Evette & Mike...Proposal Story

Evette & Mike's Proposal...Thank you both for allowing me share your story! Congrat's to you both on your Wedding this year.

On Sat January 7th, Mike was outside washing his car and started talking to me about how he was having doubts about marriage and if we were ready, he said he hadn't talked to my parents and that he was nervous. I of course was very irritated, I mean we had been living together for a year and been together for 2 1/2 years...what was he waiting for... Also that weekend his brother and his family spent the weekend with us, they were planning on renewing their vows in March so they were talking about all the planning and I was secretly jealous wondering when I would ever be able to plan my own wedding. My brother had also called and said he wanted me to come home to see him on Sunday since I hadn't seen him in a few months as he was in California with his kids...we are a close family so I didn't think anything about him missing me so I asked Mike if we could go after his brother left on Sunday. He said we would.

So sunday we go to church, which by the way the message was that 2012 was the year that things were going to get in order and that the "best was yet to come." After church Mikes brother and family all sat around for a little but then they said that had things to do, thanked us for a good weekend and left. At this point I was ready to go to Durham, but Mike wanted to take a nap...I was irritated but I said ok, and that brother actually went to sleep, well after about an hour he woke up and said he was ready to go. I noticed that Mike was wearing a nice shirt and jeans and usually when we go to Durham to just relax he has on sweats but he told me that since he already ironed he would just keep on what he had on...seemed fine to me.

So we are riding to Durham and mike and I are laughing, talking, nothing seemed abnormal. His brother even called to say that he was wat the mall in Greensboro, or so I thought, he was really at my parents house. So we get to my parents house and my brother comes out and gives me a hug...again we are close so I didn't think anything of it. There were no abnormal cars in the drive way. I gave him his Christmas gift and we go into the house, Mike and my brother are behind me. I look and on one side of the room is my parents and my brothers girlfriend but as I get more in the house I notice that all of Mikes family is sitting on the other side of the room, including his brother and family that had just left our house...I turned around to ask Mike what was going on and he was down on his knee...I immediately began to cry. Mike pulls out a note that he had written on our grocery store paper that read..." From the first time I laid eyes on you I knew I had met my future! 2 1/2 years later that same feeling resides in my heart stronger than ever. It's my promise to be the best man I can be for you and for us, If only you choose to be my wife." To be honest I probably didn't even hear that, but he opened his shirt and his t-shirt said "Will You Marry Me"...I was in disbelief and of course accepted and he put a beautiful ring on my finger and now we are counting down the days till we are husband and wife!!!!

I keep the note he wrote in my wallet as it is very sentimental. I also still have the t-shirt! Shared by Evette.

What a sweet story! More Wedding Stories to come!

Standards of Excellence: Making It Right For the Client

Providing a good customer service experience prior to the purchase, during the purchase, and even after the purchase impacts the growth of your company along with the perception of your organization. Sometimes we focus only on the initial experience a customer has in the first encounter with us. What happens if mistakes or missteps are made? How do you handle those situations? How well can you deliver excellent service even when the customer is dissatisfied? Do you understand them and admit to the mistake that was made? Do you embrace their frustration and try to make it right? This is a challenge, but it is possible to still make it right. I experienced a challenging situation that I learned a great deal from. For the first time, I had customer partially satisfied and partially dissatisfied. I was devastated by the situation because I pride myself on delivering my best and always aiming to supersede expectations. During this experience, I did not loose my desire to provide excellence. I thought it through and came up with a solution to satisfy the customer to the best of my ability. Keep in mind that every situation is different. Solutions are not always cookie cutter. Evaluate the current situation and tailor the solution to best fit your customer. The next step was to present the solution to the customer, they agreed to the solution, and we moved forward to take action.

In business, we typically share the wins or the great experiences and rarely share our missteps. The reality is that mistakes will happen. The key is how do you as a Company respond to it! Do you have a Customer Resolution Plan in place? If not, today is the day to begin developing your process to ensure the entire experience of working with you and your company is excellent!

The Dress Fitting Experience

This past weekend, I spent a couple hours at a Bridal Fitting for one of my Brides and her Bridesmaids. We actually had a really good time with one another. The Bride, Four of the Bridesmaids, one Jr. Bridesmaid, Three Friends, plus the Wedding Planner were present for the fitting. A big group right. If you watch "Say Yes to the Dress", one of my favorite shows, the Consultants are always concerned about the number of family and friends in attendance along with how they will respond every time the Bride presents each dress. Normally I do too! Amazingly, we had a great time and everything went smoothly. It made me think, why? How did 10 women enjoy the experience with each other? Here is what I assessed regarding the experience. Whether you are the Bride, Bridesmaids, Mother of the Bride, or friends of the Bride, you may find this helpful.

