When the iPad first came out, I’ll be honest. I wasn’t impressed. It was just an oversized iPhone to me without the SIM. I wasn’t watching Steve Jobs talk about it nor did I croon as he held it. I wasn’t waiting in line or crying on twitter about it being on back order.

My arguments were simple:

I didn’t need “another” device. I’m doing my best to turn off now with my office hours.

I didn’t need or want to read on it– I enjoyed having a Kindle, which is not attached to my email constantly alerting or the temptation to play games, work or get on Facebook and Twitter.

I didn’t see the point.

How did I get here, to the point where I’m the iPad’s biggest fan? Well, retail therapy’s a helluva drug.

Prior to my purchase I made a list of the ways I would use it. The iPad, even at the entry level comes at a nice little price tag, so I wanted to make sure its use would be practical. I debunked the naysayers and complainers who stood by whining about what it didn’t have (my house didn’t come with a maid either but we still bought it). I needed to make sure it would fit well into what I have planned for my company.

Here’s the hopeful list I created:

• Use on the day of for event packets (programs, event directions, readings) and timelines
• Show videos of previous weddings
• Show image slideshows of previous weddings
• Present and sign contracts
• Notes/Worksheet during consult without having to have a computer
• Show virtual office
• Create workflow list in Taska
• Access, edit, work on Google Docs
• Web conferencing (Go to Meeting, WebEx)
• Dictate blog posts, email, notes
• Create brochures for each collection for view at consults

The first one was huge, as I hate carrying around a cumbersome binder or papers– and it will get its test run at an event this weekend. I have my event blueprints uploaded and am ready to go. My pictures look AMAZING– the work of Scarlett Lillian and Agnes Lopez jump off of the screen. I notice that people look at the images a lot longer and observe more details. During weekly staff meetings, I’m able to quickly take notes, pull up data and set appointments in my calendar. When I’m away, I can still Skype with my kids and have access to my business line with Ring Central.

I’ve had my iPad for a week and while it will never replace my laptop (which is my only comp), it truly does hold its own. For example, I was able to convert and export a contract for a client while in the drive thru of my favorite local Mexican restaurant.

This thing enhances my awesomeness. And what you’re reading was typed entirely on my iPad from the WordPress app.

Stay tuned for part two, where I’ll talk about must have apps.

There are some rough misconceptions and implications when you’re a wedding planner.  First of all, you have to be everything to everyone:  the negotiator, the designer, the planner, the coordinator, the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker.  On top of that you have your own marketing, PR, networking, blogging and more.  WHERE do you find the time?  If you work at home, it is far too easy to let the lines blur.  If you champion other causes or jobs during the day, you have to be extra delicate with managing your time.

• Get RingCentral—RingCentral allows you to have a professional local or 800 number that will ring  to any number(s) you choose.  It has the option for you to set your office hours and stick to them.  if your hours are set from 9AM to 6PM, your phone will only ring during those hours.  After those hours, callers will be directed to your voicemail, where they can hear an afterhours greeting.  This is a wonderful option for you to keep your personal numbers private and stick to your office hours.  Your cell phone and home numbers, in my opinion, should remain private for your own sanity.  You shouldn’t have to deal with late night/after hour calls or texts infringing on your personal time.

• Task Scheduler—The above image is a picture from my desktop at 6PM.  My office hours are from 9AM to 6PM, so at 6PM I have an alert that pops up on my screen that says “Punch the clock. Turn off the email.”   You can take this a bit further if you are uber geeky:  use the Task Scheduler (in Windows) and download a program called NirCmd which runs command prompts.  You can set up a task within task scheduler to run NirCmd to automatically turn your email off at 6PM, or the close of your day.  Conversely, you can also use Task Scheduler alone to start your email program each day at the beginning of the day (For more info, see here).

• Chat—if you like to chat with friends on Google Talk, I would strongly suggest you download the Google Talk program as opposed to using the Chat client within the Email page of Google Apps.  if you are in your email to use the chat feature, you are staring at your inbox and will be more tempted to work when you should be off.

Think of it this way:  each time you are tempted to take a call, answer an email or text after hours, think to yourself, “Could I do this with my doctor?”  Could you call your doctor about something that could be addressed during regular hours?   Doctors are on call selectively, for emergencies.  Think of if what you do will ever constitute as an emergency.

