Thank you for visiting The Stylish Planner. I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts on the up's and down's of planning weddings, fashion, image and style. Follow me on Twitter @StylishPlanner !


diva day with linnyette richardson-hall August 17, 2011 posted in DIVADay

Linnyette Richardson Hall is the Owner and Creative Director of Premiere Event Management, a Baltimore-based firm that specializes in creating unique, elegant, fun and personality-oriented events.  She is the Special Contributing Editor of the two book series Going to the Chapel (Penguin Putnam 1998) which was created for couples who are in the wonderful process of planning their nuptials. Formerly, Linnyette was Contributing Editor for Signature Bride Magazine and Columnist for WeddingChannel.com. American television audiences are able to see her work her "wedding magic" as one of the featured consultants on the hit reality television series, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" which airs weekly on The Style Network.

Linnyette head

Linnyette has been in the wedding industry since 1993 and has planned hundreds of weddings for brides & grooms locally and on a nationwide basis. Linnyette’s expertise has been featured in many local and national publications such as Glamour, Essence & Black Enterprise magazines, The Washington Post as well as appearing on CNN, FOX News, CBS and a host of other media outlets.

The Stylish Planner is so pleased to have Linnyette as a contributing guest blogger!  I feel her “tell it like it is” personality combined with her years of wedding and event planning experience make her feature a “must read”.  The feature is aptly titled “DIVA Day”, and will be posted on the first Wednesday of every month!

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There’s More To Life…

than just being the wedding planner.  Don’t get me wrong..I love what I do and I’m sure most of you do also.  I’ve always been of the notion that in order to be the best, to be at the top of your game, your focus has to have varying levels.  Wedding planning requires that we become multi-faceted powerhouses who can literally do 5 things at once without skipping a beat.  We can handle the BlackBerry and IPhones, while managing a production timeline on our IPads, confer with vendors and critically “eye” the setup of a reception venue – all at the SAME time.

Outside of weddings, what’s your life like?  Do you have other interests and hobbies that are NOT industry related – perhaps you enjoy gardening,  a good game of poker,  reading trashy romance novels or indulging your wanderlust and traveling to far flung locales?  If you are allowing the wedding business to consume you, it’s time to shake things up a bit!  Breathing, sleeping, and eating weddings doesn’t make you better at what you do..it makes you a cranky individual because you don’t have any other outlets to flow into.  Hey, I love a gorgeous bouquet or a decadently beautiful wedding cake just as much as any other planning professional, but over the years, I’ve become SMART enough to know that I can’t let the business of matrimony be the ONLY thing in my life. 

There are only 52 weekends in a year…and I most certainly am not interested in working every single one of them.  Once in a while, I want to kick back with a Hennessy and Coke on the rocks, put my feet up with a good book and lose myself in whatever is happening on those pages.  Chasing after chicas in white gowns every weekend?  Nope.  I’ve got some totally adorable kittens and cats who want and need my attention.  Figuring out what color will complement Pantone’s “Honeysuckle”?  Well..yeah, I could, but I can also save that for my time in the office.  When it’s quitting time, I’d rather roam through the aisles at Home Depot, thinking about what tile I want to use for the new backsplash in my kitchen.

The point I’m trying to make is simple – step away from the satin and tulle so you can develop a richer life.  I know it’s hard when you’re first starting out because this baby is YOUR baby – you want it to grow and become a productive adult.  And when you’ve been in the trenches for a minute, you feel as if you MUST stay entwined in the business or somehow it will go away.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  When you allow yourself to do other things , when you start to develop and maintain other interests and pastimes OUTSIDE of the wedding sphere, you are actually becoming a BETTER planner.  Because you can see past the mundane, typical and obvious – it sharpens your mind and gives you another way to see outside of the box. 

In short – get a life!!  Your wedding business and your clients will thank you for it!

  • Emee:

    So true!

    2011.Aug.17 9:19 pm




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stylish reruns: diva day with linnyette richardson-hall July 13, 2011 posted in DIVADay

This post was previously published on October 6, 2010.

