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Music Is The Life Of Your Wedding   Neil Smith, the owner and Spin Master of Dandy DJ in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is our guest in this Sassy DIY Weddings Podcast. I thought that getting information from an expert in the entertainment industry would be a great tool for you to help you plan your entertainment for your upcoming wedding. After all, music sets the tone for the entire evening of events. So okay...you have a guy (or lady) that can mix some music and keep your audience on the dance floor. But, do you have someone who can also serve as the Master of Ceremonies. If not...you'll need to add this to your list...listen to Neil and he will explain why. Now, even though we know this is a Do It Yourself podcast, we are also aware that some Brides may want to do certain parts of the wedding themselves and then hire out other areas of their wedding. So, if you are in need of a DJ and Master of Ceremony then you should contact Neil for more information. He says in the podcast that he travels anywhere for events within a 5 hour driving distance of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. But what if you're not near Tennessee or don't have the budget to hire a professional DJ and Master of Ceremony? Neil is going to share some Sassy Tips with us to get you on the right track for a very successful Wedding Ceremony and Wedding Reception.   Sassy Tip #01: Grandma Leaves Early. Yep...that's Sassy Tip #01. Kind of brilliant isn't it? Neil points out just how important it is to know your demographics. I'll save most of his secrets for you to hear in The Podcast, but I really thought it was brilliant when he pointed out that Grandma leaves the wedding earlier than most of the other guests. So to make sure you have a fun party for all...start out with the more traditional "oldies" that most people, including Grandma, would be able to connect with. This gets the emotion of the party stirring early on in the event.   Sassy Tip #02: An iTunes Tip for DIYers. Basically what Neil shares with us here in the Podcast is that a DIY DJ Tip is to create an iTunes Playlist for each and every moment of the Wedding. From the Prelude List to the Bouquet Tossing List...have a step-by-step guide, using iTunes, to set the music to meet the mood of the event. This trick helps you avoid getting lost or overlooking an event. And, you have the music for each event right there at your fingertips in an organized system. I also think that this is a good time to toss in there that I personally th

Yoga, Meditation & Isagenix May Help Relieve Wedding Stress  If you have a chance, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by Clicking Here. It will help the show and its ranking in iTunes immensely! I appreciate it! Enjoy the show! Originally coming from the Corporate World, Mitzi Connell, of Beyond Maxed Out, says that her world changed when Yoga found her! Mitzi has now been a Yoga instructor full time for over 5 years and she has recently started working with Isagenix...an organization that she feels offers nutritional products to help herself and her clients get healthier, get leaner, feel better, have more energy and feel younger. Mitzi is no stranger to Stress and Burnout either. She too, even though she is a Master in the Health and Wellness Industry, has been bitten by the bug of trying to squeeze too much into her day and her life. So, she totally gets not only how it can make you feel, but more importantly, how it can affect you mentally and even physically. Finding Balance in your life is the Key, according to Mitzi. One of my favorite statements that she made during our interview was this: "Entrepreneurs will work an 80 hour work week to AVOID the 40 hour 9 to 5." Because Mitzi was guilty of living this Entrepreneur Lifestyle herself....she can even better relate to her clients now. She knows exactly where they are. Actually, Mitzi say she was borderline at Adrenal failure. And, she credits Isagenix products for helping her begin to feel better within one week. Helping people find balance in their lives and helping them understand how to listen to their bodies is now Mitzi's #1 focus in her business. And, even though her primary focus is working with Entrepreneurs, she also points out that many many other people, such as Brides-To-Be, may also undergo this type of stress and they need to be able to recognize it and then know how to deal with it. Sassy Tip #1: Take your B Vitamins. According to Mitzi, studies have shown that B Vitamins play a critical role in the formation of serotonin in your body and this is directly related to mood disorders. Not to mention that it can also affect your energy levels. "Do some research on B Vitamins, and then listen to your body," Mitzi says. There is no one answer for everyone, but B Vitamins are said to help with stress! Now, of course, Mitzi and Designs By Jerry want to point out that you should always check with your physician before starting any nutritional or supplemental program

