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!!!

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

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.

1. Set the theme of your wedding. Do you want your event to be Big, Small, or a destination wedding.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Start looking for where your ceremony and reception will take place. Do you want both to take place in the same location?
5. 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

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

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?

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