I guess the cat is out of the bag, but in case you haven’t already heard….
We feel extremely overwhelmed for so many reasons, mostly in the best way possible, but also because I feel that there is no way possible to accurately show my gratitude, and thankfulness for the ARMY of support we’ve had here in the last three years. I guess I need to at least try.
Here’s the long story, short (but really, it’s not so short.)
In August of 2013, I jokingly (not so jokingly) told John I wanted to move. I remember it like it was yesterday. We were out to eat, and John dropped his fork and said “You’re dreaming girl.” I laughed, because who just ups and moves to San Francisco? And then I thought a little more on it. I didn’t bring it up again that night, went to sleep, and woke up the next day. John was biting his nails which is something he does when he’s thinking. You can see the intensity in his eyes, and you just KNOW he is brewing something up in that brilliant mind of his. I finally said “HEYYYYYYY, what are you thinking about?” and he said “What if we did it?” “Did what?” I said. “Moved to San Francisco.” I was thrilled. I thought for sure he ruled it out as another “Kelly hair brained idea.”
I immediately hit the ground running. At this point, neither of us had even ever been to San Francisco. I knew I needed to shoot a wedding there to broaden my portfolio, which is EXACTLY what we did. I reached out to a graphic designer friend of mine, begged her to make me some sort of propaganda, and then BEGGED my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter friends to share it, to try to gain exposure. And guess what? It worked, we got to shoot a wedding in San Francisco last July.
Needless to say, (because it is completely obvious, and I’ve already said it in THIS post) we were in love with San Francisco before we ever laid eyes on it. Seeing it in person confirmed everything we already knew, and we knew then there was nothing that could keep us from going back. When you know, you know, and we just knew.
(This post is FAR from over, and please stay with me until the end, because I owe a lot of people, and Memphis in general, a giant freaking thank you.)
We wanted Tebow to be in our video, but it just wasn’t in the cards. We then decided that he could announce that we had a secret, and also leave clues. I’ve had SEVERAL people ask me about the relevance of the clues, so let me elaborate.
(And in case you missed it, here’s how we let the world know we needed to tell them something:)
Yes, Tebow totally knew before anyone. Although “San Francisco” may not be in his vocabulary (of words he understands) yet, it soon will be!
The first clue we posted was this:
While most people were focusing on the fortune itself, we were more so showing off the object itself, the fortune cookie. Did you know that some say the fortune cookie was invented IN San Francisco? The inventor’s name is Makoto Hagiwara. Also, take a LOOK at those lucky numbers? See anything at all? We are actually super surprised that no one looked into that?
10, 19, 15 (the date we’re moving) 77, San Francisco is said to be 7×7 miles, 49, (get it, like the 49ers!) Pretty good, huh?
We then shared this, which definitely threw a LOT of people off, which was our plan ALL along.
We’ve had several guesses and some of them were pretty good.
One was “Is it because a dream is a wish your heart makes?” hahaha, Well it totally is a dream of ours, and that’s clever, but that wasn’t the reason.
Another great guess was “Is it because it’s the happiest place on earth, and that’s what San Francisco is to you?” Also 100% correct, but not why we put Mickey ears on our nug.
“So what was it then, tell us already?”
Well…….. Did you know (found this on two different sources) that Walt Disney World (see it in the middle of Tebow’s hat) is almost the exact square mileage of the city of San Francisco? So if you’ve walked all over Walt Disney World, you’ve basically walked the whole distance of the city of San Francisco.
Now THAT’S CLEVER.
We also took this photo (which we haven’t posted until now.)
If THAT’S not the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, you may want to get your eyes checked.
Ok, ok. On to the thank you’s:
First of all, the most giant THANK YOU is to VMWeddings Studio. They were nice enough to create this video for us. Listen to me when I say, I literally have never ever seen more talented people. They agreed to shoot footage for us, and also piece together footage we took while in San Francisco. They went above and beyond everything we could have EVER imagined. They are our ultimate favorite videographers. Their work is unobtrusive, authentic, believable, and absolutely breathtaking. They always bend over backwards (with a slap happy smile on their faces) for their brides because they honestly just care so much. A lot of times, I have brides ask me “Do I really need a videographer, I mean you’re going to take a lot of photos?” and my answer, as always is “Do you need a videographer, um….yes, you NEED VMWeddings.” My advice to you brides, and future brides. DO NOT skimp out on videographers. Start saving now, or figure out a way to move money around, and go hire them RIGHT now. Jimmy and Toni, of VMWeddings have a very journalistic approach to their style of capturing memories for you. You won’t find them giving you stiff poses or ask you to awkwardly talk to the camera. They capture the day as it happens, and you will not regret hiring them, but you will regret NOT hiring them. Jimmy and Toni, you are the best.
