The Best Email Follow-up System

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!!!

Okay... failed attempt at trying to make the blahdie-blah, gloomy-looking day a little brighter. It's still yucky out. And I feel yucky on top of it all so it doesn't help.

Nevertheless, I have cheerful news. Okay... cheerful wasn't the right word there either. Man I wish I was still in bed... (looking off into distance).

*Snap*

Okay, I'm back. Seriously though, I have something very fun to share with you today. I've already posted this handy little tidbit on the Something Blue Blog but since I know that none of you are reading it (that's right... I'm keeping track) I thought I'd share it here too.

The concept -- very simple: basically, this email follow-up system is completely free and it's designed to give you a quick and easy way to stay on top of your tasks. When you're planning a wedding this is especially important. You're constantly emailing caterers, photographers, planners, and vendors of all kinds. And then there's the emails you're sending out all those volunteers; and um, you're not paying them so they may or may not get back to you. These people include your wedding party, MC, the flower girl's mom... you get the picture.

FollowUpThen.com has created a simple way to follow-up on emails you send out. If you know how to send an email you can use this system... it's as simple as that! Even my grandmother knows how to send email; heck, I think my grandmother had a Facebook account before I did (Hi Gramma!)... but I digress.

Anywho... where was I?

Darn this gloomy day... it's got me in a fog.

Right... FollowUpThen.com. As I was saying, it's really simple to use. Here's the CliffNotes version:

1. To have a follow-up email sent to you only enter the time{at}followupthen.com in the BCC field (note the bold for emphasis) and you'll receive an email at that time (example: 2days@followupthen.com).

2. To have the follow-up sent to you and everyone else listed in the "To" field just enter the time{at}followupthen.com in the CC field.

Easy enough right? For full details you can check out the FollowUpThen site here.

And no, this is not a sponsored post -- this is something that I stumbled upon (not literally... but you know what I mean) and I've been using it myself for a few weeks. It's really great and I definitely recommend it... no strings attached.

Alrighty then... that's my little tip-of-the-day. Back to dreaming about my bed...



Ha! Okay... back to work.

You too!!

Happy Planning!

Sophie

Brigitte & Matt: Lessthansignthree

Every couple that I work with is special to me; however, because I work so closely with my Full & Basic Coordination clients I am given the opportunity to get to know these couples more intimately than I do my Month-of couples.

This, of course, is a tad bitter-sweet because I get to meet such incredible people every year and I get to spend time helping them bring the biggest day of their lives to fruition; it's always an emotional experience filled with fun and laughs and (more often than not) a few tears along the way. But each of these planning journeys must come to an end; and what an end! My journey with them ends with a wedding, their REAL journey is just beginning.

I can't say enough about this fab couple. They are tons of fun and always good for a laugh. They've promised to get divorced and get married again just so that we can do it all over. Woohoo!!

I'll keep you all posted on the next wedding, but for now, let's talk about this one for a bit.

Brigitte and Matt decided on a fall wedding and we designed everything around a fall harvest theme. Everything from the dresses to the food, from the decor to the favours, had a bit of a harvest feel to it. The flowers were all kinds of fall tones like oranges, reds, yellows, and greens AND great splashes of purple (it's amazing how many purple blooms you actually see popping up all over the place in the fall).

Brigitte made soap favours in every colour and scent (I know, she's one talented lady!!) and the two also made bottles of red and white wine for their guests to take home.

The wedding reception was all about the party. From start to finish there were games and competitions to keep the guests both entertained and on their toes.

It was a total blast, you guys... can't wait for the next one!

Lessthansignthree ;)

Sophie

Sayeka & Baj: Engagement Photos with Julie Butler Photography

I just love Julie's photo shoot with our wonderful couple Sayeka and Baj. Aren't these two gorgeous! Looking forward to the beautiful wedding and more great photos from Julie. You have to go to Julie's blog to see just how STUNNING this shoot turned out.

