04.14.09
Put Away the Whip
Have you ever been in a wedding with Bridezilla? Not fun is it? What makes her this way? It’s all the stress of the planning. All the pressure from family; we have to invite who? How do we not offend anyone? How are we going to get that there? Who’s going to bring the baby? Don’t forget this! Don’t forget that! There are so many little details! How will I remember them all? How will all this get done? There’s so much pressure! Stop. Breathe. Relax. It will get done. Here’s how:
Plan
There are a million wedding planning timelines and checklists out there for you to use. Use them. Stick to them as best you can. Yes, some things will fall to weeks closer to the wedding day, but do your best to stick to them. They are there to help you and help minimize unnecessary stress as you see the days get closer and
closer to your big day.
Enlist in some help
Get your girls together to help address the invitations. Put together the favors. Make the welcome baskets. Get a friend with a creative background to help with the layout and design of the program. Make it a night or a day with food and drinks. These are fun times. Make memories by spending it with the ones you hold close to your heart.
Show individuality
You’ve heard about it. That bridesmaid that hates the dress. The color. The shoes. The hairstyle. The jewelry. They feel like they’re being forced to be anything but themselves and it shows in their negative attitude. These are your girls! Each one of them is different. You love them because of that. After all, isn’t that why you asked them to be a part of your day? They pull out different sides of you. Give them that same feeling. If they’re being feisty, give them a little of wiggle room. Granted you have a theme or look you’re trying to accomplish, but allow them to pick a style of dress, but in your color. Let them to wear their hair the way they’re most comfortable. Let them show a little bit of their personality and they will shine making your wedding more relaxed, fun and stylish. On top of it all, your bridesmaids will thank you for it and
you’ll reap the benefits.
02.24.09
Cut Out the Fat
Think about it. Most people won’t be offended if they’re not invited to your wedding. Really. If you want a small wedding, then keep it small. Invite those only that you want there. Send an announcement afterwards to everyone else you hold dear. You’ve talked to people about their weddings and the crazy number of people they invited. You’ve heard the bride say, “I just wanted immediate family but didn’t feel like I could.” Ask yourself this, if you were not immediate family and weren’t invited, would you be offended? I hope not. This is their day too. Not yours. Not anyone else’s but the couples. Be reasonable. You don’t need to invite that friend you rode the bus with in eighth grade that’s now a friend on Facebook. They’ll be happy with a phone call.
02.23.09
You’re a Control Freak
It’s your wedding day. We get it. There are so many things that have to be done and so many people offering their opinions. How do people do this? How do they manage the chaos and still stay sane? Many of them don’t. They go crazy, lose site of the big picture and ultimately are more stressed and feel like it all went too fast. Others have a plan. They get help, they plan ahead and they relinquish some control. Whoa! What? Did you just say, “Relinquish some control?“ Are you crazy? No. As hard as it is to do, you’ll enjoy your day more and those things that were the most important to you will be remembered.
Interesting concept. So how do you do this? Start by deciding what the most important things are to you. Make a list. Handle them yourself and as soon as they can be taken care of. Knock them out one by one and make sure they are done to your liking. Then take the next group of most important things. Manage those or delegate them to someone you trust. Decide what things you must have control over. Don’t get caught up in things you can’t control. Just plan for them and ask for help when things get tough. Then move on. Keep in mind, this is your day but don’t let that turn you into something you’re not. You can’t please everyone. When it’s all said and done, what things will matter most? Make sure you plan to do them right ahead of time, then afterwards, you can relish in the memories of a beautiful day.
02.21.09
What You Might Not Know About Me
I am an organizer at heart. A neat freak. Everything in my house has a place and everything is in its place. My closet is organized by color. I won’t keep trash in my car. I’m the person people call on when their life is chaos and they need help sorting it out. This kind of structure drives other people crazy. Insane, more like it. Not me. I love it! It allows me to be totally creative in every other aspect of my life. My interests range from stage performances, Mexican restaurants, watching home decorating shows and hearing the roar of stockcars as they race around a ½ mile track. I love hosting parties at my house and hanging out on the lake with friends. Nothing means more to me than having a four hour conversation on the phone with my best friend.
I’m simple. Overly organized, but simple.
So how did I get into the wedding and event planning business? That’s an interesting question. I don’t have a simple answer. Have you ever had a hobby or an interest that you’ve always found yourself doing? Did you hardly even notice you were doing it? That was me. I was the one theming dinner parties, birthday parties. Hosting parties for every holiday. Hosting parties for made up holidays. Decorating cakes for an event or person that was so crazy it was almost embarrassing. It was like a game to see how creative I could be. I was the one taking charge when something needed to be done. I stepped in to volunteer on committees. I would take the task at hand and knock it out when others were still trying to figure out what to do. Through the years in my professional career I naturally managed company holiday parties, corporate functions, and philanthropic events. In my personal life, I was designing table tops for casual dinners at my house. Buying napkin rings, table cloths and serving dishes for every occasion.
I never thought that other people didn’t do this.
It was just so natural for me.
Then it happened. I had the opportunity to finally create the business I’ve always dreamed of having. I’ve built the foundation and now I’m excited to share my creativity and ideas with others. I have had husbands of people I’ve known for years tell me how excited they are for me. They have seen how much I love to do this and have known that this is where I need to be. One of my biggest compliments came from a guy friend that had noticed all the tiny details I added to a Halloween Party. In his words, “THIS is so cool.” I did it! I made an impression on the last person I thought I would impress. It was so satisfying. It hit my heart.
I was in love… with event planning.