Kelly Warren. (And the Warrens in general.) Thank you for modeling for this video. I know it was hard to see our vision when I first asked you to be in this, but I cannot imagine a better person to be in a video that I will keep for the rest of my life. Thank you for supporting us from day one, allowing us to capture your special day, and for being the best friend any girl could ask for. Kelly has climbed so many hills with me, and has always always invested time into our friendship. She genuinely cares about our well being, and is the first to ask “What can I do to help?” She and her husband Dusty are also the owners of Bluff City Photo Booth, and they rule at life. Brides, want your guests to stay longer at your wedding AND have a fabulous time? Call Bluff City TODAY to reserve your wedding date.
Michael Doyle of Lynn Doyle Flowers. I’ll keep this short and sweet because if I don’t I’ll cry myself to sleep. This man is a Godsend. (I’m sure he’ll laugh at that statement.) He helped bring me into the wonderful world of weddings when not a soul knew who I was. He’s encouraged John and I from the get-go, and has believed in us even more than we believe in ourselves. He’s supported us, loved us, annoyed us, and even been annoyed by us for years, and we are thankful for all he has done. He’s basically like the wedding Godfather. Brides, hiring Michael and his awesome team (Hi Thane) is a necessity.
Toni Williams of Spring Creek Ranch. This woman is absolutely insane (in the BEST way possible.) I honestly do not know what humans in general did before she was born. How on earth did ANYTHING get done properly? I know I sound like a broken record when I talk about how wonderful and supportive our friends are, but it’s true and Toni is no exception. Toni started off as (to us anyways) a strict wedding coordinator/event planner, who always had an agenda, to a life long friend who we don’t know WHAT we do without. She’s helped our little business SO much, I almost feel like she’s a part of our team. She’s helped us in so many ways, I could just cry thinking about it. We have NO idea what we did to deserve a wonderful friend like Toni, but you won’t find us questioning it. She’s like our mom, sister, and best friend all wrapped up into one person, and we are THANKFUL for her.
Mom:
For many reasons but for the sake of not crying (and also because this post is getting SO long) For teaching me that if I wanted something bad enough I could have it. For making me a fighter, and a hard worker. For teaching me nothing worth having is easy, and that the view is always worth the climb. I wouldn’t be who and where I am today without my mom. She feeds us when we’re overwhelmed, keeps Tebow for us when we’re working, brings us lenses that we accidentally forget on wedding days, and also makes post office runs when we can’t possibly find the time. (This is obviously the short list.) I’ve had several people tell me (and I thank you for this) “When Kelly wants something, she does it big and makes it happen.” I have good ‘ole Mom to thank for drive like that. Tell me no, and I will show you I can. Doubt me, and you will regret it. Kick me down, and you’d better run cause I’m gonna get up swinging, and make things happen.
AND LASTLY
TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS/FAMILY that believed in us, or were happy for us each and every time we went out to San Francisco. We had an army of support today, and we are still in shock. To ANYONE and everyone who shared our wedding giveaway back in 2013 when we didn’t have a PRAYER. To anyone who shared today’s video, texted us, emailed us, messaged us, or to anyone who even watched our video. We had absolutely NO idea that so many people would be so happy for us. To each and every one of you who congratulated us, wrote on our walls, or called us, we love you and we wish we could hug you all. You have no idea how entirely special you’ve made John and I feel. We feel so blessed by your love and support, and can’t wait to support you when we hear of your life’s adventures. To the wonderful city of Memphis and all of the insanely talented people who have treated us so well, we thank you. Memphis will always be a giant place in our hearts. It’s where we met when we were 12. It’s where we first started dating, where we got engaged, and married. It’s where we met all of you, and fell in love with capturing love stories. There aren’t enough thank you’s in the entire world for you, Memphis.
We love you so.
The Ginns end the night with lots of love and thankful hearts. Love you all so much.
(The amazing music was licensed via SongFreedom and is by an AWESOME band called Hartley.)
Paula Cole -Wonderful story!! So exciting!!! I’ve dreamed of moving to that area for years!! It’s beautiful. You guys will make an awesome life there. Congratulations. I can’t wait to follow you and your dream.ReplyCancel
April 24, 2015 - 3:55 pm
Mary-So excited for y’all. That last picture with Tebow is possibly the cutest dog picture I’ve ever seen. <3 Congrats on your new adventure!ReplyCancel
I guess the cat is out of the bag, but in case you haven’t already heard….
Paula Cole - Wonderful story!! So exciting!!! I’ve dreamed of moving to that area for years!! It’s beautiful. You guys will make an awesome life there. Congratulations. I can’t wait to follow you and your dream.
Mary - So excited for y’all. That last picture with Tebow is possibly the cutest dog picture I’ve ever seen. <3 Congrats on your new adventure!