Newlywed Bride Gives Her DIY Advice For A Great Wedding  If you have a chance, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by Clicking Here. It will help the show and its ranking in iTunes immensely! I appreciate it! Enjoy the show! Leslie Thomas, Freelance Writer & Editor, and a recent bride, joins Sassy DIY Weddings Podcast to cast some light on just exactly what things a Bride needs to think about when she is planning her own wedding. Leslie, someone who is a very organized person points out how easy it is to get bogged down in all of the details of planning your wedding. Her advice: just let go and enjoy every moment and you will have "the perfect wedding". Actually, there are so many details, that Leslie says she is planning on writing a book covering all of the details and noting things to make sure you don't overlook and other things that you just "need to let go" so that you can enjoy the day.  Sassy Tip #01: Make sure you schedule yourself to attend a few Bridal Fairs. This is where you will see many vendors that you may have never thought about including in your wedding, such as a photo booth. Make sure you have a Binder to keep all of your contact information in one place. You will need to also make sure that you don't over do it and go to too many of the Bridal Fairs or read too many magazines....you will become very overwhelmed.   Sassy Tip #02: Find your venue first and then start calling your caterers because these two items are dependent on all of the other information you need. Leslie recommends that you interview at least two vendors for each area of your area. You need to have all of the information you can possibly have when you are making the business decision to hire them for your big day.   Sassy Tip #03: Trust yourself...and trust your vendors. Leslie points out that you hire your vendors for your wedding for a reason. Let them be the professionals that they are and let them do their job. It's okay to tell them what you want, but you need to let them do their job and stop worrying yourself if they are going to cover every detail. Let them do their job!   Wedding Whoops: Be prepared mentally because...you never know what can happen. Leslie tells about how her DJ called a few days before her wedding to tell her that he was in the hospital suffering from emergency surgery. Then, 3 days before the wedding, tornadoes swept through northern Alabama...one of which was seen on the ground heading straight toward the bu

Relieve Wedding Day Stress Tips From Huntsville Adventure Boot Camp Instructor  If you have a chance, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by Clicking Here. It will help the show and its ranking in iTunes immensely! I appreciate it! Enjoy the show! Joe Martin, Owner of Huntsville Adventure Boot Camp, joins us in this podcast. Joe has been in the fitness industry for over 15 years and now has owned and operated Huntsville Adventure Boot Camp for the last five years. Huntsville Adventure Boot Camp is an outdoor fitness boot camp for Women Only. After working in the gym for years, Joe realized that many women felt out of place in a gym with all of the the equipment and not to mention maybe a bit intimidated with all of the people around. So, Joe wanted to create an environment where Women could get in better shape and better health and be comfortable in the process. I asked Joe to come on to the Sassy DIY Weddings Podcast Show this week because I know that many brides want to shed a few extra pounds right before their wedding, or they  just want to feel a little more healthy, or they just need an outlet to relieve some of the built of stress that comes with planning a wedding. And, Joe was willing to share some fantastic Sassy Tips with us to make a Wedding Day as close to perfect as it can be....and it all begins with the Bride feeling good about herself! So let's get started with some of Joe's Sassy Tips for our Brides: Sassy Tip #1: Set Your Goals. Let's use the SMART Goals acronym 1) Be Specific with your Goals. Know exactly how much weight you want to lose or exactly how you want to feel at the end of the journey. 2) Make your Goals Measurable. Knowing that you can Measure your Goals will help you work toward and attain your Specific Goal. 3) Make your Goals Actionable. What are the steps you are going to take to reach your Goals? 4) Your Goals need to be Realistic. 5) Set your Time based Goals. Have a date in mind to reach your goals.   Sassy Tip #2:  Nutrition is the absolute Key. 1) Eat Real Food. Joe points out here to be very careful about eating processed foods. "Eat foods that came from the Earth," he said. 2) Read all of the food labels to foods that you do eat...specifically the first three ingredients. The first three ingredients will be the most prevalent substance in that food item. 3) Cut out Sugars. Cut  refined sugars out of your diet and also cut out "fake" sugars. Joe points out that "fake sugars" 4) Up

