The Dos and Don'ts of Gift Registering Gift Giving

The Dos and Don'ts of Gift Registering Rachel has talked before about gift registries and how they can lead to clutter (see older post) but now we wanted to give you a few quick tips on how to register.

Do: register at stores that sell merchandise you want and NEED
Don’t: Sign up at exclusive stores just because you think you should

Do: Register at several stores to represent a range of price options
Don’t: Sign up only at one site, limiting your guests’ purchasing power

Do: Register at specialty stores that represent your interest and hobbies
Don’t: Sign up only at one or two generalized department stores

Do: Enjoy the process as a couple
Don’t: Leave all the choosing to the bride

Justine-New Year New News...

Wedding Update. Back on track after the holidays, Justine is doing great with her new job, and is in the wedding planning mode. There have been a few changes to her wedding with the biggest being that Jim and her have decided to move their date up a month to August- now having a more intimate ceremony and reception. With a smaller wedding there still are many items to complete before the big day and many of the same vendors will be used. What is new is the reception site and her bridesmaid dresses. Her reception site is an intimate venue, and her bridesmaids will be wearing black off the rack dresses vs. ordering from a bridal house. Still the same: her church ceremony location, photographer, and her dress ordered from a bridal boutique. Everything is coming together nicely and next on the horizon is to decide on flowers and most importantly...where to honeymoon!!!

Check back again soon on Justine's wedding progress...

Yvonne - New Year, New Job!

Wedding Update: Back from the holiday hiatus, Yvonne has made significant strides both professionally and personally. For starters, she is down one dress size and is well on her way to dropping one more size to reach her goal!

Just as exciting is her new job as an Account Executive with an Alexandria, VA trade show company. A natural sales person, Yvonne made a big leap from powerhouse Oracle (where she worked for the past 7+ years) to following her dream of getting into the event industry. Already learning a lot, Yvonne is enjoying her new career at a smaller organization while busily keeping up with all things wedding.

Check back next week as she shares more on what motivated her to change jobs while planning her wedding in Mexico!

Justine: Wedding Update

Justine is on track and tackling her Wedding
to do list without skipping a beat.
With this being said our coaching focus has now shifted to her new job.
She applied for a new position within her company a few months ago,
and the great news is that she landed it. This is a promotion which will
require more time but Justine is ready for this challenge.
She started this new position November 16th.
Stay tuned for future updates in the new year on Justine.
Happy Holidays!!!

Yvonne: Wedding Update

Our lovely bride Yvonne is making great progress! Besides knocking out numerous "To Do" items in anticipation of her June wedding, she is continuing to focus and work toward her main goal: dropping 3 dress sizes.

In order to reach her goal by June, Yvonne has committed to giving up fried foods, sticking to an exercise routine that includes classes 3 x week and getting in .5 to 1 hour extra exercise on the weekends.

Update: She has successfully eliminated fried foods and went canoeing one weekend! Aside from the blisters, it was a great upper body workout. She is also going to be adding breakfast to her daily diet in order to speed up her metabolism and help her accelerate her weight loss goal. She had a slight detour in the last two weeks (she was sick and down for the count), but is getting back to her exercise routine when she is better.

I'll be updating you on Yvonne's progress every two weeks, so stay tuned! Ellen

A Few Dos and Don'ts

Sometimes we get caught up in the moment of planning a wedding. And sometimes I am asked whether there are any certain dos and don'ts of planning a wedding. While there aren't any ideas that I think you must stick to there are a few quick dos and don'ts that I try to tell my brides to keep in the back of their minds when they are planning their weddings.

Do- Embrace both of your backgrounds; personalize your ceremonyDon't- Ignore your heritage and ancestry

Do- Have something sweet
Don't- Do away with the cake and have nothing to take its place

Do- Pay strict attention to timing; make a production schedule for everyone involved
Don't- Start the ceremony late, extend the cocktails past one hr. or dinner past two

Do- Rehearse it all, even the dress try-on
Don't- Make your wedding day the first run through

Do- Make it what you want it to be
Don't- Listen to too many advisors. It is your special day!

SETTING S.M.A.R.T. GOALS

We realize you have a life, a career and now you are planning your wedding. Our mission is to help you achieve it all. Creating S.M.A.R.T. goals for yourself is a great way to help you get started. This formula can help you stay on top of everything you have going on in your life.

S is for Specific. Define what you want to target. Use the 5 questions Who? What? Where? When? and Why? to help you determine your mission.

M is for Measurable. In order to reach your goal you will have to measure it. Create a weekly timeline to help you keep your goal moving forward.

A is for Attainable. Ask yourself...How do I achieve this? Do I need to stretch myself? How do I make this happen? The answers you find will help you stay on track and motivated.

R is for Realistic. When can I really get this goal done? It is not about when you want to do it, but when you can do it?

T is for Timely. Allow enough time to achieve and reach your goal.

Once you accomplish the S.M.A.R.T. goal and reach your finish line, take on the next task and follow the same steps. You will see how much you moved forward. Good Luck!!!