Linnyette Richardson Hall is the Owner and Creative Director of Premiere Event Management, a Baltimore-based firm that specializes in creating unique, elegant, fun and personality-oriented events.  She is the Special Contributing Editor of the two book series Going to the Chapel (Penguin Putnam 1998) which was created for couples who are in the wonderful process of planning their nuptials. Formerly, Linnyette was Contributing Editor for Signature Bride Magazine and Columnist for WeddingChannel.com. American television audiences are able to see her work her "wedding magic" as one of the featured consultants on the hit reality television series, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" which airs weekly on The Style Network.

Linnyette head

Linnyette has been in the wedding industry since 1993 and has planned hundreds of weddings for brides & grooms locally and on a nationwide basis. Linnyette’s expertise has been featured in many local and national publications such as Glamour, Essence & Black Enterprise magazines, The Washington Post as well as appearing on CNN, FOX News, CBS and a host of other media outlets.

The Stylish Planner is so pleased to have Linnyette as a contributing guest blogger!  I feel her “tell it like it is” personality combined with her years of wedding and event planning experience make her feature a “must read”.  The feature is aptly titled “DIVA Day”, and will be posted on the first Wednesday of every month!

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Size Matters..Or Does It?

I’m one of those people who thinks you can be stylishly wonderful, no matter what the tag on the inside of your clothing says.  The "average" woman in the United States is a size 14, which is wildly contradictory to all of the media hype which touts the notion of the "lollipop girls" – you know, the ones with the tiny bodies and big heads who look like they could use a ham sandwich…

What I have come to learn over the years is that image matters more – not the size you are.  As wedding planners, we are in a "style conscious" industry and fashion surrounds us on a daily basis.  This means that we’ve got to have the "package" in place..from hair to makeup, clothing to accessories, we should always strive for a totally pulled together look.  Speaking as a size 16, I am constantly on the hunt for items that define my personal style (classically trendy) as well as resources that cater to us curvy beauties.  You can be the best darned wedding planner in the known universe, but hey..if you look as if you’ve just tumbled out of bed, chances are no one is going to take you and your abilities seriously.

Image really does start within.  A lot of women have a "notion" in their heads that if they get smaller, life will be better and the grass is greener on the other side.  It doesn’t work that way.   Once you get to a point where you love yourself (no matter the size), crafting your own unique style becomes a lot easier.  I’ve learned how to focus on my assets (great eyes and chest) and work what I’ve got.  For me, having those "killer" eyes that can nail you at twenty paces, along with curves that go "boom" are a part of my image.  Sexy can be classy and sharp…when you know how to enhance that feeling.  Even though I’m a professional, I still let my inner "femininity" shine.    And you know what?  People respond positively – I’m always getting compliments as well as inquiries…they want to know where I find my "stuff"!!

A long time ago…I used to worry incessantly about being double digits when it came to my dress size.  And then, I had an epiphany.  Whether I’m a 6 or a 16 does not matter – how I am on the inside and how I allow my "light" to shine does.  Once we learn how to get past those insecurities, I think we’ll all be in a better place.  So……embrace what you have.  Love it constantly.  Adorn it often. Look in the mirror EVERY day and say "Darling – you look mahvelous!!!"

Until next time………………………………..

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linnyette richardson hall – diva day June 01, 2011 posted in DIVADay

Linnyette Richardson Hall is the Owner and Creative Director of Premiere Event Management, a Baltimore-based firm that specializes in creating unique, elegant, fun and personality-oriented events.  She is the Special Contributing Editor of the two book series Going to the Chapel (Penguin Putnam 1998) which was created for couples who are in the wonderful process of planning their nuptials. Formerly, Linnyette was Contributing Editor for Signature Bride Magazine and Columnist forWeddingChannel.com. American television audiences are able to see her work her "wedding magic" as one of the featured consultants on the hit reality television series, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" which airs weekly on The Style Network.

Linnyette head

Linnyette has been in the wedding industry since 1993 and has planned hundreds of weddings for brides & grooms locally and on a nationwide basis. Linnyette’s expertise has been featured in many local and national publications such as Glamour,Essence & Black Enterprise magazines, The Washington Post as well as appearing on CNN, FOX News, CBS and a host of other media outlets.

