The Official Recap of 2018 - A Year For the Books!
In sports we often refer to a great year where an athlete becomes an All-American, people take note of their skills, and they help lead a team to a championship or win a significant game as a breakout year. This isn’t their prime, but merely the beginning. For Designory Hair & Makeup, 2018 was that year.
For many years, I juggled Designory plus other jobs praying I would get to that year that I could support myself, that I could build my kits like I wanted (supplies are expensive, guys), and that I could say this was my full-time job. It has been a lot of hard work to get to this point, and I know it will continue to be tough. I’ll have to reach down into my soul and remember why sometimes, I’ll probably shed a few more tears, and I will always keep grinding. I cannot let too much of 2019 pass before I recap the year and review!
January – March
Bride Megan on her wedding day in the Midlands of South Carolina.
The runway at Lowndes Grove Plantation for Charleston Wedding Week.
The beginning of 2018 was almost like any other year. I made plans to work with Charleston Wedding Week and Team ABP for the first time, and booked some trial runs. CWW was a great experience. During this 3 day event the team worked from Cannon Green, Lowndes Grove and worked alongside Verita Bridal, Southern Protocol, Betty Bridal, Maddison Row and Bella Bridesmaid, and Lovely, Mason Hosker, Emily Kotarski, Made with Love by Lovely, and Modern Trousseau – just to name a few! January also brought about some new introductions. I started meeting with brides and having trial runs for spring weddings. In February I had auditions for Charleston and Greenville Fashion Weeks. Thankfully, I was asked to be on both teams. March brought one of my favorite events of the Spring – Charleston Fashion Week. I worked with Team ABP for 4 years. I started as an assistant and worked my way to working as a stylist on the hair side of the team. As Easter rolled in, the crazy part of wedding season began!
April -June
April bridal portraits with Blake at the South Carolina Botanical Gardens in Clemson, SC.
Greenville Fashion Week April 2018 with Designer Andrew Clancey of Any Old Iron and models from his zombie-inspired show.
In April, I started the month traveling for bridal portraits in Anderson and Columbia. Greenville Fashion Week had a training day at Paul Mitchell the School in Greenville, and wedding season was in full swing! Greenville Fashion Week kicked off, and the weekend brought looks from the cute boutique Blossom, and the rad designer out of Nashville, Any Old Iron. His show was zombie themed, so we had a lot of fun with that backstage. In May, I had the second busiest wedding month of 2018. All of the brides I worked with during this month helped me make personal history – thank you! The beginning of June also brought about some cool achievements for Designory. I booked 2 weddings on the same day, requiring my team to split. I managed both weddings, assigned my artist Jackie to the wedding in Columbia, and I headed up the team along with Katie and Summer in Greenville at the Huguenot Lofts.
Bride Jessica on her wedding day in Columbia, SC.
July – September
July 2018 bride, Kat - Clinton, SC
July 2018 brought about a little bit of a reprieve for weddings, and allowed me to start making moves for my biggest adventure yet with Designory! July was the last month I worked behind the chair with another salon. My last day was the 31st, and I was able to start making moves to build my brand in a studio location. I found the perfect space in the 400 College Avenue office spaces – suite 5. The month of August I was busy renovating, painting, contacting clients and getting my license through South Carolina’s LLR and the City of Clemson. It was a busy month! I added a shampoo bowl, pulled up carpet, had a wooden floor installed, painted, took down this mammoth dry erase board that was in the space, and furnished my space. I actually am a big fan of renovations (maybe I watch too much HGTV), so this was fun. September, I started seeing clients behind the chair, did my first elopement at the Bolt Farm Treehouse in the midst of a hurricane, took a drive to Chattooga Belle Farm in Long Creek, SC, and traveled to Columbia for a Riverbanks Botanical Garden wedding. I also snuck in a trip to College Station, TX to see the Clemson Tigers play!
October – December
A reverse balayage color melt for a client at Designory Hair & Makeup Studio.
First look with Mackenzie and Hamp at 701 Whaley.
October was by far the busiest month for weddings. Which, 2019 is also shaping up to be since I already have multiple bookings for that month (October brides – book now!). Through the month I traveled to Kingwood Resort in Clayton, Georgia for an unseasonably warm October wedding, did a local wedding for a beauty from Canada, traveled to Aiken, Charleston, and Columbia to serve beautiful brides all over South Carolina. What an exhausting, rewarding, gorgeous month! November slowed down and I was able to enjoy my birthday month – after all, you only turn 30 once. I worked with a beautiful bride in Irmo and traveled just a bit down the road to the Bleckley Inn to serve up some glam for Bride + Mom. December brought about the Christmas rush, and Designory finished out the year with a wedding in Clinton, SC. I was able to work alongside one of my new teammates, Paisley. We made a great duo! December also brought my own engagement. Thanks to all of the lovely ideas and designs I’ve seen over the years from you all, I have nothing but ideas! Thanks!
This was a challenging, growth-inducing year- and I am so thankful for the support and love from my friends and family, and the continued support of my clients and brides. Without all of you, I would not have a business and I wouldn’t be nearly as happy. Here’s to a record breaking year, here’s to another one. Cheers!
Stay Beautiful,
Rachel
Designory Studio at Christmastime