The Strictly final has been and gone, the mince pies are being eaten and the presents are almost (very nearly) all bought, but not yet wrapped. 2017 is fast approaching and I am taking a moment to reflect on another hectic year for me personally and for Paperless Wedding.
For those of you that don’t me, I am a mum of two beautiful young children, and I feel honoured I can be at home to watch them grow and hear their amusing stories, while running this fast growing business. I won’t lie, it is a juggling act and involves a lot of late nights working post bedtime and snatched blog writing during nap time. One thing I can say is no day is ever the same or dull and it can be hugely rewarding.
The biggest achievement is that we have grown by a whopping 66% on last year!!! This means I can officially say we have a business that is booming. We have helped well over 100 people have a paperless wedding, saving countless trees, air-miles and pennies for them. You, my lovely, clients have ranged in ages, locations and traditions, but that is the beauty of Paperless Wedding. We cater for so many people, each with their own individual style.
This year I started a few more regular features on the blog and social media. My ‘Photography in Focus‘ has been great, as I get to share some stunning photos by talent photographers such as Kat Forsyth, Lex Fleming, and Frances Carlisle to name just a few. I have covered some fab Eco minded ideas on my Eco Tips feature. This has included Eco Venues, upcycled clothes, edible flowers and eco candles. A BIG thanks to all my contirbutors to my blog. My Women in Business blogs have covered tips on Pinterest, running your own business and I have even been tweeted by Jacqueline Gold and won her Women in Business award too!
My favourite blogs to write are the Real Wedding blogs. I love to be able to share stunning photos, tips and ideas from a couple who have just got hitched. Most of the time it is the first time I get to actually see my couples I might have been talking with.
Alexis and Pauline married September 2016.
My Facebook page got a big boost thanks to the competition I ran in October. BIG HELLO to all my new followers!!! I Combined with some great wedding vendors and I was able to offer a fantastic prize of an engagement shoot, jewellery, wedding planning session and a Paperless Wedding package. Our winner gets married in 2018 so has plenty of time to take full advantage of her prizes. Big thanks to all the companies that took part.
Andy and Laura our winners for Oct Competition
I take regularly take part in Twitter #tag hours and from there I have found lots of people to include on my blogs. Virtual networkings is great but your can’t beat face to face. I started attending the Wedding Breakfast Club meetings this year and it has been brilliant to share ideas and get some valuable advice.
So what is happening in 2017?
I was lucky enough to get myself an investor and that is going to help me give you all a much better and more flexible product. So what are the changes? Our “Create your own Theme” section is having a major revamp. It is going to be much simple to use, with more flexibility to create a site that is unique to you and your wedding. No two weddings will be the same!! We will be expanding our templates, but you will be able to create your very own theme, from scratch, with much more ease and with less of a need to be really technical.
Sneak peek of work in progress…..
I am also able to bring on board someone to help me with my Social Media, which allows me to work on the core product with our designers and developer at Skyblue Creations, to ensure it can be the best it can be. The team have really worked hard on this project and I am very grateful to them.
I will be continuing to work with a group of fab freelance designers from New Zealand, Australia and UK, who all bring different artistic designs to the site. Expect to see some specific themes, like the London Skyline and black cabs, to Peacock feathers and Scottish tartan. We are also looking at working on some more Asian inspired designs.
Finally a BIG thank you to my husband. Without him doing his day job and keeping a roof over our heads, none of this would be possible. He gives me a hug when it is needed, talks me down when I am stressed and pushes me to make it the best it can be. I am so grateful to him and to all my wonderful supports, retweeters, Facebook sharers and of course my lovely Paperless Wedding couples.
So this is the last blog post for the year, so wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
