Huge apologies for being so quiet on the blog lately. These past two months have served as stepping stones in my transition, and while it's been difficult at times, I am starting to adjust quite well. Which means... I can finally emerge from hiding under my rock, haha.

To make up for my absence, I have good news to share with everyone. To start us off... after much patience, paperwork, and prayers, I am officially Victoria Liu Photography! I have decided to be based in Austin for at least two years and see where life takes me from there. Words cannot even express the joy and relief I feel towards the start of my business, and while nerves may get the best of me at times, I still feel an overwhelming peace that eases my doubt and confusion. On top of that, I've finally got around to creating an official Facebook page to share my works and thoughts. If you're interested in staying in touch, go ahead and "like" my page. Be excited because I have some goodies lined up to share with you all in the next few months.

More importantly though, I want to share about my experience as an assistant wedding planner, which I believe may clarify the confusion that some of you may have about me. To give you all some context, I've always been a lover of styling, design, and photography. Growing up, I could spend hours in my room playing with tulle and plastic flowers just to create a perfect shot for my pictures. This combination couldn't have been a better match so with this fueling my curiosity and desire to explore, I gathered my courage and gave it shot. Since January, I have teamed up with one of best event stylists and coordinator, Nita Teng, and have been walking alongside her as she teaches me the ins and outs of a perfect wedding day. At first, it seemed quite odd that I'd invest my time and energy in two equally important roles of this industry, but the more involved I got, the more I realized how much these roles overlap each other. When teamed with the right people and vendors, the synergy of everyone's teamwork is what contributes to a wedding's uniqueness, charm, and energy.

Within a few short weeks after 2015 started, I found myself buried under olive branches and eucalyptus berries, remnants of flowers and ribbon, stickers and papers, and I couldn't have been a happier camper. While design is not the only aspect of wedding planning, it's certainly one of my favorites, especially when we are creating the bride's bouquet. It teaches me that often times, the most beautiful things are created by what we often ignore or throw away. Sometimes, an unopened bud can add more character to a bouquet than a blooming garden rose. Very quickly, I discovered that while everything we do must have a purpose, our job isn't one that fits a cookie cutter mold. It requires a certain degree of intuition, sensitivity, and vision.

However, this job isn't just full of sunshine and giggles. Often times, I'm confronted with situations that challenge me both professionally and personally, especially coordinating the wedding day. Being new in this industry, it's expected that I make mistakes and when I do, my pride shatters. I often strive for perfection so when I make a mistake, big or small, I easily panic and shut down. Too bad there's very little room for me to do that in this job, haha, but I love that it challenges me to grow in humility and learn how to bounce back in stressful situations. One particular moment that reflected this was when I made a mistake that slowed us down during set up, and I spent the entire evening fearing that my team, especially Nita, was disappointed in my abilities. To my surprise, while the wedding guests prayed for their dinnertime, I felt Nita wrap her arms warmly around my shoulders, and she didn't let go until after the prayer. This simple act spoke volumes to me, and it quickly dissolved my disappoint and frustration with myself. Everything was okay, and the show will go on, whether I wanted to let it or not.

Anyways, as much as I want to continue, I think we've reached a sweet stop. Below, I've also shared a few of my progress so far. Until next time, my loves.

Hello, Change.