Wedding Help At Your Fingertips

The Dos and Don'ts of Gift Registering Gift Giving

2008-02-06T09:47:00.000-05:00

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...

2008-01-24T17:17:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-01-18T18:07:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-05T14:17:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-30T18:34:00.000-04:00

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

2007-10-23T08:39:00.000-04:00

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

2007-09-24T12:45:00.000-04:00

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!!!

You're Engaged...Now What???

2007-09-22T20:35:00.000-04:00

You just had one of life's greatest things happen to you and now you are saying to yourself...What do I do now? Here are a few tips to help you get jump started and start planning your event.

Set the theme of your wedding. Do you want your event to be Big, Small, or a destination wedding.
Create a budget. Find out who is paying for what. Your parents, his parents and the two of you each have a role in this. It is very important to figure this out up front so there are no surprises at the end.
Choose your attendants. Make a list of all those who are important to the both of you. From your list decide on the number of who will stand up and who will take on other roles in your celebration.
Start looking for where your ceremony and reception will take place. Do you want both to take place in the same location?
Find your support team. Who is a great sound board for you? Is it a sibling, friend, or your mom? When you don't have someone on your team and you need to feel empowered hire yourself a wedding coach. A coach is there for you for support and to help you formulate goals that will help both you and your wedding planning move forward.

New Job and Newly Engaged

2007-09-17T21:17:00.001-04:00

Congratulations! You have a new job. And you are getting married. Whoa.

Of course you want to make an impact, demonstrate your dedication and show your worth at your fabulous new job. At the same time, you have a billable hour requirement as the manager of one of the biggest events of your personal life: your wedding.

Staying on track with your professional and personal tasks is key, and it won't do you any good to burn the midnight oil at work and then rush to find time for your wedding "To Do" list.

Break down your wedding and work tasks into manageable goals with realistic timelines. Commit to staying organized and meeting your established deadlines. This will help you keep moving forward, checking things off as you go. You need minimal stress and maximum enjoyment during this special time, so don't let a new job take over your life.

Managing Your Mother

2007-09-16T19:42:00.000-04:00

For some of us, it's our mother-in-law-to-be, for others, it's our own dear sweet mum. Mothers and mother-in-laws are well intentioned (at least we hope so!) but sometimes their preferences, priorities and personalities can get in the way of our wedding day vision.

Relationships are key to wedding day success, however, they can also have a negative effect on your stress and balance during the wedding planning process. When you think about it, you really can't control what other people will do; you can only control yourself.

If you find your mother or mother-in-law-to-be involvement is becoming a challenge, here are a few tips to help you manage:

Start drawing the line early. If mom is adding up the guests who must attend and you just got engaged, a short but effective conversation can help. Example: "I really appreciate your input, but (fiance) and I are focusing on finding the venue, and when we tackle the budget and the guest list, I will be sure to ask for your input"

Keep your focus. Remember, this is YOUR wedding! That means when YOU want to get married and where is up to YOU. In addition to mom, you will probably get lots of unsolicited advice from others that can be distracting. Keeping your focus on where you are in the process will help prevent inertia and holding up important decision making

Share the load. Moms are great: they raised us, taught us life lessons, and passed along their gifts. They have great skills! Identify tasks and areas of the wedding planning that match their skills...and let them go to town. Some moms are great at organizing, others are savvy business women, and lots of moms are excellent multi-taskers. So think about how your mom or mom-in-law-to-be can best help you have an amazing wedding day!!

What Do I Wear to A Wedding?

2007-09-06T17:10:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you but sometimes I get confused about the dress codes for weddings. Recently I got an invitation that stated "California Chic." Then one that said Black Tie Preferred. Does this mean that I should wear black tie and the bride would be happy to see me in a longer gown? If so, why didn't it just say Black Tie? And what exactly should I wear to a daytime wedding that has nothing on the invitation? Should my husband wear a jacket?

There are a few general rules of thumb that you can usually count on (unless the invitation states otherwise) for weddings. But remember, there is NEVER an excuse to wear white and upstage the bride!

Daytime Weddings: Short Dress/suit
Evening Semi-Formal: Cocktail dress/suit
Evening Formal/Black Tie: Longer dress or "fancier short dress"/suit (or tux) depending on the invitation

To Register or Not To Register?

2007-08-30T12:36:00.001-04:00

When working with brides and helping them organize, I always recommend registering for gifts after you get engaged. In fact, I tell brides to register as soon as possible. Many people hate the “unwanted clutter” they get on holidays and birthdays (remember Aunt Edna’s holiday sweater?). So, keep this idea in mind before it’s too late and you are stuck spending your first few days of marriage returning unwanted presents. Today there are so many choices for brides like home stores, organizing stores, honeymoons and charities. Why not take advantage and put a stop to unwanted clutter (or at least as much as you can) and register for items that will be useful to you and your future husband.

The Difference between a Coach and a Wedding Planner

2007-08-21T10:28:00.000-04:00

While wedding planners help brides with coordinating all aspects of their big day, coaches act as a personal support system for the bride:

We believe in empowering you: the modern day successful and savvy bride.
We help you advance your career and find fulfillment in your personal life as a busy bride.
We coach you on managing all aspects of the planning and maintaining balance throughout the process.
We offer online tools, one-on-one and group coaching sessions, and workshops designed to help you network with other brides, and stay motivated and focused.

Think of a coach as your personal trainer: someone who holds you accountable, keeps you focused and moving forward, and empowers you to create your dream come true. After all, YOU are in charge!

Welcome to Wedding Help At Your Fingertips!

2007-08-09T15:15:00.000-04:00

Hello! Welcome to our blog, Wedding Help At Your Fingertips, geared toward helping YOU Brides stay focused and balanced during your wedding planning. We realize you have established careers and getting engaged as wonderful as it is it can also be a bit stressful too.

Our goal to launching this blog is to help make YOU and your planning process go more smoothly without hitting any barriers or hiccups along the way. We are based in Chicago and Washington, DC and work with career women who are now adding "Soon to be Bride" to their resume.

This blog is not about selling products to you. We want to be a resource for you and one that provides services that you will need. As recent brides ourselves we know what you will need to stay balanced and in the wedding zone.

Some areas that we will focus on in our blog are achieving Life Balance, Getting Organized and Staying Empowered during your wedding planning process.

Here are some questions for you to ask yourself to see if we can help:
1. Since your engagement have you been making time for both your professional & personal life?
2. Are you getting everything done on your to do lists? Do you have or need a system to help you get jump started?
3. Have you stayed in the driver's seat during your planning process? Are you allowing others to influence and sway you in your decision process?

If you answered YES to any of these questions we KNOW we can help you.

Please check us out at we build and make us a part of your "Wedding"!!!

Ready...Set... Go...