Wedding Goddess Wisdom ®

Photograph Your Wedding Planning Journey

By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockay

Excerpted from Wedding Goddess

Newly Engaged? Congratulations. Talk Pictures!

Don’t wait until the wedding day to take pictures. A camera is the a must-have accessory.

Whether you get a good camera or a bunch of disposables doesn’t matter. Just find a way to capture the images of your journey toward the altar and have pictures developed and placed in an album as your journey to the altar proceeds.

Having a record of your joy – and all efforts and emotions – will be a fun thing to look back on when it is all said and done and will help you realize how much love and effort you have put into your wedding. While you are planning the big day, it is a great pick me up that you can go through times of doubt or stress.

Collect memories through photos and memorabilia (such as receipts, menus, match covers). Have the photos developed as you go along and create a truly meaningful wedding journey memory book.

Alternatives and additions: Keep a wedding journal of feelings and experiences, including the ups and downs; have fun documenting the wedding planning journey on video tape.

© 2007, Reverend Laurie Sue Brockway

Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway is a leading NYC interfaith and non-denominational wedding officiant. She creates unique ceremonies for couples of all backgrounds and faiths, and is also widely recognized as a relationship coach, bridal stress expert and columnist. She is author of WEDDING GODDESS: A Divine Guide To Transforming Wedding Stress into Wedding Bliss and Your Perfect Wedding Vows, which can be ordered at www.WeddingGoddess.com.

Help! Brides Need All the Positive Energy They Can Muster

By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway
Wedding Goddess Wisdom

Brides often ask me why planning a wedding can seem like a crisis. And they wonder why weddings can bring out so much wackiness out in other people.

The truth is … weddings represent a major life event that, along with the inherent joy, can bring out the dark side of even your closest, most loving friends and relatives. Unfortunately, some brides feel they are drowning in negative energy. It gets better once the big day comes around – I swear – but dealing with the people who keep you in crisis mode is no fun along the way.

I asked my good friend, Judith Orloff, M.D., to share some of her insights. She is a board certified psychiatrist, a medical intuitive and bestselling author. Her latest book is, Positive Energy: Ten Extraordinary Prescriptions For Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear Into Vibrance, Strength, and Love (Harmony Books). I love how she enlightens us to the existence of “Energy Vampires” – those people who can drain your battery – so I asked her to shed some light on how they get in the way of wedding planning, as well as how to spot them, avoid them and rise above them.

Lighten Up! It's Your Wedding Day

By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway
Wedding Goddess Wisdom

Even the calmest brides may find themselves a little nervous on their big day. A few butterflies in the tummy and wedding day jitters are completely natural!

Unfortunately some brides find themselves distracted, shaky and so stressed they can barely focus. One of the biggest worries brides express is how they will hold it together as they walk down the aisle. They are afraid of crying, tripping, shaking and losing their ground. Here are some Wedding Goddess tips for trading nervousness for calm.

Less-Stress for To-Be-Weds

By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway
Wedding Goddess Wisdom

Although weddings can be stressful, they can also be very healing. Sure, your wedding is a chance to dress up and party with friends and families … and you should enjoy that! It is also a time of gathering people together in the spirit of love.

Most importantly, your wedding is the sacred threshold to the life you will share as a married couple.

Here are some tips for holding it together, and staying close: