It's still hard for us to even believe that this photo above was taken a mere nine months ago. It both feels like forever ago, and also like it was just yesterday we were tracking thousands of miles to spread the linyage love.

As every bookend of a year tends to elicit, we have been in major reflection mode and shaking our heads a bit at just how much can be packed into a fleeting 365 day span. While we both enjoy slow mornings, taking our time and being mindful, the two of us are also not foreign to the concept of firing on all cylinders and packing in just that much more with a hoarder like dexterity to our schedules.

Earlier this year, we hooked up Scotty, our beloved 12 foot labor-of-love whip and hit the open road after giving it a makeover to suit our brand. You may have seen more about that redesign here.

Our purpose for the Texas Trip for the beginning of our adventure was the people whom we wanted to collaborate with from the get go. We stopped in Arkansas for a styled shoot, at several boutiques in the surrounding Austin/Dallas area, did a collaborative shoot with a The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell with an incredible lineup of women, and a dreamy stop & shoot at the renowned Marfa. The full scoop in this recap here, incase you missed it, but the images are something we will look back on fondly forever.

Shortly after our 4,200 mile trek, we had the incredible opportunity to be a part of an event in Minneapolis, founded by wedding vendors, called Styled For Good. We were put on a team of insanely talented women vendors in the industry to create a mock-wedding set up, and it was collaboration at it's absolute finest. We learned so much from all who we met and worked with, and were lucky enough to design a couple of pieces for our live models to wear.

In 2015 we had the honor or being vendors at the inaugural Eaux Claires festival – one of the coolest experiences we've had to date. This year, we were lucky enough to come back again and in a bigger way. While we were able to set up our spot again as vendors, selling one of a kind festival tops and flower crowns, we were also lucky enough to have the chance to create a vignette backstage. Our amazing pals Stella & Donna at Dear Hearts, who should seriously win an entire myriad of awards for the way in which they orchestra this festival, asked us to create an area for artists to get tattoos. The artistry and thought behind the tattoo design every year is so intentional and innovative, and our trailer Scotty provided an abode, as well as our pink velvet couch as a place for artists to have a respite; or get inked.

In between these various events and travels, we were continuing to conspire different styled shoots with other artists whose worked we liked, which were able to garner a few publications, such as Ruffled Blog and Dainty Obsessions.

Fall tends to be the craziest time for us (or anyone in the wedding industry, for that matter) and it's most definitely when our inspiration feels heightened. We capitalized on that burst of creative energy and called up a few friends, one being the team over at a.b. ellie. We have partnered up with them before, but we knew this time around it could be even greater, as they were just launching their HDWR line, a line of accessories that is the most stunning complement to the linyage aesthetic.

We knew we had to call upon some amazing talent for this one, and without batting an eye we contacted our Abby/Abbie duo to model. Shot by impeccably David Kasyanyuk, with hair/makeup by Flannery Murphy, and assistance by one of our best and linyage original's Sarah Ackerman, we had the most fun on this full Sunday watching out dreams come to fruition. We were able to execute our latest look book, just in time for NYC.

Quite possibly the greatest opportunity of all in 2016 was heading to New York for Bridal Market. We were fortunate enough to share a space with our a.b. ellie friends again and meet boutique owners, artists, and everyone in between from all over the world. With our recent shift in the business of focusing more on our retail relationships and scaling back on custom, the timing could not have been better. We pounded the pavement and grew so much in this week, both as individuals and as a company. From here, we left with solid relationships and cannot wait to grow our brand in the following locations in the new year:

Emma & Grace Bridal | Denver, CO

And Something Blue | San Francisco, CA

The White Room | Minneapolis, MN

Wildflower | Asheville, NC

Unbridled | Austin, TX

The Wedding Collective | Pretoria, South Africa

With that will come more trunk shows and covering more ground on the #linyageXland tour. We cannot wait to see where this takes us.

And of course, it wouldn't be linyage without giving a nod to some of our #realbrides, who we had the privilege of making pieces for their special day.

While there were many-a-miles and grand opportunities, in between all of that was hard work, challenges, growth and reassessments. We are so fortunate to have the knowledge of so many other artists and business owners whom we greatly respect, and their sage wisdom fuels our fire. 2017 will be a year of peeling back the layers to continue refining what the core of our brand is, while continuing to try and find new ways to cultivate community (a la this al fresco autumn dinner gathering we threw a couple of months back.)

We cannot thank you all enough for your abiding love and support as we navigate the tides of what it means to do the work we love and share it with the world. While none of us ever know what the future holds, we can assure you that we will be continuing to spread our wings, both literally and figuratively, as we grow our brand into new zip codes, but never ever losing sight of our roots. Our feet are forever planted in home.

2016 | A look back at this year.