Recruiter & distributor for billion-dollar brand - Rodan+Fields.
PR/new media consultant.
Freelancer. Blogger. Business owner.
Daughter. Wife. Friend. History geek. Singer. Actress.
Music lover. Dreamer. Mentor.
Southern IL native transplanted in TN.
Enjoying life and the people in it.
If you're a PR student looking for PR resources, click here. :)
I LOOOOVE typography and unique wedding day ideas. This is what you get when you combine them. What a lovely idea! Forget wedding programs. Let’s face it. Your guests are probably going to toss it anyway. Your parents, in-laws and, perhaps, a few bridesmaids may keep one…but most are going in the garbage. Why not whip up a eco-friendly idea like this! Not only are you saving trees, but it’s an eye-catching conversation piece, too!
Want to see more unique chalk typography? Head over to Dana Tanamachi’s site here.
When I stumbled across this Huffington Post article, I had to share here.
Thanks to Apple’s FaceTime application, bridesmaid Renee was able to attend her friend’s wedding virtually, via iPad.
The bride, Jamie, was very thankful for this technology which allowed her friend, who was 1,600 miles away, to interact with the couple, the wedding party and other guests. Check out the video below and you’ll see one of the groomsmen walking down the aisle, holding the tablet with Renee and her sweet smile beaming at the happy couple. You’ll also see Jamie and her bridesmaids posing with the iPad, proudly showing off an enthusiastic Renee.
How creative and thoughtful! Is technology playing a big role in your big day? Tell us about it below!
According to The Wedding Report, couples spent (on average) ~$26,000 on the big day in 2011. When we tell people we got married in lovely Franklin, TN (just south of Nashville) with a wedding budget of $5,000, most people are shocked. Some couples spend that on their venue…or on food. Or a number of other “necessities”.
Well, regardless of what your budget is, you’ve got to decide what your priorities are, commit to those priorities and be willing to be more flexible with other areas of the budget.
Here are a few ways we stuck with our smaller wedding budget:
1) Save on flowers. Or consider a unique alternative. I had no desire to budget money towards something that was going to wither away and die. I spent weeks perusing blogs for floral alternatives. Thankfully I found my bouquet solution when I stumbled upon Amanda Heer’s amazing brooch bouquet creation. She created a beautiful piece of art that we now display in our home, plus 6 mini-brooch bouquets for my fabulous bridesmaids. (These also doubled as bridesmaid gifts.) We rescued some silk florals from one of my cousins who had recently gotten married and integrated those with our centerpieces for our reception. See below. If you’re set on real flowers, ask around. You may have friends who have connections and could help you get wholesale prices.
2) Serve guests buffet style. Philip and I LOVE barbecue. After a bit of research, we found that Whitt’s Barbecue could help us keep food costs under budget, while still serving a delicious meal. At the end of the day, we only spent about $550 feeding our guests…which came to approximately $4.75 per person. This included tasty barbecue, buns, potato salad, coleslaw, sweet and unsweetened tea, water, plus 2 people to help serve our guests. We felt like our reception was a fun, backyard barbecue!
3) Save on wedding stationary. It’s easy to break the bank with paper products like invitations, place cards, wedding programs, save the dates, etc. While these items are absolutely lovely, it just wasn’t in our budget to splurge in this area. The only paper products we used were wedding invitations, response cards, programs and thank you cards. I found a lovely wedding stationary design/set at Target and printed them myself. The paper was a cream color with an apple green letterpress-feel design. I setup the print design using a pretty purple font. See below. I bought a box of 50 invitations, envelopes, response cards and envelopes for less than $35 per box. Quite a deal! I also printed our programs using cardstock and scrapbook paper. Plus, I only printed two programs per reception table. I did not print programs for every guest. This was one of my few DIY projects and I was very pleased with how they turned out and how much we saved.
So these are a few of the ways we stayed on budget with our $5,000 wedding. Many people think that lower costs means skimping on quality or losing the “wow” factor. I hope you can see that by setting priorities and staying flexible and creative, you can make your wedding a fun, thoughtful experience without going broke.
