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wedstress

Bridechilla Blog

400- Stress-Free Wedding Dress Shopping

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

Shopping for your wedding attire can take you through a rollercoaster of emotions. From managing expectations (your own and those around you) to opinions, being overwhelmed with choice and considering budget...it's A LOT.
In the 400th episode of the Bridechilla Podcast, I welcome back to the show Cavin Elizabeth, who as a wedding photographer is one of our regular and (most popular) guests. Cavin and her husband David have just bought a bridal boutique, The White Flower Bridal Boutique! She offers some helpful tips for working with a stylist, finding the right fit, and who to take with you when you are shopping. 

Listen to the episode

Making the most of the shopping experience

You may have seen reality shows on television that follow brides shopping for their wedding dresses. Many times, they will have ten or twelve people with them, giving their input. When you begin shopping for your wedding dress, should you bring along that many people? Who should come with you to help you pick your dress? Cavin encourages brides to carefully consider who they invite, making sure everyone involved will make the experience comfortable and positive. She also suggests keeping the group small so that you don’t have to weigh too many opinions. . 

You don’t have to go to multiple stores. If you find something you are totally in love with, don’t feel like you have to keep shopping.

Image by Cavin Elizabeth

Avoiding wedding dress overwhelm

There are so many types and styles of dresses. How do you know where to start shopping so that you can find the best wedding dress? How can you avoid getting overwhelmed or falling victim to over-shopping? Finding the best wedding dress is really all about communication. Cavin suggests that you work with a stylist and communicate clearly what you like and what you don’t like. Share with them what makes you feel comfortable, what you would like to accentuate on your body, and let them help you find the right fit.

Image by Cavin Elizabeth

How can you find “the one”?

Much of the pressure in finding the best wedding dress comes from buying the lie that there is only one right dress. Believing that there is only one right dress could cause you to overthink the decision, unnecessarily overspend, and add to the stress of planning your wedding. However, realizing that there might be many good dresses and just finding one that you love and that makes you feel comfortable will make the buying process much less stressful. There’s no right or wrong dress. It’s all about finding what you want and being secure in your decision.

I totally think that whether it is in love and relationships or buying a wedding dress, that there is no actual ‘the one’, a single entity or person out in the world that is the perfect thing for you. I think there are many ‘the ones.

Comfort is the key

There are several factors to consider when buying a wedding dress. You could find a dress that looks great but that isn’t comfortable. Or the dress could be a great fit, but doesn’t leave any room for you to enjoy the food at the wedding. Brides should also consider how they might pose in the dress for photographs. Because of these and other factors, it is possible that you wind up with a dress that is much different than what you originally planned on. The key to finding the best wedding dress is being sure you are comfortable with the way you look and feel. 

That’s one of the things to keep in mind, most experiences in stores are way more chill unless you bring like 6 plus guests with you, in which case it could get really rowdy. So I highly recommend keeping it to a small number of guests.

Show Highlights

  • [0:40] Aleisha introduces the 400th episode and guest, Cavin Elizabeth, and talks about her new business venture, The White Flower

  • [4:42] Aleisha shares the unique advertising campaign of Snowbird ski resort 

  • [6:01] This episode is about wedding dress shopping. Where do you start?

  • [8:34] If you don’t feel emotionally attached to it, resale your wedding dress

  • [9:30] How the wedding dress shopping experience differs from what you see on television

  • [12:11] What guests, and how many, should you take with you when you are picking out a wedding dress?

  • [15:23] How a negative person can change a bride’s opinion about a dress and how to avoid that experience

  • [19:32] Over-shopping and overwhelm can make dress shopping even more difficult 

  • [21:11] Do you have to have a dream dress in mind and is there just one right dress for you?

  • [25:07] The importance of comfort when buying your wedding dress and how to communicate with your stylist to achieve your wants

  • [29:08] Aleisha shares a story of how her stylist asked how much weight she intended to lose before her wedding

  • [33:32] What are wedding dress samples and how buying one works. 

  • [38:05] When trying on dresses, sometimes you leave with a different type of dress than you planned on

  • [40:55] How to make the most of a different shaped dress when thinking about photography

  • [45:22] How you can get in touch with Cavin Elizabeth and where her store is located

Resale of gowns - don’t hold on to the gown if you don’t feel emotionally attached to it. Just get rid of it...

Photo by Charisse Kenion

Listen to the episode

Meet Cavin Elizabeth

Cavin Elizabeth is a wedding film photographer based in San Diego.  She loves to connect with each and every one of her couples so that they feel truly at-ease and comfortable with her every step of the way. Her style of organic posing and her ability to loosen up anybody in front of her camera gives her images a romantic, authentic, and dreamy look. Her work has been featured by top wedding publications, including Martha Stewart Weddings, Style Me Pretty, and more.
Cavin published a book that teaches couples how to make the most out of their wedding photography and have magazine worthy images entitled A Bride’s Guide to a Picture Perfect Wedding. 

