One of the biggest concerns for all brides-to-be is getting into or staying in shape for the wedding. Most everyone wants to lose a few pounds in general, but many brides feel pressured to get their bodies fit as a fiddle to look their best and take terrific photos for their big day, not to mention fit into their dresses properly! We at Best For Bride encourage all women to feel happy and comfortable with their bodies, regardless of the size, but if you’re looking to shed some pounds and gain some lean muscle to shape your body up for your wedding day, here are a few things you can do.
Planning a wedding is a job in and of itself, and when you have a mountain of wedding-related tasks piling up on top of your everyday errands, stress from work, and maintaining healthy relationships with your soon-to-be husband, bridal party, and others, things can get very. . .meltdown-ish. I’m currently assisting my best friend with the planning of her wedding next fall, and even though she’s the one making the decisions and we have a whole year to get these things planned and done, sometimes I just want to lock myself in my bedroom with a tube of cookie dough. Don’t worry, dears. This, too, shall pass, and it can pass by much more smoothly just by implementing some no-brainer tips and methods of leveling out the stress.
Exercise Regularly
With all that’s going on, it’s so easy to skip on the gym and rely on comfort foods to get you along. Heck, I’m not even the bride, and I’m tempted to drown my sorrows in cookie dough at times. Wanting to veg out with some TV or keep on working until you’re too tired to think are both completely understandable for women planning a wedding, but it’s important to take time to get your workouts in. Exercise has been proven to help reduce stress and releases those feel-good hormones that give us a sense of peace. It’ll also help you stay in great shape for all of your photo engagements and ensure that you look fabulous on your Big Day.
Spend Time With Your Fiancé
Yes, he, too, can be a source of all your wedding-related stress, especially if he’s not as into planning and prefers to let you have your way with it. However, it’s absolutely critical that the two of your spend time together that’s completely unrelated to this major upcoming event. Stay focused on the important things. Go on dates. Have spontaneous dance parties at your apartment. Laugh together. Never let the process of planning your wedding make you lose sight of the strength and depth of your love.
Put Yourself First
Wedding planning is important, yes, but you know what else is important? Oh, just the little things like eating properly, getting good rest, taking a drink of water every now and then (hey — put down that glass of wine!), and just doing things for you. You can’t possibly take on these huge tasks without having taken care of yourself both physically and mentally. You’ll get sick or fall asleep at work or run away to Costa Rica without telling anyone. Ahem.
This is where you want to wind up, NOT hiding away in a different country. Remember that.
So, when you feel like you’re about to reach your breaking point, just stop. Stop whatever you’re doing and go for a leisurely walk with your dog. Take your future husband with you and reminisce your happiest moments, rather than unload everything onto him. Vent to your best friend (we love you even if you do want to run away to Costa Rica, it’s fine). Pop in your earbuds and sing Florence + The Machine at the top of your lungs. Just don’t let it get you down. Everything is going to be fine.
For more advice regarding wedding planning, check out the Wedding Tips section at Best for Bride, the best place for brides-to-be.
If your dream wedding venue is in fact your own back yard then live the dream and just go for it. Your garden can be transformed into a gorgeous wedding reception right outside your door. You’ll save money, feel comfortable in your surroundings and have a wedding that is totally unique to you. From the ceremony to the reception here are my tips for the perfect wedding in your own back garden:
Prepare for all weather
Marrying outdoors in the UK comes with its fair share of risks- mostly weather related ones. It usually doesn’t matter what time of year it is the weather is notoriously unpredictable. However marrying in summer is your best bet for a dry sunny day. Even if there are showers the heat in July or August generally dries things out again quickly.
You and your guests will need shelter either from rain or from high sun so hire a marquee or hang a covering from the side of the house out over the garden in a gazebo-esque style. You don’t need to use this area for the entirety of the day if the weather is fine. Make this the dining space, which can be used for all other activity in the event of rain. Hire flooring to reduce the impact of many feet on soft grass or you’ll quickly end up with muddy shoes and a ruined lawn.
Another factor to prepare for is the wind. Even a light breeze can disrupt things such as your hair or have all the ladies clinging to the bottom of their dresses. Decorations, including table clothes, should be secured tightly. Choose a dress that hangs well. Dresses with beading tend to hang well and stay put in the wind. However you don’t have to compromise on design; instead have your seamstress sow small weights into the hem of your dress and those of your brides’ maids’. FYI this is the secret to why Coco Chanel’s famous suit always falls so nicely.
The ceremony
Be aware that a wedding in your garden isn’t legally binding (at least not in England). You’ll also need to organise the registry portion of the wedding which most couples choose to arrange for the day before or the morning of their ceremony. This is fairly straight forward; notify your local registry in good time that you are getting married. Marriage banns still have to be displayed for 15 days prior to the wedding. You can apply for your marriage certificate online. You then need to go to the registry office at your appointed time with your fiancé and your witnesses to perform the formalities.
Once these basic practicalities have been accounted for you can get on with the dream wedding of your own design. Make the most of your garden and pick the most intimate spot to hold a blessing. If you have an area of trees, stream or water feature set yourselves close to this spot. If you don’t have a focal point then you could commission a leafy bower to be made as a backdrop.
Rather than placing chairs all over the lawn in formal rows, simply arrange your guests around or in front of you, standing to view the blessing. Blessings are generally shorter than traditional church ceremonies so your guests shouldn’t get tired but it’s a good idea to provide chairs for elderly or infirm guests.
