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.

I’m excited to share with you a system that I have been using for my business that has changed my life!! When I first started my business, I was also working a full-time job (like many others), and I remember my “work”” hours were SO verrrrrry limited. Tasks like emailing, creating custom proposals, contracts, invoicing and keeping up with payments are crucial to your small business being able to operate… but those tasks take TIME! Even back then, I knew that the way I was operating wasn’t the simplest way, and that I needed to make a change!! Before I introduce you to my secret weapon, I do just want to say that this company did not pay me to promote their product or write this post; I simply want to write it so that you know all about this system and how it can help YOU!

So in the spirit of being accountable to myself, I spent some time today thinking about my year-long goals, and my word of the year: simplify. January is wrapping up, and I can’t believe it’s gone by as fast as it did! It was a WHIRLWIND. I booked four new CIE brides, spent time creating floral proposals, executed our Norfolk Botanical Gardens styled shoot, and managed the day to day details of CIE. Not to mention, I have been very busy at my full-time teaching job, taking an intense online class for an additional certification and handling my students at school during final exam/SOL time. So this month, I’m pretty sure I have epically failed at SIMPLIFYING.

Hello! I hope you had a Merry Christmas (or a married Christmas) haha! Congratulations to all the newlywed couples out there that had their first married Christmas together! I did, with my husband Jason, and it was so much fun!! We had a blast shopping for each of our family members and friends and spending time with them this past week. We both have such great families, and I never want to take them for granted. Our Christmas memories are so fun, like the Alexander Ornament Exchange, my dad stashing cash in our Christmas gifts (this year was a Pillow Pet) and seeing family that doesn’t live close by! One of my favorite Christmas morning memories was opening up the custom vendor apron my mom made for CIE! I was SO excited to open that!!

Finding the dress of your dreams is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a bride! Deciding the texture, color, shape, length and style can be overwhelming, but what everyone says is totally true: “When you know, you know.” The wedding dress industry can be a little harsh on a budget-savvy bride, but I don’t think you should ever give up on your dream dress!!