One thing is clear, however: if you do not manage your time effectively, you will burn out.  There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.  You need your own time, your family needs your own time and you need you.  You need a moment to regroup, volunteer, enjoy yourself, read a book, do some mindless activity, watch trash TV, soak in the bath, hug your babies and kiss your lover.  It is the only way for you to see things with fresh perspective and become a better artist, planner and person.

The new site is live! 

If you wanted to learn more about me and what I do—here is your chance to get acquainted! If you have any questions about sessions, consultations, or workshops, please feel free to use the contact form and we will get you set up.

To celebrate the launch of the new site, we want to announce the upcoming Google Apps for Wedding Planners webinar coming up on May 25th and May 26th. 

This is another thing I mentioned at Eventology when I shared exclusive discount codes with attendees for some of the hottest products out there. You probably don’t know the access you have to better deals, even though they are right under your nose.  Here are some of the things I use:

1. Retail Me Not—Simply type in the name of the online store that you are looking for and the website will produce search results of all eligible coupon codes, as well as their reliability factor (some codes are expired, but you will know that before you even attempt to try).  This is perfect when you’re looking for specials on domain names, clothing, electronics and more.
2. Naughty Codes—Works very similarly to Retail Me Not, only on a simpler scale.  It has more retailers, too.
3. Deal Hunting—Has up to the minute deals, sales and discounts for retailers and even specific items. 
4. eBay—Is another great resource to find things you are looking for at a lower rate or in wholesale lots. If you use it often enough you can earn “eBay Bucks”, which basically gives you credits on future purchases. 
5. Newsletters—In addition to my company email, I also own free email addresses like yahoo.com, and gmail.com addresses with my company name that I use as “housekeepers”.  We all sign up for newsletters, programs, etc., but don’t want our company email address inboxes or servers to explode.  My “dummy emails” are what I use to sign up for newsletters to frequently used retailers like Staples, Michaels, and more which have exclusive savings for people that sign up for their newsletters.
6. Friends—If you friends are using a great product, ask if they have a referral code. If they do, it typically works both ways—the referral link may give a discount to both of you. If it only works for your friend, it’s still a nice gesture.  For example, ShootQ offers you and your friend $2 off each month you are active users, and you’re not limited to the number of friends!

PS—If you are also using your Business card with PayPal, you can earn cash back on your purchases!

Happy shopping

At Eventology, one of the things I discussed was looking your absolute best for your web conferences—hence the title of this post “From the waist up, I am Beyonce.”

Web consults are no different than “regular consults”, except you don’t have to put in much work on what won’t be seen by your vendor or client.  Here are some tips for looking your absolute best:

Lighting:  Remember that this is not Hollywood—your little webcam can only do so much, and you will have to help it along.  Find yourself an area that has an abundance of lighting (the natural, the better).  Position yourself to have the light source behind your camera or off to your side to avoid ghastly shadows.

Positioning:  Angle your camera, or your camera’s lid higher than your seat so that it appears to look down.  This provides a more flattering angle—the lack of depth with most webcams can make it rough to accept some people doing “full frontal”.  If you won’t need the keyboard, try to place your camera a little further away for better depth and context.

Makeup:  Since colors can be washed out with the webcam’s filters and lighting, look to highlight your best features—use a highlighting shadow under your brows (be sure to fill these in), to make your eyes pop.  Some shades of gloss can be garish, so be careful with shades and applications.  It may be helpful to do your makeup while using your web cam as a mirror so that you can see if your application is correct.

Hair:  Tame your tresses!  Since webcams will cause your viewer to see you much more closely than they would in real life, choose a flattering style.  Your beautiful chignon could have you looking bald, while your beautiful curls will make you a candidate for the starring role for The Lion King.  (Again, see positioning)

Clothing:  You will want to find a top that is not busy with print or embellishments (depending on the connection, quality can be greatly affected, causing a loss of depth).  Choose colors that are flattering to your complexion and shape.  You do not want them to drown you out or demand more attention than necessary.

Play with your settings and take note of what works—this isn’t something you will want to just do by the seat of your pants.  This is an extension of your brand – so also remember than when you include “props” around you as well—be sure they aren’t too distracting, but add to the overall experience of meeting with you. 

Have fun! 

