How to enjoy your Wedding Planning process and avoid stress

One of the most common questions I get as a wedding planner is if it is possible to enjoy planning a wedding. My answer is always the same. Yes it is and here are some tips on how to do it!

1. Get clear on what you want your planning process to feel like.
2. Be intentional about enjoying your planning process
3. Mentally prepare for the process by being honest about the possibility of stress
4. Be honest about what you can and cannot handle and then proceed accordingly
5. Avoid stretching yourself thin
6. Agree as a couple on who is in charge of what
7. Do not be afraid to switch plans if the original plan is not working the way you hoped
8. Be clear on the things you are not willing to negotiate on
9. Don’t take yourself too seriously - find humor in the unexpected
10. Be kind to yourself
11. Be quick to right your wrongs
12. Choose to enjoy yourself

For a more details on these tips, take a look at our video Tips on how you can enjoy your wedding

For more videos on wedding planning tips, visit our youtube channel at CWS Boston and subscribe for updates and additional videos.

Do you really need a Wedding Planner?

Here are a few tale tale signs to look for when trying to determine if you really need a wedding planner. Truth be told, some people just don't need one! See if you may or may not be one of them. Either way, nothing has to be anything, this is just a way to help you determine which course of action might be more helpful to you!

Image borrowed from 'The Write at home blog'

You know you are very likely to benefit from enlisting the help of a wedding planner if:

1. You have a busy job and spend a more than average amount of time at work

2. You have a tendency to get overwhelmed with multitasking

3. You prefer to focus only on one thing at a time

4. You have trouble managing your time

5. You have no idea where to start when you think of planning a wedding

6. You are indecisive and generally have trouble making decisions

7. You don't really know what you want or just don't feel sure you know

8. You hate large projects

9. You really couldn't be bothered and would just rather not think about planning anything let alone a wedding

10. You want a large and elaborate wedding/event

11. You want a celebration that includes a lot of personalization and details

12. You don't know how to get the kind of event you want within the budget you have

A good way to measure if you fall in this category:

There are obviously many more tale tale signs but a good way to measure for yourself is to consider that if you feel negative emotions when you think about your wedding - for example, overwhelmed, confused, afraid, stressed, frustrated etc...It is usually safe to assume that you need help with your wedding planning. Do yourself a favor and contact a planner for help! If they are the right fit for you, you will have increased your chances of enjoying the process of planning your wedding significantly!

Leave me a comment with any other indicators you can think of that may be a sign that you need help!

Cheers, Happy planning and Be Free to be You!

For more information on how to know if you really need a wedding a planner, check out our video here.

DISCLAIMER: These are just guidelines and are not an absolute measure of whether you will be best served by hiring a wedding planner or not. Be sure to take into account all other relevant details that may affect your decision.

Unique Engagement Rings

It is that time of year again and some gentlemen and ladies out there will be planning a proposal to the one they love! While this is usually a one person job, we thought we would help by giving you some ideas of really cool engagement rings we found while looking around.

These all range in pricing and are from two separate stores in the wonderful world of Etsy which we are big fans of. So take a look and see if any of these inspire you! We of course have included the links for you to visit each store incase you decide to get one of these or to see what else they carry! We highly encourage you to take a look at their stores. They are so worth the visit!
Happy scouring, finding and proposing!

Brilliant Earth Inc
Ethical and eco friendly Jewelry

Check out more of Brilliant Earth's gorgeous engagement rings here

Steve Lee Jewelry

These are just really cool and there were quite a number of unique pieces to choose from!

Visit Steve Lee's Jewelry shop on Etsy to see what other goodies you may find here

Let us know how you faired by leaving a comment for us!
Cheers!

All photographs belong to the store owners.

You are engaged, now what? Five things to help your wedding planning journey!

1. Breathe
Give yourself permission to take it all in and to experience the feeling of having just got engaged

2. Schedule a planning date
Determine when you would like to start planning and schedule it. Do not start planning until that date arrives.

3. Determine what you want your wedding to feel like
Once the date to start planning comes, take some time to think about what you would like your wedding to feel like - your feelings never lie. They always tell you the truth about who you are and what you want. You just have to trust them and listen to them.

4.Be honest with yourself about what you really want and how you feel about what you want and then make peace with those feelings.
This will help you to avoid feeling conflicted which is the source of a lot of unhappiness and stress for couples when they are planning a wedding.

5. Be honest about how you really feel and about who you really are.
This will be your guide to having the wedding you really want, and to having a pleasant experience with the planning process.

Now you are able to approach planning your wedding from a more authentic and free space and to enjoy it because of the lack of conflict.

Next, start determining the obvious things like where you would like it to be, how many people you would like to have at your wedding, what you want it to look like, what dress you think you would like to go with and the rest is the obvious. You will find that you are more able to make good decisions that are not governed by fear or pressure of any kind but that are governed by your truth which is all you need to enjoy any experience.

I hope these tips were helpful and I wish you some happy planning!
Be free to be you!

Check out our video for more information on how to prepare for your wedding planning journey here

Congratulations to Prince William and Kate!

It is not everyday that we get to witness a historical event such as the one many of us witnessed today! Prince William of Wales married his longtime love Kate Middleton! While that is amazing in itself since we know that historically tradition has not prioritized love in Royal weddings, it is even more amazing that Kate is what is known as a commoner since she does not hail from a Royal blood line!
So from all of us to you Prince William and Princess Kate, we wish you so much joy, love and happiness! Way to go Prince William for following your heart and to Kate for being patient and trusting that love always wins! Cheers to the Prince and the Princess!

Fun wedding gowns for the bride on a budget! Something for everyone!

I haven't blogged in a while so I thought I would do a fun gown entry today! I am always looking for wedding gowns that have character in pretty much every price range. I found some I thought were worth sharing so I thought I would pass them along
These are from various places and I am happy to share where to look for them if you are interested so drop me a line if you have any questions on where to find them.

Most important thing to keep in mind is that they are in various price ranges and I would like to share them according to price so you can see what you like and what might work for you.
It is no secret that I am a huge fan of color, but I thought these were great stylistically and if I was looking for a white gown that had character in it's design but was on a budget, I would consider any of these. Remember Your dress is only a way to express yourself and there are so many things you can express about yourself, so don't let your budget or options limit you. This first set is from White house Black market and they are all below $600.00 so for the bride looking to keep to a small budget or any budget really, they are a great option. 

The next set of dresses are from Edressme which is another great resource for great dresses at really good price points. They are perfect for the bride who wants character and a great deal! The majority of these dresses come in at a price point of less than $500.00 and in fact only one of them comes in at $1500. All the rest are at a lower price point than that, below $1000. So take a look and be inspired to find something that not only fits your style but your budget as well. Who says you can only have it your way by breaking the bank? Of course I included color options for the bride after my own heart! Edressme has a whole wedding section as well as one for bride's maids. If you want even more options, a great section to look at is their evening gown section. Don't underestimate the glamor and style that you can find in what was made to be a funky evening gown. While it might be made for one purpose, you can use it for another. Don't let yourself get limited by anyone else's idea of what the dress should be, think about what you see and what it represents to you and you now have a myriad of options from which to pull your unique wedding gown!

$440.00

 $1500.00

$450.00

$486.00

 $218.00

$286.00

$549.00

 $850.00

$658.00

$398.00

$378.00

$398.00

$438.00

$378.00

$298.00 on sale for $238.00

$458.00

$578.00

$478.00

 

 Any of these gowns would make gorgeous wedding gowns for a funky and offbeat bride who wants a unique look. All you need to add are the right accessories and you are ready to say forever! Enjoy!