Wedding Planning Tips for the 2022 Bride

As we all know at this point, the past two years have come with many surprises, many changes in plans, and uncertainty around the things we've been able to take for granted all our lives. A perfect example was the ability to go out to a restaurant last winter, or to be able to actually decide for yourself the size of your wedding guest list.

photo by Michael and Kristen Photography

If you are recently engaged, and planning your celebration right now, let me tell you, it's completely normal to feel overwhelmed. After all, most people haven't done anything quite like this before, and it can be a big project... don't get me started on decision paralysis. And I'm just talking about normal times, without needing to think about recent restrictions.

photo by Meg Adamik Creative

While we all can only do our best to predict the future, and plan for any possible scenarios that come up, I can tell you that I've navigated two years of pandemic weddings and these are my top tips for you from my experience;

1. Don't delay in booking your vendors or making purchases of any items with limited availability. Now, I'm not trying to pressure you into making hasty decisions you may doubt later, but once you have your date officially locked in there is absolutely NO advantage to waiting it out. The events of the past two years have us wedding vendors still working with some 2020 couples this year, and then there's the early '21 engagements; a lot of these people chose '22 dates right away. All of this adds up to limited availability in 2022 (and 2023 as well). I wouldn't want you to have to settle for any vendors who you're not certain about.

2. Be aware of your vendors' policies for rescheduling your wedding day/making changes. I really hope and pray that we are out of the woods here (thankfully, things seem to be looking up again right now), but it's still important to know this. Vendors should offer you some flexibility on this, but don't expect complete flexibility free of charge for last minute changes or multiple postponements.

3. Have a clear understanding of you and your partner's priorities, and don't lose sight of them. This is where I recommend a vision board- if that's your thing. I have worked with brides who have rescheduled their weddings three times, and I have worked with others who have downsized to a 10 person micro-wedding or elopement on their original date and called it a day. Everyone's priorities are a bit different. Keeping in sight not only your non-negotiables for your wedding, but also your long term life & relationship goals will make it a lot easier if any unexpected challenges come up.

Happy Wedding Planning!

Ann

photo by Sandra Armenteros

New Year's... resolutions?

Sometimes I wonder how common New Year's Goals (or resolutions) are. Are most people as intense about it as I am? Or am I in the minority? Especially considering the roller coaster of unpredictability of the past two years, I can relate to the urge to simply forget about goals for the time being. I've definitely needed to revise my plans, and also learn to not be hard on myself for some of the things I wasn't able to accomplish (in light of outside factors affecting my business and my clients' plans)! That was a tough lesson to learn.

A few years ago, I participated in an IN DEPTH workshop that taught me a whole framework for how to choose what goals to set, how to plan for them, and how to keep yourself accountable. My workshop was quite specific to beauty industry pros, but I've also found it helpful on a holistic level. In fact, I'm finding myself setting goals around my own health, self care, hobbies, and relationships that take at least equal priority to my professional goals.

In these (still) unusual times, I'm not claiming to be an educator or an expert on this topic, but I would love to share with you a few simplified versions of my favorite tips that I continue to find very helpful as I try to create the best version of my life possible.

1. Aim high with your goals. Forget about what's realistic (with any type of a goal). If you you shoot for just a little better than last year, it's almost certain that you will achieve that. But if you for example shoot to double your income, maybe you don't achieve that, but it could be the reason that you increase your income by 50%.

2. Make a vision board and keep it close. As a visual person, I like to find and print a bunch of photos that represent my goals. I also make a circle chart on the back putting all of my goals in writing and connecting each goal with its subcategories. I find it gratifying to color in the circles as I complete items, and also to put fun stickers on the photos to check off completed tasks throughout the year.

3. Make a detailed plan each quarter. Right now, I have a plan through the end of March with 2 tasks each week that are going to bring me closer to my goals. Now, the only way this works is if I make these tasks non- negotiable. If my schedule is too demanding, and something needs to be cut at the end of the week THIS isn't it! Then in the last week of the quarter, I get to review everything I finished and plan out the next three months.

4. Make Personal Goals. Don't be career obsessed to a fault. I will admit, this is something I need to keep on working at. This year my personal goals include cutting back on caffeine and alcohol, both of which have been a bit too tempting through the pandemic.

Here's to hoping (and working) for a happy, healthy, and successful 2022! I hope you've found my tips helpful!

How to Dress up your Casual Holiday Looks

If you've been round here for a little while, you'll probably know my answer to this challenge- ACCESSORIZE! This Holiday season, I've hit the stores (multiple times) in search of the best accents to take our party looks to the next level, and I promise you that all of these are (ugly or not) holiday sweater compatible!

Up first is Layering Fancy Headbands. I found these two as a set at Anthropologie, so maybe I cheated. But finding pieces to pair up doesn't have to be tricky. I recommend looking for 2 different thicknesses in different fabrics or textures in colors that are complimentary but not the same. You can can also use a sparkly metal band with some height, next to a fabric one. I get headaches easily from the metal- otherwise, I'd rock that look, too.

Always place the larger headband first, and then the smaller one in front of it. I like to wave my hair first to complete the look!

Next up is Stacking Bold Barrettes. What do you know- I have a theme here! One alone would be pretty, but side by side, this chain link style from Express really stands out!

I prefer to sweep back a bit of my hair on the side. Teasing at the root first gives some added volume and the perfect amount of messiness.

I also love how these look next to the low bun that I throw together in 3 minutes. I would even consider this style to go with a formal outfit/event!

Happy Holidays, Friends!

Ann