Are you planning a wedding? How are you splurging or saving? Do tell!
If you’ve been following along with my blog…you know I’m a HUGE fan of Ashley’s Bride Guide. She’s inspired me in a number of ways. Not only as a friend, but as a business woman as well. In fact, it was all because of her that I got the hankering to start this blog!
Ashley’s Bride Guide, plus the network of amazing brides I connected with throughout our engagement, provided such amazing inspiration and support as we planned our wedding here in Franklin, TN.
Had she offered the event I’m about to tell you about during our engagement, I would have been ALL OVER IT. Okay…so drumroll, please…You’re invited to…
This event is a three-week series starting next Tuesday, March 13 and will run through the following two Tuesdays as well.
While bridal shows and magazines are fabulous for inspiration, if the couple doesn’t have a vision or budget in place, the inspiration can lead to frustration. (And I can speak for experience on this one!) That’s why Ashley has created The Smart Bride Boot Camp to educate and offer the inside scoop on setting realistic expectations to plan the wedding of your dreams on a budget you can afford.
Last year’s first-ever boot camp was life changing for the attendees. Many of them still email Ashley, letting her know that their wedding was completely different as a result of real talk about weddings.
Click here to register and comment below if you plan to be there! Hope you’ll join us!
Inspiring you down the aisle and beyond…
Krista
Why hello, friends! It’s been awhile, huh?! I’m sad to say that, after doing a mass update with my WordPress plugins, my blog was compromised and somehow started promoting Viagra and Cialis. Very odd. Anyway…thanks to my amazing programmer friend Grant, we’re back up and running!
I’m REALLY excited to tell you about an upcoming event that I’m apart of with Ashley’s Bride Guide…but you’ll have to come back tomorrow to learn more.
I’ve learned quite a bit about social media and blogging, specifically, since I launched Becoming Mrs. Dial, just over 2 years ago. The inspiration behind starting this blog (aside from getting engaged, of course) is Ashley King, the amazing woman behind Ashley’s Bride Guide. I’m honored to call her a friend and SO excited that she’s asked me to be on the panel of her expert speakers for her upcoming Blog Camp for wedding professionals. To learn more about this workshop, click the badge located on the right sidebar. —–>
Ashley will be covering an incredible variety of topics, so whether you’re a seasoned blogger or you’re still not quite sure what all the fuss is about with social media, it will be well worth your money to attend the event and learn from the panel she’s put together.
I’ll be discussing best practices with Twitter, Facebook fan pages and Google+.
Here’s what attendees had to say about Ashley’s last Blog Camp:
Click here to learn more and/or register. Hope to see you there!
(Here I am at Wedding 101 for the Wish Upon A Wedding Nashville Launch Party with the fabulous woman behind Ashley’s Bride Guide.)
If you’re a local wedding vendor, a professional in the health care industry or just a guy or gal looking for a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, consider hanging with the board members and wish granters for Wish Upon A Wedding Nashville on October 23 in Smyrna for our first annual “Pins For Love” bowling tournament.
The cost to participate is $20, which includes two games and shoe rental fee. Contests throughout the event include noncash prizes for the winning team, most strikes, spares, highest individual score and highest series. Drawings for door prizes will occur throughout the event as well. (I’m giving away a few fabulous Rodan+Fields products.)
To read the full news release about the event, click here. Ready to register? Get registration info here. Hope to see you there!
I’m proud to share that our chapter was successfully launched in May and we officially have every board member position filled! (Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re not always on the lookout for help. If you’re interested in volunteering with our board, leave a comment on this post!)
As Philip and I were planning our wedding, we really focused on thinking outside the box and creating unique keepsakes from the wedding day. As I was looking for guestbooks, I kept asking myself why we were even doing one. I found several I liked. Even made it to the checkout with one…but could never bring myself to buy one because I kept asking myself what we would do with it. I just knew it would end up stuck in a closet or collecting dust on a bookshelf. I know it’s a nice way to keep track of who was in attendance for our special day, but I knew there had to be a more useful, aesthetically pleasing way to keep track of our nearest and dearest friends and family members.
