For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed giving. In primary school, my classmates’ mothers would compliment my mum on how kind I was. (To her dismay, it was due to me giving away the Sara Lee pound cakes she had packed for my lunch.) I volunteered at hospitals and animal shelters. The best memories of friendships were lending an ear or going to performances that my friends were in. Don’t get me wrong, I love receiving as well, but I’ve found that supporting others and seeing what can happen gives me so much joy that I really don’t need anything else.
I started Ever Ours, a wedding blog, a few years ago as an arena to inspire people and to support truly talented vendors. I began reaching out to photographers, asking permission for their images and creating professional relationships because I was in constant awe of what they captured – emotions, candid moments, the wedding day story. I simply wanted others to see the great work they did. Most rewarding was that many of these professional relationships have become true friendships and I get such genuine enjoyment to see them do well. I’m proud to have supported them along the way.
Giving is essential to not just being human, but to being a community. I’m so proud to be part of this community. After the 2011 Japan disasters, feeling so helpless, I joined with others in this industry that felt the same way. Together with the girls of Utterly Engaged we launched For Japan with Love with the hopes of raising $5,500 for disaster-aid organization ShelterBox. The result far exceeded our expectations – we raised over $64,000 in two and a half weeks. That amount in itself is amazing. But what was most amazing was this money was raised from over 1,400 individual donations. The majority was from wedding industry folks – you guys. It took my breath away.
Being surrounded by so many generous people is contagious. This community of people makes it easy to do that all the time, and investing time and effort into others here never seems like work. When I launched Ever Ours I never expected to get anything back, but I was so mistaken. I am blessed by friendships that will last a lifetime. The support I’ve received for the blog and on a personal level has carried me through many an emotional time. I recently had a major family loss and took a break from blogging. You sat patiently while I put your features on hold. You reached out to me to make sure that I knew you were there for me. I had doubts about returning to blogging but I’ve realized that you can’t just leave a truly supportive community that is rooting for you. In fact, it just makes it easier to come back.
Working in this industry I’ve learned it’s so important to give and support. Don’t go in with the expectation of getting something back. You lose sight of the reasons you are giving for and you rob yourself of the true joys that come with it. You may not get anything tangible back, but it ends up making your heart full. I’m so lucky to be part of this community. I’m so thankful for what it has given me in return. I treasure and cherish the talented people I’ve become close with more than anything else. And you bet your bottom dollar, I’m throwing confetti all over because of it.
- Lydia Yeung | Ever Ours
Image by Jeramie Shoda (and that blur on the left is Lydia, appropriately throwing confetti).
Header image of Lydia by Sidney Morgan.