▶ News and Announcements

Sixty Small Miracles: A wedding vendor’s reflection on weddings in 2021.

blue confetti gender reveal at wedding - Nichole & Christopher by Alante Photography at Melrose Market Studios

As we officially enter into the 2022 summer months, our industry is well into the busiest wedding season in forty years. If you’re attending a wedding this year – or in my case four – you’re probably already dreaming of your pre-chosen entree selection paired with that open bar, and maybe dreading attempting to fit back into the formalwear in the back of your closet…

If you’re a wedding professional, you might already be several weddings deep, feeling both excited and apologetic as you close off days or weeks in your summer calendar, and wondering how you’ll be able to stretch yourself and your limited staff across an unprecedented wedding season littered with lingering pandemic hurdles.

It’s easy to fling our attention from one challenge to the next without looking back. This wedding season already feels challenging in a bursting-at-the-seams kind of way, so different from the past two years’ feeling of rug-repeatedly-pulled-out-from-under-you kind of way. Do you remember that feeling? The emails filled with apologies, the all-but-real tumble weeds blowing through the hallways…

After 2020, every wedding in 2021 felt like a miracle.

A blessing for our wedding business, yes, but even more of a sigh of relief for the couple who had waited through years of uncertainty, re-planning, and frustration. Our event notes all told a familiar story: “This is the wedding of X and Y, originally set for x-x-2020 at Y venue, they are so excited to finally be married!” Every wedding album we received was a glimpse into a day the couple probably wasn’t convinced would actually happen until like the week before.

I don’t know about you, but every digital photo album I received kind of took my breath away - just knowing what this couple must have gone through to get here, as well as remembering what our company had gone through to get here.

In 2019, we catered 95 weddings.

In 2020, it was 19.

(Only seven of which were after March of 2020, and half of those were only food deliveries to private residences.)

Considering all the ups and downs of last year – our bare-bones staff for the first 5 months, the supply chain issues, the guest count caps, and back and forth vaccine requirements and mask mandates - I still can’t believe we catered sixty weddings in 2021. Sixty miracle days. Sixty moments of pure gratitude.

The bride’s father may have worn a mask while walking her down the aisle, the dancing might have been canceled, the reception may have been small. But before we go back to our anxieties over this busy season, let’s sit with that feeling of awe that, despite everything, we were able to give sixty couples the happiest day of their lives last year. And we lived to tell the tale!

Our #OneBrilliantTeam is back. We’ve collected a few accolades under our belt. We’ve gone through some big changes. But we’re here. We’re still rolling with the endless punches - but we’re in the events industry after all so that’s what we signed up for! And now we’re once again looking forward to a year filled with the happiest days.

Photography credits:

  1. (Hero Image) Nichole & Christopher by Alante Photography at Melrose Market Studios
  2. Jaqueline & Austin by Robert Paetz at the Hall at Fauntleroy
  3. Kumiko & Tausif by Woven Legacies at Melrose Market Studios
  4. Margaret & Annie by Adina Photography at the Hall at Fauntleroy
  5. Blair & Emily by Emma Studley at the Hall at Fauntleroy
  6. Sydney & Klayton by Shelby Payne at the Admiral's House
  7. Alexa (and Phil) with T&T past and present servers at Marrowstone Vineyards
  8. Rui Fan & Zhaoyang by Lin Deng Photography at Cedar Springs
  9. Ivy & Johnny with T&T servers by True Northwest Weddings at Black Diamond Gardens
  10. Josh & Brad by Autumn Laine Photography at the Hall at Fauntleroy
  11. Ashley & Edward by Rebecca Anne Photography at Melrose Market Studios
  12. Kaitlin & Rohan by NW Life Shots at the Hall at Fauntleroy
  13. Alix & Chris by Klear Photography at Rock Creek Gardens

Written June 2022

No items found.
By
Desiree Jones
Desiree Jones
,
former
Marketing Communications Specialist
,
DSquared Hospitality Company
Subscribe for More!

related posts

Introducing 4105: Seattle’s New Event & Venue Space

DSquared announces the opening of 4105, their newest event and venue space situated in the heart of Seattle’s industrial neighborhood.
read more

2024 Spring Menu: Seasonal Featured Favorites

The Tuxedos & Tennis Shoes team shares their favorite seasonal bites and sips from the 2024 Spring Menu.
read more

Top 4 F&B Wedding Trends for 2024

The Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes team predicts the leading culinary and cocktail trends for the 2024 wedding season.
read more

Emerald City Elegance: 2024 Hall at Fauntleroy Showcase

Tuxedos & Tennis Shoes Catering collaborates with local event vendors for their yearly showcase hosted at the Hall at Fauntleroy, a historic wedding and event venue in West Seattle
read more

An Unforgettable Evening at Seattle Bride's Best of 2023 Awards Gala

DSquared was beyond thrilled to receive not just one, but four awards from Washington Wedding Day, formerly Seattle Bride Magazine, at last year’s Best of 2023 Awards Gala.
read more

Top 5 Historic Wedding Venues in Seattle

Starting to plan your wedding? Check out these top PNW venues with a rich history in our community.
read more

Hosting the LCA Executive Summit in Seattle

DSquared Hospitality Company hosts 73 of the nation’s finest caterers in Seattle with Lisa Dupar Catering for the 2023 Leading Caterers of America executive Summit.
read more

A Thanksgiving Tradition Since 1997

Our team comes together each year to celebrate Thanksgiving with our cherished community.
read more

Meet DSquared's First Creative Director, Matt Haggerty

As our Creative Director, Matt works with teams across each DSquared location to maintain visual and experiential consistency, as well as create unique and trend-setting moments.
read more

Proud to be one of the Leading Caterers of America

DSquared Hospitality, a member of the exclusive Leading Caterers of America since 2013, will host the Leading Caterers of America Executive Summit in 2023.
read more

DIY Dream Wedding in Longbranch, WA

Daniel and Jake designed, grew, built, cooked, or procured nearly every element of their unique PNW wedding weekend with help from DSquared Hospitality.
read more

Should You Book a DIY or All Inclusive Wedding Venue?

A quick guide to deciding if you want to book a blank-slate, no frills event space, or a done-for-you wedding venue.
read more

Pick Up Shifts Now Available

Join the DSquared Hospitality team for one or more service industry shifts during our busy spring and summer event seasons.
read more

How to Book The Best Photographer for Your Venue

Not all photographers can take beautiful photos in all locations. Make sure you pick a wedding photographer who will make you and your wedding venue shine!
read more

We Are ECEP

Seattle’s hospitality industry gets national representation with ECEP – Elite Catering + Event Professionals
read more

DSquared Hospitality Wins Big in 2022

DSquared Hospitality Company wins big in 2022 with five award nominations from local and national event & wedding industry organizations.
read more

Pandemic Wedding Planning 101

Pandemic Wedding-Planning Tips from Seattle Venue & Event Manager Kimball Gainor
read more

Time To Say Goodbye

With gratitude and well wishes we are announcing the retirement of DSquared's co-owner, David Meckstroth.
read more

career trajectories at dsquared

Looking back on the career trajectories of some of our long-time event and culinary employees.
read more