{"id":1660,"date":"2019-11-11T16:17:01","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T23:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wanderbackblog.com\/?p=1660"},"modified":"2020-03-12T18:27:44","modified_gmt":"2020-03-12T18:27:44","slug":"1660","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joandalli.com\/?p=1660","title":{"rendered":"3 Year Anniversary!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oh boy.<\/p>\n

Oh boy.<\/p>\n

OH BOY.<\/p>\n

Okay, we\u2019re being a little dramatic, but it\u2019s for good reason: it\u2019s been three years since Alli and I went into business together!<\/p>\n

\"2019-11-06_0002\"<\/p>\n

Not all small businesses make it this long, so we\u2019re super blessed to still be able to pursue this passion<\/a> of ours. It\u2019s been a ridiculously busy three years, everyone. Sure, there\u2019s the normal thing: Alli and I have both put a lot of work into this business. There have definitely been a few late nights with coffee (and maybe a little shot of something else!) and raw images<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"2019-11-06_0001\"<\/p>\n

But you know what? That\u2019s not bad at all. Hard work will bring rewards, we like to think. We\u2019ve gotten some of those rewards: our couples<\/a>. We started introducing Skype meetings for couples<\/a> who can\u2019t meet up with us, as well as for helping to organize styled shoots <\/a>and other business ventures. Technology is great, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

But you guys, our couples<\/a> and our readers, are the core of our business. We\u2019ve been able to meet some of the most incredible<\/a> people, working with people whose love stories<\/a> are straight out of comic books and romance movies. From a couple whose love soars when they pilot planes to cross-country and international romances, there\u2019s been a lot of stuff to love, a lot of love shared around, and a lot of amazing people that we\u2019ve met.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, when I meet someone new, they ask me if I still like romance. Honestly? YES. Weddings, too. It doesn\u2019t matter how many I go to: I still love them. There\u2019s something about seeing two people declare their love in front of people who love them that resonates with me (and with Alli). It\u2019s not as simple as wanting it or having it or having gone through it. I think what really hits me about weddings is that no matter our couples\u2019 lives, no matter what they may have been through, they\u2019re able to surround themselves with people they truly care about, with people who care about them, and take the time out of busy lives to celebrate love in all its forms, from romance to friendship to everything in between. It\u2019s a physical representation of a support network, of happiness, of the heart itself.<\/p>\n

It will never get old.<\/p>\n

\"2019-11-02_0001\"<\/p>\n

Personally, too, there\u2019s been a lot. Both my son and Alli\u2019s son hit the age of 3 over the last year, and we\u2019ve been able to enjoy everything that goes with it (even the temper tantrums, though positive feelings toward those definitely come later \ud83d\ude09<\/a>) . Our kids are starting to take an interest in what their mommies do at work, which helps us teach them about caring for someone and how that looks different for each and every person. I didn\u2019t ever think that photographing other peoples\u2019 weddings would be such a big help in teaching my son.<\/p>\n

Alli and I have made new connections, too, not just with our couples. Vendors come and go, but some of the ones that we\u2019ve worked with the last 12 months have been really, really cool. From gorgeous cakes to classy stationary, it\u2019s been awesome working with new vendors. Doing that and participating in styled shoots, too, has helped Alli and I feel better about getting photos of ourselves taken, too, whether they\u2019re behind-the-scenes or staged photos. They say confidence is key, and the last year has really helped.<\/p>\n

\"2019-11-11_0001\"<\/p>\n

Thanks, all. Thank you for trusting us and believing in us. To our couples, thank you for trusting us with something so important, something so delicate, something so personal. We love each and every one of you.<\/p>\n

\"2019-11-11_0002\"<\/p>\n

To our friends and family, thank you for supporting us. We know it\u2019s been a lot sometimes, but having such strong support from people we love has been nothing short of momentous. You\u2019ve helped us through the good and the bad, and we can only hope that you come with us as we continue to grow and achieve our dreams<\/a>. Thank you.<\/p>\n

Love,<\/p>\n

Jo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oh boy. Oh boy. OH BOY. Okay, we\u2019re being a little dramatic, but it\u2019s for good reason: it\u2019s been three years since Alli and I went into business together! Not all small businesses make it this long, so we\u2019re super blessed to still be able to pursue this passion of ours. It\u2019s been a ridiculously […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,21,28,32,42,80],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anniversary","category-couples","category-dreams","category-family","category-goals","category-styled-shoots"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joandalli.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joandalli.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joandalli.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joandalli.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joandalli.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/joandalli.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joandalli.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joandalli.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joandalli.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}