Attention all wedding professionals: Mark your calendars for the 2015 Be Sage Conference! The conference will be held November 1st – 3rd in downtown Dallas, Texas at the glamorous Adolphus Hotel. Not only are we excited about introducing you to this business savvy conference built by wedding professionals for wedding professionals, but we are over the moon excited to announce that we will be attending as sponsors!
Be Sage is for experienced wedding professionals who are looking to expand their knowledge base into topics that go beyond the basics. These are some of the topics that will be covered at this year’s conference:
What should I be doing to prepare for my personal financial future? What about 401ks, IRAs, etc?
How can I protect my brand against defamation, bad reviews, crazy people, and gossip?
How can I create a cash flow plan for my business?
How can I build a team that will replicate my artistry?
How can I license a service or franchise my company?
How can I diversify my revenue streams?
How can I market my business with the use of video, podcasts, and other new media?
How can I improve my body language to maximize my sales?
and so on and so on…
Created by Kelly Simants and Michelle Loretta of Sage Wedding Pros, Be Sage is a true meeting of the minds aimed at giving wedding professionals a deeper business knowledge with “hard-core, no fluff, solid business education.”
This year’s speaker line-up includes successful wedding professionals, industry experts, and business consultants who are ready to help you recognize your business’ potential and give you the tools you need to make it happen! You can view the full list of speakers, conference timeline, and hotel details here.
We can’t wait for the Be Sage Conference and we hope to see you all there!
Erin and Omar’s classic North Carolina wedding was absolutely elegant while remaining true to the couple with an emotional ceremony and a bridal party full of their closest friends. Champagne, ivory, and gold decor dazzled guests as the newlyweds enjoyed their first dance together as husband and wife, and Rob + Kristen Photography captured every beautiful detail and romantic moment.
My favorite moment of our wedding was during dinner when I was sitting with my new husband enjoying seeing everyone we loved in one room. Just taking it all in was perfect.
The Couple Recommends:
Rob + Kristen, our photographers, were absolutely amazing! They went above and beyond the whole way. We had them do our engagement, bridal, and boudoir photos. All of the photos are amazing. I am so thankful someone recommended them to us. It was so nice to be able to fully entrust them with one of the most important aspects of our wedding. I HIGHLY recommend them, you can trust that your photos will be amazing and you will come out feeling as you gained two friends.
I also would like to mention how awesome Elizabeth with the Peninsula Club was. She came on board late in the game and handled it like a champ. She was able to keep our very large and rowdy bridal party in check and make sure everything ran smoothly. She was always there when I needed something.
Lastly my hair stylist Kristian, who totally pulled off this crazy idea I had to change my hair after the ceremony. She worked her magic and gave me an elegant updue in 10 minutes outside while my dress was being bustled. Couldn’t ask for more!
I am officially less than one month away from saying I Do and boy are those nerves starting to kick in! I decided to bring together some of my favorite bits of advice from real Junebug brides to help with the stress. I love everything these brides have to say, because it’s genuine and honest. If you’re a real bride reading this post or you’re currently planning your own wedding, feel free to comment below with your own two cents!
1. “Simplify, simplify, simplify! Make it “YOU” but remember, less is more! Never lose sight of what the day is really about. Enjoy the process and have gratitude for each step of the way.” – Jessica from Michigan
2.“One of my favorite parts was making our invitations although I could not have done it without my new brother-in-law’s help, he is pro with Illustrator. The best advice I can give people that want to do something like make their own invites or napkins or a sign is to jump in and do it and when you get in over your head ask for help! It’s amazing how much your friends and family want to help.” – Jessica from Washington
3. “The biggest piece of advice I could give is to NOT STRESS. No matter what happens, just leave it up to the cosmos to straighten it out. It will get straightened out! On my wedding day, it rained and rained and my hair just frizzed up so quickly! My hair was super straight before I got there and the minute I stepped out of the car, it got wet and frizzed up so much! But I didn’t worry. I didn’t worry either where they were going to move reception. My reception was supposed to be outside in the cafe gardens. I had no backup plan and luckily, there was a tent set up for another event and I got to be underneath the tent facing the ocean! I also didn’t worry about the ceremony. It was raining so much but the minute it started, it stopped raining and the rest of the day was magical! If I had gotten upset, sad, mad, etc, I would’ve ruined my own experience. I look back on that day and smile from ear to ear at how perfect it all was. It didn’t go as planned 100%, but it went and was the best wedding it could’ve possibly ever been.” – Stella from Florida
4. “An obvious piece of advice is to keep the main thing, the main thing. This is easier said than done. I am referring to the love between the bride and groom. Choose the few things that you will not compromise on, for example my thing was my wedding dress, and then everything else you can work through one by one.” – Rachel from Australia
5. “For those in the throes of planning – lean on your community! We could not have done it all without the amazing support we received. On the recommendation of a friend, we also spent a weekend away a few weeks before our wedding to focus completely on writing our vows, talking about what we were hoping for from our marriage, and our excitement about it all. It was a very, very special time and highly recommended!” – Kristin from California
6. “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Attention to detail is important, but there’s no point in stressing yourself out over every tiny detail. When the day comes, you won’t care about if you picked the perfect guest book or if the cake has three tiers or four; you will be too busy getting married and enjoying the day!” – Megan from Canada
