Why I Think Vendors Like Brides Like Me

I'm happy to report that wedding preparations continue to go swimmingly! Sure, there's been a little crisis aversion here or there (say, immediately retracting Brian's invitation to have his sister's family of five stay with us the week of our wedding), but all's going well. And importantly, my vendors are happy. At least they tell me so.

I want to keep my vendors happy not just because of my crush on them but because happy vendors equal personal motivation to do my wedding well. I'm trying to keep them happy by practicing a few genuine business rules:

• Treating each interaction with them as I would any other professional meeting or conversation
• Offering my opinions and requirements but listening and trusting theirs
• Staying super organized and sharing any updates with them that might influence the plans we've created
• Asking, what do you need from me in order to do your job? 

I figure that if all goes to hell in August for whatever reason -- Acts of God, my own emotional stress, etc. -- I'll have enough planned and have built up enough goodwill to not anger them so much they do the equivalent of a waiter spitting in my food.

Everything I listed is really basic, but you've seen bridezillas: it's as if they check everything -- tact, grace, couth, professionalism -- at the door, leaving everyone else -- including the people they're paying to work -- as slaves to their emotions.

I'm probably prematurely tooting my own horn. They could hate me for all I know. Personally, I might have thought, "Jeez, woman, your wedding's in September" if I received a few of the emails I sent.

But whatever I'm doing, it's paying off, because our relationships are going really well. I'm going to try to keep it that way!

Vendor Crush

I've noticed a certain glee that comes over me whenever I talk with any of my wedding vendors.

I want them to like me. I want to give them ideas that they'll like. Whenever they tell me they like an idea or praise me for being so organized I secretly hope it means I'm their No. 1 client (even if for the moment).

Egotism? Maybe. Only-child syndrome? Perhaps. But I truly feel like I'm surrounding myself with the cool kids who are amazingly talented, and by golly, I want to fit in.

I'm hiring them because they have good taste and good opinions. On top of it, we're making a point to work with people I genuinely would want to surround myself with anyway -- good people who I've decided could help me plan one of the most emotional days of my life or be at my side during that time. Man or woman, how horrible to think I would bore them or not inspire them!

At the end of the day, I get everything I do accomplished because I make decisions, I take the emotion out of it as much as possible, I have a clear vision, and I do my best treat our relationship as the business transaction it is.

Except for having my secret crushes. I wonder if they know?

The "Intro to Natural Family Planning" Classes Freak Me Out

So Brian and I decided that it wouldn't feel like a wedding for us personally if we didn't get married in the Catholic church. And now the fruits of our decision are coming to light.

He was not only raised Catholic but went to Catholic school up until college. My parents are named Mary and Joseph -- and yes, they're just as devout as their names imply. No wonder anything but a church ceremony would feel awkward to us.

But awkward enough to make us endure a required "Natural Family Planning" class that dives into detail on the various methods to "help couples space, achieve, or avoid pregnancy?" Apparently, we're into torturing ourselves, because according to the class lineup based on the methodologies, Brian and I will discuss cervical mucus no fewer than 25 times.

I don't want to discuss cervical mucus with anyone.

The ironic part is that we don't want kids. We acknowledge that one day we might change our mind but know that in that case, we will be relying on modern medicine -- our doctors -- to help us out with that one.

The church, of course, knows this. What we think or feel doesn't matter. If we want a traditional wedding, we have to do things traditionally by taking the class.

And I'm surprised because ... ? 

Wedding Sanity and a Smile

The wedding is under control, and it's actually fun planning things now. We're proud to have accomplished the following:

• Got the band.
• Found a dress.
• Booked a venue.
• Secured a chapel.
• Signed up a day-of coordinator.
• Selected a photographer.
• Put up a website.
• Chose the wedding party.
• Reserved hotel rooms.
• Decided on the officiant.
• Hired floral/event designer.
• Nailed down the save-the-dates and invitation concepts.
• Set up registries.
• Started tastings with caterers.

The best part about it all is that everything is based now on what we want -- not how others would do it. We're in control of how this party comes out, and so far it's turning out to be a good one. And a lot of folks who are out of town sound like they're able and willing to attend, which makes my heart smile.

Here's to keeping my sanity and having fun in the next months ahead.

Happy New Year to Me, You

We rang in the new year last night, and 2011 feels great.

2008 was pretty stressful. Then came 2009, which sucked too. The beginning of 2010 -- I'm recalling being part of a sinking ship (a.k.a. my job), then getting sick for three months -- was pretty shitty, and although I welcomed the layoff, it wasn't exactly fun job searching and being unemployed.

But then I decided to blow a few thousand on a trip to Italy, which was not only a great solo experience but ended up prompting Brian to propose. We got engaged, I got a new job I love, and now, as we start 2011, we're both healthy and planning a wedding.

I'm financially secure. I'm healthy. My parents are OK. His parents are OK. Brian's job is OK.

Life feels really, really, really good right now. Knock on wood.

Here's hoping 2011 is really, really good to you too.

Misleading Headlines, Misguided Content Strategy

Here's a prime example of a headline that misleads its readers.

The Nice List: Santa's Top-Five Cities

Sounds cute, right? So you click on it and scan -- because that's what you do when you see a web page -- for the list that the headline promises, and .... no list for you!

The cities are actually in paragraph form.

Props to the headline writer for pulling me in; it's technically accurate and does its job. Boo to the writer or editor for not presenting it in list-form to begin with.

This is why it's important to take a step back and think about how you present information -- even stories about an imaginary person. :)

Content Strategy and Content Curation

My former colleague Dan Blank just wrote a blog about the importance of curating content -- carefully selecting it and caring for it -- versus collecting content. As a content strategist whose boss likens our job to curating moreso than anything, I of course am on board with the distinction.

If you publish content somewhere, are you curating it or adding to a collection? Have a read and think about it.