So, you’re planning your wedding. You’ve picked a date and season, chosen the perfect venue for your vows, and probably hired an amazing photographer to capture all the details and a wedding planner to ensure that things run smoothly! So what’s next?! Choosing your florist!! Last week I talked about “7 Things Your Wedding Florist Wants You to Know,” which I hope provided you with some general background knowledge of how florists work with you throughout your wedding. If you didn’t get a chance to read that, head over to that post first, and then read this one!! Preparing for your initial consultation with your wedding florist is an important step in your wedding planning process, and I want to share some ideas of the best things to do before that first meeting!

Your wedding florist plays a key role in your wedding planning process. Traditionally, flowers are the most expensive and customized décor you have invested in for your wedding and flowers can enhance your wedding and bring it to a whole new level!!! Wedding Floral Designers have the unique task of seeing your inspirational images, getting to know you and your wedding vision, and then using their creativity, knowledge of floral design and personal style to create the wedding flowers of your DREAMS!! That all being said… there are a few things that your floral designer would want you to know about your wedding:

Pinterest. This website has become an absolutely massive source of inspiration and creativity for women and men all over the globe, and a the most popular topic searched on Pinterest is weddings!! Now don’t get me wrong- I LOVE Pinterest. I’m on it way too much, and I love looking at all things weddings, and house decor, summer drink recipes, fashion, DIY projects… The list goes on.  As much as I use Pinterest, there is a slight issue with it for brides browsing for wedding inspiration. Pinterest can (unknowingly) “set the bar” way too high for brides!! 

Hi everyone- I hope you’re having a great week thus far! I have been on a little mini-trip with my husband this week, touring some gorgeous sights in Charleston, SC, and we have been having a lovely time 🙂 I have been thinking throughout our trip, that I haven’t felt this relaxed in a long time! Lately, all I’ve felt is that I’m “always hustling.” This is not necessarily a negative attitude to have; hard work is a virtue! But, when hard work starts to invade your life, that’s when hustle turns negative. I have had to put limits on my time, (and I am NO expert), but I have quickly realized that hustle can lead to a quick burnout. Burnout can be deadly for your business, causing you to lose inspiration, motivation and to be blunt, lose clients and profits! 

For today’s blog post I want to share another business time-saving secret! In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges facing a small business owner is lack of time, am I right?! When I first began CIE I don’t think I even fully realized how much time goes into keeping up a small business, and when I sat down to complete a task, I found myself getting side tracked and scrolling Instagram instead!! Before this year even began, I knew that I wanted to have a planner that supported my lifestyle and my needs. I had heard of the Simplified Planner before, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to purchase a $50 planner.  When they had their annual Black Friday sale though, I couldn’t resist, and bought one. And it has been a LIFESAVER. Just as a disclaimer, I wasn’t paid to promote or blog about the Simplified Planner; I just love it so much I had to share!!

Well the first CIE wedding of the season was this past weekend, and it was a STUNNER!! Raise the Ruth Events did a fabulous job creating a gorgeous reception and curating lovely details to transform a church gymnasium into a gorgeous, classy space!!! I was honored to be able to design the flowers for Sarah, and Chelsea Anderson Photography captured all the beautiful details.