See Cavin's new store- https://www.thewhiteflower.com/

Show image by Cavin Elizabeth

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396- Avoiding Wedding Planning Burnout

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

This week’s Bridechilla Podcast episode is all about how to avoid wedding planning burnout. We all know what it is like to feel the effects of stress. There is a mental, physical, and emotional toll. Burnout can happen at any stage in life, but wedding planning can be a particularly vulnerable time. Trying to organize and plan an event, the size and scope of which you probably have never done before, while also managing the normal aspects of life is no small task. How can you avoid burnout and enjoy the wedding planning process. Hear some of Aleisha’s tips on this podcast.

There is no right way to do all this stuff.

Listen to the Bridechilla Podcast episode

It’s all about perspective

There is a lot of pressure to have the most amazing wedding ever. The internet is full of picturesque weddings that look incredible and effortless. Many of those pictures are staged and unrealistic. Wedding planning is highly involved, but it shouldn’t be considered the peak of achievement. It is important to keep the wedding in perspective with all of the other responsibilities and accomplishments in your life. This perspective will help you from being overwhelmed and give you the freedom to plan the kind of wedding you want. 

Even if you are not feeling stressed...it’s also good to just be aware of how you’re feeling and to take a little moment to check in and plan for the future when it may very well happen

Photo by Victoria Heath​

What are the symptoms of burnout

Burnout can sneak up on you if you aren’t paying attention. You can continue to push, trying to manage all of your responsibilities without taking the time to care for yourself. However, if you take a moment and assess, you will notice the symptoms of stress and burnout. Aleisha talks about several symptoms of burnout, including what she calls “stress breath”. Listen to this episode to hear other symptoms and how you can identify them in your life. 

The pros and cons of a wedding planning timeline 

One way to avoid wedding planning burnout is to utilize a wedding planning timeline. They can help you prioritize your tasks and make decisions as needed. However, timelines aren’t perfect. Every wedding is different. Timelines are simply tools to be used, and should be adapted to your unique situation. It is ok if you don’t follow the timeline exactly. Listen to this episode to hear the ways timelines can be both helpful and harmful, and how you can use them in a way that reduces stress during wedding planning. 

With wedding planning, something that a lot of us hasn’t done before, you go through this stage where you are like ‘what now? What do i do?

Photo by Jacob Postuma

Wedding planning limbo

During the wedding planning process, there will be a time when you will start to feel overwhelmed. You will feel like you haven’t done enough, or that you don’t know what to do next. Be encouraged that this feeling is normal. Every couple planning a wedding has experienced this. However, when you reach this wedding planning limbo, don’t give in to the stress. Aleisha gives helpful ideas for what to do when you reach this stage of planning. Listen to hear about that and much more on this episode of the Bridechilla podcast. 

Timelines should be something that are helpful to be able to tick off different tasks but you shouldn’t feel like you have to do something at a certain stage because every event is different.

Listen to the Bridechilla Podcast episode

Show Highlights

  • [0:43] Aleisha introduces this episode’s topic, avoiding wedding planning burnout

  • [3:02] Wedding planning isn’t the peak achievement of life and shouldn’t be treated as such

  • [5:05] Burnout can happen quickly, especially when you are planning a wedding while also trying to balance all of the other commitments and obligations you have in everyday life. 

  • [7:14] Aleisha describes the token symptoms of burnout and how she senses it coming.

  • [11:36] How to effectively use a wedding planning timeline without letting them overwhelm you. 

  • [15:38] Streamlining your wedding planning and completing small tasks can help alleviate stress

  • [21:40] The importance of clarity in avoiding burnout

  • [23:08] The stage of engagement when most couples hit burnout in wedding planning.

  • [25:48] How regular should communication with vendors or coordinator happen?

  • [29:54] The physical symptoms of stress and burnout. 

  • [32:03] Aleisha talks about the new group she has set up for the Bridechilla community called Bosschilla. 

  • [34:00] How to get in touch with Aleisha

For me, one of the big symptoms of burnout is physical, feeling tired, feeling puffy and bloated, feeling vague and reactive

With thanks to our Bridechilla Partners

Show image by mari lezhava​

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7 Most common things to go wrong at weddings and how to fix them

by Bibi Raven
written by Bibi Raven

Wedding.
Dreading.
Stressing.
Coincidence that all these words rhyme (sorta)? I think not.

Thought it’s one of the most magical days of your life, the possibility of things going terribly wrong on your blessed day is simply mind-boggling. The DJ doesn’t rock up. The priest gets lost. The food makes every guest violently ill. It’s enough to call the whole thing off and just elope.

While you can’t control absolutely everything on your wedding day, there are some commonly encountered wedding mishaps that can be avoided. Or better yet, prevented.

Here are seven of the most common things to go wrong at weddings, and how you can fix them before they turn the best day of your life into one of the worst days of your life.

It Starts To Rain. Then Pour.

It’s the biggest fear of all brides - having an outdoor wedding and it starts to rain.

While you can’t fix this so-called problem from Mother Nature, you can certainly try to prepare. In the days leading up to your wedding day, check the weather predictions religiously. Clothing retailer Monsoon has released an ingenious wedding weather calculator. It uses Met Office rainfall data to analyse 86 years’ worth of statistics to show which days have historically been the driest and which days have been a total washout.