The Stylish Planner is so pleased to have Linnyette as a contributing guest blogger! I feel her “tell it like it is” personality combined with her years of wedding and event planning experience make her feature a “must read”! The feature is aptly titled “DIVA Day”, and will be posted on the first Wednesday of every other month!

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Linnyette Exit Sign

Exit Strategy

Summer is upon us and for many in the professional wedding planning sector, it’s SHOWTIME!  For the next 3 months or so (depending on your geographical location), nuptial celebrations are on your weekly “to do” list and just like Bill Murray’s character in “Groundhog Day”, every weekend will have you hitting the alarm clock and headed out to do what you do best!

So why is this installment of DIVA Day entitled “Exit Strategy”?  It’s quite simple, really – for all of the planning we do for our clients, how many of you have sat down and clearly thought about how you will “retire” from the uber-hectic world of wedding planning & consulting?  Retirement?  Are you kidding me??  (Yes – I can hear the exclamations now).  But, it’s a worthwhile thought pattern to start formulating – no matter where you are on the experience spectrum.  Do you really want to be the 75 year old wedding planner having to chase down chicks in white dresses EVERY single weekend or would you rather be the 60 year old planner who makes the graceful exit after leaving her mark on the wedding world?

In my former life B.W.P. {before wedding planning}, I worked in financial services and my job was to help people make money on their investments as well as get them started/entrenched in a good, solid retirement plan.  What I learned from that very storied experience is that thinking ahead makes TOTAL SENSE.  I’ve been a wedding planner since 1993, so I’m now in my 18th year of “making the magic happen”.  I’m also turning 50 in December and will be the first to say that the mindset and physical capabilities of the 32 year old planner are vastly different than my current almost-a-half-century iteration.  It is what it is.

I got into this field because I loved everything (and still do!) about it.  I also got into it because my entrepreneurial spirit led me here…knowing that it would be a good fit for me.  I did not come into the business expecting to stay here forever – my theory has always been that everything has it proper season, time and place…and as a good, forward-thinking businesswoman, I have to know when to say “when”.  The same applies to all of you.  Planning the veritable “exit strategy” means that you will have to face one hard reality – you’re not going to be doing this for the rest of your life.  And for many, that will be a very, very hard pill to swallow. 

Don’t fret – look at your strategy sessions as building blocks for an even more richer, productive future.  Think about where you want to be when you are 40, 50, 60 and beyond.  Imagine the life you wish to have, complete with all of the creature comforts you love and have grown accustomed to as well as insuring that your financial future is in the bank.  It’s never too early to start planning for the rest of your life – the key is to be realistically smart.   While you may “retire” from the day-to-day operations of your business, now is the perfect time to nurture and cultivate a great staff who can run the show for you.  It also never hurts to stick your well-manicured tootsies back in to the water….for us true, blue wedding planners – the hunger to create never ends.  I’ve been working on my personal exit strategy for a while now and it’s finally starting to take root.  The end result will be a gorgeous, magnificently blooming lifestyle that I will love, honor and cherish.  Oh…and I’ll still be making money doing what brings me joy – just on another level.

So, if you haven’t starting thinking about how you’ll be getting “out”, there’s no time like the present.  Review your retirement plans/investments, think about more in-depth training for your interns/associates (if you have them).  And if you’re pretty much running solo – now is the perfect opportunity to start bringing like-minded folks into your atmosphere.  They’ll be a blessing now and in your future game plans.  Create a list of what you really WANT your future to look like – then go ahead and make it happen.  And by the way, all of this planning is not an “end”.  I want you to look at how the possibilities and new beginnings your current career can bring to an even richer one in your distant future.

Allow me to leave you with one of my life’s “mantras”:

“If you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams and endeavor to live the life that you have imagined, you will meet with a success unexpected in common hours”
-Henry David Thoreau

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diva day with linnyette richardson-hall! April 06, 2011 posted in DIVADay

Linnyette Richardson Hall is the Owner and Creative Director of Premiere Event Management, a Baltimore-based firm that specializes in creating unique, elegant, fun and personality-oriented events.  She is the Special Contributing Editor of the two book series Going to the Chapel (Penguin Putnam 1998) which was created for couples who are in the wonderful process of planning their nuptials. Formerly, Linnyette was Contributing Editor for Signature Bride Magazine and Columnist forWeddingChannel.com. American television audiences are able to see her work her "wedding magic" as one of the featured consultants on the hit reality television series, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" which airs weekly on The Style Network.

