Back in Moscow, where I grew up, every year on March 8, the boys in our school brought us girls yellow mimosa flowers, the earliest spring arrivals in the cold Russian climate. March 8 was Women’s Day and everyone, no matter what age, celebrated the special women in their lives – classmates, sisters, mothers, grandmothers, daughters.
When my family and I moved to the U.S. in the 1990s, I discovered that most Americans didn’t know about Women’s Day. There was Mother’s Day, of course, but unless you were a mother, there was no special day celebrating the luck, the beauty, the joy and the burden of simply being a woman.
Today, more than 20 years later, I’m happy to see that America is waking up to the importance of recognizing all women, no matter their age, race, or status in life. Even though this wake-up call for women and their rights was driven by political strife, I see it as a positive outcome. In fact, to me, today is the most special Women’s Day I can remember.
Being able to meet and be surrounded by amazing women is why I consider myself lucky to work in our industry.
Back in 2011, when I was starting I DO PR, I met a woman with an amazing story: she told me how when she was just a sophomore in college, she escaped from a dictator-run state to come to America. Then, she started playing around with a camera and now she is an internationally recognized, award-winning wedding photographer.
Years later, I continue to be inspired by the incredible women I meet. Just last month, in Milan, I met another strong woman who after going through a divorce, moved to Italy by herself without a job. She tried her hand at planning weddings and now runs one of the most successful planning companies in Italy.
In my years working in the wedding industry, I’ve met women who run huge national magazines, who design stunning dresses that thousands of brides wear on one of the most memorable days in their lives, women who raised millions of dollars to fund their companies. I’ve talked to hundreds of women who took their passion and talent and used it to become successful photographers, florists, planners, jewelers, blogger, and tech entrepreneurs.
Some say that takes balls. I say that takes one kick-ass woman. Â So today, I want to celebrate these women. I want to celebrate you!
HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY!!!