7. “The biggest success was that our family and friends had a great time. We spent a year planning for this one day, and to see everything come together perfectly in the end was priceless.” – Rachel from New York
8. “Plan ahead and don’t let your budget determine the wedding you will have! Yes, you have to work within the limitations of the budget you set for yourselves, but you don’t have to settle… get creative with how to use the money you do have. We spent hours making our own wine, cutting corks, painting plywood, chalkboard, hand painting burlap sacks to hold our party favors, and rummage sale shopping to find silver platters for the centerpieces. You may end up putting in a lot of time, but you will end up saving money. And in the end those are the things that everyone appreciates! And in the end we had a lot of people who helped us with making it work! Because of planning ahead we had very little work to do in the days leading up to the wedding. It was great to go into the wedding weekend with little stress and be able to relaxed and enjoy each other – that’s really what it’s all about anyway!” – Jessica from Washington
9. “Just have fun! Put your event in the hands of good professionals and go with it!” – Genya from Atlanta
10. “My advice would be to enjoy it! It will get frustrating and overwhelming at times and you will get tired of making decisions, but in the end everything will work out in one way or another. When it gets frustrating and overwhelming remember that you are marrying your best friend and then you get to celebrate with the ones you love. It’s awesome!” – Jessica from Texas
11. “Treat your wedding day like what it is. It’s a day that marks a new chapter in your life. It’s not a fairytale, it’s not a perfect day…it’s an experience. Henry David Thoreau once said “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” This applies to life as much as it applies to your wedding day. If you want to have a good time you’re going to have a good time no matter what happens (a family member actually fainted at the altar right in the middle of our ceremony) and if you want to nit pick and complain about how things are not going the way you want them to go then you’re going to spend the whole day nit picking. You have the power to choose how your wedding day turns out. Make the choice to have a wonderful, fabulous day and treat everything that happens as an experience. That’s what we did and boy did we have a blast!” – Erica from California
12. “Stay true to yourself throughout the entire process and incorporate things that mean the most to you as a couple even if it’s not traditional. I would definitely recommend hiring a wedding planner especially if you are planning from a distance! Don’t cut your budget too much when it comes to photography! Over the past few months I realize more and more just how important that decision was. It’s the one thing that you will look back at over and over and share with your loved ones. And of course throwing such a wonderful party and showing all the out of staters just how beautiful my home state of West Virginia is!” – Katie from West Virginia
13. “Find a beautiful venue (lots of light) and keep it simple. Invest your money into a good photographer!!!” – Chelsea from France
14. “Delegate, and remember you can’t do everything.” – Berta from Africa
15. “Plan what you can and then just roll with it. Things are bound to go wrong, and it’s how you respond to those mishaps that will make your day either miserable or very enjoyable. The biggest success was that we had plenty of food and plenty of alcohol — people don’t like to be hungry or thirsty, and if you don’t have those basics down, the party will be set on the wrong path from the start. If dancing is something you’re interested in, make sure the DJ or the band completely understands the vibe you’re trying to create for the evening. We had both a fantastic DJ and a fantastic band, and they helped get the party started and they kept it going!” – Nora from D.C.
16. “Keep it simple and enjoy the whole process. The style of your wedding should be about the both you, add little pieces for him and his family as well as you and yours. Take a few moments together to step away from everyone and just watch during the reception! ENJOY IT!” – Micki from Wisconsin
17. “I know it’s not possible for everyone, but we had a longer engagement which allowed us to reserve all the specific vendors we wanted. It’s amazing how quickly venues and people get booked. So I think that was a great success. Having wonderful vendors made our day run super smooth and helped create the look and feel that we wanted. Also, just staying really organized is helpful. One of the best gifts I received when we got engaged was a Russell and Hazel wedding organization binder. I used that binder till the day we got married and it was a life saver!” – Molly from Minnesota
18. “If you’re planning a wedding far away from home, just remember that you won’t be able to delegate to relatives or bridesmaids… which means you need to be much more organized. Don’t leave “small things” to the last minute; you will end up doing most of it yourself the day before the wedding.” – Kim from Oregon
19. “Try not to get too carried away with DIY and stick to a few projects. I originally wanted to take on the flowers and cakes and I’m so glad I opted out in the end. Be practical and use the expertise of family and friends should you still want the homemade, personal touch. Take time researching your vendors. There is lots of amazing talent out there and don’t be afraid of the highstreet or shopping online. Most of all follow your heart, choose things that reflect you as a couple and make you happy, as it should be the day of your dreams.” – Orlaith from Ireland
20. “Remember what your wedding day is truly about- celebrating your love as a couple. Enjoy each other, have fun, and remember that it’s OK if everything doesn’t go as planned.” – Brittany from North Carolina
I think the bottom line is to remember why you’re getting married in the first place and just enjoy your wedding as much as possible. Sounds easy, right? I think we all put a lot of pressure on ourselves when we’re planning something for months on end. You build it up a lot in your head and it’s very easy to forget why you signed up for it in the first place. As long as you do the prep work, have a good attitude, and have some helping hands, you will have the wedding day you always dreamed about. Next time on From Blogger to Bride, I’ll be helping us all out with an easy-to-use wedding-day timeline. Happy wedding planning, Junebugs!
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