Visualizing Your Dream Wedding

You see yourself looking beautiful in a gorgeous gown.  You picture a great venue, delicious food, a fantastic band, the beautiful ambiance, and your happy guests.  You are visualizing your dream wedding.

Much has been said recently about the power of forming mental images of your hopes and dreams or what is called visualization.  Many popular self-help and inspiration books and motivational speakers discuss at length its usefulness and encourage people to use this powerful tool in manifesting their dreams.  And it has helped countless people in achieving their goals.

Why is it that this relatively easy task is so effective?  Firstly, it opens your mind to focus on the positive things you want to happen in your life instead of the doubts and obstacles we generally gravitate towards.  By training ourselves to have a mental picture of how we want things to be, we become more inclined to work towards those goals, rather than get bogged down by things that could get in the way of them.  Second, visualization is the springboard to acting "as if."  Acting "as if" refers to acting as though you already have what you visualize. And no, that doesn't mean if your goal is to become a millionaire you act as if you are one by spending money you don't have.  It means thinking like a millionaire, surrounding yourself with successful people, reading what they read, and doing anything else that would be within your limits of acting as if you were a millionaire.  The imagery and constant focus of your determined goal will keep you focused and motivated to success.

All brides picture their wedding.  No matter what your idea of your dream wedding, you should begin to set out to achieve it by visualizing it .  Picturing your wedding in your mind is a good start, but often it's difficult to hold the image for very long and our minds get distracted.  The best way to visualize is to create something you can look at to hold your mental images for longer, like a vision board.  A vision board can be simple or elaborate, depending on your preference.  Essentially, it is a a board, paper, web page or other medium where you can make your dreams come to life.  Vision boards can include real photos, words, pictures from magazines, or anything else that depicts your dream wedding. In most cases, pictures and images are more powerful than words, but the choice is yours.

Once you create your dream wedding vision board, look at it and visualize it every morning when you wake up and each evening before you go to sleep.  Keeping your dreams alive in your head is key to knowing what you want, staying on track, and eventually realizing the wedding you always wanted.

What exactly is coaching?

According to the International Coach Federation coaching is "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential."  It is centered around goal achievement. You may have heard of life coaching or corporate coaching, which has become more widespread lately.  In these settings, individuals might have goals such as starting a new business or overcoming shyness, while corporate entities might want to improve client satisfaction or increase workplace safety.

Coaching is future focused, goal oriented, and designed for those who are motivated to take action to create the change they seek.  It is also important to note that coaching is not therapy, which is generally intended to deal with pain, conflict, or dysfunction for improved emotional health.

Bridal coaching is exactly what it sounds like.  It is coaching that focuses on goals the bride and/or her family wants to achieve while planning her wedding.  Some goals brides may have are staying organized while planning a wedding, getting in shape before the big day, or learning how to stay focused and calm while taking care of all the wedding preparations.  Whatever your goals, a coach will provide you with the structure and support you need to help you be successful.  A coach may not only provide you with a road map to help you along the way, but may also give you "homework" that you'll be held accountable for to ensure that your are moving forward in the process.

Coaches are generally flexible to help you meet your needs, and so you might meet with your coach weekly or you may just be in contact with her over the phone or via email.  Whatever the case, it's important that you check in with each other regularly to make sure you're on track with meeting your goals.  With everything you need to accomplish before your wedding day, having a coach help you feel peace of mind along the way may be just the right decision.

Welcome to the Bridal Coaching Blog!

Congratulations on your engagement!  There is such excitement and much to look forward to. And though this is the happiest time in your life, it may also be the most stressful. Between the emotions you're feeling and your ever growing to do list, your life might begin to feel like a whirlwind.  Questions start to cross your mind. "Where do I begin?"  "Will everything get done?" "How do I manage it all?"

Enter your bridal coach.  Not to be confused with a bridal consultant, who helps a bride plan her wedding, a bridal coach helps the bride maximize her personal potential.  A coach can do this by helping her achieve her goals, stay focused and organized, and maintain her physical and mental health and well being during the wedding planning process.  While all of these aspects are important throughout life, how much more so during this important time.

Different coaches help with different things and everybody has their unique personalities, styles, and areas of focus.  My goal in this blog and as a bridal coach, is to help brides and their families reach their goals so they can plan their dream wedding, while moving into a place of balance and peace of mind. I also want to help newlywed brides as they move into a new chapter in their lives. I hope to do this by writing insightful posts that will help you be a happy bride not only while managing your wedding details, but also through your first years of marriage.

I wish you all the best and much joy and happiness!
Michal