teachers are getting ready for back to school and in Central Illinois it tends to be hotter than the surface of the sun. It gave us a little bit of time to prep and reorganize some of our lounge and furniture pieces. We repaired our second leather sofa to have a matching set and played with lounge groupings. We’re seeing the trend of lounge seating vignettes as well as unique options for Bride & Groom chairs.
September – Our gorgeous bride, Erin, had a dream of a baby’s breath “cloud” floating in the air. I’ll admit that I lost some sleep over this one. How do we hang it? How much baby’s breath do we need? Will it look like a cloud? We created a test run in our studio space, worked out some kinks, and when it was time to hang it at The Cannery in Eureka it was just as Erin had dreamed it up! We added over 100 candles and voila!
October – I’m pretty sure we had the coolest couple we’ve ever gotten to work with for a spooktacular Halloween wedding this October. These guys were the absolutest nicest human beings and they rolled with every idea we had. They 1000% committed to the theme and the results were over the top amazing. The Venue in Canton was transformed into a red and black goth glam wedding reception complete with coffins and severed heads. It doesn’t hurt that the owner of the venue also dabbled in haunted houses back in the day!
November – We rounded out our year and finished some amazing weddings in the month of November, but one thing we noticed throughout 2021 is that all the blush weddings of 2019 evolved into a deeper dusty rose or mauve as the year went on. It was a slow and subtle change, but we’re here for it! And how beautiful is Taylor and her ladies at the Hotel Pere Marquette in Peoria?
December – Not a beautifully staged professional photo, but I couldn’t have gotten through 2021 without our amazing #idocrew. These men and women give their all for every wedding, event, and crazy idea I throw out to them and they do it all with love and grace for our clients. They truly love what they do and it shows in everything that we create. They’re simply the best!
Bring on 2022! Rumor has it, it will be our busiest year yet