Linnyette headshot

Linnyette has been in the wedding industry since 1993 and has planned hundreds of weddings for brides & grooms locally and on a nationwide basis. Linnyette’s expertise has been featured in many local and national publications such as Glamour,Essence & Black Enterprise magazines, The Washington Post as well as appearing on CNN, FOX News, CBS and a host of other media outlets.

The Stylish Planner is so pleased to have Linnyette as a contributing guest blogger! I feel her “tell it like it is” personality combined with her years of wedding and event planning experience make her feature a “must read”! The feature is aptly titled “DIVA Day”, and will be posted on the first Wednesday of every other month!

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It’s finally starting to look a lot like spring!  I’m happy that “spwinter” { my “made-up” name for this hybrid spring/winter we’ve been having lately} is leaving us and sunnier, warmer days lie ahead!

cocoonWhenever I think about spring, one word always comes to mind – rebirth.  And as people in the wedding business, this term is ever so appropriate.  For many, winter is the time of year where less weddings happen (depending on your geographical locale, of course) and we tend to hibernate.  We work on business plans, marketing strategies, forecasts, revenue goals, catching up with vendors and other colleagues – in short, it’s our “down time”.  But with the arrival of spring, the hustle and bustle begins anew and we’re off to the races!  Our weekends start to take on the look and feel of Bill Murray’s hit movie, “Groundhog Day” – where time after time, the proverbial alarm clock (weddings) go off, we hit the button and hit the ground running – hard. 

If you’ve been hibernating positively, you’re very much like a butterfly emerging from it’s cozy cocoon right about now.  You’ve had a chance to rest, to relax and hopefully, to GROW during your nurturing period.  Rest/relax, because the wedding business is so stressfully hard…and grow, since that’s what needs to happen in order to spread your wings and show your true beauty.  Perhaps this season, your colors are brighter and more visible to the eye….because you took time to discover what your niche and particular purpose was in this field.  Maybe your “wingspan” is greater this spring, because during your hibernation, you carefully crafted a more workable marketing and social media presence that will help you make a bigger impact in your area.  Or, it could be that when you take flight into the air, you’ll be soaring more gracefully..since you finally let go and stopped worrying needlessly about what everyone else is doing and decided to concentrate on you and your business.

No matter how you hibernated, now is the time to come out of that delicate shell and show off how wonderfully “made” you are.  Now is the time to go ahead and…….FLY. 

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diva day with linnyette richardson-hall December 01, 2010 posted in DIVADay

Linnyette Richardson Hall is the Owner and Creative Director of Premiere Event Management, a Baltimore-based firm that specializes in creating unique, elegant, fun and personality-oriented events.  She is the Special Contributing Editor of the two book series Going to the Chapel (Penguin Putnam 1998) which was created for couples who are in the wonderful process of planning their nuptials. Formerly, Linnyette was Contributing Editor for Signature Bride Magazine and Columnist for WeddingChannel.com. American television audiences are able to see her work her "wedding magic" as one of the featured consultants on the hit reality television series, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" which airs weekly on The Style Network.

Linnyette head

Linnyette has been in the wedding industry since 1993 and has planned hundreds of weddings for brides & grooms locally and on a nationwide basis. Linnyette’s expertise has been featured in many local and national publications such as Glamour, Essence & Black Enterprise magazines, The Washington Post as well as appearing on CNN, FOX News, CBS and a host of other media outlets.

The Stylish Planner is so pleased to have Linnyette as a contributing guest blogger!  I feel her “tell it like it is” personality combined with her years of wedding and event planning experience make her feature a “must read”.  The feature is aptly titled “DIVA Day”, and will be posted on the first Wednesday of every month!

Earth Kitt - santababymusic
“Santa Baby, slip a sable under the tree…for me.

