Day 1092 – Lessons Learned from Stedman Graham (Oprah’s Man)

Posted on July 7, 2012 by 365 days of marriage

Since yesterday, I have learned SOOO much at this conference! It has completely changed how I think about my business. I also have a TON of new ideas for side projects and books to write.

The highlight of today was hearing Stedman Graham speak. You probably know him best as “Oprah’s man” but after hearing him speak, he is completely in his own category in my mind.

He shared SO many encouraging things and I’d love to just type them all up…but I don’t want to just give away his information, you know? BUT, I will share something that he shared, written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (taken from this page)

“And when you discover what you will be in your life, set out to do it as if God Almighty called you at this particular moment in history to do it. don’t just set out to do a good job. Set out to do such a good job that the living, the dead or the unborn couldn’t do it any better.

If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Leontyne Price sings before the Metropolitan Opera. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well. If you can’t be a pine at the top of the hill, be a shrub in the valley. Be be the best little shrub on the side of the hill.

Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.”

Later in the evening, there was a pink and white party for some of the attendees. I got a picture with Mara Glazer, her assistant, Kara Anderson AND Bridget Moore of K&B Bridals and Event Planning.

I am honored to be good friends with Mara! Even more so after she asked Stedman if we could get a picture with him!! He’s so nice and down to earth in person. He actually shook my hand and thanked ME after we took the picture. Awesome guy!

And randomly….they had this beer at the party….this was the same company that made our root beers in Virgina!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you like what you read? Here’s some ways you can support us and this blog!
Join our Facebook group, Planning an Epic Road Trip on Any Budget
Join the Journey With The G’s email list (bonus – you get my Epic Road Trip Budget spreadsheet)
Buy my book, Planning an Epic Road Trip on any Budget
Buy my book, Trusting God With 2 Cents: 22 Days To Becoming A Successful Christian Business Owner.
Shop on Amazon (no additional cost to you, this gives us a percentage of what you order).
Check out our resources page.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Day 1091 – How to Save Money During a Conference

Posted on July 6, 2012 by 365 days of marriage

Starting today, I am attending the Vicki Irvin Extreme Women Entrepreneurs Event. I tell you more about that later!!

My fellow wedding vendor, Bridget Moore (see her blog post yesterday!) had tickets and was allowed to bring a guest…I’m SO glad she brought me!!

We’re both pretty thrifty, so we tried to save as much money as we could on food and lodging.

Tip number 1a.
Buy food that does not need to be refrigerated and/or you just need to add hot water. We choose those Tuna packets, Velveeta Shells & Cheese instants, cup of noodles and a pasta/sauce mix. You can typically get a cup of hot water for free or a small fee. Even 2 bucks for a cup of hot water and 50 cents for a cup of noodles is a LOT cheaper than food you’d find at a conference and/or in a hotel.

Tip number 1b.
Tip 1 is a cheap way to eat but it’s not the healthiest option. If you want to be healthy, just take a ton of apples and oranges. We also purchased a number of water bottles. And the tuna isn’t too unhealthy.

Tip number 2a.
Stay in a hotel under $100…

Tip number 2b.
Try and book your hotel at least a week before you go to the conference…not the day of…

Reward for following these tips
Since we saved a lot of money eating cheaper food, so we splurged and went to Carmine’s. We each got a 22 oz. Sangria!! Delish!

Day 1090 – Guest Post – Bridget Moore of K&B Bridals and Event Planning – Bridal Boutique in Bel Air, Maryland

Posted on July 5, 2012 by 365 days of marriage

Today’s post comes to us from Bridget Moore of K&B Bridals and Event Planning. Bridget is one of my highest recommended vendors and she is one of my dearest friends. (She was also one of my brides!)

K&B Bridals and Event Planning offers LOTS of things! Today Bridget is going to talk about the all-inclusive bridal boutique.

When I say all-inclusive, I mean it! They offer wedding dresses, accessories, bridesmaid dresses, mother’s dresses, flower girl dresses, tuxes, and prom gowns! If you’re looking for a one stop shop, THIS is it!

I can personally attest to the amazing service you will receive from this bridal boutique! I have been in the store when brides have been trying on dresses and the staff is SO attentive and really takes the time to find the perfect dress for YOU. There is such an awesome vibe in the store, it’s hard to leave!