Even if there isn’t an indication that it’s going to rain, I’d still recommend having a Plan B. This can be as simple as having enough emergency umbrellas for your guests to hiring a back-up marquee tent.

Another way to remedy rain-induced wedding stress? Chain your mindset! Rain on your wedding day is said to be good luck. In many cultures, rain symbolizes fertility, unity and a fresh start.

As the saying goes, you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain.

The In Laws Don’t Get Along

One of the greatest joys of a wedding is the coming together of two families. Becoming Mr and Mrs (or Mr and Mr, Mrs and Mrs, etc) doesn’t just mean the start of your own family with the love of your life. It means both sides of the family coming together to be one.

Easier said than done.

When your parents and your future in-laws fight like Montagues and Capulets, it could be a recipe for disaster on the days leading up to your wedding and your actual wedding day.

Your mother wants you to wear her understated retro wedding dress. Your mother-in-law is pushing for a fancy, massive meringue wedding dress. Your father suggests a quiet get together on your parent’s country townhouse. Your father-in-law offers to pay for the Ritz.

It’s enough to do your head in.

So, what to do? The answer - don’t force it. You’re just giving yourself unnecessary stress on your special day.

To avoid any deadly situations, place them at separate tables. This might not be conventional, but it’s better than having a full-blown public argument at your wedding. To be frank, let them avoid each other the whole day if it means making the wedding run smoothly. Possibly the only point at which they have to be within 2 feet of each other and force a smile is for the photos.  

Another top tip - make sure they have enough booze. Lots and lots of booze. Hopefully, that’ll loosen them up and have them crying in each other’s arms at how happy they are their beloved children found each other.  

You Get Sh*t Wedding Gifts

Weddings are for gifts. Oh and for love and romance and all that jazz. But mainly for gifts.
Just kidding.Obviously, they’re not the sole focus of your big day, but they are a major added bonus of getting married. Unless you get totally bogus gifts.

To avoid such a catastrophe, make it clear to your guests what sort of gifts you and your partner want. This can be included on the invitation, or a friendly e-mail reminder leading up to the wedding.

Are you looking for traditional gifts such as silverware and appliances? Or maybe you’re the couple who’d prefer an extraordinary wedding gift experience. Or even plain hard cash.

Make it known what you’d prefer. There’s no shame. Plus, it’ll help your guests find the perfect gift for you!

You Get Sloppy Jallopy Wasted

Ah, alcohol. A friend and foe. A froend, if you will.

Alcohol can be a great way to relax the nerves. Getting ready with your bridesmaids is often the most nerve-wracking time of the whole day. That’s why free-flowing bubbly is a prerequisite.

But it’s all fun and games until you’re too smashed to put on your wedding dress.

Feel free to indulge in a few glasses of champagne with your girlfriends, but don’t take it too far. You’ve still got a long night ahead of you.

The reception is the part of the wedding where the booze is at its best. Don’t let guests pressure you into taking your 17th shot of tequila. If worst comes to worst, pull the ol’ trick of carrying and refilling a shot of water.

Your Groom Gets Sloppy Jallopy Wasted

Here’s another recipe for disaster - your hubby gets totally trashed before he’s even made it to the chapel.
Not cool.
To avoid such a catastrophe, ask one of the groomsmen to keep an eye on him. Choose a groomsman that you’re personally close with and make your expectations clear - I want to marry a sober man.

They’ll be bound to get a little rowdy as they’re all getting ready together, drinking whiskey and smoking cigars, but it doesn’t have to get to an out-of-control level.

You Have a Wardrobe Malfunction

Picture this - you’re walking down the aisle. The bells are chiming. The rose petals from the flower girl’s hands are falling gracefully to the floor. Everyone rises as you make your grand entrance. Your husband looks at your with tears in his eyes. You take a step. And another. And on the next one, you step on your dress and the entire bottom half of your dress comes apart.

Every bride’s nightmare.

To avoid such an awful situation, always have a sewing kit on hand. Better yet, have an Oh Sh*t Kit. It’s a wedding emergency pack filled with helpful items, from double-sided tape and safety pins to body lotion and a hairbrush.

Someone Brings Their Annoying Brat (After You Asked Them Not To)

To children or not to children? That is the question.

Allowing children to attend a wedding is one of the greatest debates in wedding history. On the one hand, they’re cute as buttons. They give your wedding a sense of energy and youthfulness that can really put everyone at ease.

But on the other hand, they can be a total nuisance- crying, throwing a tantrum and preventing their mum and dad, your guests, from having fun.

It doesn’t matter what anyone else says - the decision is yours. Some couples make the call to allow the kids at the ceremony and not at the reception. Remember, it’s your wedding and you call the shots.

If you do decide to allow the rugrats to enjoy the whole event, a good idea would be to have a separate room with an au pair. Here they can run around, have fun and be safe. And they can sleep soundly when their little bodies get tired from all the wedding fun.

I hope these fixes made you feel more chill while planning that big day. You got this.