1. The Bride carefully selected her Bridesmaids. She selected women who she has a strong bond and relationship with. Women who really wanted to be apart of the journey with her.

2. The Bride also selected very close friends to attend who have the capability to be honest, but honest in a loving way. Each one watched her facial expression and asked the Bride "How do you feel in it?" before they gave their opinions.

3. The Bride already knew the style of the dress she was looking for. Everyone in attendance understood her style was HER style and they saw the dress from the Bride's Eye and not their own.

4. The energy of the ladies was up lifting and excitable. I could tell that everyone was happy for the Bride and wanted to see her happy.

5. The Wedding Planner - I've heard several times on "Say Yes to the Dress" how annoyed the Consultants are with the Wedding Planner trying to take over. I've seen how over bearing they can be on the show. My purpose for attending was to help assist where ever needed, take notes, and make the Consultants life easier. Prior to the fitting, the Bride selected a series of dresses for her self and the her Bridesmaids. I copied and paste the pictures in a Word Document along with the item numbers and presented the document to the Consultant. She was grateful that we knew what we were looking for and had everything organized! We also welcomed her opinions and ideas in the appointment.

Overall, we had a great experience and the Bride did say "Yes the Dress"!

Need Help Choosing Your Wedding Colors?

Recently working with one of my Brides, she was having challenges finalizing her wedding colors. I thought about a few ways to help her narrow down her color theme. Just in case you are looking for some additional guidance, here are some ideas to help you too!

Your Favorites: Simply think about your favorite color. What colors do you love the most? It's okay if you have more than one. If you do have more than one, create two color themes you can select from.

The Venue: Think about the your Reception Venue or the Venue you would like to book. How will your colors work with design of the venue? Test your color scheme. Schedule a site visit. Bring table linens in your colors and place it over the table to begin to envision the space and determine the best color scheme.

Color Matching: Purchase individual swatch of your colors and see how the colors compliment each other. You may even want to look at various Bridesmaids Dresses to have a larger view of the color and even place the second color next to it to see how well the colors look together.

Google Search: Take the time to do a Google Search for photographs of your colors. This will help you get an additional view of how the colors work with different venues.

Tis the Season: What time of the year will you have your wedding? Some Brides will decide to go with colors that match the current season. Remember it's your day, so don't be afraid to go with your favorite colors!

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK PANTONE FASHION COLOR REPORT · SPRING 2012 Visit the this link to see the Colors for 2012 http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr.aspx?pg=20910&ca=4

Planning Your Wedding Budget?

Wedding Budget Notes:

(1) Know that Budget Breakdowns are guidelines and will vary per region and per vendor.

(2) Many vendors typically offer a variety of package selections at different price structures. Options can be customized as well.

(3) Service fees can also vary based on experience and professional certifications.

(4) The season of the year can effect pricing. Peak season pricing may be higher than non-peak season.

(5) Be clear if your budget is your absolute actual amount you can spend or if there is room for overage.

*Basic Wedding Budget Breakdown:

45-55% Wedding Reception (site fee, music, rentals, food, beverages, cake)

2-3% Ceremony (location, officiant, marriage license)

8-10% Wedding Attire

5-10% Flowers and Décor

8-12% Photography & Videography

4-10% Music (ceremony, cocktail hour, reception)

2-3% Transportation (limo, vintage car,)

2-4% Gifts

2-5% Wedding Bands

2-4% Stationary (invitations, programs, thank you cards)

8-10% Misc and unexpected costs

15-20% Wedding Planner

It's also important to establish a budget and revisit your budget in the early stages as you can begin to determine the services you need to create your wedding. You will find that you may be making adjustments often through out the wedding planning process to stay on target with your budget. This is okay and very common. The key is understanding that there are several variables that effect the "basic wedding budget breakdown" you may find in your research versus the actual services you may select for your wedding. For an additional website to evaluate fee ranges per area, click the link below.

http://www.costofwedding.com/index.cfm/action/costest.index

Brandy & Drew's Wedding

"The Proposal"

I love watching movies all the time. Especially movies like "The Proposal". If you seen this comedy love story, I'm sure you enjoyed it too. Sandra Bullocks character "Margaret" plays the lead as the editor in chief of a publishing company. Her assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) works tirelessly for her. To keep her job and keep from being deported she shocks Andrew with a wedding proposal and blackmails him in order to keep her job. Things take a turn when they travel to visit his family in Alaska. During that one trip they actually fell in love and in the end he proposed to her and it was a yes!

Your story may or may not be as dramatic as this one, but you have a story or you will have a story to tell! Tis the season for Christmas, but also the season for Proposals. Gentlemen, think about your relationship with the one you love. Think about the those special moments and unique connection points on "your" journey together. Use those moments in your Proposal. Whether it's a public proposal or private one, those unique moments in your relationship will prove to be a special day she will always remember.