Allow me to introduce myself….

So I should probably introduce myself, officially.

My name is Michelle Durpetti. I am a Chicago resident, a third generation restauranteur, a wedding planner and an equestrian among other things. I am married for about a year, and I recently turned 40. I My life is pretty busy as I am sure you can see, and within all of those amazing things I live my life with PCOS and deal with some auto immune related issues. It is a lot of stuff, good stuff. Busy stuff, occasionally overwhelming stuff. How did I get here? I have asked myself that before.It has been quite a while since I have been able to sit down and really write a blog, so long in fact that I don’t even remember the last time I was able to. In all fairness, between getting engaged, planning my own wedding, managing MDE and my family’s business as well as keeping up with a really competitive schedule with my horses, I have had a few things (or a few hundred) on the proverbial “to do” list. Which got me thinking, and led to my sitting down after dinner with my husband in front of my computer to write. As a planner, I have had the pleasure and privilege for the last eleven years of watching couples plan weddings while balancing life, and it always impressed me. And in all reality, terrified me because I just could never imagine myself planning my own wedding. It was the most foreign of thought processes for me. I love my clients, and I love planning their weddings and events but the mere thought of planning my own wedding was outside of what my brain could handle. Maybe because I had never met the right person and assumed I wouldn’t get married. I have this great life, it is so fulfilling and I never really yearned to be married. And then about three years ago I met my (then) soon to be husband and he definitely changed all of that in the best way possible.

I think part of what worried me was how would I continue to balance all of the many facets of my life – my business, my family’s business, the horses, loved ones, my health, my free time – and have time left to put into a relationship, all while not losing time for myself? It was a pretty daunting thought. The greatest thing about Collin however is the way that he just jumped right into my life, fully supportive of all of those previously mentioned facets with a shared desire of his own to not lose any of those things that were so important to him. He also happens to be (an incredibly talented) photographer (shameless plug – www.collinpierson.com) in the wedding industry so I think that made things so much easier. He travels for work, shooting weddings and teaching all over the country and the world so he totally understood my schedule with my clients, the rigorous schedule I keep with my horses, and what is needed of me when I am home from my business and my family. I do not know how I got so lucky but I did and that has been the best part of arriving at this point. I don’t feel different – I feel more empowered actually, because I have someone who supports everything that I do. And the thing about living such an incredibly full life with so many opportunities and blessings is that sometimes, I find myself a bit tired, LOL! And when that happens, he is always there to lend a supportive word or help in some way. It has become invaluable. I would not change any of it, believe me. I wake up every day and know that I am living out a life that I have worked really hard to have and I love every minute of it. But – I have learned that it is ok to be human and occasionally sit down and say “ok. I am tired, I need some restorative time.” And then I take it. I enjoy it, I recover, restore and re-energize and get right back at life I am a huge fan of IV me for these moments as well because the IV infusion really helps bolster my immune system.

No life is perfect. No life is without moments of exhaustion and confusion and frustration. And I have learned to accept that as well. This is where loved ones including Collin become invaluable. Sharing those frustrations or having time together just to laugh and take some time out of the hustle and bustle to really be with those people that love you is so important. I am going to try to keep blogging frequently and give a few insights and sneak peeks into what my life looks like on a daily basis – I have an incredible team of professionals that are working tirelessly to assist with that. Thank goodness. The value and importance of investing in a great team around you is not only something I tell my clients, it is actually exactly what I told myself when I hired my planner for my wedding , and when I manage four businesses. Regarding my wedding – YES, I hired a planner. I did not want my wedding to feel like “work” – I wanted to feel like a bride and make decisions with my fiancé about the things that matter to us and have that guide who is full of creativity and knowledge with me along the way. She was incredible. Brides and grooms to be, I cannot stress this enough – HIRE. A. PLANNER. I learned from the other side of the equation how important what planners do is, and how much we bring to the table for our couples.

I am a pretty simple person even though I am layered as hell and have all kinds of expectations for my life. Here is what I know right now – if you struggle with balancing life or ever feel a little tired – know that you are not alone. I feel you, and I totally get it. My advice? Be human, lean into everything you can, take advantage of the support of loved ones, and wake up every day and say thank you! I actually do this. Every day. And somehow I figure my way through it all, and I keep laughing. And then, get back to that hustle, never abandon a dream, and seek to spread kindness and consideration whenever you can. ❤️