I could talk for hours about how awesome they are, but I’ll save that for another day! I’m passing the blog over to Bridget!

What is one thing that would surprise most brides about your business?
When it comes to finding a wedding dress, about 99% of brides buy the complete opposite of what they come in looking for. It helps to be open minded when looking for your wedding dress. Most brides think that there will be that moment when they cry and know it is the one, but very few brides cry when they find the perfect dress. It usually comes down to the dress that fits the bride’s style and personality and makes them feel the best when they are in “the one.”

Walk us through what a bride will typically experience working with you.
When working with a bride we usually encourage them to start their bridal gown shopping 12 months in advance of their wedding. The whole process take about a 12 month period, and the wedding gown tends to set the tone for so many other parts of the wedding.

When we meet with our brides we try to find out about their style and the style of their wedding. We first start with trying on the 4 basic silhouettes that all bridal gowns are created from to help narrow down the search and keep it from being so overwhelming.

Once we know which silhouette the bride feels the best in, we work to pair her with the dress that makes her feel and look the best and brings together her personal style with her wedding… creating her “BrideStyle.”

After helping the bride find her dress and accessories, we work with her to find her attire for the bridal party that will compliment her wedding.

What is your favorite thing about weddings?
All of the excitement around the wedding, and hearing the love story behind it all. It’s so fun to hear the bride talk about their fiancé and the wedding and all the details surrounding their big day. One of my favorite parts of the actual wedding is that moment when the couple sees each other for the first time! I love to see the look on their faces!

Since this is a blog more about marriage than the wedding day, what is one piece of advice you’d give to future brides and grooms?
Not to stress too much about the wedding itself. This is just a small step to the beginning of the rest of your lives. It’s so easy to get caught up on the wedding, and the stress that can come along with it, that you can lose sight on the reason you are getting married.

If you could go back and change one thing about your wedding, what would it be?
I don’t know that I would change anything about our wedding… Maybe just that I would have had it closer to home so that more of our guests could attend.

If you got married while you were working in the wedding industry, did you make a change in your business based on what you went through?
I realized how expensive and stressful weddings can be, so we made the concept of our boutique to be an affordable boutique as well as all inclusive, so it is less stressful by doing everything all in one place.

Would you like to offer any special deals on your post?
I would be willing to offer $100 off a bridal gown purchase.

Now that you’ve heard how this bridal boutique can help you find your “BrideStyle” go make an appointment at K&B Bridals and Event Planning!

If you’re not convinced, check out a few of their dresses!!

dress

Day 1089 – Bret’s Musings – Weddings in the Dark Edition

Posted on July 4, 2012 by 365 days of marriage

I am loving having my husband’s guest posts! I don’t know why I didn’t have him do this sooner! He is such a huge part of the business and my life, how could he NOT share!?

Here’s Bret!

“This past weekend, I got to go to a wedding at our church (Sovereign Grace Church), of a couple who are new to the church. This happened the day after the bad storm that came through. You know the storm that left some people still, here on Wednesday, without power? Well, the church was no exception. But so many people came together to make the wedding happen. Generators were turned on and fans were set up around the church. Candles were also set up, and though I’m not sure if they were originally planned to be a large source of the light for the wedding, I think they worked well. They gave a really neat feel. The food was made and served by people who go to the church, many of whom the groom said he had never even met. I was blessed just to be able to see the way that so many people came together to help the bride and groom. It was also refreshing to talk to the couple about the situation, and hearing that they weren’t freaked out about it. They weren’t really concerned with the problems that occurred, and seemed more thankful than anything. It was a good reminder to me that when I spend more time looking at things that I am thankful for, things won’t seem so bad when they don’t go my way. Congratulations to our newly married friends, thanks for letting me and Jen be part of your day, and thanks for reminding us to be thankful for the many blessings we do have.”

I found an older picture of Bret that I think fits his musings PERFECTLY!

p.s. I MISS that beard! 🙂

Day 1088 – Oregon Ridge Fireworks With Some Seriously Awesome People

Posted on July 3, 2012 by 365 days of marriage

Today we hung out with some friends near Oregon Ridge. We brought all kinds of goodies for a small cookout, hanging out and fireworks. I’m so thankful for this group of friends…yet I didn’t take any pictures of them….I was having too much fun chatting!! We stayed until after dark to watch the fireworks from a distance, I DID get pictures of those! I love the full moon above them!!