Been an awful good girl, Santa baby,
So hurry down the chimney tonight. "**

**music lyrics: www.earthakittfanclub.com/sheetmusic.htm

The sultry purr of the amazingly talented songstress & actress, Eartha Kitt, practically strokes you as you listen to the lyrics of this holiday favorite, recorded in 1953.  It’s one of my all time favorites Christmas songs, simply because of the lyrics.  In the song, Eartha is pretty much telling Santa what’s on her list – and that got me to thinking about my own Christmas "requests" for Jolly Ole’ St. Nick!

1) A new flat screen television for my bedroom (I’m a late night TV devotee!)

2) An Ipod dock/alarm clock combo for my nightstand (the Timex digital is on it’s last legs…)

3) A Kitchen Aid mixer (in cherry red!!)

4) A Pandora bracelet with a few "starter" charms

5) Marc Jacob’s "Lola"….but I want the entire collection: perfume, rollerball, shower gel, lotion….(I already have the cologne and LOVE IT!)

Sidebar:  My birthday also happens to fall on Christmas Day…yep, you read correctly.  I’m a jolly holiday baby, so the theory of TWO gifts has always been a part of my life!!

Now…I’ve expressed some lovely little "trinkets" that I’d love to have waiting patiently for me under the Christmas topiary (haven’t done an actual tree in years!!).  But, I also have some non-material items that are on my wish list – and I think these are far more important:

1) Learning how to sleep at least 8 hours per night.  This is something I struggle with, but I know it’s the best thing for me (and you too!)

2) Cultivating the ability to push myself away from the computer and my office at 6 p.m. each day

3) Not being terrified silly about getting married again – what happened in the past does NOT have to be a part of my FUTURE..

4) Stopping to smell the roses..both figuratively and literally.  Work is fine…but life has more to offer.  I’m going to commit to having fresh flowers on my desk – and enjoying their scent every day.

5) World peace & harmony: This is important.  We live in a world that is far too divisive and mean.  The moment we ALL learn how to exist together…we will truly be at peace.

As we get into the thick of the holiday season..no matter what you celebrate, what’s on your wish list?  Whether it’s something tangible (new Christian Louboutins!) or perhaps a bit more introspective (working on your inner self), I say we should all become as little children…make a list, check it twice and go sit on Santa’s lap (whoever that might be) and tell him what you want.  You might be surprised at the outcome…….

Here’s wishing all of you the very best during this holiday season!!!!

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diva day: linnyette richardson-hall November 03, 2010 posted in DIVADay

Linnyette Richardson Hall is the Owner and Creative Director of Premiere Event Management, a Baltimore-based firm that specializes in creating unique, elegant, fun and personality-oriented events.  She is the Special Contributing Editor of the two book series Going to the Chapel (Penguin Putnam 1998) which was created for couples who are in the wonderful process of planning their nuptials. Formerly, Linnyette was Contributing Editor for Signature Bride Magazine and Columnist for WeddingChannel.com. American television audiences are able to see her work her "wedding magic" as one of the featured consultants on the hit reality television series, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" which airs weekly on The Style Network.Linnyette head Linnyette has been in the wedding industry since 1993 and has planned hundreds of weddings for brides & grooms locally and on a nationwide basis. Linnyette’s expertise has been featured in many local and national publications such as Glamour, Essence & Black Enterprise magazines, The Washington Post as well as appearing on CNN, FOX News, CBS and a host of other media outlets.

The Stylish Planner is so pleased to have Linnyette as a contributing guest blogger!  I feel her “tell it like it is” personality combined with her years of wedding and event planning experience make her feature a “must read”.  The feature is aptly titled “DIVA Day”, and will be posted on the first Wednesday of every month!

Holidays And The A.R.T. Of Getting Hitched

The holidays are staring us straight in the face (it’s downhill after Halloween!) and for many of us in the industry, we’ll have clients who’ve decided that saying "I DO" during this time of year is just the ticket for them!!

