Gratitude and Growth
Happy New Year 2023
As I reflect on this past year, the words that come to mind are gratitude and growth.
My name is Jasna Boudard. I’m a multicultural wedding photographer and filmmaker. I started Travel Weddings with the dream to discover the world and document the celebration of love in diverse cultures. After years of perseverance, I’m proud that this dream is now my reality.
The climb to the top is not always easy, as this past year was arguably one of the most difficult of my life. 2022 brought a lot of unexpected challenges that I had to learn to navigate with grace. However, I’m grateful that they sparked immense growth, both personal and professional. Professionally speaking, every wedding I shot this year provided a new lesson to learn and a new opportunity to rise. I’d like to share some of these experiences with you and why I’m grateful for them.
Balance
One of the highlights of my year was booking an incredible destination wedding in Morocco. From the moment I received the inquiry, I set aside everything in my life to prioritize this experience. I helped my clients plan and prepare for our epic journey, complete with living in a Riad for a week, riding on camels into the desert, flying in a hot air balloon, and traveling together to the picturesque blue city of Chefchaoen. Out of every amazing gig I ever booked, I was most excited for this one. These clients became my friends, and I was entirely invested in their wedding… until it got canceled.
The bride had some unfortunate health concerns and had to cancel the entire trip. It wasn’t the first time I had an epic destination wedding fall through (I missed out on shooting in Hawaii, the South of France, and most recently Santorini), but this one broke my heart. As upset as I was, I knew my new friends were suffering harder so I offered to do whatever I could to help them.
This unforseen complication pushed me to seek out and adopt policies to protect everyone involved, as I was faced with the intricate balance of taking care of my clients while also taking care of my business. Being flexible and kind goes a long way, and our trip to Morocco is once again in the making for 2023 :)
Teamwork
May of 2022 was the busiest month of my career, with five weddings in one month! Each inquiry I received was too amazing to decline so I booked them all, naively thinking I could handle it. As time got closer and reality started kicking in, I knew I needed help. This challenging month necessitated a solid team I could rely on so I carefully curated the best people to work with, and together we celebrated wedding after wedding.
It was exhausting to say the least. Our first gigs were back to back full days, and others I had to travel across the country for. On top of shooting all day and editing all week, I learned to simultaneously manage a team . There was no room to be hesitant or indecisive, I had to be a leader and a collaborator.
As stressful as it sounds, it was exhilarating. It helped me witness my full potential, while humbly learning a lot from my teammates. I don’t know if I would have explored this new dynamic unless it pushed me there. It also helped me learn that if I truly want the Travel Weddings dream to reach its full potential, it needs to be a collective dream. This year, we celebrated weddings from Eritrea, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, and of course all over the USA. As the team grows, so will our reach of more incredible cultures.
Compassion
The morning of my last wedding of the year, my worst nightmare manifested.
I woke up super sick (like, coughing up blood sick). I panicked, there was no way I could shoot a wedding in this condition! I reached out to my team and every photographer I knew to desperately find a replacement, but no one was available. Although our contract protects us in offering the client a full refund if the photographer can’t make it, I drowned myself in medication and made my way there.
Foolish? Perhaps, but I knew my client would be devastated if I didn’t show up. I masked up, the adrenaline kicked in, and I got to work. It was my toughest shooting day, but my clients, their families, and even the staff were unbelievably kind and supportive. They respected that I showed up despite my poor health, and graciously helped me out all day. They offered me numerous breaks, nourishment, words of gratitude and appreciation. There is usually high pressure and demand for a wedding photographer’s performance, so I am unbelievably grateful that I survived this challenging test with the most compassionate people I could have asked for. Best of all, the photos came out great!
New chapter
Over the course of the year, Travel Weddings grew from being just me to adding some valuable team members. We experienced fascinating new cultures, destinations, and more love than we can measure.
And the biggest change of all, Travel Weddings has relocated to Austin, Texas! Can’t wait to connect with all the newly engaged here!
Wishing you all a glorious year ahead filled with growth and gratitude.