PS:

Great Webcams:

• Logitech Webcam Pro 9000
• Logitech Webcam C600 ( Black)
• HP KQ246AA 8.0 MP Deluxe Webcam

I had the privilege of speaking at the first Eventology as well, but I am just humbled to have been asked back as well as to speak along side other great speakers such as Harmony Walton of the Bridal Bar, Saundra Hadley (the Get Real Sales Coach), NaShara of LawGLOSS, the incomparable Sasha Souza, and Lara Casey. 

I knew that the conference was off to the right start at the Welcome Session with Ali Phillips and Linnyette Richardson-Hall. We immediately got to know each other, and most importantly ourselves. 

I will not go into what was discussed there, but it was powerful.  The glitz and glamour not only lied in the gorgeous linens from La Tavola, but from the content of the speakers.  I couldn’t write or type fast enough at times (Saundra adored the clacking of my nails on the keyboard. You should ask her about it).  It was a great business intensive (literally), because the content gave you so much to think about and revamp your business—it made you want to jump out of your seat and get started right then and there—but there was a fabulous cocktail party to attend as well as a karaoke show at Jillian’s that provided so much relief ( and release from the mental machinations of the day).

As a speaker and as an attendee (I had the honor of being both), I LOVED being at this conference.  The (what we call) “meat and potatoes” of the content showed that the speakers valued our time and interest.  They shared insightful information that made you stop and think about  AND justify your current work process, branding, pricing, staff expectations and approach to design.  The fun foods and gorgeous design showed that producer thought of us as people and wanted to take care of us. There were no huge egos, hero worship or intimidation—it was exactly as it appeared on the surface:  a large number of wedding professionals, teaching, learning from, laughing with, and encouraging each other.  Overall, I really enjoyed my experience.  If you are interested in learning more about Eventology, please visit the website. (If you missed out at all, catch up by searching for the #eventology hashtag on twitter). 

I would be remiss if I did not personally thank Jennifer Ramirez-Jasiczek for her efforts, time and gifts that she shared in providing us with a place to commune, meet and hug over dinner at Ruth Chris and providing a fun after party at Jillians…with an open bar.  Let that final part marinate. 

Thanks, Jennifer.  What you provided was just as important as the content of the speakers.

If you are joining us at Eventology next week, here are some must have apps to have to maximize your travel and experience.

BUMP

Bump allows you to share contact information with other iPhone owners at Eventology. Simply bump your phones together and your information will be in the other’s address book. Be sure to update your contact info in your Address book before you come!

FOURSQUARE

Foursquare will allow you to see where other eventology attendees are! Whenever you move to a new location, simply check in. Your friends on Twitter and Facebook will be able to track you in their friends list. Be sure to add this app this week and get your friends on your list before the event!

WORDPRESS

If you plan to live blog at Eventology, look into getting the WordPress app that works with both .com and self-hosted wordpress blogs.

SIRI

Looking for things to do in Indy while you are there for Eventology? Use Siri to find out what is going near your location—such as restaurants, movies, and more.

TRIPIT

Keep track of all your travel itineraries in one place, with maps and directions, as well as links to hotels, restaurants and more.

EVERNOTE

Evernote allows you to sync your evernote account with your iPhone and take notes via text, save pictures, as well as voice notes. Great for jotting down conference notes or other ideas

YOUR FAVORITE TWITTER APP

I won’t single out one—but if you are looking for others to try out, check out: HootSuite for iPhone, Tweetie, Echofon, Twitbird Pro, and Seesmic. If you tweet from Eventology, PLEASE use the “#eventology” hashtag. #E10 belongs to something else and others will not be able to follow along easily if you use it.

MIXOLOGY

Get your favorite drinks or learn a new favorite one with drink recipes right in the palm of your hands.

KILL TIME WITH THESE APPS…

Looking to kill some time? Play the Scrabble like game, Words with Friends (my name is MartiniBling), the Kindle App for Kindle and The Pandora App, which syncs with your account and brings all of your favorite stations to your iPhone.

If you are attending Eventology, I look forward to meeting you!

Everyone knows that I simply adore Evernote.  In addition to using it personally, it has been beyond beneficial for me professionally.  I will share with you a few ways I use Evernote and would love to hear how you use it, too.  I will discuss my uses of it in phases—with this particular post focusing on the Client/Service aspect. 