Yours,

Sophie

Something Blue: Free Wedding Workbook

Some of you may have noticed that I've been a little absent lately (I'm afraid to look at my last post date). I've been busy working on my newest venture and I'm VERY excited to announce that, at last, it's ready for it's big reveal!

Something Blue is a free printable wedding workbook and it's been customized by city and state/province to make your planning experience even better. The workbook guides you through a ten-step planning process to help you prioritize and stay on track. This planner is designed for couples who want to plan their own wedding - but I still recommend hiring a planner to take care of your day-of coordination needs (the book can only do so much, after all).

You can download your free planner here: www.somethingblueworkbook.com. I'd love to get your thoughts and feedback. You can send them to me at feedback@somethingblueworkbook.com. Enjoy!

Now that that's launched I'll be back to posting on a more regular basis. Whew!

Happy Planning!

Sophie
Coverall Event Coordination

Organically Gifted: Ottawa Eco Ideas

I was so excited to have stumbled upon this site that I had to share it with you. Organically Gifted is a local company with an online eco gift store. They create unique, toxin-free, organic gifts and baskets for every occasion! You can choose from their inventory of gift baskets or build your own!

They've got tons of great ideas for organic and eco-friendly wedding favours. And perhaps best of all, 1% of every purchase made goes straight to the David Suzuki Foundation!! It's definitely worth a look!

Happy Friday!

Sophie

Eco Book of the Month: The Green Bride's Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget

Kate Harrison is the eco-bride turned author of the acclaimed book, The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget; a must-have for any eco-savvy couple working on their own wedding plans.

The research that went into this book is evident from the very first chapter. I think that couples will really appreciate that Kate offers hundreds of options with varying price tags. If you take even one thing away from this book to help green your own wedding it will be money well-spent.

Cheers,

Sophie
Coverall Event Coordination

Raw Cookie Recipe: Easy Healthy Cookies

I'll be blogging about eco-menus in many future posts but today I wanted to share a little personal recipe with you all.

Some people have heard the term "raw foodist", if you haven't then I'll quickly sum it up for you. A raw foodist is a person whose diet is made up of 75% to 100% raw food. That is, uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, etc. It's believed that the cooking process kills a food's enzymes and nutrients which makes it harder for our bodies to digest and not quite as nutritious for us as raw foods are.

I am not a raw foodist but I do try to eat as much raw foods as I can simply because it's good for me. This is tough when it comes to baking because I LOVE to bake! And I LOVE cookies and breads especially. What really gets me when I'm baking is the amount of (for a lack of a better word) crap that goes into the foods. I mean white flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda make up the brunt of most recipes.

After investigating raw food diets for some time (I ate 100% raw for one full week earlier this month) I found that there are actually TONS of raw recipes for cookies, breads, cakes, and all kinds up goodies. Many of these recipes called for a dehydrator (which I don't own) and most of them called for all kinds of wacky ingredients that only hard-core raw foodists would keep on hand. So after much more research I decided that I understood the basic concept of these recipes and decided to just go for it with some stuff that I had on hand. This is the recipe I came up with and the cookies are delicious and, not to mention, 100% raw and good for you!

Ingredients:

1 cup raw unsalted organic almonds

1 cup raw organic raisins

1 cup pitted organic honey dates

(Seriously, that's it!)

1. Put the almonds and raisins in a food processor and chop until fine (about 30 seconds).

2. Add the dates and blend another 30 seconds or until mixture become thick and doughy.

3. Roll dough into small balls about 1.5 inches in diameter. Flatten balls with your hands to make a cookie shape.

4. Place the cookies on a tray on place the tray in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Keep the cookies stored in the freezer.

Makes about 24 cookies.

These cookies are so rich that you'll only be able to eat one at a time. My husband can't stand dates so he won't eat them but my daughter loves them. I'd love to hear how yours turn out.

Bon Appetite!

Sophie

Coverall Event Coordination