Saturday 23 February 2013

I Love Scarlett - Thoughts On Opportunities & More

My notes from the interview!
Today comes a happy happy post, all about opportunities and the importance of just flipping going for things.

Last weekend, I read on Twitter that a new bridal inspiration journal, Love Scarlett, was looking for writers so, me being me and me loving to write, I got in touch with the incredibly lovely Penelope of Tigerlily Weddings and offered my services. And today, just now in fact, I've done my first interview for a 'real wedding' feature with a truly fabulous bride. It was such fun talking to her about her wedding (which you'll see on Love Scarlett soon). Can you tell I'm still bouncing as I type?!

Anyway, this has taught me three things that I'd like to share with you...

Firstly, as the quote goes 'opportunity only dances with  those already on the dancefloor' - things, chances, opportunities, anything you really want or would like, nothing arrives ready packaged in your lap, served perfectly just for you. You need to make things happen. When I was a teenager (and I can't tell you how long ago that was), I wanted to write. So I wrote to a national children's newspaper that ran at the time and asked. I then got to interview sports stars, bands and do all kinds of things I never would have done. At Uni, I wrote to a Grand Prix team and asked if they wanted any help and ended up writing for them. When I was a wedding planner, I approached literary agents and got book deals both times, approached Debenhams and ended up consulting on their wedding ranges and much more besides. Yes, I might be very lucky indeed but sometimes you need to leap around a bit in the way of luck so that it sees you first!

Secondly, wedding people are lovely people. Penelope has gone out of her way to make me feel welcome and little 'good luck' texts before my first interview were so great to receive. I've also been in touch with more caring, funny, friendly, helpful and talented people this week and it's a joy being in this industry.

Thirdly, my love for weddings is as strong as ever. After all the years of wedding planning, now working with venues and businesses means I don't get much 'me to bride' contact anymore but, thanks to Love Scarlett, I get to talk to some of the happiest, warmest and loveliest brides around. And goodness me, I'm still smiling...

Love Scarlett launches on 1st March - it would be a wedding crime of the most awful kind if you didn't take a look...

Wednesday 20 February 2013

How Passionate Are You Feeling Today?

Via Pinterest
Well, are you feeling passionate today? You know what I mean - is your blood pumping and your heart racing with the kind of passion that makes you smile, makes you sing and makes you skip out of bed in the morning? Yes? No? Are you full to the brim with it or are you passion tanks a bit empty?

Of course (and possibly rather sadly) I'm talking about work passion here. I'm a big believer that overall, wedding professionals are some of the most passionate people around - they love their work, they love their clients and they never wake up of a morning and say "oh, do you know, I wish I'd been a quantity surveyor instead."

But, we all know that sometimes, the drudge of the day to day can be quite the passionkiller. I myself have a hatred of the mileage and expense forms that hang in my office like an ever present Grim Reaper, just waiting to cut me off in my creative prime. It's easy to lose your passion and then equally easy to lose your way.

We have to keep developing our passions because it's the best way of nuturing them and letting them power us through the tougher times. Ultimately, it's the deep-down passion that we have that makes us unique, special and really rather brilliant. So, to give you space to think about your passions and to give you the perfect excuse to think about yourself for a moment, Candid Apple have developed a little notebook for you to record all your thoughts and feelings about your deepest desires and hottest passions (again, in a business sense - this isn't some kind of seedy 'Fifty Shades' knock-off here) and, in an act of lurve for you, it's absolutely free.

If you'd like to request a 'How To Develop You & Your Passion For Weddings' workbook then just e-mail thecandidapple@gmail.com and we'll get one e-mailed straight back to you.

Monday 18 February 2013

Monday Positivity - Olympian Inspiration




At Candid Apple, the team all love their sport so, like many of you, we were glued to the Olympics last summer. And let's face it, it was so easy to be inspired by Team GB and their medal winning exploits.

However, today we read an interview with the oh-so lovely Laura Trott  that's actually way more inspiring than anything we saw last summer. Do read it because Laura's positive nature and love of her unbelievably punishing training schedule is frankly awe-inspiring. She loves what she does - she's chosen to do it, she works at it and she is rewarded for it. She doesn't complain, bitch, whine or moan about all the sacrifices she's had to make and she doesn't think she's the be-all-and-end-all because she can ride a bike. There's lessons in this for everyone.

Yes, sometimes working in weddings is hard - clients can be demanding, it's tough to juggle everything, it's not easy to make an impact, it can feel like you're working hard but getting nowhere. But, do you know what? Any complaining or feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to get you anywhere. What gets you to where you want to be are clear goals, a great support team and a love of what you do. And a happy acceptance that hard work is always going to be required to be exceptional.

So, this week, we're going to be working hard, being nice and remembering that getting to your goals is always easier if you enjoy the journey.

Wednesday 13 February 2013

The Big Question - Are You Acting?

via Pinterest

We have all experienced the discomfort of a bride and groom trying to be the couple they are not, and have so wanted to tell them they can have a genuinely happy day just by being themselves. But are we really that different at work?

In business life so many of us are taught to believe that we have to dress and act in a certain way. We don’t have to be kind – “it’s not personal, it’s business”, and we can’t wear colours or patterns – “this is serious”. Perhaps that’s what turns so many people away from business. It’s the falseness of it all, the lack of freedom just to be yourself.

But you are running your own business now! You and your business are all but inseparable. You have the freedom to be yourself if you wish! Of course, it can take some courage to ignore the looks of peers who still follow the mantra, but if acting and dressing in a certain way makes you feel uncomfortable, maybe you need to give yourself permission not to do it. Is it possible your customers can sense your disquiet? Let’s face it, if you can be who you really are at work, you are much more likely to be genuinely relaxed and happy, attract customers who like you for who you are, and customers will probably trust you more without the actor’s mask getting in the way.