DIY Wedding Photography Tips From One Of The Masters If you have a chance, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by Clicking Here. It will help the show and its ranking in iTunes immensely! I appreciate it! Enjoy the show! When I got ready to start this Podcast one of the first people I met was David Coker. I went back to my home and looked him up on his website and knew from that very moment that he was a photographer that I wanted to feature on the Podcast. One of the things I noticed about David's work is that he takes on a photo journalistic approach to most of his photography. Many photographers take your typical wedding photographs....stand, pose and smile. But, I could see that David's photographs had some personality built in to them and I wanted to ask him to share how he captured those moments with my Sassy Brides. After meeting with David in person, and discussing his career, I had the chance to participate in a Quince and Wedding Show and David was hired as the photographer for the event. I stood at my booth and observed him. I watched how he interacted with the models, how he captured the almost hidden photographs that most photographers would have missed, how he went from standing on top of a table to get the best possible shot, to lying in the floor to get a totally different angle. I knew then that this was going to be a great Podcast and I could not wait to hear what he had to offer to you. And, David didn't disappoint. He has brought us some great tips...not the typical tips that you could read in a magazine or in your typical blog post. But, tips that shows how he captures the essence of each event. I hope you enjoy the tips that David of David Coker Photography is sharing with us as much as I enjoyed recording the Podcast for you. Sassy Tip #1: Be Intentional with each photograph. Look for the moments that are special and be ready to snap the shutter when it happens. Avoid the concept of Spray and Pray...holding down the shutter button and taking hundreds of pictures and "praying" that one of the pictures comes out good. This concept will definitely overwhelm the Bride and Groom when they are presented with several thousand photographs to sort through. Learn to focus on the Bride and Groom and all of the activities that are going on around them. Keep your head on a swivel and stay on top of all the events happening so you are ready to take the important photographs. Understand where each event takes place and know

Billy Hammock Gives Tips For Purchasing Wedding and Engagement Jewelry If you have a chance, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by Clicking Here. It will help the show and its ranking in iTunes immensely! I appreciate it! Enjoy the show! From Welder to Jewelry Designer, Billy Hammock shares in this Podcast how he makes Jewelry extra special for couples planning on getting married. Billy points out that purchasing jewelry, and especially engagement rings and wedding bands, is such an emotional purchase. Billy is the owner of Creative Jewelers in Florence, Alabama. Creative Jewelers is known for having the largest selection of custom designed engagement rings in the area. One of the things that makes Creative Jewelers the best place to shop for unique wedding jewelry is that they always place special things in their rings. All of their special designed rings have their signature inside of the ring. And, they also do other special things when designing their one-of-a-kind rings: such as, one customer loved hearts....so they made the prongs of the ring look like hearts. How amazing is that? When a guy is planning on getting engaged, he wants to make the best impression he can on the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with, but sometimes guys just don't know much about this stuff. So, Billy recommends that you help him out and have this discussion early on. Remember, you will be wearing this ring for the rest of your life, so make sure you get what you want and something that will always bring special memories to both of  you. Take time to think about the things that really mean something special to you and then take those ideas to your jeweler and let them be creative when designing your wedding rings. Sassy Tip #1: If you want a unique one-of-a-kind wedding ring, you need to make sure you give the jewelry designer plenty of time to do the best work possible. What is ideal is to give them plenty of time to design your ring, then let it sit in their vault until time for the wedding. This way your ring is safe and secure. But, you know all of the work has been done and there are no last minute changes that will have to be made.   Sassy Tip #2: Purchase a Ring Cam. Yes, that's what i said...a Ring Cam. What a techy world we live in these days. Creative Jewelers is one of the first Jewelry Stores to have Ring Cams on their shelves to purchase. He tells us in the Podcast that this product is only about 3 months old and is

Chef Olivia Brodock Gives Helpful Hints For Reception If you have a chance, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by Clicking Here. It will help the show and its ranking in iTunes immensely! I appreciate it! Enjoy the show! The Three Earred Rabbit Restaurant in Trussville, Alabama struck gold when they found Chef Olivia Brodock. Olivia has followed her family in their footsteps and taken on the catering industry. Now, taking responsibility for all of the catering events for The Three Earred Rabbit, Olivia is earning her title as a Chef. During our podcast interview, one of the first things Chef Olivia pointed out was that one of the most important things a Bride can do is remember to just enjoy her special day.  Don't plan for a Pinterest Perfect Wedding. There are soooo many details that a Bride can get caught up in, but it's most important that she remember this is a special day and she should enjoy it and not overshadow such a special day with checking off lists. Sassy Tip #1: Make sure you get servers to work your reception. Servers that have worked with food in the past is best. It's really important, if you are having a buffet, to make sure that you have servers to fill the plates of your guests. This will ensure that your guests don't overload their plates and then you run out of food before all of your guests have gone through the buffet line. One of the worst things that can happen at a wedding reception is to run out of food....so hiring servers will help with this potential issue.   Sassy Tip #2:  Never ask your guests to help clean up your reception area. Once again, hiring servers will make this a very special occasion.   Sassy Tip #3: Check with your venue to ensure that they will allow you to bring in your own food. Some venues have a list of "preferred vendors" and they will only allow these pre-approved vendors to work your event. Some locations have a list of requirements, including certain insurance requirements, before a vendor will be allowed to work at the location.   Sassy Tip #4:  Find out from your venue how many hours in advance  you are allowed to set up your kitchen. Also, how many hours are you given to break down the event. And, what are your clean up expectations.   Sassy Tip #5: Check with a Caterer and see if you can hire them for consulting you on catering your own wedding. They can give you some really great tips on how to avoid issues.   Sassy Tip #6: Plan out the layout of your buffet

