Staying Wedding-Ready through the Holidays

Article Submitted by Shaun Gray  from Gray & Associates Events.

As I’m writing this latest blog entry, I’m still trying to recover from yesterday’s Thanksgiving Feast. The meal itself didn’t hurt me; it was the two extra plates of seconds and the 3 pieces of pie that did me in. Lucky for me, I’m not walking down the aisle in 6 or 7 months. Lucky for you, I’m will offer a few easy tips to make sure that you stay wedding-ready through these next 8 weeks, and beyond! If you have a wedding planner some of this stuff you should have already heard about, but let me offer these tips as a refresher, and maybe in a little bit of a different way that you won’t hear from anyone else in your wedding party.

1.   Get Extra Fitting Sessions At Your Bridal Boutique

Trust me, remember my binge session I told you about yesterday at Thanksgiving? Well, if I hadn’t already spent two hours at the gym this morning, I would not have realized the repercussions of my irresponsible eating habits until I went and tried to buy a new pair of jeans at the department store. Then, after realizing that the fitting room isn’t big enough for me to lay down and button up the fly, I would have left the store empty handed and completely angry at myself for eating like a pig.

You can’t afford this type of embarrassment weeks before your wedding, so I suggest booking a fitting session within the next few weeks and then another one right after the holidays. The boutique isn’t going to think you’re weird because they want a happy customer, and a happy bride to tell all her girlfriends where she bought her dress and how well they took care of you. I promise you if you don’t do this, when it comes time to try on the dress and it doesn’t fit like it did the first day, it won’t be your eating habits your upset at, you will undoubtedly blame the bridal boutique, and go from Princess to Bridezilla in 2.4 seconds.

Also, it’s not just the dress you have to worry about. You also need to consider accessories like rings, bracelets, and chokers that you’ll be wearing on your wedding day. Holidays come with a generous salt shaker attached which means you’ll be sacking away water like there’s no tomorrow, so don’t be surprised if that ring doesn’t fit if you do nothing to prepare in advance.

2.   Treat Every Holiday Party like a Catering/Cake Tasting

This is the advice you hear from your personal trainer (if you have one), the wedding books you’ve already read, and your mother if she’s one of “those” moms.  Now you’re going to hear it from me. DO NOT over-indulge, and while we’re at it don’t indulge, I’m not saying don’t enjoy all the sweets and treats, but enjoying isn’t huffing down sugar cookies like you live on Sesame Street! The best way to “have your cake and eat it too” is to try tiny small samples of everything on the table.

This has a couple of benefits. The first one, is that you get to try everything on the spread without feeling like you’re an animal and you won’t hate yourself for it later- think of it as a Sunday trip to Costco. The second benefit, is if you haven’t found a caterer yet, this is a perfect way to audition them without being pressured into signing on the dotted line. And I’m not even talking about actual caterers- think about it, if you are at a Christmas party for fifty people, and John from Accounting’s wife made some amazing appetizers, then she already knows how to prepare for a large group of people, so she might be interested in making a few bucks by making food for your wedding.  I wouldn’t recommend that specific example, but I feel it’s important that you never miss an opportunity to see options presented in front of you. The third benefit to following this rule—religiously, is that you get to satisfy your taste buds without feeling deprived of good food; you are simply training yourself how to have the same level of enjoyment on a much smaller scale. Try it once, and when you wake up the next day without feeling guilty about eating, you can thank me. You are under enough stress and anxiety about big things like the cake, the wedding flowers, the reception hall, don’t let your diet also stress you to the point of sleep deprivation.

3.  Get Involved In A Wedding Fitness Plan

This is the most important tip in this blog, and it is one that should be a non-negotiable. It is so important that if you have a wedding planner, and he or she did not put this into your wedding budget, then you two should have a serious talk. You want to look absolutely stunning and radiant for your big day, the gravity doesn’t forgive, and although you might be exchanging your vows in God’s house, He won’t be showing you any extra mercy just because it’s your wedding day. Looking flawless takes work, it takes planning, and it does take some time.

If you already have a gym membership, then this is an easy one- you just have to use that membership. If you don’t have a membership, go get one. However, it doesn’t stop there. You might want to throw a few hundred dollars at a personal trainer, and be honest with him or her about exactly how you want to look on your day- what your fitness goals are, and the trainer will put you on a regimen both at the gym, and at home, for you to reach those goals. It will take some hard work, but the pay-off will be fabulous! (And that’s really what we’re going for here right? Fabulous)

Now in reference to this final point, let me tell you what not to do. DO NOT use this as an excuse to drag your Groom to the gym with you. The reason is broken down into two points. One is that before you get married, you still have need to have him bank up fabulous memories about the way you look! My pit stains and back sweat are not two memories I would want my groom to remember about me pre-wedding. The second point is that he’s going to need to be attentive to other wedding details that he will barely be able to handle (Sorry guys, trust me I’m on your side here) getting involved in a workout regimen with you shouldn’t be one of them. Plus, if he doesn’t already take stock in his physical health then he gets to wear a tuxedo jacket to cover his holiday belly, but you, my dear Bride, do not get that luxury. I will suggest that he be home when you get back from the gym (after you’ve showered) because you’re going to feel sexy, and will have the endorphins shimmering your skin to show it on the outside. Catch my drift? 😉

I hope these tips were helpful, and believe me, if you only put one of them into action you will look gorgeous on your wedding day, you’ll look stunning regardless, but your wedding day really is the one day that you want to look absolutely impeccable, so use my advice to make that vision a reality.

Article submitted by Shaun Gray from Gray & Associates Events.