[vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” css=”.vc_custom_1481564211855{padding-bottom: 35px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]So we’re fully into a new year and all is well! We’ve recovered from our NYE Day hangover, we’ve hopefully started eating much healthier than we were for the entire length of December (oh lord, so much food) and we’ve successfully circumnavigated around Blue Monday (which was 2 days ago if anyone was wondering?)…
Now what?
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][image_with_text image=”26622″][/image_with_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]
The best place to start any year is setting some goals.
You don’t always have to set resolutions. I always find resolutions are way more permanent therefore much easier to break and they are usually time sensitive. Resolutions are usually HUUUGE and are meant to make a severe impact on our lives.
Goals, however, don’t always have to be finalised within 12 months, nor do they have to happen intermediately or be drastically life-changing – goals can be short term, long term and the target point can be stretched to work on in successive years. For example, a resolution is “I will learn French this year” whereas a realistic goal is “I will start to learn French this year”. [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][blockquote text=”Eventually, we will find our lives enriched by achieving small and large goals, rather than feeling like a nincompoop because 6 days after announcing our resolution to quit sugar by 7th January we still can’t stop eating the leftover Christmas Quality Street.” show_quote_icon=”yes” text_color=”#1fb9c4″ background_color=”#ffffff” border_color=”#ffffff” quote_icon_color=”#0a0a0a”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][image_with_text image=”26620″][/image_with_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]
PLANNING YOUR WEDDING GOALS
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]For the 60 wonderful people who have booked me for their wedding photography this year, I am aware their planning schedules will be getting stricter and stricter as the months flash by. Not forgetting the 1000’s of other couples out there with 2018 wedding dates too. So I wanted to throw together a list of 6 realistic goals you can set right now for your 2018 wedding (or 2019!), no matter how long you have left on your planning calendar.
Obviously, we all know the main goal is to have an amazing wedding day and marry the weirdo that’s been living with you for the last 10 years, blah blah blah. But I’m sure we’re all realists here – organising a wedding is going to take a lot more structure and finesse than simply having a rose-tinted daydream of some fairy tale that miraculously just happens.
Time to get up off your arses, I’m afraid!
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][image_with_text image=”26616″][/image_with_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]1. Identify what is the most important parts of your wedding day to you both.
This could be how much fun you want to have with your guests, or it could be making sure the venue looks like the most stunning place anyone has ever seen, maybe it’s the entertainment you have booked because you’re both well into your music and you can’t wait to dance all day, or perhaps you just want to enjoy the wonderful location for a few more hours alone with your partner while your amazing photographer captures epic shots of your love for one another against the magnificent countryside/cool as fuck urban landscape/holy mother of god wowness of the mountains… Once you know what the top 3 most important things are, you will completely understand where to focus your attention during the final months of your planning schedule and where you are wasting time, money and effort. For me, photography should feature quite high on a couples priorities when identifying important aspects of the day. I know I’m biased, but hear me out – other than your epic love for one another, what else will you have left from your big day? Your wedding dress will probs be too small by this time next year, your food was beautiful so predictably vanished into hungry bellies within 20 mins, your cars were frickin’ awesome even though you were only in them for 23 minutes, your cake was immense but after you cut it no one ate it (except the two of you… for dinner… for 3 consecutive months after the wedding… which is another good reason why your dress won’t fit anymore!) Your photographs will be with you forever!!! So putting your wedding photography high on your list and trusting your chosen wedding photographer will ensure you have wonderful memories of your big day for the rest of your lives, and longer.
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][image_with_text image=”26623″][/image_with_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]2. Get specific about the details.
For many couples, the details are what defines their wedding day, what makes them stand out from all the weddings they’ve been to, what helps their guests celebrate the uniqueness of the couple they’re here to support. Sometimes its easy to get tied up in small issues over details, so if you’re planning a wedding that contains LOTS of them, make sure you approach everything with a rational frame of mind. Yes, you may have wanted a pink iced donut wall for your guests to munch on during cocktail hour but, disaster; the company can’t deliver to your venue!! This may be deemed a “mini-crisis”, however, there’s no need to have a crying fit over it locked in the bathroom for 4 hours while screaming blue murder at your significant other. Spend as much time as you want designing the details for your big day, but don’t let it become the entire reason to have a wedding.
