Cherish the Love...Cherish the Life

This being only my second post I certainly was not planning to write something so profound. But such is life that we never know what each day will bring us and what we will take from it. I am fortunate that most of the days of my life have been filled with blessings. Unfortunately, on Tuesday of this week I was not so lucky. I lost a friend, unexpectedly. This post is dedicated to him, now an Angel watching over me.

When we lose a loved one part of the mourning process allows each of us to stop and remember what's most important, and hopefully prioritize our life to focus on truly what matters. The inconveniences, the materialistic desires, the pressure to do more, to make more, and to outdo are cast aside...as they should be.

Remember what's most important when planning a wedding...the love between you and your partner and the start of a new life spent together. There are days when I encounter brides and grooms who seem so overwhelmed and consumed by the details. The grandeur of the affair outshines the beauty of their union. They lose sight of what it all means, what really matters and why they have the great fortune to be planning this special day together. The chance that these couples won't even enjoy their wedding day is high, and it hurts to watch.

If you are about to embark on planning a wedding or are in the throws of it now, here are some tips to ensure you can enjoy the process,cherish this moment in your life and capture the love between you and your partner:

1. Before you do anything determine your budget and how it is going to be divided amongst each wedding element. If you don't know how to do this (and even if you do) your next step is #2. During this process you want to also discuss how formal and how big your wedding might be.

2. Hire a wedding planner! I've heard couples say they can't afford to hire a planner. If you want to get your money's worth, minimize your stress and enjoy this very special time in your life, you can't afford NOT to have a planner!

3. Together decide what your top 3 priorities are and focus on those. Delegate all the other "stuff" to your planner, your wedding party, and/or your family. If your priorities are the entertainment and activities for your guests, the food, and the videography, then let those be your focus. Everything else can be distributed amongst your help.

4. Don't sweat the small stuff. Planning is a process and anything this big and that requires so much time is bound to have a few hiccups. However, if you've hired the right professionals - reputable and who love what they do, like I do - then they will do everything in their power to fix the mishaps. This is where having a planner will be worth every penny!

Don't be afraid to ask for help, but be very selective of who you ask. This is supremely important when selecting your gown and bridal party attire(we will focus on this in a later post). You want trustworthy, reliable folks who are genuinely happy for the two of you! This is your time!

None of us know when time will be taken away from us, so do all you can to make sure you enjoy every moment!

I've stressed the importance of a wedding planner so the next post will be presented by wedding planner extraordinaire Malissa Murphy of CMT Event Planning (www.cmteventplanning.com) on "The Role of a Wedding Planner and Why You Need One".

Until then, cherish the love...cherish the life!