Budget Savvy Wedding Planning

So your big day is just around the corner – the day you’ve been dreaming about since you were a little girl. Your day to shine in your pristine white gown, with the man you love gazing lovingly into your eyes, holding back the tears, as you walk down the aisle. All eyes will be on you.

But wait! All of a sudden, you’re walking down the aisle, and you become self-consciously aware of the flab on your arms flapping against your side as you wave hello to your loving family members. And suddenly you notice your gut hanging out from the middle of your wedding gown. And you think your cheeks feel puffy. And you start to sweat. Why didn’t you work out before your big day?!

Don’t let it get to this point, and save yourself the self-consciousness and the fear so that you’re the most confident and beautiful you you’ve ever been. Here are some easy tips for beefing up before your big day – so you’re toned and fit, not flabby and ashamed.

Drink Lots of Water

The first step in any major health regimen change is to drastically increase your daily water intake. If you’re putting in the extra time at the gym and in the kitchen, increasing your water will help give your results that extra little boost that you’re looking for.

Water not only flushes toxins out of the body, but it eliminates a lot of the sodium that your body stores up and can decrease your overall water weight, making you look and feel less bloated. Plus, drinking a big glass of water before a meal will help kick start your metabolism so your body will burn through the food you’re consuming more quickly.

And you’ll have more energy to boot – making those early-morning workouts to tighten you up ever easier. Aim for 8 glasses of water a day and you’ll start seeing the difference soon! And if water alone is too boring for you sassy bride, add a slice of lemon for taste.

Work On Your Posture

Correcting your posture can be one of the quickest and most efficient ways to get you looking your best. Instead of slumping your way down the aisle, you should be standing tall and confident.

So where to start? Try beginning with exercises that work your quadriceps, like squats, wall sits or lunges, as these are the largest muscles responsible for holding up your body weight. Then move on to working your core, because your core is your stability point and can stand you up taller than you ever thought was possible.

Start incorporating an exercise ball into your workout, or even your daily routine at the office. Lift your dumbbells on an exercise ball at the gym to tighten your core and tone your arms, back and shoulders at the same time. Replace your desk chair at work with an exercise ball for extended core work – it’ll really force you to sit up straight so you can eventually stand up straight, tall and lean on your big day!

Eat More Frequently

Maybe you’ve been used to the three meals a day plan for a while now, but if you’re trying to buff up before your wedding, you’re going to want to change those habits right about now.

Instead of your usual 3 large meals per day, try getting into the habit of eating 5 smaller meals every day, about every 2 to 3 hours. This way, your body consistently has calories to burn, which will in turn rev up your metabolism and keep you burning calories throughout the day. And who doesn’t love burning calories without trying?!

Keep the portions relatively small, but throw in a healthy snack between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner. You’ll feel less hungry throughout the day and your cravings will be kicked to the curb. Watch out, wedding day, you’re on your way to a hot body!

Make Workouts Fun

Your wedding is a celebration, so working out to prepare for your wedding should be, too!

Maye you hate going to the gym in the morning, or maybe you just want to have a never-ending party with your closest girlfriends as you lead up to your wedding, but next time you head out for a workout, grab your gal pals and try something fun and different.

Maybe take a group bike ride or go for a hike. Try a new aerobics class at your gym, or take that spin class that you’ve been meaning to try for a while. Whatever you choose to do, it’s always more fun to do it with friends!

And switching up your activities will keep your muscles guessing what you’re going to do to them next, which will help build leaner, more toned muscles. It’s a win-win!

Mix Cardio and Weights

While all that cardio time you’re logging with your girlfriends is great for you and will help you lose weight before your wedding, if you want to be toned, you’ll have to add some weight workouts into your routine, too.

Adding weights will help tone up your muscles and keep your body burning calories throughout the day if you do the weights in the morning. How, you may ask? When you lift weights, you’ll notice that tell-tale soreness a day or two after your workout. That’s because you actually stretch your muscles so much lifting weights that you tear them.

But that’s not a bad thing – it’s actually really good, because once your muscles tear, your body starts building new, stronger muscle in its place. And that process takes energy, using the calories that you’re eating throughout the day. Build lean muscle and burn calories? Yes, please!

Don’t Panic

If you’ve waited a little longer than you would have preferred to start a diet or workout routine, don’t panic. It will all be OK. Your goal here, after all, is to be the healthiest, most confident and beautiful you that you can be.

That means both setting realistic weight loss goals for yourself, as well as being happy with whatever results you achieve, no matter how big or small. If you can walk down that aisle with your head held high, confident and beaming with happiness, you’ve succeeded.

Don’t go to extremes to slim down – you want to be healthy, not sick. That means no fasting and no extreme diets! Make changes that you’ll be able to maintain even after your wedding day. You’ll be happier and healthier in the long run, and you’ll look flawless on that big day!

Jackie Ryan is a freelance writer who loves going to weddings. She has friends who have gone to the extreme of installing rubber gym flooring in their homes and setting up lavish equipment to get in shape before a wedding, but she thinks all it takes is a healthy diet, the right amount of exercise and a positive attitude to look your best on your wedding day!

A wedding is the happiest day of your life (at least in theory) so it’s a shame that it also has to be one of the very most expensive (second only probably to buying a house). Getting married will almost always involve a huge venue, a large roster of guests, lots of food and drink, expensive clothes (especially a certain dress) and generally other crippling expenses. In fact this is so much of a problem that many people will claim they can’t afford to get married, and will end up either having a secretive Vegas wedding – very disappointing for all the guests who were hoping to get an invite – or just putting the wedding off longer than they would want to. It’s one of those very unfortunate situations where ‘real life’ gets in the way of romance and happiness.

But that needn’t necessarily be the case. Yes, there is a certain expectation for you to do things a certain way and for the day to cost you a certain amount – but it doesn’t necessarily have to meet those expectations. It’s your big day and there are lots of ways you can make it just as special and get everything you want out of it without spending half the amount you’d expect. Here we will look at some smart ways to save yourself some money on the big day.

Borrow a Venue

If you happen to know someone who owns a large mansion or country house then you’ve suddenly found a way to save yourself thousands. The venue is no doubt one of the most expensive aspects of most weddings, and if you can find a friend willing to lend you one then you won’t have to spend a dime on that which will save you a drastic amount of cash.

Be Inventive

Failing that there are many other ways you can get a much cheaper venue. For instance you can do this by renting a marquee or tent of some kind and hosting your wedding in there. It’s often possible to decorate these in many nice ways and it will save a lot of money.

Have Your Dress Made

Meanwhile, if you happen to know someone who has skills making clothes, then you can always get a friend or family member to make your dress for you. If they are skilled then there’s no reason this shouldn’t be just as beautiful as any of the dresses you might buy. In fact there are several other advantages in this regard too; you can choose exactly what you want it to look like and have a tight control over the design of it, and at the same time you can enjoy the fact that it has a special sentimental value and isn’t just something you happened to pick up that you liked. Again you should probably thank them in some way, but as long as you don’t thank them with thousands of dollars you’ve saved a large amount of money.

Choose a Buffet

A buffet is once again a great way to save money at a wedding. This way you will end up with a lot less food left over and the whole process will be smoother and easier for your caterers which will ensure they can charge you significantly less in total. At the same time this creates a great place for people to hang out and mingle and that means only good things for your special day.

Aiden Watson is among the best wedding photographers in Melbourne. So get to know some of the best techniques of photography from his blog.