Header photo by boram kim 

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365- Decision making made easy

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

Decision making overwhelm can hit even the most organised people, especially when it comes to all of the choices that surround wedding planning. From the 'big' decisions, right down the smaller details (that still require thought) can add up and send you into a downward stress cycle. In this episode of Bridechilla, founder, Aleisha shares her best tips for making decisions that are right for you and moving on with your life, so you can enjoy the process!

Whether you are planning a wedding or just living your life day-to-day, there are a multitude of decisions with which you are faced. More than ever before, we are forced to make decisions quickly while processing loads of information. It can quickly lead to confusion, frustration and burnout. During this episode, Aleisha shares 5 tips for how to step back, slow down, and take a better approach to making good decisions.

Listen to episode 365 of Bridechilla

The pros and cons of a pros and cons list

You’ve seen it on movies and tv shows. The lead character is trying to make a decision so she pulls out a pen and a pad and makes a pros and cons list. It may seem silly, but sometimes just taking to time think things through and write them down can be extremely helpful. Writing a pros and con list can help you process the decision and gives you a record to return to if you start to second guess yourself once you’ve made the decision. Listen for the ways to make the pros and con lists and how they can be helpful during this podcast.

Sometimes there are so many options that you don’t even think about sitting down and taking a moment to write this shit down and walk away from it for 20 minutes, an hour, 2 days, and then come back and have a look at the pros and cons again and see what works and what doesn’t.​

Photo by Alejandro Escamilla 

The right time for the right decision

Timing is everything. When approaching a difficult conversation, you want to choose a good time to have it. The same is true for making decisions. Times you are hungry, tired, or emotionally drained are not good times to try and make important decisions. Taking a moment to assess the timing both for yourself and your partner or others who might have a say in the decision can help you avoid potential traps or pitfalls that could sabotage good decision making. Hear Aleisha explain more about the importance of good timing in decision making and how you can determine the right time during this episode.

Regret is a trap that I encourage you to not indulge in because if you live with regret and you worry about the consequences of decisions that really don’t matter in the long run it can really weigh you down emotionally.​

Not-so-sweet emotion

Making good decisions involves having a clear head. Emotions are a great thing, but sometimes they can cloud our ability to make a good decision. In times where emotions might be heightened, making critical decisions might not be wise or advisable. There are also certain decisions that will appeal to your emotions in a way that prove unhelpful to the decision-making process. Being aware of your current emotional state and the potential impact of a given decision on your emotions is a first step in determining whether or not you should make the decision. It could lead to you either waiting for another time or getting outside advice.

Photo by Christoph Rücker 

Embrace the unknown

As fantastic as it would be, no one can see or predict the future. In all of life, there is the mystery of the unknown. Trying to predict the future only leads to frustration and, sometimes, analysis paralysis. While you can’t control the future, you can control how you handle the present. Aleisha encourages listeners to just do your best, live the best you can and embrace the unknown. Listen to this episode to hear the 5 ways to better decision making and much more on the bridechilla podcast.

Listen to episode 365 of Bridechilla

Show Highlights

  • [0:31] This episode of the Bridechilla podcast focuses on how to make good decisions without feeling pressured or overwhelmed
  • [5:41] Aleisha talks about her approach to decision making and the struggles she deals with in making decisions
  • [9:22] How men and women differ in the way they make decisions.
  • [13:46] How high-power people of influence eliminate stress in decision making.
  • [20:12] How little decisions can be the most overwhelming and how to use a pro/con list to help bring clarity to a decision.
  • [24:35] Think about the emotions attached to a decision and how they might affect your judgement and ability to make a good decision
  • [29:27] Ditch the concept of regret or irrelevant emotions
  • [31:21] Because you can’t see or predict the future, you have to embrace the unknown and do your best.
  • [34:28] Consider writing down the process you are going through while making a decision.

Memorable Quotes

  • “I think our generation is making a lot more decisions a lot more quickly than our parents. We’ve got a lot more information available to us which is great but it can make it really stressful when it comes to making a decision.”
  • “So far I’ve said I want someone to make restaurant and dinner decisions and also someone to tell me what clothes to wear. Just like I need a P.A., a very decisive P.A.
  • “Taking chances is the biggest joy in life.”

With thanks to our Bridechilla Partners

Show image by Dmitry Bayer

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360-Comparison is The Thief of Joy- with Lucy Sheridan

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

A big conversation in our post wedding facebook group, The Chilla Grads is post-wedding coping, comparison, blues and feelings surrounding expectations not being reached when thinking about our wedding celebrations. I am delighted to be joined by Lucy Sheridan, Comparison Coach whose aim is to help people get over the 'compare and despair' of social media and beyond. A wonderfully motivating for chat, no matter where you are in your planning journey.

Listen to Episode 360 of Bridechilla

Dealing with the post wedding let down 

Planning a wedding and preparing for marriage is an exciting time. You spend so much time making decisions for this huge event. What do you do when the wedding is over and the new normal of real life begins? Many times there can be a feeling of sadness or depression. Aleisha and Lucy discuss the potential let down that you might experience after your wedding. They also share from their personal experiences and give advice for how you can deal with it. The most important step is to be kind to yourself, allow yourself to feel those emotions and then deal with them in a healthy way.  

"You must allow yourself to feel everything you are feeling.”