For those that are new to Evernote, allow me to give you a brief refresher:  It is very similar to MS OneNote or Google Notebook, in that it allows you to store information– pictures, documents, pieces of the web, diagrams, pictures, audio, etc. in “notebooks”.  Think of your trusty Trapper Keeper from school.

Each notebook has its own subject and in this instance, we are talking about our fictional Client notebook. (Don’t worry—we’ll talk about others later).  Since Evernote has  web, desktop, iPhone, and blackberry versions, it is very easy to keep your notebooks in sync all of the time.

Storing important information—Sometimes, you just need pertinent information about your wedding and event clients at a glance (names, contact info, event dates, times, locations, etc.).  Create a notebook named for each client and make the first page their important information page.  Each Evernote account is given its own email address, which makes it very easy to email more detailed information like client questionnaires or forward emails with changes, or more descriptive explanations.  With Evernote’s annotations, it is very easy to make things stand out for quick reference.

Research and meetings—With the “Clip to Evernote” feature on Firefox, surfing the web has never been easier when you are researching theme inspiration, invitation wording, signature cocktail recipes, and more.  At meetings with clients, you can take pictures of information from their wedding planner books or contracts.  Evernote magically makes printed and handwritten text inside your images searchable, too.

Stay on track with assignments—Evernote can create to do lists so that you know what you need to do for each client and when.   Keep all your lists organized and tags according to category (i.e., vendor research, catering, etc.).

Design and other fabulousness—Again, storing your color concepts, inspirations, ideas, sketches, images, and more in Evernote keeps everything in an easily accessible location that is always with you, no matter where you go.  This is great when you are out scouting locations, design props, fabrics, etc.  You can take a quick picture with your mobile phone and store it in Evernote immediately with a quick note about what inspired you at the time.  If you come up with an idea off the cuff, you can also record a voice note to your notebook, as well.

Preliminary event info—timelines, maps, layouts, shoot lists, vendor information, etc. that is specific to each client can be stored in their notebooks.  Evernote’s accessibility makes it easy to edit the information from anywhere:  your desk in your office or while waiting in line on your mobile phone.

These are just a few ways you can use Evernote for your wedding clients.  If you are an Evernote user, how do you use it for your clients?

If you have not yet purchased a Kindle or any eReader for that matter, but enjoy apps like Kindle for iPhone, you will be happy to know that Amazon will soon debut its Kindle for PC and and Kindle for Mac.  The free reader will allow you access to over 360,000 books available in the Amazon Kindle bookstore.  What’s even better is that if you have purchased samples or full length books on your Kindle for iPhone app (or if you have a Kindle), with Whispersync, you can access all of your favorite books, notes and marks.

Last week, Kindle introduced its International Kindle Wireless Reading Device that allows users to download books, magazines, and blogs wirelessly in the U.S. and internationally dropping it from its original $279 price to the U.S. Kindle’s $259.  Could this be to compete with Barnes & Noble’s new eReader, Nook which is set to debut in late November for the same price?

Happy reading!

When a client retains you, your work process could (or should) work similarly as an attorney who is paid in escrow and then submits an invoice for the hours worked.  Even if you do not submit that invoice to the client, tracking your hours is a good way to make sure that you are fees are in direct correlation with the amount of work you are putting in to each account.  These apps will help you track your hours in a consistent manner, which is great for hourly and flat rate work.  These are also great options for your staff if you pay your employees hourly.

The first is Compuccino.  It is an Adobe AIR app (simply means it can run on a variety of platforms—Windows, OS X, Linux) that tracks tasks, time and projects.  It also works with Basecamp if you use that as your virtual office/project management resource for your clients.  It’s sleek interface rests on your desktop as you work, allowing you to keep track along the way.

Toggl is another program, and although not an AIR app, it can be embedded into code into the website of you choice along with the a downloadable desktop dashboard.  There are free and paid versions and will also boast a new design in the upcoming weeks. It also works with “one-click tracking”, which means you can switch from task to task easily while working.

Coming Soon….

Dukt Time Tracking is another Adobe AIR app that also allows you to track your time working on projects.  It is not released yet, but be sure to sign up so that you can be notified when it is ready for release.  With an OS X like interface, projects can be grouped and expanded in folders. 

Let me know what you love and what works for you!