As a planner, I sit on the fence with this simply for one reason:  We have lives too.  That’s it -  pure and simple.  I recently did an interview where I cautioned the soon-to-be weds to think carefully BEFORE deciding to host their nuptials on Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years.  For as much as their wedding is important to them, it may not hold the same amount of fervor for their guests.  The holidays are a stressful time of the year, even for the most savviest of hosts.  When you add the maelstrom of things that go into the production of a wedding celebration, you are indeed, creating a brew of epic proportions!

How can you (the planner) stay sane during this time period? You can:

1) Decide early on if you’ll be willing to work during that time period.  If you host large family gatherings each year, you already know where I’m going with this one.

2) Will you be able to have adequate staffing for events held during the holidays?  Remember, you can’t work a wedding or party alone and in many cases, your assistants have families & prior holiday commitments also!!

3) It’s ok to have limitations.  For instance, you may say yes to an event during Thanksgiving, but no to anything that falls over Christmas.

4) Charge accordingly.  Now is NOT the time to discount your fees.  In the corporate world, working on holidays is considered overtime and in some case, double time and a half.   Make sure your pricing reflects this.

5) If you decide to work, make sure you plan ahead for how this will affect your personal life.  Put the lists and wheels into motion so that you’re not burning the candle on both ends.  .

The holidays can be a great time of rejuvenation AND a chance to earn a few extra dollars for the winter.  Be smart and concise when you choose – money is great, but regret as to how you didn’t enjoy the "reason for the season" can be worse.

  • Brittany Allen:

    Great Post! I have had this discussion many times with my colleagues about working during the holidays. Great tips on considering any offers that may come your way during the holiday season!

    Brittany

    2010.Nov.03 11:47 am




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diva day: linnyette richardson-hall September 08, 2010 posted in DIVADay

Linnyette Richardson Hall is the Owner and Creative Director of Premiere Event Management, a Baltimore-based firm that specializes in creating unique, elegant, fun and personality-oriented events.  She is the Special Contributing Editor of the two book series Going to the Chapel (Penguin Putnam 1998) which was created for couples who are in the wonderful process of planning their nuptials. Formerly, Linnyette was Contributing Editor for Signature Bride Magazine and Columnist for WeddingChannel.com. American television audiences are able to see her work her "wedding magic" as one of the featured consultants on the hit reality television series, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" which airs weekly on The Style Network.

Linnyette head

Linnyette has been in the wedding industry since 1993 and has planned hundreds of weddings for brides & grooms locally and on a nationwide basis. Linnyette’s expertise has been featured in many local and national publications such as Glamour, Essence & Black Enterprise magazines, The Washington Post as well as appearing on CNN, FOX News, CBS and a host of other media outlets.

The Stylish Planner is so pleased to have Linnyette as a contributing guest blogger!  I feel her “tell it like it is” personality combined with her years of wedding and event planning experience make her feature a “must read”.  The feature is aptly titled “DIVA Day”, and will be posted on the first Wednesday of every month!

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Summer is over. Labor Day signals the “unofficial” end to 3 months of fun in the sun (for most of us) and gives us a peek into the season ahead. It’s also the time when I transition my closet, going from breezy, light clothing into items that are warmer and more substantial. Fall in the mid-Atlantic is mercurial, we’ll have 85 degree days then dip into the 60′s the next! It’s also “wind-down” time for us, wedding-wise. Most of our clients (98%) of them choose to be married between May and September…just because of the weather.

I actually LOVE this time of year, there’s something about the breeze, cooler temps and the changing of the leaves that’s actually reflective to me. I’ve been trolling the stores, looking for cute little items to boost my autumn closet and waiting patiently for the moment I can break out the boots and jeans that are calling my name! With that in mind, I wanted to share my “hit list” of clothes and accessories that make things work for me!

1) Knit “Fly-Away” Cardigans: Whoever invented this little fashion darling has my gratitude! These are the perfect companion to slacks, jeans or sleeveless dresses and a great way to stay warm while looking cozily darling at the same time!!

A Cardigan Shrug Source

2) Long sleeved tee’s: Another great fashionable staple for any wardrobe. Depending on your mood and where you’re going, this can be dressed up with fab accessories or go quite casual atop leggings or cargo pants.