Don’t do it alone

In times of depression, anxiety, or just general life struggle, we often have the tendency to seclude ourselves. Rather than bother others with our problems or be forced to deal with our feelings, we try to go it alone. However, in these difficult times, it is better to surround yourself with people that care about you. Talking with a trusted friend, family member, or counselor will help you get back to health sooner. Lucy shares her experience with therapy and how it helped her. Hear about the benefits of letting other people help during this episode.

Photo by Quân Nguyễn​

"You can’t be positive of supporting yourself or someone else and also be doubting yourself. Your system has to lead with one message. One has to override the other"

Photo by Vladimir Kudinov 

Adjusting to married life

After the wedding, the real work of adjusting to married life begins. It is an exciting time of learning how to function as a couple. There can be unexpected stressors that could pop up as you adapt to your new lifestyle. Lucy says, “What’s great about getting married is lots of things in our relationships and in our life stay exactly the same.” She shares some tips for how to deal with your spouse, how to pick the important battles, and how to support your significant other even if you may not totally agree with them. Most importantly, don’t compare your marriage to others. Focusing on your relationship and making your marriage the priority will make your marriage that much stronger. Hear other important advice and encouragement during this interview.

"What’s great about getting married is lots of things in our relationships and in our life stay exactly the same. I’m still gonna leave my wet towels on the floor. I’ve been doing it since I was 15 and no one is going to talk me out of it.”


Tips for cutting out comparison

We are all guilty of comparing ourselves to others at some point in our lives. If we aren’t careful, we can find that comparison has invaded our lives and robbed us of joy and happiness. How can you reverse the trend and start to rid yourself of comparison? During this episode, Lucy shares some practical ways to identify the triggers in your life, how to process your emotions, and then move on. Cutting out comparison is an ongoing process that takes time, mindfulness, and lots of practice. Be encouraged that over time you can take back the joy that comparison has stolen.

Listen to Episode 360 of Bridechilla

  • [0:36] Introduction of Lucy Sheridan, the world’s first and only comparison coach. Lucy’s mission is to help people stop comparing themselves to others.  
  • [6:55] Abigail asks about post wedding coping, dealing with identity, post-wedding nightmares, and depression
  • [11:42] The questions of identity that comes up after you get married.
  • [17:21] Creating open lines of communications and developing good conflict management skills in your relationship
  • [24:16] How to deal with negative emotions and the letdown of the wedding
  • [32:36] Therapy can help you be more healthy and shed some of the baggage that can weigh you down[35:52] Aleisha shares the story of how an honest conversation with a friend led to reconnection
  • [39:18] Key ways to identify the triggers of comparison and how to deal with them
  • [47:50] How to learn more about what Lucy does and how to get in touch

Meet Lucy Sheridan

I'm Lucy, 'the comparison coach'.  If you want to get clear, confident and on track with what you want, once and for all, you’re in the right place.

CanI get a ‘hell yeah!’ from you if you're ready to cut the crap, stop comparing yourself to others and give yourself the gifts of choice and change?

This is a rallying cry for those of you sitting at work bored, or on your sofa, scrolling your iPad bouncing between social media and the feelings of “wtf am I doing with my life?”
Connect with Lucy - Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Episode Resources

Show image by Candice Picard

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A burnt white wedding dress & broken heels! 10th vow renewal in Hawaii

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

Chip and Nina where the ultimate Bridechilla and Groomchilla and didn’t let a burnt dress and a broken heel get in the way of celebrating their 10-year vow renewal in beautiful Hawaii. They kept calm and carried on celebrating with their family and beautiful children. 
Photographer Harold from Alvea Studios captured all of the drama, colour and joy of their very memorable vow renewal day.

We've heard of being prepared for anything but...

Imagine this…a wonderful decade of marriage has passed. You and your partner have been through a lot of unforgettable memories and checked off a bunch of items from your bucket lists. Now, you decide its time to renew your wedding vows. You plan ahead of time and book a flight to Hawaii with your closest relatives.

YOU ARE VERY EXCITED.

Fast forward to the big day – you wake up really early to prepare. Everything is going smoothly until you iron your dress and BURN it!

Yes, that gorgeous, white dress.

You try to fix it but nothing else can be done.

You think “this can be fixed with photoshop”.

You have a photo shoot scheduled before your ceremony. You are rushing because you are way behind your schedule. You meet your photographer and start walking. In literally just 10 seconds, your heels snapped.

It’s broken. “Are you kidding me?” is an understatement for what you really feel. Then, a bright ray of light suddenly shines on your peripheral view – it’s a ROSS dress for less store – and they are open

The iron burn in Nina's dress was a tiny blip in a joy filled day!

As luck would have it there was a ROSS store nearby!

If this happened to you, how would you handle it? 

This was what happened to Chip & Nina and hands down, they were one of the coolest couples I met. 
They managed to handle everything very patiently and gracefully. 
Nina just shook it off. It actually made the day extra special and memorable!