Jerry Williamson Launches Wedding Podcast If you have a chance, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by Clicking Here. It will help the show and its ranking in iTunes immensely! I appreciate it! Enjoy the show! Jerry Williamson, Owner of Bishop's Flowers and Designs By Jerry, in Huntsville, Alabama launches the first ever podcast dedicated to DIY Brides and DIY Weddings. Jerry began his career in the wedding industry in the early 1980's where he started working in the Banquet Department of Marriott Hotel in Nashville. Then he moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and spent the next 7 years focused on building his catering experience working for Marriott Hotels, Embassy Suites, Sheraton Hotels and worked as the Catering Director for the largest private catering establishment in South Florida...Signature Gardens. Then, Jerry moved to back home to Fayetteville, Tennessee and bought a flower shop in Huntsville, Alabama (30 miles from home) called Bishop's Flowers. In the meantime, Jerry started teaching flower design classes and then kicked off Designs By Jerry where he has two areas of focus: 1) teaching floral classes 2) preserved Bridal Bouquets. So, Jerry has spent the last 30 plus years focused on the wedding industry. Sassy DIY Weddings Podcast is Jerry's newest venture in the wedding industry. In this First Podcast Jerry talks about the difference in using fresh flowers for your DIY Wedding and using silk flowers (permanent botanicals). Each have their own pluses and minuses...especially for a DIY Bride. Sassy Tip #1:  This is the MOST IMPORTANT WEDDING TIP you will ever receive: It's your wedding. There is no wrong or right...just make sure your decisions are based on what you and your groom want and have always dreamed of. Others will have opinions....everyone will. But, at the end of the day you want to look back at your wedding and know that you did what YOU wanted to do. Sassy Tip #2: Fresh Flowers are not always more expensive than permanent botanicals. Some people think that permanent botanicals are much cheaper than fresh flowers and this is just not true...unless you are buying very cheap/inexpensive permanent botanicals. Example: A fresh rose can be purchased from Bishop's Flowers on a cash and carry basis for $3. If you special order a particular rose or color, it can usually be purchased for $5 per rose. However, a permanent botanical rose (that looks real....not cheap) can cost anywhere from $7 to $10 per stem...depen

Fred McBride Gives Expert Travel Advice For Newlyweds If you have a chance, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by Clicking Here. It will help the show and its ranking in iTunes immensely! I appreciate it! Enjoy the show! When making travel plans for  your Honeymoon you certainly want to make sure that you have all of the best information you can possibly get. This is the travel event of your Life and you want to ensure that you have a ton of precious memories to look back on one day. So, I have brought you Fred McBride of CruiseOne. Fred is one of the top experts in the travel industry. He literally started cruising when he was 5 years old....departing from New York and three weeks later arriving in Italy. So not many people around will have more experience than Fred does when it comes to knowing the in's and out's of the travel industry. After being a franchise owner of CruiseOne for about 8 years now, Fred has many great stories to share about how he got started in the Cruise Industry. Fred's love for the Seas started in 1954 when he was in Izmir, Turkey.  It was there that he met his 8th grade girlfriend who, after nearly 50 years of separation, gave him the opportunity to become a CruiseOne associate and work for her and her husband. The problem was that they lived in Chicago, while he lived in Huntsville, Alabama. Jump over to Fred's Blog and see many great pictures of his travel adventures and learn many tips about how to prepare for your upcoming trips. Sassy Tip #1: Know where you want to go and when you want to go. You have to plan your trips long in advance because many places sell out. So, reserve your places early on to avoid disappointment. Knowing the seasons at different locations will also help you save money. The Caribbean, The Mediterranean and Hawaii are the three most popular places for Honeymoon Travel. If you are departing from the United States, The Caribbean offers the best packages with the best prices. If you're on a budget: plan early!   Sassy Tip #2:  Get your documents in order early. Cruise Lines won't let you complete your boarding process or complete your logging in process until you have completed your Immigration information. Brides...make sure your legal name on your Passport, Driver's License, Tickets, etc. all match. It can take some time to get  your name legally changed, so make sure you are aware of the laws if you are leaving the country. Your Passport has to be valid 6 months