As we approach the end of 2014 I find myself in a reflective mood. What a year 2014 has been, I married my best friend and embarked on the adventure that is The White Emporium. I have big plans for my little dream and hope that 2015 will see it go from strength to strength. Its hard work and I am the first to admit I constantly doubt myself, sometimes I think it is to easy to give up on our ambitions because all we are faced with is hurdles and obstacles, but then there are times when my smile is so big my face hurts, as I listen to peoples reactions to something I have created and worked hard on. It is those positive moments that we must hold onto and going into 2015 I will try to focus on the positives and not the negativity I feel when my emails go unanswered. I aim to try and have an uncluttered mind, to enable myself to fulfill my creative potential, to do this I will need to make lists and lots of lists, it is very difficult to be creative and free to express yourself when your mind is swimming with 100 other thoughts and problems. For 2015 I have big plans watch this space for styling shoots, collaborations and lots of wedding fairs, it is certainly going to keep me on my toes.
2014 saw the sad parting of my dear Nanny, the strongest and stubbornest woman I know, what she has seen and lived through in her life is inspiring and a lesson to all us modern women. During the war women were required to be independent and survive without their men, to remain calm and resourceful when all around them the world was falling apart. We should always remember that being in a marriage involves being part of a team, but that ultimately we are individuals and can function and survive without the other. Being married should strengthen you not change your identity, you should not give up on your hopes and dreams because you are married but together achieve them.
Watching my Nan in the last few weeks of her life was very difficult, she died a couple of months after our wedding and I am so grateful she was strong enough to witness us get married. Even though she was very weak and her mind was failing her, she knew on the day who I was, she told me how beautiful I looked and she strongly sung the words to every hymn, those are memories myself and my family will treasure forever and I will always have the image of the church door opening and seeing her sat next to my brother, the first person in the whole church I saw, sat in her pretty dress and fascinator with a smile on her face. This first Christmas won’t be the same without her sneaking a sausage to the dog but I know she is in a better place away from the pain she found herself in.
August 2014 I married my best friend, my rock, the man who makes me smile and who I miss terribly when we are apart. The wedding was the happiest day of my life so far and I wish we could re live it every year. To have all our friends and family there made the whole event so special and we were surrounded with so much love. To them I am so thankful for all their love and support. A wedding makes your real friends stand out as they willingly offer their help and you soon learn who is their for the forever. The nerves hit me only when I was getting my make-up and hair done but as soon as I had my dress on it felt right and walking down the aisle felt like the most natural thing in the world. My favourite part of our wedding was our ceremony, I loved every minute and didn’t want it to end, I honestly felt like my husband and I were in our own little bubble, although the church was packed, to me there was no one else there, just the two of us. I am thankful to our parents who made us realise we are the luckiest people in the world, we may not be rich and famous or have a lot of material possessions but we have the best support network and a lot people that love us unconditionally.
So from 2014 I am going to hold onto the positives and the love that we felt on our wedding day. At the end of the day the most important thing is health, family and friends, for that I am very grateful.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and happy New Year.
Love Gemma
The White Emporium xxx
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