Don’t forget the power
Even if your garden is close to your main house you’ll need a dedicated power supply for the outdoor wedding reception. Don’t simply use extension cords passed through windows and doors; this isn’t safe for a number of reasons. Firstly you need special extension cords for outdoor use and secondly you may overload the plug board with the demands of your reception.
You need power for lights, music, the bar and potentially the catering. Generator rental is pretty much the only way to go if you don’t want to be left in the dark. Ask the hire company about how noisy the generator will be-old models are very loud. Try to account for everything that will require power and then convey this to the hire company, they should be able to advise on the best package for your needs.
When setting up make sure all wires are safely out of the way. In the dark these can be very hazardous!
Food and drinks
Now that you’ve got a generator organised making provisions for keeping food and drink hot or cold is much simpler. You can now hire a mobile bar equipt with refrigeration units and your caterers can bring hot cupboards and fridges.
Choose a dining style that suits the informality of an outdoor wedding. You could have a buffet but this tends to take up a lot of space and means your guests have to queue for food. Instead arrange for food to be placed on the tables in large sharing bowls and on platters so that guests are still helping themselves but remain seated. This is a very social style of dining that should get all your guests interacting with each other.
An outdoor summer wedding is crying out for light wholesome food like Mediterranean or Middle Eastern spiced meat and fish served alongside substantial salads.
To drink, provide chilled bottles of white wine and Mexican or Spanish bottled beers to keep everyone refreshed. Traditional cloudy lemonade is an appropriate summer soft drink. If hiring a mobile bar the hire company will provide a list of their regular drinks. Ask if they can accommodate some signature cocktails made with your favourite tipple e.g. whiskey or gin based cocktails.
Entertainment
Provide something to do at your drinks reception. Lawn games are a perfect accompaniment to an outdoor wedding and won’t cost much to implement. Boules, ring toss and giant chess can either be hired or made.
Speeches form part of your entertainment. Most couples choose to schedule these for just after dinner while everyone is still seated. It’ll be more entertaining for you if you don’t know what is going to be said so trust your speakers and don’t ask for a sneak peak. The set up for your band will also be useful for the speeches. In an outdoor setting it can be harder to hear as voices get lost in the wide space so make sure that even if the dining space is small that speeches are made with a microphone. Your vows and any readings during the ceremony would also benefit from microphones.
Position the band or DJ near to the dining area then after dinner move your guests onto the lawn so the dining area can be cleared to create a dance floor (remember the flooring I recommended earlier). Dance the night away!
Getting married abroad is becoming an increasingly popular option for many people. If you live in a country where the weather is notoriously unpredictable then the call of warmer, drier climates is often irresistible. Getting married in a particularly beautiful or exotic location also further adds to how special and exciting your big day is. If you’re not convinced yet then here’s the deal breaker, it can often mean less stress and lower costs, what more could you ask for? Many couples are now choosing to turn their wedding into an extended holiday with all the most important people in their lives invited.
If you’re tempted by the idea but still worried about how you’d go about planning such a monumental event then you’ll be relieved to know it’s not all that difficult, it’s a lot like planning a holiday! Here is my guide on how to plan a stress-free wedding abroad.
1) Find a location and check out the legalities attached to getting married there
Depending how soon you want to get married you could even take a holiday out there first to scout out the best locations and accommodation.
2) Work out a budget and make sure it is definitely realistic.
If you are taking guests with you, work out early on what you are going to pay for and what they need to pay for themselves, speak to them early on as well so that you can gauge interest and have an idea of numbers.
3) Documentation and forms
If documentation and forms are needed then get them filled out and sorted straight away to avoid wasted time if it falls through later down the line.
4) Book your wedding package/wedding planner
When you know the numbers for your wedding start looking for your ideal wedding package and accommodation and get it booked. If you book a wedding package you will usually have a wedding planner that comes with it who can sort everything out in your chosen location for you. Make sure that you get their details so that you can start communicating with them straight away.
5) Passports
Make sure that you and your guests all have valid passports; some countries require you to have them for at least 6 months in advance of when you’re due to travel.
6) Wedding dress and groom’s suit
Start looking for your wedding outfits as early as possible, when getting married abroad this can be one of the most stressful parts of the planning! Sometimes it can take a long time to get wedding dresses fitted and altered so make sure that you’re getting your requests in plenty of time as there’s often a waiting list.
7) Organise/book your honeymoon
If you’re going somewhere separate for your honeymoon then make sure you get this planned and organised early on. Make sure that it is going to be a smooth transfer from your wedding destination to your honeymoon.
8) Take out insurance
Put your mind at rest by taking out wedding insurance to cover you for your big day. Make sure you have travel insurance arranged as well to cover you if anything were to happen to your flights or your luggage. Then if the worst case scenario actually happens and you lose your luggage, wedding outfits and all, the fact that you’re covered by your insurance will take at least a little bit of the sting out of last minute shopping for wedding dresses in Gauteng, South Africa or for the Groom’s suit in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
9) Invitations
It’s usually best to get invitations out for weddings abroad at least 6 months in advance. This might seem like a long time ahead, but remember people will want to book accommodation and flights at the best prices possible and book time off work.
10) Organise the finer details with your wedding planner
Find out what your wedding package includes and decide anything that you want to take yourself, e.g., wedding cake. If you want to get your hair or make-up done professionally before your wedding then make sure that you’ve booked these kinds of appointments in advance as well.
Author Bio
Sarah Hewitt is a new blogger who blogs about anything and everything. You can contact her via her Twitterpage
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