Tokyo Announcement and OOO Notification 12/17-12/28

Remember there was 1 week in June in 2021 where it was announced in California that fully vaccinated people (defined by receiving 2 doses) can go about without a mask on? A & W’s event happened to be in that magical week. The only event where we arrived and were told based on the update, it was all right to not wear one if we are fully vaccinated. Let’s just take the wins where we can, and hope for the best…!

Big Announcements 

First things first - I’ll be heading to Las Vegas for my final event of the year, and then I’ll be visiting my family in Southern California, and so I will be OOO from 12/17-12/28! I’ll make sure to get back to you as soon as I can once I return to office! 

The second announcement is the hardest thing for me to write. I haven’t made any official public announcements about it because this wedding season has been unique in many ways as discussed on my previous blog and that I didn’t have the time & bandwidth to decide what’s the best way to phrase this. To make a long story short, my partner Bo, works in the video gaming industry, and he got an amazing job opportunity that is based out of Tokyo September of 2019. At that point and time, I had already made client commitments in 2020, which made moving for me not feasible, because I must honor my commitments. In Dec of 2019, I flew out to Tokyo to check out my work prospects, and without speaking Japanese, I cannot work there in my current profession. At that point I had decided to hold off on moving until I know that Bo loves his job there! Anyway…COVID19 started in January, and I flew back Feb 1st in a plane with the majority of people already wearing a mask on the plane.  And you know the rest with the lockdown and travel restrictions.  Bo’s office became work from home globally, so luckily he could come for about 7 months in 2020 so we were not apart the whole time, but we were pretty much living apart in 2021, minus the brief few weeks he came from end of July to middle of September.  In sum, it was a very hard time living apart, with Japan being completely locked down, and I’ve made the hard decision to take a hiatus and join Bo in Tokyo in 2022.  I’m not sure how long this hiatus will be, as it will largely depend on whether I can adapt living there (I must learn Japanese!), and also his job situation. I decided to give it my very best try and see what the future may hold. My husband asked if I wanted to come here in the summertime and still take on clients as he knows how much I love my work, and I told him that while it would be a hard adjustment for me, but if I am flying back and forth for clients, I will always feel like my “real life” is here in Silicon Valley/California, and I’m a tourist in Tokyo, if that makes sense! 

What this Means for Team Skyla Arts 

Everything will remain the same in terms of how it is running as a boutique artist agency, minus the timezone difference. I will still be your main point of contact for answering questions, emailing, invoicing & contracts. The biggest change will be I will not be the artist who is running the agency while also working on the events here since I will be based out of Tokyo. I have been building my boutique bridal & events agency gradually but surely since 2013/2014 season, and I currently have Camille, Jerilyn and in 2021 I’ve invited Tiffany to join our roster. The shift in “remote work/work from home” has opened my doors to the idea of continuously running my agency from Tokyo.  

I feel very grateful for the wonderful clients and vendors I’ve connected with in the past 13 years.  Each wedding in 2021 that I got to work on was extra special to me, as servicing each client reminded me how amazing it has been to have my own business, work and meet with the most interesting, inspiring, creative and hard-working women and men from not just the Bay Area or California, but from all across the United States, from Asia, Canada, South America and Europe! Through connecting with my clients, I had the unique opportunity to learn about what inspires them, what drives them to wake up every day and shine in their milieu!  I did get teary a few times this year thinking: “Will I be able to return to this industry I love? Is this the last time I’ll see these vendors/work at this venue?” You understand right - some of these relationships with vendors I’ve had for 10 years+.  For that, I’m tremendously grateful, and will have to continue vicariously through my amazing team of artists who choose to partner with me. I can’t be more proud of the team that I’ve built over the years, the service quality, and the level of artistry and craftsmanship.

I’ll just say that getting the inquiries and requests for events I want to do, has honestly been hard!  It’s been hard for me to tell potential clients that I’m going on a hiatus, but I’m going to try to focus on the positives: being with my partner again, and living in a beautiful new country. Japan will be my 7th international move - I’m not a stranger to moving, but the last time I did it I was 18 years old, and this is the longest I’ve lived in one place and have grown some roots; I love it here, it’s so hard to leave!!!  </3  I have a few more events next year, finishing off with an incredible 3-day event in Petaluma, and then I’m off to Tokyo…! 

Please still continue to think of us and our team for your events! :)

And please enjoy some of my absolute favorites from this gorgeous private estate wedding - I absolutely enjoyed working with A&W and her bridal party; I loved the ponytail change, for A to dance the night away; I wanted to showcase what a Full Day Package looks like from Day to Night.  Thank you to this amazing team of endors, and to my most wonderful Team Skyla Arts - Tiffany & Jerilyn - for bringing their A-game as always  <3 

Photos by Ryan Ray 
Planning by Camden of Shannon Leahy Events
Catering Paula LeDuc 
Makeup & Hair Liz, Jerilyn & Tiffany of Skyla Arts

Video Kavin Lindgren Films 
Florals Marianne Healow 
Rentals Hensley Events & Theoni Collection 
Music Bob Gail Music 
Invitations Fourteen/Forty