goal setting

September 2017 Goals

~ Stephanie Shaul ~ 1 Comment
A&BTSOSChapelHillFinalDinner63
photo by Ally + Bobby, planning + design by Stephanie Shaul Events

September is here, friends! I always associate September with school starting back up, the impending arrival of autumn, and getting back into routines and rhythms (and wedding season!). How did your August go? I shared all that we were up to in August yesterday, and I also loved reviewing my August goals, which I happily crossed most everything off the list last month! We had fun trips to the mountains of North Carolina with lots of our couple friends, as well as a weekend in the sunshine at Carolina Beach. It was a productive yet relaxing and fun month before the craziness of the fall wedding season arrives, and I tried to use my time in August wisely. It’s also our five month wedding anniversary today, which always coincides perfectly with the renewal of each month!!

As you’re reading this, I’m busy finishing packing for our back-to-back trips to NYC to visit my sister and brother-in-law (and go to the US Open!), and then we’re heading straight to the Outer Banks for the rest of the week! You can follow along on our family vacation over on Instagram, if you’d like to. And once we return… wedding season is most definitely in full swing with so much goodness on the radar. Here’s to our last big hurrah of Summer 2017!

Personal Goals

  1. Enjoy every moment of our vacation week in NYC + OBX! Savor loads of quality time with our families, enjoy the juxtaposing settings of the city + the beach, and relax as much as possible.
  2. Create (and share) a Fall 2017 to-do list.
  3. Celebrate Rob’s birthday with great excitement and love him well. I have a surprise or two up my sleeves!
  4. Finish planning and go on our anniversary getaway to one of my very favorite destinations! Our one year engagement anniversary and six month wedding anniversary are the same day, and we plan on celebrating this wholeheartedly.
  5. Serve selflessly and joyfully at our church and with the child development center at the Raleigh Rescue Mission.
  6. Decorate our first married home for fall and think of some small but fun ways to celebrate the season!
  7. Leave my phone in another room when we’re home at night.
  8. Enjoy the slightly cooler weather by eating dinners at home outside, going on regular evening walks, and playing tennis.
  9. Love on and serve one of our married/young parent friends well by baby-sitting so they can go on a date night! This is something we really want to do much more often.

Business

  1. Make the full switch over to my new website! It is quite the process changing everyyyything over to Stephanie Shaul Events.
  2. Share SO much more of our wedding!! This both personal + business… and oh so very exciting!
  3. Celebrate and serve my couples well in their season of engagement.
  4. Plan ahead as much as possible for my Fall 2017 weddings so that I set myself up well for October and November.
  5. Book two new 2018 weddings.

How can I encourage you in your goals or cheer you on? What are you most excited for in the coming month?  I’m still loving summertime, and I can’t wait to spend a long week in NYC and the Outer Banks before returning to work!!

July 2016 Goals

~ Stephanie Shaul ~ 6 Comments

peach

Happy July, y’all! The 4th of July is just around the corner (one of my all-time favorite holidays!), wedding season is in full swing, & summertime is oh so sweet! I can’t believe 2016 if officially halfway over, but I’m trying to soak in + savor it all. Give me all the fresh peaches + berries, please!!

I traveled to Charleston (venue walk-through + engagement session), Carolina Beach (day trip with Rob), and Charlotte (Jordan + Errett’s wedding) this past month, and July holds travels to Ohio (our 4th of July tradition!), Richmond (reunion with best friends), Portsmouth, VA (venue walk-through), another trip to the beach, and a huge wedding in Chapel Hill! June was also filled with lots of tennis, pool time, grilling out/cookouts, Durham Bulls game, fun times with friends, lots of girls nights + wine nights, learning how to shag to beach music, and baby showers/babies on the way for close friends!

In terms of work, June held a wonderful, beautiful, meaningful wedding in Charlotte for Jordan and Errett, The School of Styling Summer Bash, lots of day-long wedding planning meetings with brides who traveled into town, cake + catering tastings, lots of timelines, prep for July weddings, a trip to Charleston, a few mentoring + coaching sessions, great coffee dates, and continuing to work with my fabulous intern, Janna! Have you noticed my blog has been brought back to life?!

Personal Goals

  1. Cook a new seasonal recipe + make ice cream from scratch
  2. Introduce Rob to ALL of my family & celebrate the 4th of July in Ohio (the best!) – seriously cannot wait for our trip up north!
  3. Host a cocktail party/game night
  4. Continue crossing things off our summer bucket list
  5. Go to an outdoor movie and to Fridays on the Front Porch at the Carolina Inn
  6. Really be intentional about the friendships and relationships in my life, especially in the midst of a busy season (sending snail mail, planning friend dates, little surprises, praying for friends)
  7. “He must become greater; I must become less.” – John 3:30

Business Goals

  1. Execute a flawless wedding for Kate & Eric in Chapel Hill at the Chapel of the Cross + Carolina Inn
  2. Officially introduce my intern, Janna, on my blog + have her assist at her first wedding with me
  3. Have two more editorial shoots featured/published (after doing 15 in six months, these are the last 2 to submit!)
  4. Update my business journal regularly
  5. Celebrate one year of taking Stephanie Scholl Events full time!!
  6. Continue booking 2017 brides & strategize my marketing

I’d love to know – do you have any goals set for the month as July kicks off?! I can’t wait for the 4th of July celebrations, beginning now!

fam
2015 4th of July in Ohio!

May 2016 Goals

~ Stephanie Shaul ~ 7 Comments
View More: http://ajdunlap.pass.us/styledshoot04052016
photo by AJ Dunlap, florals by Serendipity Designs, styling by Stephanie Scholl Events

Hi, friends!! I’m attempting to get back on board with posting my monthly goals on here, and I’m excited to do so! I probably say this every month, but I’m not quite sure how it’s already May… this year is positively flying by! Springtime is my favorite, and these past few weeks have been absolutely wonderful in so many ways.

April was busy (isn’t every month somehow a busy one, though?) in the best way possible. Spring in North Carolina is the best, and the flowers, trees, and city has come alive lately. I could talk for days about how much I adore Springtime, but suffice it to say it makes me super happy. I even feel so much more energized and excited about my work… which is great, since wedding season is officially upon us! I’ve had eleven editorial + styled shoots in a three month window of time, which is a little ridiculous but a whole lot of fun. I could talk for a very long time about how much I love doing all of these shoots and how endlessly beneficial and wonderful they are. And I’m thrilled to have so many sure-to-be wonderful, beautiful, and meaningful weddings coming up this year, as well!

Personal Goals

  1. Get back into a routine with my prayer journal
  2. Take a beach trip
  3. Read three books
  4. Buy herbs (mint, cilantro, & basil!) + keep them alive
  5. Buy flowers for someone just because
  6. Make a Spring in Raleigh to-do list + start checking things off
  7. Play tennis weekly
  8. Learn how to shag (Thursday nights in North Hills!)
  9. Go to the farmer’s market + cook a meal from scratch
  10. Be outside as much as humanly possible (running, tennis, meals, walks, adventures)

Business Goals

  1. I need an intern/assistant for the summer – decide on that process & make it official
  2. Update the front page of my website with new images
  3. Mail all client gifts for new clients
  4. Update my pricing guide for 2017
  5. Write in this blog weekly
  6. Share those eleven editorial + styled shoots on my blog
  7. Throw a launch party for one of my favorite businesses
  8. Plan one more fabulous styled shoot

What about you? I’d love to hear your goals for the upcoming month & see what you’re up to! May is another one of my favorite months of the year, and I’m eagerly anticipating all that it holds!