Featured Bride Ashley- In a Whirlwind of Wedding Planning

With a little over a month, left until the big day Ashley’s world has become one filled with wedding activities. Each day seems to bring something new to do, let alone her weekends, which are full of upcoming events such as her bridal shower, bachelorette party and more. We checked in with her to see how she is faring, what is new, been accomplished and how she is feeling about the event as a whole.

Vicky: Hi Ashley, what is new?

Ashley: A lot! Wedding stuff is really going now. The invitations went out last week. We have begun getting RSVP’s back – so far, all yeses.

Sunday after church Brad, Heather (Ashley’s sister), John (her BIL) and I headed up to North Arlington for a dance lesson. It was fun and we learned the basic steps for the Fox Trot, which will work with our song. Now we just have to practice a bit and see if we can get one more lesson in before the wedding. My shoes were killing me though so I need to purchase some gelly inserts, despite wearing them around the house to break them in. Ugh! Brad and I did a good job dancing. Heather and John did also but Heather kept trying to turn it into a Texas 2-step which they just laughed at. I was proud that Brad and I got it and got it good. They even gave us a little entrance and ending bit to do which should be funny. Brad almost dropped me because I was not centered on him at first.

I ordered the Mother’s presents on Friday so they should be in within the next 2 weeks. The wedding favors are on order and will arrive in March. My signature plate will ship at the end of this month. I have to finish the other two bridesmaid’s gifts and give to dad to put on the findings that will take an hour max. I have my appointment to get my hair trail run on March 11 also going to get our wedding license that day! I am going to pick up the information for the honeymoon; the DJ has the music list and will be calling soon to meet with us to go over the last bit. The church is now all set.

V: Whew! That leaves me breathless. It is a lot of work, tasks to complete and small things to remember at this point but it must be exciting and fun too. It sounds like it is really coming together.

A: There’s more! Brad and I are going to Famous Dave's tonight to talk with them about catering the rehearsal dinner. Gift bags are slowly coming together. I need to steam my crinoline and hang that up with my dress. Flowers should be calling in about 3 weeks to give final numbers and such.

V: You are really getting into the detailed parts of wedding planning now. How are you feeling about it all? Excited? Nervous?

A: Mom said to me last night, “So are you excited that your shower is next weekend?” and I was like “Oh yea that is next weekend”. I am wondering if I am a bad bride – I am not all nervous or stressed out about things. I keep getting asked if I’m excited and/or nervous. Yes, I am happy but not excited and certainly not nervous. I am sure I will be the closer we get to the wedding day, a bit of both too. I am just happy that it is coming together well.

V: Sounds great! I think you are doing great too. Not too stressed and not going over the edge as some brides begin to at this point. How is the 10-week fitness challenge going?

A: Not as well as it should. I have eliminated all but one soda a day, which is great! I was drinking three previously, but I am not hitting the gym or even working out at home as I should and could. I need to make it more of a priority and routine. I am bogged down with tasks on the weekend and feeling like it is too late at night after I get home from work. It is still dark out and cold. Not very motivating to say the least. I have also stopped eating all fast/fried foods for Lent so at least I am on track there.

V: I hear you. I have been good about the gym portion but the eating has me. This week I am determined to stop eating so much sugar and just keep up the gym portion. I think we can do it! We still have a month. Not all is lost! I will keep on you, if you keep on me.

We will check back with Ashley soon and if you have any tips for de-stressing during wedding planning or motivating tips for staying on track with the gym and getting healthy please feel free to share them with the rest of the readers!

The Ten Week Challenge

There are eleven weeks left until our featured bride Ashley's wedding. That being said Ashley has decided to do a ten week challenge of sorts with yours truly.

Like many brides she wants to tone her arms and lose a bit of weight before that final fitting. She and I have concocted a plan for both of us to stay motivated, tone up and lose some weight over a ten week period. We'll keep you updated as we update our dorky little excel spreadsheets, penalize each other for skipping the gym and try to achieve our goals. Loser will buy dinner for the both of them.

Our goals-

Ashley: Cut back on Diet soda from 3-4 cans a day to 1-2. (So far she seems to be doing this really well)
Hit the gym 2-3 times a week for cardio.
Use the weight machines for a good all around arm workout.
Cut out all fried and fast foods. Lent is starting soon and that is what she has decided to give up.

