Hello, amazing BG readers! This is my first post as a Real Bride Blogger and the first formal announcement of my engagement to the world, so it's an exciting day for me.

First, to all of my fellow engaged ladies out there — CONGRATULATIONS! This is truly going to be one of the most special times in your life. Make sure you take a deep breath and enjoy every minute and aspect of planning. Don't settle and most importantly, don't freak out. Everything will come together and your big day will be more magical than you ever imagined possible.

So, who am I? I love weddings; it's what I'm good at and it's what I do for a living. I'm a professional wedding designer and planner for my own company, Davia Lee Events, which is based in Santa Ynez, CA. At work, I tell it like it is and I have a special knack for bringing a bride and groom's vision to life. I've planned stunning weddings that we all dream of having, and I've planned weddings that are sweetly simple and unique. I've dealt with screaming kids, hilarious drunk groomsmen, and unpredictable Mother Nature. I also pride myself on creating awesome pros-and-cons lists to help couples make decisions.

But beyond all of that, I'm a bride, too. I have dreams, hopes, and endless ideas for my wedding, but I also have a budget and challenges just like anyone else reading this. I am beyond excited for this opportunity to share everything wedding-related with all of you throughout my journey: the good and the bad, as well as the glamorous and not-so-glamorous. Yes, my POV may be slightly different because I have years of orchestrating nuptials under my belt, but this time, it's my turn to walk down the aisle, so emotions will run high!

BG brides, not since The Royal Wedding has a celebrity's wedding cake received as much fanfare as Kaley Cuoco's! And with good reason — The Butter End Cakery fulfilled the Big Bang Theory star's wish for something "over the top" with their upside-down chandelier cake. Thanks to custom rigging, sandbags, and clever engineering, the blinged-out confection miraculously stayed in place for her entire reception on New Year's Eve.

Unable to get these magical (albeit outrageous) images out of my mind, I did some digging and it looks like the new Mrs. Sweeting might be on to something. Cakes are soaring to new heights at non-celebrity receptions, too. Check out some of my favorite editors' picks below!

Cake Design: The Butter End Cakery / Photos by: The Butter End Cakery (left) and Kaley Cuoco / Twitter (right)

If you've ever looked up engagement photo inspiration, you've undoubtedly seen some of the same types of pictures over and over — couples posing in a way that not-so-subtly shows off the ring, a bride-to-be gazing adoringly at her fiancé as he stares off into the distance, the fairytale "foot pop" while kissing, and couples tossing leaves, to name a few. 

After getting engaged, Marian Schembari and her fiancé, Elliot Speed, didn't originally plan on taking engagement photos, but when they kept seeing these types of pictures pop up on Pinterest, they decided to do a spoof shoot, where they swapped the traditional gender roles or did extreme versions of the stereotypical images. Their close friend, wedding photographer Malia Moss, followed the couple around San Francisco snapping the hilarious photos. "It was the most fun I've had at a photo shoot in my entire life," Moss told Yahoo Shine. Check out the results!

I hope everyone had a very happy new year and is looking forward to a fantastic 2014! I know I am — as I told my fiancé Rene last Tuesday night when the ball dropped, this is our year!

As did most people with the start of a new year, I made some resolutions I plan on keeping.

1. Lose another 40 pounds.
2. Get healthier.
3. Save money.
4. Take more time to enjoy life.
5. Smile more.

I've made these resolutions before, but I've never kept them, which is what happens to most of us. The difference this year is that I’m already half way there, and once you see results and have your heart set on the end prize, there is no turning back. My success so far in the past seven months helps me trust that I will meet my goals and resolutions — and you can, too. If you put your mind to it, and you don’t let anything or anyone get in your way, it can happen. I hope this helps motivate you to achieve your resolutions this year, because it really is possible, no matter what the resolution is.

While on the treadmill last week, I decided I was going to increase my workouts for the month of January. This morning, I woke up at 4:30 instead of 5 (crazy, I know), and did 30 minutes on the treadmill before my 30 minute spin class, burning tons of calories before I even started my day!