A Grey long sleeve T Source

3) Hobo bag: I admit – I’m such a fan of these now. However, there was a time when I was in the “minimalistic” mode and didn’t want to lug around a suitcase. Times have changed and so have these bags – they’re a great way not to carry a briefcase, but still keep all of the “stuff” we wedding planners need right at our fingertips.

A Hobo BagSource

4) Bangles: The more, the merrier! I love the delicate “jingle” they produce and when paired in unusual textures and colors, they can really make any outfit go “wow”! I like hitting up all of the discount retailers and local ethnic stores to populate my stash!!

A Bangles Source

5) Knit Dresses: Over the summer, I became a dress devotee. Perhaps because it was so dern hot or maybe because the “girly-girl” in me came out in full force, dresses WERE my style choice. Now that it’s getting cooler, I don’t want to give up the feminine flirtiness of showing off my legs :) Simple, clean and sharp – the knit dress can give you a great base to display your own sense of style. I’ll be pairing them with my favorite shrug, hobo bag, bangles and great boots :)

A Knit DressSource

These are some of my faves….what are yours?

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diva day with linnyette richardson-hall August 04, 2010 posted in DIVADay

Linnyette Richardson Hall is the Owner and Creative Director of Premiere Event Management, a Baltimore-based firm that specializes in creating unique, elegant, fun and personality-oriented events.  She is the Special Contributing Editor of the two book series Going to the Chapel (Penguin Putnam 1998) which was created for couples who are in the wonderful process of planning their nuptials. Formerly, Linnyette was Contributing Editor for Signature Bride Magazine and Columnist for WeddingChannel.com. American television audiences are able to see her work her "wedding magic" as one of the featured consultants on the hit reality television series, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" which airs weekly on The Style Network.

Linnyette headshot

Linnyette has been in the wedding industry since 1993 and has planned hundreds of weddings for brides & grooms locally and on a nationwide basis. Linnyette’s expertise has been featured in many local and national publications such as Glamour, Essence & Black Enterprise magazines, The Washington Post as well as appearing on CNN, FOX News, CBS and a host of other media outlets.

The Stylish Planner is so pleased to have Linnyette as a contributing guest blogger!  I feel her “tell it like it is” personality combined with her years of wedding and event planning experience make her feature a “must read”.  The feature is aptly titled “DIVA Day”, and will be posted on the first Wednesday of every month!

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

As we head into August, there’s a discernible "note" in the air…summer is gearing up for it’s last hurrah, while fall is quietly dusting off it’s leaves…ready to amaze us all with their beauty. Just like the seasons change, so should we.

For many of us in this business, the spring and summer bring the heady, adrenaline-infused rush of the wedding season. All of our brides and grooms come out of hibernation..beautifully revealed in the settings we have created for them. We are moving at full tilt, warp speed – with little or no inclination to slow down, this is what we LIVE for! Remember Bill Murray’s character in the movie, "Groundhog Day"? He would awaken every morning, same time, same buzz on the alarm clock and proceed to do it ALL the same way, every day. That’s us on the weekends of summer – the exception being we might change our dress or shoes, depending on the time of the event!!

But as the fall approaches, with winter on it’s heels, we start the road back to normalcy. The need for "speed" decreases and we find ourselves turning inwards, looking forward to some time off. I think this is always the perfect opportunity to internally hibernate and recharge the batteries – as we move along in the process of managing our events, running our companies, being the EVERYTHING to EVERYBODY, we also need to take a look at how we did things…and how we can up the ante’ to do them better the next time around.

Summer’s rays will start to fade soon. The days will grow shorter and the nights longer. Use the changing of the seasons to help you define and develop your business and your thought processes – spring and all of it’s energy will be back before you know it……………..

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divaday: independance day by linnyette richardson-hall July 07, 2010 posted in DIVADay

Linnyette Richardson Hall is the Owner and Creative Director of Premiere Event Management, a Baltimore-based firm that specializes in creating unique, elegant, fun and personality-oriented events. She is the Special Contributing Editor of the two book series Going to the Chapel (Penguin Putnam 1998) which was created for couples who are in the wonderful process of planning their nuptials. Formerly, Linnyette was Contributing Editor for Signature Bride Magazine and Columnist forWeddingChannel.com. American television audiences are able to see her work her “wedding magic” as one of the featured consultants on the hit reality television series, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?” which airs weekly on The Style Network.

