What's in a Name?

What's in a name, huh? This was probably the hardest part about my decision to go ahead and make this little business happen. The name. It means so much. It carries so much weight. It's the first thing people connect to. I wanted my business name to have meaning, be timeless and something that I could grow into, because let me be honest...there are a BUNCH of little dreams that I have making up this big dream! 

But first, the why. Why did I want to do this? Plan, style, create, craft and just make down right pretty weddings? Go out on a limb, put myself out there for possible failure, success, hard work, late nights, highs, lows and everything else that comes with owning a business and sharing a piece of your heart? Family and love. Those two things are it y'all. They make the world go 'round. And it's really, really amazing when you sit and think about them even just for a second. 

That's my why. To help people celebrate their family and their love in their way. Crafting a moment that will never be forgotten. A moment that starts a beginning, carries on a history, creates an heirloom and shapes the lives of not only two people saying "I do," but generations after them. That's huge. And awesome. And makes me want to have a dance party and cry happy tears all at the same time. It gives me chills to think I could be a part of something like that. 

Now, back to the name. Emma Love Events. No, my name isn't Emma. Not my first or middle, but it almost was because of family. Emma was my great-grandma. I only knew her for a few years of my life, but from what I hear, she was a pretty awesome lady. And so was my other great-grandma, Anne. Their faith, stories, personalities, loves, lives, quirks, wisdom, recipes, sayings and even some of their perfectly pretty now-vintage pieces have shaped me into the woman I am. Because that's what families do. They shape you even if you never met them or only knew them for a short period of time. They made my grandma, aunts, and especially my Mom into the women they are today. And they made all those women so full of love. My Mom and I have spent a lot of time talking about Emma and Anne and who they were and what they stood for. (Mint green kitchens, peony bushes, and homemade doughnuts were big priorities for them. I get my love for all those things honest.) Out of those talks, Emma Love was born. Emma for Family and Love, obviously for Love. 

So that's it. That's what's in my name. I'll leave you with two thoughts. Both speak volumes about this piece of my heart. One is from the Bible and the other is from Love Does by Bob Goff. 

"⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9

"As I sit on my island, it becomes clear that we need to stop plotting the course and instead just land the plane on our plans to make a difference by getting to the "do" part of faith. That's because love is never stationary. In the end, love doesn't just keep thinking about it or keep planning for it. Simply put: love does." Bob Goff. 

Nicole

Photo of my Lindsay Letters Lovely Print. Reminding me to think of the above verse daily. 

Here Goes Everything

Well, here goes everything. This is the beginning of a dream I've had for a long time. I've always been the planning type. My parents can attest to that. My friends and my fiancé all know a well planned get together, party, event, day, trip (the list goes on and on) is the cream cheese frosting to my red velvet cake. It just completes me. I try to turn any occasion into a party with striped straws, pretty flowers and favors. It's just my nature. Simply put, it's love. I love the thrill of seeing meaningful, make-people-feel-good details come together to create an experience. I love being a part of that. I love the details and work that go into planning the perfect event. I love creating those details. It's beyond exciting when your thoughts and work finally come together in a moment.

I think that's part of the reason writing this little post, on this little blog has been such a BIG deal. I don't have everything planned. I have a vision and I know what I want to be doing and what types of things I want to create, but the actual plan is lacking. And that has made getting started not happen. Until now.

I had a phone call today with two wonderful ladies who inspire people (and me!) every day. They asked me what my fears were. I said money to start was a big fear and investing and some other things that I am truly fearful of, but after we got off the phone, it really sunk in. That's not it. I'm afraid to start because I don't have a plan. The timeline's not laid out, the decorations haven't been selected, there's no theme established, not all my ideas are 100% ready to go. And what I mean by that is that I don't have a beautiful brand and tons of photos of my work yet, or cool swag bags and note cards with my name on them. But you know what? Here I am. Starting. And that's WAY better than not. And better yet, one day, I plan on having all those things. 

Introducing, Emma Love Events. A just-getting-started full service event planning and vintage rental business in Morgantown, WV. I hope you will take some time and follow along on this journey. There's going to be a big bunch of pretty happening soon, along with some life lesson learning, fun, adventure and probably some failure mixed in too. Most importantly, there's going to be a whole lot of faith and a whole lot of love, because without those two things, what else is there?

Nicole

PS - More on the meaning behind the name in my next post!
PPS - Profile picture by Emily Porter Photography from our AMAZING engagement session. Hopefully I'll have a real head shot one day soon.