One idea I’d come across was a wedding wish jar. I initially found the idea over at the Marsha Stewart blog, however, the jar we ended up using was an adorable little “wish pot” I found at Swoozie’s in Green Hills (which is now closed).
This adorable little wish pot now sits in our living room on a shelf. It’s full of paper hearts upon which friends and family wrote sweet words of wisdom and encouragement. I love lifting the lid now and then to read a few of them.
Another idea I discovered thanks to Natosha over at Big Spoon, Little Spoon is a wedding tree print. She found it on etsy and shared it with me. There are a variety of “wedding tree” posters there which you can customize to your heart’s extent. I just did a search for them and here’s what I found. Here is what ours looked like:
This was a super-cool way to personalize our guests’ signatures and create another memento to enjoy for years to come.
Are you doing a guestbook? Have another unique idea for capturing guests’ signatures in place of the guestbook? Please share!
In the words of Minnie Pearl…How-DEEEE! I’ve missed you, friends! As you’ve probably realized, this blog has been on a brief hiatus for the past several months.
Towards the end of June, I quit my job to pursue my passion. That’s right…Mrs. Dial is now a full-fledged business owner and entrepreneur! Due to business, Becoming Mrs. Dial had to take a back seat for a while. I’m very happy to say, however, that she’s back up and running! (If you’re a business owner too, please go check out my other blog – Revealing You. Over there I’ll be covering social media, online marketing business tips and insight from other business owners too!)
Over the course of the next few weeks, I will open up about some of the things I’ve learned in my transition from “maiden to married”, offer insight for how you can get beautiful skin for your wedding day (and beyond!) and, as always, provide insight and inspiration about how you, too, can create a dream wedding on a budget.
I do hope you’ll sit down, kick back and stay awhile. I’m really glad to be back and can’t wait to stir up some great conversation with you…
Warmly,
Mrs. Dial
In case you were wondering…no, I did not get up at 3am to catch Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s Royal Wedding. Ya’ll know I LOVE weddings, but I just couldn’t muster up the energy this morning!
Thanks to technology, however, I got a front row seat!
The British Monarchy has an official YouTube Channel fittingly called TheRoyalChannel and I was able to catch the entire ceremony in one clip! I’ve uploaded here for your enjoyment:
Kate was absolutely stunning. Simple, elegant and breathtaking.
I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the Royal Wedding than meeting up with my girlfriend Suzanne, who is a wedding planner (and actually woke up at 3am to catch the wedding in real-time!), and meeting up for a Royal Tea Party at Lulu’s in downtown Franklin. Here we are enjoying lemon tarts, petit fours and tea, of course:
Did you catch the wedding? Were you up early like Suzanne this morning? Or were you a straggler like me, coming in late to the party? What was your favorite part?
My favorite part was the vows. You could sense a bit of nervousness…(as I can only imagine…being on a world-wide stage!) However, I loved the way the seemed to gaze at each other. It’s the way I remember Philip and I looking at each other almost a year ago, when we were encircled by our closest family and friends. So hard to believe it’s almost been a year! Time sure flies!
In honor of the Royal Wedding, I’ve created a clip about how you can give your skin the Royal Treatment…but you’ll have to head over to my other blog, The Skin CEO, to see it.
Wishing you much love and joy on this beautiful Spring day!
Prior to starting my Rodan+Fields business, no one had really asked me if what I was doing was going to get me where I wanted to be in 5 years.
Sure, my high school guidance counselor asked…but then she also led me towards more math and science classes because they would “look good on my college applications”. That’s great and all, but those aren’t subjects towards which I was naturally inclined. I practically begged to be in an art class my senior year of high school, was finally given the green light and then ended up winning the “most improved artist” award by the end of the semester. Now, I wonder how much further those artistic talents would have developed had we recognized them earlier in my education? Well, that’s a different analysis for a different day.
The point I’m getting to is…
If you’re stuck.
If you feel defeated.
If you’re caught in the squeaking hamster wheel of Corporate America, clinging to your paycheck.
If you want more out of life than a cubicle, a corner office or 2 weeks paid vacation.
