De-Stress Hacks for Wedding Planners

Wedding planners know this best of all - members of the wedding party, or even guests, are prone to sudden freak outs. We've all been there, you're checking on the caterer and you see the maid of honor in a stress fueled spiral. So you put on your therapist hat and do your best to calm her down before the reception. It takes some special wedding-planner-ninja skills to calm a stressed out member of the wedding party, here are some great hacks to calm the storm:

Chocolate
A few mini chocolate bars are great to keep on hand in your de-stress kit. Dark chocolate is best because it actually helps to better reduce levels of cortisol (main stress hormone) and will help stabilize blood sugar until the reception begins. No one want to be the person who passed out at the wedding.

If they are allergic to chocolate or just don't like the delicious goodness of the cocoa tree (gasp), there are other ways to bring down stress levels...

Gum
Any gum will do, but maybe have a few different flavors like mint and cinnamon. Numerous scientific studies show a few minutes of chewing gum greatly reduces anxiety and cortisol levels. The fresh-breath side effect isn't so bad either. 

But they might be one of those people who don't participate in the calming art of gum chewing, so what else do you have up your sleeve?

The Worry-Clip
Sometimes people just need something in there hand to distract them from themselves. You have probably heard of a worry stone, but no one wants to carry around rocks in their de-stress kit. The best alternative is a paper-clip. Simple, I know, but this little trick really works. Take a large paper-clip, pull out the center part to make a V. Tell the stressed to hold it in their palm and when they are feeling nervous to just focus on the paper-clip. Their focus will be quickly rerouted away from their nerves.

Deep Breath
An oldie but goodie, this technique is fool proof. Taking in slow deep breaths is proven to reduce anxiety. With every breathe, they will release more stress. You can even have them image a bubble filling up with all their nervousness and have them blow it away. A little childish, maybe, but it seriously works. Add the worry-clip and you will be amazed how calm you can get.

Counting Backwards
 This one is also an oldie but goodie. It has worked for me on many occasions and always chills me out. When worries, nerves, and stress combine they create one heck of an unstable emotional state. If you slowly count backwards from 10, then back up again, all those unwanted emotions will just disappear. It's all about taking focus off the stress and putting it somewhere else. It will be much more difficult to freakout about an upcoming toast, or giving away a precious bride, when you're busy trying to remember what number comes before 7.

These are just a few De-Stress tools that will definitely help you calm and member of the wedding party. Wedding Planners are the multi-tasking masters and the art of de-stress is one of the most important skills to have.

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2014 FIFA World Cup Party Food Ideas

During this epic battle of country vs. country, you are going to get hungry. To keep good luck on your team's side you want everything to be in team colors, even the food right? Well here are some great ideas from the Inspherio team for your Lucky Spread at your World Cup 2014 party.

Defense Dogs

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Some form of a hotdog is sure to please at any World Cup Party. To double your dogs and make them more bite size, try cutting them in half. To get extra fancy have a condiment bar near by so everyone can make what they want.

Team Cookies

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Gotta have the sweets, and these cookies are cheering for your favorite team. Ice them up in your team's colors or jerseys and enjoy. 

Play The Field Dip

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This is a beautiful layered dip with all kinds of deliciousness inside. It is super easy to make, and seriously how adorable is it to have your dip in the form of a soccer field. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Score 1 For Healthy

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These little soccer players are almost too cute to eat - almost. They are perfect for snaking or even replicating the last goal scoring play.

Congratulations to all the teams that made it to World Cup 2014 in Brazil. Can't wait to see who claims ultimate glory. Share all your party ideas on our:
                 
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How To: Keeping Kids Entertained At Your Wedding

Are you planning your wedding and suddenly you worry about kids running a muck are your beautiful event, how do you save kids from boredom? Well you can easily remedy your worries by creating fun activity bags for the kids attending your wedding. There are a lot of ideas out there of what to include in an activity bag, it's really your preference, but you can get really creative with games and things for them to do. First thing to do is determine what age group your activity bag will be for, like 3-6 and 7-11. Once you know your age group(s) you can start putting together entertaining activities to save them from boredom.

For Ages 3-6:
Snacks are always a big hit, remember your amazing catered reception might not have the most kid-friendly options. When trying to decide what snacks to include, you want to stay always from anything messy that would get all over their adorable outfits. Goldfish or Graham Crackers are staples in the world of kid snacks, and throw in a few pieces of candy, and organic is a great option to please all parents. I say a few pieces of candy because once they see that cake they will want it, and some candy might help to hold them over until its time to serve.

When creating your activity kit, a disposable camera is perfect to include so they can take pictures and you can see your wedding from their view. And you never know what you will get when the cameras are developed.

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Activity books, sketch pads, and stickers are sure to entertain. You can make custom activity books to go along with a wedding theme. Just don't forget to add pencils and crayons.

Bubbles. Always have bubbles.

For ages 7-11:

Everything mentioned above can be included, but with more challenging and age appropriate activity/sticker books. To create optimum amount of concentration, tricky metal puzzles where you have to try and get the pieces unhooked, or a rubix cube are great additions to any activity kit.

My favorite idea is to create a Scavenger Hunt for the kids. They can use their camera that you included to snapshot all the items on the list. Parents can even get in on the action too!

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If you like to put a personal touch on everything, you can create a fun DIY Activity Book filled with puzzles, coloring pages with wedding themed images, basically what ever your heart desires. Just add crayons and your good to go.
                                                       
                                                                                                                                                           
These are only a few ideas of what you can include in an activity bag for the younger guests at your wedding. Let out your inner child when figuring out what to include, and share your ideas in the comment box below or on our Facebook and Twitter.

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