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][blockquote text=”Spend as much time as you want designing the details for your big day, but don’t let it become the entire reason to have a wedding.” show_quote_icon=”yes” text_color=”#1fb9c4″ background_color=”#ffffff” border_color=”#ffffff” quote_icon_color=”#0a0a0a”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][image_with_text image=”26614″][/image_with_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]3. Plan 1 day a week for WEDMIN.
You will never believe the amount of wedding admin (wedmin) work you can get done in just 1 day out of every 7, but you both have to commit to it fully. A lot of stress and worry culminates from just one person being left to deal with and organise everything for the big day. The other person, even though uninterested in floral arrangements, needs to understand that this is a team effort. So be present, maybe even just nod along, but above all, show a willingness to be involved. You never know, you may end up loving it! In this day and age it’s sometimes hard to arrange just 1 evening together, let alone 1 day, so it may even bring your closer, which can only make your big day even more special (if that was at all possible!)[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][image_with_text image=”26619″][/image_with_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]4. Regularly show love for your wedding suppliers <3
There is absolutely no harm in keeping in touch with the amazing people you have hired to make your day run like a dream. Now, by this, I don’t mean email your hairdresser/florist/photographer once a week to send a million images from Pinterest of how you want your hair/bouquet/memories to look. EVERY wedding supplier will hate that immensely, hahaha! What I mean is keeping in touch with them on their social media, supporting their Facebook and Instagram posts, sharing their work with your friends, commenting on their blog posts – just generally getting excited about working with them and showing them how much you value their art. You will not BELIEVE how equally excited this makes us about working with you too, which will make your big day absolutely perfect for everyone involved![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][blockquote text=”Most suppliers within the wedding industry are creative and we thrive off feedback from our one-time customers, so show a little love and you’ll get a whole load of love back!” show_quote_icon=”yes” text_color=”#1fb9c4″ background_color=”#ffffff” border_color=”#ffffff” quote_icon_color=”#0a0a0a”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][image_with_text image=”26621″][/image_with_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]5. Get wedding insurance!!!!!
If you haven’t done this already, do it NOW! All of your professional suppliers will already have their own insurance, however, this won’t always cover your expenses if businesses were to *shock horror* go into registration and cease all trading. We would never spend £5000 on a car or even just £2000 on a holiday without insurance, so why spend EVEN MORE on a single day in your life and not even consider safeguarding yourselves. You can get cover from £2,500-£65,000 with varying monthly payment options from www.compareweddinginsurance.org.uk right now. You can even get up to £100,000 of wedding insurance from well known, trustworthy brands like John Lewis or Debenhams! Just get it sorted and feel the weight of worry lift from your shoulders.
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][image_with_text image=”26624″][/image_with_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]6. Don’t forget to read the small print.
I know I know, reading a contract is boring as HELL. But you won’t get too many contracts to sign when organising a wedding. Maybe one from your venue, photographer, caterers… it shouldn’t take you long to read through all of the important parts. Most of these contracts were written with your benefit in mind, so they may contain some pretty useful bits of information that you never knew about hiring wedding industry suppliers. As we know, most people only ever plan one wedding within their lifetime, and it’s usually a mammoth undertaking. After attempting to be so careful in your planning, it would be a shame for anything to crop up and whip the rug from beneath your seemingly planted feed. Especially if that pesky rug whipper was something that you could have planned for by reading your contracts and small print months earlier! [/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][blockquote text=”So even if all your contracts are already signed, go back and read them now. You may even answer hundreds of the burning questions you have yourself!” show_quote_icon=”yes” text_color=”#1fb9c4″ background_color=”#ffffff” border_color=”#ffffff” quote_icon_color=”#0a0a0a”][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][image_with_text image=”26625″][/image_with_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]
MY PERSONAL/WORK GOALS
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]I have set myself a variety of goals to work on this year, some are goals I’ve been meaning to set for years and years… some are things I started in 2017… and some are things I plan to extend into 2019.
- Become more proficient with social media & blogging
- Start my YouTube vlogging channel and film more >> YouTube / Vimeo
- Plan some photography workshops and a mentorship for the year
- Shoot more creative portraits with like-minded photographers/models
- Start planting my own garden
- Continue being healthy/exercise more
- Do more adventuring around the UK with my camera
Let me know if you have set yourself any goals for 2018 – perhaps we could help each other with them and send encouragement via silly Insta stories or ridiculous texts![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][image_with_text image=”26626″][/image_with_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][image_with_text image=”30309″][/image_with_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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That’s great news! Delegation is also another way to hit your goals! Make use of all your lovely family and friends who offer you their help (whether they mean it or not, haha) and do things en masse!