Exploring the colour and vibrancy of Kakaako 

We went for a walk in Kakaako, downtown Honolulu to take some shots on these amazing murals. It was very colorful just like their story. The ceremony was very intimate and emotional. It's just them and the ocean. You can really feel the love that binds their family. They trusted me to take photos and videos for this special day. Fun fact: it’s my birthday too! I feel very honored to have spent my day with this beautiful family and witness their love.

Celebrating with family with the tradition of the lei

Nina and Chip presented traditional Hawaiian lei to their family and children.
A lei is a common symbol of love, friendship, celebration, honor, or greeting. In other words, it is a symbol of Aloha.

Chip and Nina's Rockstar Vendors

Photographer and Videographer - Harold Alvea
Restaurant- Tommy Bahama Restaurant
Emergency shoes (!)- Ross Discount Store

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What happens to Weddings When women Stop Saying Yes?

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

On episode 356 of the Bridechilla Podcast I was joined by Honey Dew founder's Michelle and Lucy. In this blog they continue the conversation of finding balance when wedding planning and work (and life in general!).
We work on weddings every single day. As founders of a startup that wants to do all the grunt work of wedding planning, this makes sense. After talking to hundreds of couples, we realized with great horror that those that are wedding planning are working on their wedding every single day too. With full time jobs.

Listen to episode 356 Of Bridechilla

The wedding industry just assumes couples will say yes

Hey, I can’t give you the price of the venue over email — can you call me at 3pm?

Hey, could you tell me your budget before I tell you how much these flowers will cost?

Hey, we can’t give you a quote for how much our catering package costs, because it differs for each couple. Will you set up an appointment to discuss more?

These are questions that the wedding industry assumes couples will say yes to. And honestly, the assumption is valid — couples don’t have the expertise or option to say no, because the next wedding vendor will request the same. The industry doesn’t care if both people have a full time job, don’t have time at work to slip away for a vendor phone call, and don’t have an exact itemized list of what flowers or entrees they want. Somehow, in this $70 billion industry where couples spend on average $35,000 on a wedding, they are at the mercy of the wedding vendors who won’t pick up the phone or post prices on their website.

Photo by Edward Cisneros

Without information transparency, couples can’t say no

The Internet allows price comparisons between a pillow on Amazon.com and a pillow on Walmart.com. Uber tells me my trip will cost $11.80 so I can decide to ride Lyft to my music class instead. Now: imagine if you had to email Uber for a price before booking your ride. Imagine if you had to call Amazon about their memory foam pillow to ask whether it was in stock. It’s laughable, right?

Yet, lack of information transparency, especially around price and availability, is the single biggest driver of time wasted and stress when wedding planning. No wedding solution today actually solves this because their revenue comes from wedding vendors (sponsored ads and memberships). Wedding vendors get fewer leads when their prices are readily available online. This makes them less happy.

Who’s championing for the couples’ happiness, then?

The email inbox of a couple caught up in wedding planning

What happens when couples stop saying yes?

One night, we were fuming about the numerous mediocre wedding vendor websites out there, and we had a Eureka moment. What if we systematically retrieved vendor information, and made it transparent? What if couples stopped the hours of research and correspondence they were doing and let us call and email wedding vendors for them? What if we became the buffer between the wedding vendors and the couple, so that couples could STOP reading through 17 page wedding packets for each vendor they talked to, and just…let us screen vendors for them?

What if we did it online, low-touch, and didn’t charge them $10,000 (like a wedding planner) for it?

We grew confident that once couples got a taste of this freedom and control, they’d come to demand it as a baseline, table stakes experience from every wedding company.

We decided to start Honeydew.

Photo by Alvin Mahmudov

Honeydew is the personal assistant and personal champion for your wedding

Imagine a human powered search engine that personalizes exactly to your preferences and constraints and presents you vetted options with decision-critical information. Ok maybe that’s hard to imagine.

Instead, imagine clicking a button and instantaneously feeling confident enough to book a wedding vendor. Imagine your whole wedding planned like this.

Now try us out! We’re live, and we’d love to talk to you!

Show image by Sarah Diniz Outeiro

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Bridechilla BlogBridechilla Podcast

356-Finding Work Wedding Balance

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

Guests Michelle and Lucy from Honey Dew are here to help you find a better work/life/wedding balance. Last year they quit their day jobs to launch their business with the aim to help couples ditch the hard slog of wedding research and get them to be the middle ladies in the vendor/client relationship.
They have become the buffer between wedding vendors couples, so that couples can STOP reading through 17 page wedding packets for each vendor they talked to, and just…let Michelle and Lucy screen vendors for them!

Listen to Episode 356 of The Bridechilla Podcast

Finding a Work-Wedding Balance with Lucy and Michelle from Honeydew

Since you can’t just press pause on 6 months of life and work, it is important to find a work-wedding balance when planning your wedding. When you have a full-time job and a life full of responsibilities and activities, it’s difficult to find the time to invest in planning your wedding. On today’s Bridechilla podcast, guests Michelle and Lucy from Honeydew, an online wedding planning service, share how they are helping take the stress out of the wedding planning experience. Hear planning hacks, tips about how to deal with vendors, and how Honeydew can help you.

"A lot of times women become default planners throughout their lives. It’s a role we take on either by choice because willingly we want to or because sometimes we are the only ones left willing to carry that burden."