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As we wind down from a long holiday weekend that celebrated our nation’s 234th birthday, I wonder how many of us know when our own “Independence DAY” occurs? Being an entrepreneur is very much a solo effort, very much solitary. The decision to step out on a humble, a whim, a hunch is HUGE and in that moment – we take on the mantle of independence.

I spent the 3rd of July with my kids and some friends, watching the fireworks display at a local park. As all of the spectacle unfolded in front of me, I thought about my independence. I thought about the moment in time when I decided that the life of a full-time business owner was for me. August 21, 1997 was Independence Day for me – the last time I walked out of somebody else’s office, the last time I punched a clock, but the first time I could take a deep breath and look forward to my future.

13 years ago, I boldly and happily declared my independence. I revel in that thought each and every day. How many of you have done the same? The Fourth Of July may be our nation’s birthday, when we remember how the founding fathers, broke from the bonds of tyranny, to form a “more perfect union”. But for each of us, engrained in the world of self-employ…we need to take a moment to reflect on what has brought us to this point, when we made that “break”, when we decided that enough was enough and the time had come for US to take a stand.

Go ahead – start your own fireworks, have a grand parade down Main Street…….celebrate what you’ve created and nurtured. Remember YOUR Independence Day!


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diva day: nice girls… May 05, 2010 posted in DIVADay

Linnyette Richardson Hall is the Owner and Creative Director of Premiere Event Management, a Baltimore-based firm that specializes in creating unique, elegant, fun and personality-oriented events.  She is the Special Contributing Editor of the two book series Going to the Chapel (Penguin Putnam 1998) which was created for couples who are in the wonderful process of planning their nuptials. Formerly, Linnyette was Contributing Editor for Signature Bride Magazine and Columnist for WeddingChannel.com. American television audiences are able to see her work her "wedding magic" as one of the featured consultants on the hit reality television series, “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" which airs weekly on The Style Network.

Linnyette headshot Linnyette has been in the wedding industry since 1993 and has planned hundreds of weddings for brides & grooms locally and on a nationwide basis. Linnyette’s expertise has been featured in many local and national publications such as Glamour, Essence & Black Enterprise magazines, The Washington Post as well as appearing on CNN, FOX News, CBS and a host of other media outlets.

The Stylish Planner is so pleased to have Linnyette as a contributing guest blogger!  I feel her “tell it like it is” personality combined with her years of wedding and event planning experience make her feature a “must read”.  The feature is aptly titled “DIVA Day”, and will be posted on the first Wednesday of every month!

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There’s an old adage I heard somewhere in my distant past that says "nice girls finish last".  Mind you – I said it’s an "old adage", which means I don’t necessarily give any credence or power to the statement.  As wedding planners, it’s almost inherently a part of our "DNA" to want to please everyone.  From the client, to the vendors, to our staff, to the petulant guest who’s angry because there isn’t any Belvedere Vodka on the "house brand" bar…..we make it a part of our business to make sure everyone is taken care of.

Sometimes in this "rush to please", we forget one very important core element..our conscience.  It’s that little voice that encourages when you are doing the right thing and the stern admonisher that whispers in your ear when stuff isn’t happening as it should.  The term "nice girls finish last" is an acute reminder of how hard we try to please and in the midst of it all, we lose sight of the inner "voice".  We’ve all been there – a client is driving you up the wall of insanity, so instead of severing the ties and ending the relationship..you keep plugging along.  The end result?  You are a TOTAL wreck, emotionally and sometimes professionally AND you still have an insane client on your hands – even though you "stuck" it out.

This month’s insight is about YOU finishing where you NEED to be.  It doesn’t always have to be first, although winning is a great thing! You have to be able to go inside and take heed to the "voice" which calls your name every single day, every waking hour.  You have to be willing to make unpopular decision for the better good…of your company and your mental being.  We all have goals, both professionally and personally.  Make sure your "finish line" takes you to a place that leaves you refreshed, renewed and proud of the race you’ve run as well as the many others that are on your horizon.

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