Meet Allison Moir-Smith, MA, Bridal Counselor & Author

Allison Moir-Smith, MA, Bridal Counselor & Author, founded Emotionally Engaged Counseling for Brides in 2002 and since then has counseled hundreds of brides from all over the US and Canada through the complex emotions of being engaged. She is the author of Emotionally Engaged: A Bride’s Guide to Surviving the “Happiest” Time of Her Life, published in February 2006 by Hudson Street Press/Penguin.

An expert on engagement anxiety and cold feet, Allison has appeared on The Today Show and Good Morning America. In May 2006, Allison received a "25 Trendsetters of 2006" award from Modern Bride magazine. Other recipients included Kate Spade, Isaac Mizrahi, David Tutera, Stuart Weitzman, and the founders of Sandals resorts.

She has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute and a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College. Allison lives in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusettes, with her husband and two small children.

Why I Created Emotionally Engaged

I was 34 when Jason popped the question. At that age, and with my training as a psychotherapist under my belt, I assumed my engagement would be a cake-walk -- a delicious period of life full of fun, joy, love, and magic.

While my engagement had all that good stuff, it was emotionally grueling at times, too. Happy, sad, scared, angry, anxious, overwhelmed, confused.... (I think you may know what I mean)... I couldn't believe I was so miserable during what was supposed to be the happiest time of my life!

After wallowing in my own misery for a few months, I decided to take myself on as a client, so to speak -- to make sense of what was happening to me, so that I could understand my emotions, and not just be at their whim. It all paid off. My engagement had a rough start, to be sure, but it climaxed on our wedding day, which was truly one of the happiest days of my life, as you can see from the photo. Through it all, I learned the value of exploring the intense emotions of being a bride, and after our wedding, in 2002, I put my own research to use and founded Emotionally Engaged Counseling for Brides.

You can read more about the founding of Emotionally Engaged Counseling for Brides in my book, Emotionally Engaged: A Bride’s Guide to Surviving the “Happiest” Time of Her Life.