There’s no denying it: 2020 sucked, and 2021 wasn’t a real winner either. There’s been chaos in our world, in our country, and in most of our personal lives.
At the start of 2021 tragedy hit my life, and I kind of went into a tailspin. My job as a social worker for refugee kids in foster care, which I am passionate about, became a burden. There was too much happening in my life for me to be able to fully invest the effort and attention needed to that job.
I was losing sleep, losing my appetite, and I spent 90% of my day worrying about work. It took only a few weeks of feeling like that to know enough was enough – I needed a new job while I worked on healing myself.
My friends and family were taken aback when I told them I was leaving social work. I spent six years and thousands of dollars learning how to be a social worker; how could I leave it behind for something I had no experience with? Truth is, it was easy.
Now let me be clear: I do not have a ‘dream job’. I do not dream of labor. I dream of sunbathing on an island with a fruity, frozen cocktail and a great book. But alas, I was not born a hotel heiress or a celebrity, so I will spend my days working. However, I am a firm believer that if I have to do something for 40 hours per week, I better freakin’ enjoy it. And I really, really enjoy working at Darianna Bridal and Tuxedo.
Working in a bridal store is just as incredible as you’d expect it to be. Most of the time, it doesn’t even feel like work. The energy is always positive, the space is filled with beautiful things to look at, and people are genuinely happy to be here.
From groomsmen excited about standing next to their friend, to moms looking for a perfect dress of their own, to high schoolers shopping for prom dresses, to our gorgeous brides and their maids, we see a little bit of everything and everyone. And it’s the everyone that I enjoy the most.
In my first six months here, I’ve sold dresses to brides that I know from other jobs, high school, college, church, and my kindergarten class! I had even met Daria at a party once in 2009 or something crazy. Growing up locally means knowing the clientele and finding common ground to build relationships on.
Even though being at Darianna is totally a different line of work from social work, I was surprised at how much my social work skills have come into play here. Between analyzing body language and facial expressions to gauge how my brides actually feel, to practicing active listening to fully understand my brides’ visions, and even mediating a few disputes between brides and their groups, there is definitely a lot of overlap.
I am new to the wonderful world of weddings, but I have a working understanding of psychology and human behavior; I feel like both my brides and I benefit from that. And it’s nice knowing my education isn’t going to waste.
There is something truly special and rewarding about working for a family business, too. I went from a nation-wide organization operating in 43 states with a couple hundred branches to working for a local family at one single location. Here, the owners know me and care about me. I feel valued, I feel heard, and I feel genuinely welcomed into the family.
All of my stress and anxieties of my old job have disappeared; I even stopped biting my nails! I am healing. When it really comes down to it, working at Darianna Bridal and Tuxedo is the best decision I’ve made in a long, long time. And you will find me here for a long, long time to come.