Vicky: Gym time will include a 1.5 hour weights class working the whole body twice a week. Plus 2-3 cardio visits.
Cut out fast food.
Eat more fruits and vegetables throughout the day. (I tend to eat less during the winter and I need them.)

So there you have it. What we are doing is motivating each other mainly and trying to help ourselves out in the process. I think this is something that would be great for many brides to do. Remember that what you put into it is really what you get out of it. You have to make it part of your routine and not just a thought. Then you will have success. So gather up your bridesmaids or a friend or family member. Form a pact and "get in shape girl!" Hey! I'm a child of the 80's what do you want from me?

Best of luck to both of us and stay tuned!

In other news, we here at Flaming Tulle have found our next featured bride. She's from Maryland and we can't wait to share her story with all of you.

Bridal Beauty -- Drinking Water

I was all ready to lament over my inability to drink 8 glasses of water a day. (Who are these perfect super women who can do that? Do they pee in bottles so as to avoid hopping up to go the bathroom every 15 minutes?) Since I started making a conscious effort to track my water intake a few weeks ago, I noticed I only drink the 8 glasses on a day when I go running. And I felt bad about that, thinking that if 8 glasses is for a regular day, then on a running day I should drink even more.

When doing some research I expected to find a bunch of articles berating me for not drinking 8 glasses--experts telling me I must be chronically dehydrated and have bad skin and kidneys full of toxins. (Actually my skin has been looking better over the last couple weeks...) But what I found was some studies saying that 8 glasses isn't for everyone (even Snopes, the urban legend de-bunker, is in on the debate). If you excercise, yes. If you live in an excessively warm climate, yes. If you're trying to lose weight, yes. But if you're a generally healthy-eating person at your ideal weight not excercising every day, then many days you get most of the "water" you need from your diet and other beverages, and may only need 3 to 5 glasses of straight-up water. Basically, if you're peeing clear, you're hydrated (that's what my coach used to tell us, too). If you're thirsty, then you're already slightly dehydrated and should start guzzling.

Everyone agrees that water is good for you. And you can't get too much of it (except in very rare instances). 8 glasses a day is a good guideline to start with, but if you can't do it, don't force yourself. Everyone's body is different and everyone's nutritional needs are different. If the 8 glasses regime works for you, then I'm in awe of how you do it!

What have I noticed since I started drinking my super amounts of water? I have to admit my skin looks better. But I also started using a new toner and night cream recently. I'm drinking less coffee. I guess that's healthy. I can't sleep through the night without waking up to pee. That sucks. I'm filling up with water and eating fewer fruits and veggies. I don't think that's too good. But now that I know I don't need to force 8 glasses upon myself, I can have a salad and skip a glass of water or two, so that should balance out.

Articles. Take 'em or leave 'em.
Snopes.com
CNN Health
WebMD
About.com Nay
About.com Yay

The Bride Diet

Don’t crash diet to lose weight a few weeks before the wedding! For one, your dress won’t fit and the seamstress who had your dress fitting just perfectly is going to be very annoyed with you. No matter how large or small you are a dress that fits well is going to look so much nicer than a dress that does not fit.

Also, it’s not healthy. Why would you want to put yourself through all that just for one day of so-called thinness?

No crash diet is healthy, no matter what your reasons are for embarking on it. It takes months of integrating healthy habits into your lifestyle. A good diet has more benefits than just weight loss, too. Good nutrition improves the quality of your hair and skin. You’ll have more energy. You’ll decrease your risk for health problems later in life.

Although, a healthy overhaul in your habits troubles me if it’s being done only for the wedding. Really, it should be a lifestyle change that will benefit you for many years to come, and you can use the wedding as a motivation point to get started.

And get your partner involved, too. If you get all fit and buff, do you want a slob standing next to you at the altar? It’s not just your life that’s being impacted; you want a long and happy life for the two of you, right?

I’m not a nutritional expert, and I’m not perfect. I have a 20-pound cat sitting on one side of me as I type, and a huge bag of M&Ms sitting on the other side of me. You can look all over the internet for advice and tips. Here’s what works for me, based on my personal experience and goals of overall fitness:
Running
Weight training for my arms
Crunches for my abs (also, laying down with a 20-pound cat on your stomach is a great abs workout)
Drinking lots of water and herbal tea
Eating soy (Deep-fried and drowned in green curry is still good for me, right?)
Eating lots of fruits and vegetables (including—bleck—broccoli)