Who has time to plan a wedding? 

Michelle and Lucy say that it takes 300+ hours to plan a wedding. You have to screen vendors, pick out flowers, book a venue, plan a menu, find a dress and select outfits for the wedding party. And on top of all that, you have to balance the demands of daily life. Wouldn’t it be great to have a personal assistant who could help you with the planning? That’s exactly why Michelle and Lucy started Honeydew. They developed a tech savvy solution that is the go-between for couples and their wedding vendors. Hear more about how they started the company and the value they are bring to Bridechillas everywhere on this week’s podcast. 

How to get creative in your wedding planning

Many times, brides find that the only option to help them plan their wedding is using a traditional wedding planner. Wedding planners know vendors and venues and can help ease the burden of planning. However, sometimes traditional wedding planners can become barriers to creativity. It is becoming increasingly more common to create a unique wedding experience. Sometimes the traditional wedding photographer or florists can’t accomplish what the couple wants. How can you get past the traditional mindset to create a personalized wedding? Listen as Michelle and Lucy share tips for getting past the creative barriers while planning your wedding.  

“No one is going to do a bad job because they resent you for negotiating. Everyone is going to want to do an amazing job so that you refer th​em to your friends and talk highly of them.”

Photo by Emma Matthews

Tips for staying on budget

As we’ve talked about many times on the bridechilla podcast, it is so important to have a budget for your wedding. Whether it’s a shoestring budget or tens of thousands of dollars, knowing your budget will help you prioritize as you plan. Michelle and Lucy stress that you can leverage your budget when dealing with vendors. Knowing your budget gives you negotiating power. And don’t be afraid of hurting a vendors feelings or making them mad. Vendors have markups and can often give discounts in a variety of ways. The key is to always be polite and direct with your desires. Listen to the podcast to hear more tips on negotiating and dealing with vendors from Michelle and Lucy.

Helping Chillas find a work-wedding balance 

Lucy and Michelle started Honeydew because they understood the stress and demands that Bridechillas face. They deal with a lot of high power women who have stressful and time consuming jobs. Add planning a wedding to that lifestyle and it’s a much more difficult challenge. No matter what your job or life circumstance may be, trying to find a work-wedding balance is difficult. Honeydew was created to help ease that burden and help brides and couples be able to fulfill their daily obligations and even find joy in planning their wedding. Hear all about Honeydew and much more on the Bridechilla podcast. 

Photo by rawpixel

Listen to Episode 356 of the Bridechilla Podcast

Meet This Episode’s Guest

After watching their sisters and friends stress about the details of wedding planning, Lucy and Michelle decided to take action. Using their experience in technology and business at Amazon and McKinsey, they created a solution to make the wedding planning process simpler and more affordable. They co-founded Honeydew, a business dedicated to helping couples plan their weddings by reducing the stress of dealing with vendors. Honeydew serves as a personal assistant for the wedding planning process.

*If US Chillas head to Honeydew and click “Plan for Me” and mention "Bridechilla" or use referral code "CHILLA" they'll get a 10% discount!

With thanks to our Bridechilla Partners

Careof bridechilla

Show image by Brooke Cagle

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Bridechilla BlogGuest Post

How to not be perfect and still be brilliant!

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

On episode 354 of the Bridechilla podcast, guest Dr. David Purves shares tools and takeaways to overcome and avoid perfectionism. In this blog Dr Purves gives us 8 ways to ditch the quest for perfectionism, which is an enemy to be defeated in wedding planning and in life! 

Listen to the episode

It's a common myth that high standard are always a good thing. Virtually every psychological problem has within it the seeds of ultra high personal standards. If you're reading this you may be tempted to say 'Are you saying it's better to have NO standards, I couldn't do that'. And in this imaginary interchange the problem is revealed. Ultra high standards are held by perfectionists. It is a variation on a black and white thinking style. You know the kind of thing; it's fantastic or it's useless. It's perfect or it's a failure. 

Perfectionists set themselves very high personal standards and then they judge their performance against those standards. If they fail to meet them (which they often do because they are so high) they are very self critical, and may feel that everything they have worked for is at risk and even that they are failing. 

Alternatively if they do meet their standards they think they have set them too low and that's why they succeeded.

Photo by Brooke Cagle

So what can we do about this pervasive and frankly unhelpful process?

Well, I have made a list of good standby strategies you can use to off-set the debilitating need to be perfect. Spoiler alert...no one is perfect and nothing is perfect. So the whole attempt to be 'perfect' is doomed. But you can still be brilliant.

1.There is nothing wrong with you, you are fine just as you are. 

Your high standards may seem quirky and helpful and 'just how you are' but they going to bite you in the bum at some point so you may was well take control of them now and enjoy your life journey instead being self critical.

2. You are probably depending too much on your own evaluation of how you are doing. 

The problem is that you are heavily biased in favor of what you have always done. You may not even see the process of perfectionism in action. So ask a trusted friend to calibrate what you think against what they think. Two heads are better than one and just the act of opening up your perfectionist tenancies to the wider world can have a refreshing and releasing effect on you.

