What Happens When You Trust the Picture in Your Head

Vanesa & Christain Babyshower

Norwood Vineyard Archive
Saturday, October 4, 2025

We were standing in the middle of Norwood’s Vineyard on a late-summer afternoon, and he was already seeing October. Christian was the dad-to-be, but also the designer of the day - the man with a clear eye and a plan. Vanesa and Christian were touring the vineyard for their upcoming babyshower. I asked what I always ask - what’s your vision for the day? What’s most important to you? Christian didn’t describe it; he showed me with photos, angles and fabrics.

During the tour he’d pulled his phone from his back pocket, swiping through photos of draped tents and low tables where people sat close to the ground.
“I just want something different,” he said.
He already knew what that meant.

He imagined the tent as the stage. Linen draping from the ceiling, pillows instead of chairs, one long bohemian table in the center.
Around the tent, ten round tables sat just outside the canopy like a frame around a painting: ivory cloths, a single hydrangea floral centerpiece, a bottle of wine, one tea candle.
Simple, restrained, exact.
Vanessa moved quietly beside him, all calm energy and trust.
Together they built something that felt both personal and precise.

On the day of the event in October, by the time guests arrived, the vineyard looked like a dream with its edges showing. Latin music rolling across the vineyard, drapery catching the wind in the trees along the walkway, the smell of citrus and tequila in the air.
It didn’t feel staged.
It felt certain.

Standing there, I realized how rare it is to be invited into someone’s imagination.
Most celebrations follow what’s trending; few follow what’s personal.
Christian and Vanessa chose clarity over trend, and that clarity became beauty.

It’s not excess that makes a moment memorable. It’s intention.
It’s not grandeur that moves people. It’s truth.
And originality is faithfulness to what you see before anyone else does.

That October afternoon reminded me that when you honor the picture in your mind,
even a baby shower can look like art.

And maybe that’s the real work of hosting, or even living: letting your imagination be seen fully and felt deeply.

With gratitude,
Erika

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P.S. Before the week runs away, open your Notes app or your Pinterest.
Write the title it Someday Soon.
Add one line that begins, “One day I’ll…” or Pin the image that feels like your imagination made visible. That’s the first step.
Share it if you’d like - tag us or drop the link. I’ll meet you there.