Then perhaps it’s time to step back and reassess. If you don’t have goals. No big dreams…then sure…any road will suffice. But if you’re reading this…it’s very likely you’re looking for something more. What do you want out of life? Is what you’re doing RIGHT NOW going to get you there? If the answer is no, then I’m here to encourage you and tell you there is hope.
We’re programmed to think it’s wrong to question the status quo. To want more out of life. That desiring more time with friends or family or self is wrong. Why is that? Again, I think that’s another discussion for another day. Coming soon.
The thing is, all that you’re dreaming for and desiring is around the corner…it’s up to you to take the leap of faith and pursue it. It won’t come easy. It’s a lot of work…but the risk will be worth the reward. What step will you take today to begin your journey towards a brighter future?
Not sure where to start? Give me a shout. I’d be honored to help.
Our company is in the news once again! If you pick up the latest issue of NEW BEAUTY magazine and flip to page 99, you’ll see the above article. (Click picture to view full size.) This publication is the leading beauty magazine and they feature our UNBLEMISH Oil Control Lotion as the sunscreen of choice for people on the go.
I attribute the UNBLEMISH regimen, which includes this oil control sunscreen, for treating my acne, unclogging my pores and getting my oily skin under control. Want to learn how our products can help you? Contact me.
YouTube is one of my favorite sites for learning new things and meeting new people. This past Winter I setup my very own YouTube channel for posting FAQs, training and inspiration videos for people considering Rodan and Fields as a business. Of course, much of what I share will also be applicable to anyone considering any business opportunity or entrepreneurial venture. (And yes, there will be the occasional video of my crazy cats or my adorable niece…)
Click the image to see my YouTube channel to get inspired, informed and hopefully be entertained. I have more videos coming soon!
Do you have a YouTube channel or perhaps a favorite one? Tell me about it below! I’d love to subscribe to it!
Nashville is full of creative, inspiring, budding entrepreneurs and every year the Nashville Business Journal hosts a variety of awards ceremonies to recognize those people. One of those awards is the Nashville Women of Influence. After reviewing this year’s list of finalists, I’m so happy to congratulate my friend Kia Jarmon, Owner and Creative Director for the Nashville-based MEPR Agency!
Kia, you’re doing some amazing things in this community – both locally and in the PR world, in general. I’m so happy to know you and can hardly wait to see what the future holds for you and your amazing business. Keep up the incredible work!
Here’s to women in business!
I’ll be back on Wednesday with more business insight and inspiration. Until then!
Krista
When people learn my company is owned and operated by the same doctors who created Proactiv, they typically ask, “Well, how is what you offer different from Proactiv?” It’s a good question. Here’s a basic overview:
Proactiv was launched by Drs. Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields as a simple, yet effective in-home acne treatment. It was the first regimen of it’s kind to treat the full face, unlike many other products people were using to “spot-treat” their acne. Proactiv has helped millions of people and continues to be the #1 selling acne treatment in the world. It’s distributed via vending machines, infomercials and online.
Rodan+Fields Dermatologists is a company that is owned and operated by those very same doctors. With this company, however, the doctors are treating a variety of skin concerns – acne, clogged pores, post-acne marks, sun spots, age spots, fine lines, sensitive skin…and they’re truly become pioneers in the anti-age arena. They initially launched this product line over the counter in retail department stores, becoming the #1 clinical line in Nordstrom’s, thanks to word-of-mouth. They were in retail for 5 years, until the doctors decided to re-launch the company via direct sales to fulfill their mission of “taking dermatology to the masses”. And because of mini-franchise owners like me, that’s what they’re doing.
So if you’re looking or a way to improve your finances and/or get the best skin of your life, contact me today.
I’m heading out for grocery shopping before the grocery rush hits on Wednesday and wanted to post a quick Thanksgiving message.
Our family has so much to be grateful for this holiday season.
Philip and I have the gift of health and are abundantly blessed with our careers!
I’m incredibly thankful for his support and also for the support of my wonderful friends, family, customers and business partners. It’s because of you that I was able to leave my job and pursue my passion of helping others by sharing the story of Rodan+Fields.
