Yes, you read that title right… I’m celebrating the 1st birthday of Every Last Vendor today! One year ago today, Every Last Detail relaunched with a new look and all new features (mostly all of what you will find on the site today). The thing is, this relaunch was so much more than just a pretty new website and fun new things. And so today, a year later, I wanted to share with you what that relaunch meant and the journey I’ve been on in the past year. It’s time to get a little personal…

One year ago today, ELD relaunched. Prettier, better, more functional. Lots of people didn’t even know about ELD a year ago. But there it was- and there I was. Excited. Nervous. Stressed. I was still doing ELD on the side, and I was gunning for the relaunch to be what allowed me to go full time…. specifically, Every Last Vendor- which is why it’s birthday means so much to me!

Photo by ELV photographer Caroline & Evan Photography

I’m not going to sugar coat it for you. Every Last Vendor is indeed what allowed me to go full time. It’s what pays my bills, buys my food, and keeps my diabetic husband alive. Yep. I went there- because it’s the truth. I don’t speak anything but the truth here on ELD. I thought being a full time blogger was going to be easy. It’s not. It’s really hard. I tell people that my job is really just sales- blogging is just a fancy word for: I-spend-all-day-writing-emails-and-doing-sales-and-really-just-blog-late-at-night. :) But no matter what, I still love it. As hard and uncertain as it may be, I’m still doing what sets my heart on fire and makes me happier than I’ve ever been.

This past year has definitely been a journey. Lots of ups and downs, goals reached, and tears cried. Tons of tweeting and Facebooking and emailing. I’ve made great new friends, yet lost some old ones. I’ve learned invaluable things about people, support, and business. I’ve tried new things, figured out what I really love doing, and started lots of new projects (and this doesn’t include the several new ones that I dream up every month). I spoke at events, go days without leaving my house, and yes… paid self employment taxes (UGH). It’s funny- when I first went full time, I thought that I would have posts done weeks in advance and spend all day blogging and looking at gorgeous photos. HA. I don’t know how it is for other full time bloggers, but that is definitely not what it’s like for me. I literally spent MONTHS just trying to achieve that “blogger nirvana”. It was November 2011 when I finally came to the conclusion that how I did things was what worked for me and it was okay. There was no right or wrong way for me to run my business. Maybe one day when I’m not in a 700 square foot house and half of my office is taken over by craft supplies overflowing out of my closet, I’ll do a “day in the life” thing. Actually, maybe not- it would be pretty boring. Because the truth is, I really spend most of my day reading and sending emails. And I do not have posts done weeks in advance. There I said it. I feel like I’m going to get put in blogger jail or something… oh, that doesn’t exist? Well that’s great. ;)

Oh, and here’s another thing. Lots of people are surprised to find out that I’m the only one behind ELD. The emails that say “Dear ELD Team” make me chuckle. ;) Thank you all for thinking that there are more people behind the scenes, but nope, sorry to disappoint you… it’s just me running the show. I am SO thankful to have some of my friends as contributors every now and then, but for now, it’s still just me. I really do like it that way too. I LOVE meeting new wedding professionals and seeing their businesses grow. Seriously- it makes me cry (sometimes) when I hear about ELV pros booking brides, making connections with other ELV pros, and becoming great friends. And I don’t cry often. I’ve discovered what I love to do and I don’t ever want to stop doing it. One day, when I can afford to have employees, I will most likely still be doing everything that I’m doing now. And NO, I will not be starting a baby/home blog down the road. Weddings are ENOUGH for me. ;)

Photo by ELV photographer, Ashley Daniell Photography

And ultimately, all of this- everything I do every day- is for brides and vendors. I want brides to KNOW about weddings and what they’re planning. I want them to find amazing vendors. I want them to feel like they know their vendors and be confident that they are going to be awesome. As for vendors, I want them to have great brides. I want their lives to be a little easier because their brides are having their questions answered HERE. I want to help grow businesses and make connections. I. Just. Want. To. Help. :)

Finally, I want to say THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. Thank you to the amazing brides who read ELD. To the vendors who read ELD. And most of all, to the awesome wedding pros who have trusted in me to help market their business. I would not be here without ANY of you, and I humbly recognize that and will never forget it!

So, that’s kind of the last year in a nutshell. Sorry for rambling… I just like you all to know what’s going on with me every now and then, and I felt like today’s “birthday celebration” was a good time to do that. And now back to Every Last Vendor’s birthday… I have 2 fun little announcements to help celebrate! Cue the confetti!!

Announcement #1: Coming to a computer screen near you this Spring…. The ELD Detail Catalog! I am compiling pages of gorgeous details, made up exclusively of images from Every Last Vendor pros, with the aim to inspire brides to have awesome wedding details! I’m VERY excited about this… it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for over a year now! And I’m super excited that it’s an awesome extra opportunity for all of the amazing pros in Every Last Vendor to be showcased!! (Wedding pros, if you want to be a part of the Detail Catalog, see the next announcement!)

Announcement #2: Every Last Vendor Birthday Deals! I can’t celebrate without doing something extra special, so I’m giving new ELV pros a gift! Wedding pros, to find out about the deals, go here. The deals will only be available until March 23rd at 11:59pm EST, so hurry up and get to “celebrating” with me! :)

I suppose both of these could be seen as “gifts” for you all, right? ;) I really can’t even put into words how excited about the Detail Catalog I am! I hope you all will love it and get SO much inspiration from it! I know I would have LOVED for something like it when I was planning! And for the ELV Birthday Deals, well, I hope some of you awesome vendors will love my “gift” to you! :) I love all of you- thank you so much for your support this past year! :)