Today is an Elle & Company first, my friends!

When I asked Amy if she would join me for a Coffee Date this morning, she asked if we could switch things up a bit and record the normal Q&A on video. I excitedly and nervously said yes. (How could I ever pass up a Skype date and a coffee date?) Three hours and countless outtakes later, we finally came up with a blog-worthy video. I'm excited to share it with you today, but I'm even more excited for you to get to know my dear friend, Amy McArthur.

Growing up in the same small town and having several mutual friends, it's hard to believe that Amy and I didn't meet until a year ago. Her witty sense of humor and her dramatic mannerisms made her easy to get along with right off the bat, and she's kept me laughing ever since.

As funny as Amy is, she's also really thoughtful and hard-working, which is probably why she is so great at her job as wedding coordinator at Sundara, a gorgeous wedding venue in Southwest Virginia. In addition to her roles as a wedding planner and business owner of Amy Kristina Weddings, this gorgeous girl is a Disney and Downton Abbey fanatic, a University of Mary Washington alum, and a crazy cat lady (kidding... sort of).

Do you have your coffee mug in hand? Let's get this Coffee Date rolling!

AMY MCARTHUR

*Photo credit Kemper Mills Fant Photography*

What is in your coffee cup this morning?

Cinnamon orange tea (I'm not a big coffee drinker). So I guess this would be a tea date!

What does a normal day look like for you?

My days change day-to-day. I usually work 50% from home and 50% from the venue that I'm contracted through. Today I had time to catch up on laundry, answer emails, work on some social media. During the "off-season" I'm doing a lot of marketing, social media and general catch-up work before the weddings kick off. During wedding season, I'm constantly in contact with my brides, finalizing timelines, checking in with vendors, etc.

Life can get stressful. What are some things you do to simplify?

Two things. I use Google Drive a lot. All of my clients have a folder and within their folder is all of their information from photographer, cake, timeline, menu, layout, etc. Over half of my clients do not live close by so it's a great tool for them to access online. We can work together and edit things as we go.

I also have a to-do list that I use ALL THE TIME. I write down everything I have to do and check them off as I go. I also write down how long I think it will take me to do each task, then I time myself as I do each thing. I've found that it doesn't take me as long to get things done and I have more time to take breaks, do laundry, or generally mess around on the internet.

5 years from now, what will you remember most about this season?

I've definitely been learning gratitude and contentment lately. No one tells you in college how hard the transition to adulthood is, so it gets really easy for me to start grumbling about things. But when I talk to those who are older than I am they always say that if they could go back to anytime in their life, it would be right around where I am in life right now. So I have to really take a step back sometimes and look at my life objectively. I really am lucky. I pretty much created my own job. I create my own hours. I'm not married and I don't have kids so I have a lot of freedom to do the things I enjoy. Thinking of it that way, I'm very content with my life and I have a better idea of who I am. I'm extremely grateful for everything.

And just for fun, what is something you've been loving lately?

I've been listening to a lot of podcasts and one of my favorites lately is The Nerdist Podcast. They interview celebrities and it's not the typical press junket questions. You really get to know them and what they like, and in turn I get to look up new things and get into that. Who knew Tom Hanks likes Storage Wars?

Are you interested in following along with Amy? Go ahead and follow her on Instagram, like her page on Facebook, visit her website, and why not check out Sundara, too?

Happy Friday, friends! My weekend involves a quick trip to VA, a bridal shower, and a restful Sunday. How about you?