3. Stress often makes you fall back on tried and tested methods of problem solving even if they are useless!

When you get stressed you will apply your perfectionist tool kit even harder. You will work harder, raise your already high standards and criticize yourself even more.

4. If you wouldn't say it to another person don't think it of yourself.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez

5. Practice keeping a diary of the critical things you say to yourself. 

It can be put in a worksheet that has these headings:- (1) Triggering events, (2) Self critical thoughts and (3) Associated feelings. Being able to see your critical thoughts written down has a powerful balancing effect.

6. Develop a compassionate voice you can use to challenge your harsh critical voice. 

Imagine the voice of a close friend who loves and cares for you. They understand what you struggle with and how much you care about things. But they also speak from a place of love and compassion. Give this voice a name an use it to speak to yourself about how you are doing. Especially when you are feeling overwhelmed. The change of voice tone is a powerful intervention to help you remain balanced and feeling in control.

7. Learn to forgive yourself for being human. 

You would forgive other people for their mistakes so give yourself the same leeway you afford others.

8. Challenge your faulty thinking styles. 

These are conclusion jumping (jumping to conclusions without adequate evidence; perfectionism being an example of that). Crystal gazing (imagining your know something you could not possibly know) and Talking down (talking yourself, others or the world down). If you want a free copy of my e-book on faulty thinking please click here.

Header image by Candice Picard 

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Bridechilla BlogBridechilla Podcast

Episode 354- Overcoming Perfectionism with Dr. David Purves

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

One way Bridechillas can have a great wedding experience is by first overcoming perfectionism. Planning a wedding involves so many factors. There are family and friends to consider, vendors to deal with, and so many other plans, all while preparing to start a new life with your partner. With so many variables, there are bound to be things that don’t go as planned. Perfectionism is an enemy to be defeated in wedding planning and in life. On this episode of the Bridechilla podcast, guest Dr. David Purves share tools and takeaways to overcome and avoid perfectionism. 

Listen to episode 354 of Bridechilla

Photo by Siddharth Bhogra

The Perils of Perfectionism

Dr. Purves says that perfectionism creates a false dichotomy. Perfectionists believe that the opposite of perfection is failure. Leaving no gray area causes problems in wedding planning and in everyday life. It can damage relationships, hinder productivity at work, and ultimately lead to depression. During this episode, Dr. David Purves describes the behaviors of perfectionists, discusses contriubtors that lead to perfectionistic tendencies, and offers practices for overcoming perfectionism. 

“By retaining power and control, you can have more of the wedding you want.”​

Photo by Leon Biss

Don’t Give Away Your Power and Control

Perfectionists almost always have a need to be in control. While planning a wedding, a perfectionist desires to control how vendors operate, how family members behave and every other aspect of the wedding. However, there are external factors that no one can control. Dr. David Purves says that you have all the power and control you need, but quite often you are giving it away to things that are irrelevant. Listen to the relationship between perfectionism and the need for control and the damage it can cause during this interview.

“Perfectionism is like a program running in the background causing things to happen.”

Methods to Overcoming Perfectionism

If you have identified yourself or your partner as a perfectionist, don’t worry, there is help. You can overcome perfectionism and regain balance in your life. As a psychologist, Dr. Purves has years of valuable experience and insight for how to stop expecting perfection and find more peace and joy in life. While it takes self-evaluation, work and accountability, change is possible. During this episode, Dr. Purves shares his wisdom and gives practical steps to help you move toward balance.  

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Being a perfectionist leads to the need for control. It also leads to worry and anxiety. Dr. Purves explains that worry is always based on events in the future. It is impossible to control the future. Rather than spend time worrying about the future, he suggests establishing what is true and practicing remembering it. Stay focused on the present and let the future take care of itself. Implementing the tips and practices given by Dr. Purves in this podcast episode will help you take the first step in overcoming perfectionism. It will also help you have a better wedding experience and a happier life.

Photo by Juan Camilo Navia

Listen to episode 354 of Bridechilla

Show Highlights

  • [0:25] Introduction of this episodes guest, Dr. David Purves
  • [1:12] How perfectionism creates the unnecessary pressure of avoiding failure
  • [4:40] The issue of control and how it relates to perfectionists
  • [8:27] To avoid the pressure for perfection while planning your wedding, start by asking “what is controlling you.”
  • [11:09] What internal and external factors contribute to perfectionism in wedding planning
  • [13:40] How can you diagnose perfectionism before it gets out of hand?
  • [22:24] Methods of being more mindful and calm in dealing with the lead up to your wedding
  • [29:43} The importance of positive self-talk
  • [31:44} Dr. Purves explains the secret of maintaining all of the power and control
  • [36:21] Tips for how to deal with worry and anxiety during the final days of preparation before the wedding

Memorable Quotes

  • “You can’t be a perfectionist unless you are a control freak”
  • “Perfectionism is like a program running in the background causing things to happen.”
  • “You have all the power and control you need to achieve anything you want in your life.”
  • “It’s not acceptable to be negative. We don’t want to be particularly positive, we just want to be accurate.”

Episode Resources

Show image by Şahin Yeşilyaprak

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