I’m thankful to Dr. Katie Rodan & Dr. Kathy Fields for choosing direct sales as their preferred business model for their new business venture, so normal people like me can create solid financial futures without the worry of layoffs and downsizing.
I’m thankful for the incredible products I represent that are truly changing skin and changing lives. From 6-month-olds to 98-year-olds, our products are helping people across the U.S….and eventually around the globe.
My cup truly runneth over and I have many, many things to be thankful for. As we enter into this season of Thanksgiving with Christmas just around the corner, I encourage you to relish in the moments to come…no matter how large or small…enjoy the traveling, the cooking, the eating! And most importantly, the time you have with those near and dear to you.
Wishing you safe travels from our family to yours!
Warmly,
Krista
1) Announced a new business partner.
2) Picking up a few more items for United Way’s Community Baby Shower.
3) Delivering baby shower items to United Way of Nashville with Success In The City Little Black Dress Club.
4) First training with newest business partner this afternoon.
5) Conducting a House Call at a friend’s home to introduce the newest items Rodan+Fields has added to their anti-aging arsenal.
I’d call that a ridiculously amazing day. How are you making YOURS ridiculously amazing?
Remember my blog post about Google Plus back in September? Well, if you’re a business owner, not only do you need to have a Google+ profile, you also need a Google+ page for your business.
That’s right, just a few days ago Google Plus launched business pages. Watch out Facebook!
Why do you need to jump on the bandwagon? Because, let’s face it, Google owns search. You don’t “Yahoo!” to comparison shop or “Dogpile” it when you’re looking for information about your favorite band or restaurant. You “Google” it. If you have a Google Plus page for your business and someone searches for you, that’s one more avenue you have to connect with prospects.
I JUST setup my Google+ business page, so please forgive how barren it is. More content to come soon! In the meantime, go setup yours, then follow my page and I’ll follow yours in return.
The following resources helped me get my Google Plus page up and running:
How to Setup a Google Plus Brand Page on Mashable.com
How to Use Google Plus for Business – a PDF from Hubspot
As I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed this morning, I saw that the co-founder of one of our amazing local Nashville blogs was featured in an article on USA Today. Style Blueprint was started by Elizabeth Fox and Liza Graves just a few short years ago. Their commitment to highlighting delicious recipes, super chic fashion and boutiques and amazing women who are making a difference in our community has brought Style Blueprint tens of thousands of regularly monthly visitors.
You can read the full USA Today article titled “Girlfriends are key to women’s optimism” featuring Elizabeth here.
Here are my favorite parts of the article:
25% of women between the ages of 45 and 55 chose 10 on a scale of 1-10 regarding happiness and optimism about their future. (Gallup-Healthways poll of Americans’ wellbeing)
These women anticipate being at the top of the ladder of well-being in the next five years. They enjoy learning new things. Most importantly, they have a sense of meaning and engagement.
Lastly, Fox closes the article by saying “I just turned 55. I have a passion, and it’s working!”
When you love your profession…it becomes your passion…and it hardly feels like work. Are you stuck? I was stuck for several years. Then a perfect stranger shared Rodan+Fields with me. If you’re looking to be a part of something larger, let’s talk. I’d be honored to hear your frustrations, goals, dreams, etc. and get you on the path to living and fulfilling your passion.
Big congratulations to Elizabeth and Liza on being featured by such a respected media outlet. Nashville is honored to have you in our community and I can’t wait to see the many more amazing things you’ll do with your business.
Another beautiful print! This needs to be in my office! I’ve transcribed below for easier reading.
The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski
“Your life is your life.
Don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
Be on the watch.
There are ways out.
There is a light somewhere.
It may not be much light but…
It beats the darkness.
Be on the watch.
The gods will offer you chances.
Know them.
Take them.
You can’t beat death but…
You can beat death in life, sometimes.
And the more often you learn to do it…
The more light there will be.
Your life is your life.
Know it while you have it.
You are marvelous.
The gods wait to delight in you.”
I found this via workisnotajob and it inspired me so much I HAD to share with you. I hope this sparked that little light inside you that’s already flickering…