New Steps Life Coaching

I'm a life coach with the additional training and experience as a relationship coach.  Who better to guide you through one of the biggest life transitions you will ever experience!  

Hiring a wedding coach has the benefits of having a life coach as well as relationship coach.  No problem is off limits.  During coaching sessions, the bride is able to verbalize all that is going on and tackle all the issues that keep her up at night! 

• Wedding plans-Decisions!
• Juggling life balance
• Keeping stress down
• Figuring out all the relationship dynamics
• Goal setting and Time Management

I am an unbiased sounding board for all your ideas and the overwhelm that can take over your life.  Let me do the worrying for you!

Relationship Coaching will help you:

• Verbalize your commitment, your priorities, your dreams and expectations.
• Develop communication skills that will strengthen your relationships.
• Create a master plan for your lives together with strategies and guidelines that you can BOTH agree on.

So if you are the bride, one of the moms, or a couple working together and want some help, please Contact me for a FREE 30 minute consultation.  You will see the difference after the first call.  For more information about life coaching click here. 

For more insight about what I do as a wedding coach, please go to my blog at www.TheEmpoweredBride.com/blog

and read the case studies below.

Before coaching, a bride can feel overwhelmed.

 After coaching, you'll take one step at a time with clarity and confidence.

Case Studies of Wedding Coaching in Action:
Traditional Wedding VS the Modern Touch

Anna (not her real name) comes from a very traditional family in Europe.  Her fiance is far from traditional.  He actually rejects tradition.  Anna came to me very anxious about how to make everyone happy, including herself!  After only 2 coaching sessions, she had already smoothed many rough edges with her traditional mother and her modern fiance.  By the end of our 6 sessions together, they were speaking regularly, enjoy each other's company, and most importantly, they are able to talk about wedding plans without getting defensive, critical, or feeling like anyone is taking sides.  Learning to honor each others dreams, giving them a voice, and increasing positivity in the relationships, has allowed the bride and groom to take control of the wedding planning within their vision and budget.  Mom and Dad are happy with the compromises and feel more enrolled in their daughter's life. 

As Anna's mom said, “Do not worry about anything as long as you two are happy, because that is what counts at the end of the day.” (Wouldn't you want to hear that too?)

Anna ended her update to me with, "You are making miracles with your questions and coaching for me!"

Who's paying for the wedding and what strings are attached?

Several brides have brought up the topic of who is paying for the wedding, and what it means for the planning.  For the average bride in her late twenties or early thirties, there is a quest to create the wedding of her dreams but she must also face the financial stress of paying for it.  Today's modest weddings costs between $10-20,000 or more, even with a strict eye on the budget.  The budget can rise to $50K or more when the expectations are high and the money is more available. 

When it comes to money, not many people are willing or prepared to have an honest discussion about a budget.  Assumptions made by the bride, groom or their parents, can cloud the truth and delay dealing with the reality of wedding planning. If you don't know how you're going to pay for the day, it's awful hard to enjoy the process of planning it!

Some families procrastinate having those difficult conversations while others plow ahead picking vendors without realizing what the bottom line cost will be.  Then they pay with the stress and anxiety they've created!   What my clients have learned, as I did with experience (3 kids' weddings in less than 4 years), is that it is better to declare your budget and be clear who is providing what, and then let the bride and groom plan the wedding based on their best judgment.

What if money from parents comes with strings attached?  The bride and groom have the choice of turning the money down, giving in to the "strings" attached to the money (usually guest list and reception venue), or having a very grown up discussion or two that finds a compromise.  In a few cases, my clients, the brides, were able to talk to their moms and fiancee's, and clarify what each other's dreams were for the wedding day.  As they learned to listen to each other, they nurtured a collaborative spirit and had fun working as a real team to create a wedding that everyone would enjoy. When a person feels heard and appreciated, they are much more likely to engage in the discussion with real compassion and enthusiasm, rather than demands and defensiveness. If your intentions of collaboration are genuine, it will come through in everything you do.

Have Questions?

I know a wedding and relationship coach may seem like an unusual way of getting help during this stressful time, but having been the mother of the bride twice, as well and the mother of the groom, I know all the details and concerns that are swimming around in your life.  You just want to say, "Stop!  I'm the Bride.  I have a right to be happy!" 

I will help you find happiness by exploring what is really important, teaching you the tools of communication within your relationships, as well as dealing with actual specifics of planning your wedding day and your marriage for the years to come.

I welcome your questions. Please send me an email.