Here are my steps towards Fit Bride’ing yourself to a sculpted, toned upper body for your big day:

EAT WELL
Eat five to six times a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus two to three snacks. Eat high protein, and lower the bad carbs like pasta, white potato, rice (except brown) and – most importantly – bread.
Also increase the amount of good fats in your diet, for example by adding 1tbsp flax seed oil to your salads, cooking everything in coconut oil and eating avocados.

CUT OUT SUGAR
Sugar will not only increase body fat in all the areas that we want to sculpt and tone, but it will also make you lethargic, tired and miserable – all the things we definitely don’t have time for when planning a wedding!

RESISTANCE TRAIN
Budget for a personal trainer, whether it is for lots of sessions or just a few to get a programme that is going to work! Long duration cardiovascular exercise will make you fatter; the only way to tone up, lose weight and sculpt those arms is to do good functional integrated weight training. Seek a good personal trainer in your area, girls, as it will be one of the best things you spend some of your budget on! Also look for a trainer who specialises in bridal fitness……they may even do a bridal bootcamp!

SLEEP
It’s not a myth, we should all be sleeping eight hours a night. If we don’t, our bodies go into stress which results in our bodies holding onto body fat and not losing
weight! Ideally we should be asleep by 10pm and wake at 6am; we physically repair between 10pm and 2am and psychologically repair between 2am and 6am. Also, no one
wants black bags under their eyes on their big day!

HYDRATION
Water consumption is very, very important: our bodies need pure, unflavoured, non-calorie fluid to hydrate. Tea/coffee/fruit juice/diet drinks/squash/flavoured water all get taken into the body as calories and are therefore digested by the body…this means that all that fluid is doing nothing to hydrate us. You should drink pure,
filtered water, preferably from a glass bottle: at least two litres daily!

If you start incorporating all of the above you will start to see changes in your body and start loving that perfect dress even more than you do now. Work towards a toned, sculpted upper body; it looks amazing in the photos but also makes you feel 100% confident on the day.
Take time in that busy wedding planning schedule to look after your body and start to feel amazing about yourself! It’s priceless!!!

This guest blog post was written by Vicki Cumberworth – Personal Trainer + Nutrition Coach in Essex.
For more information from Vicki, or to discuss becoming a Vicki’s FitBride, please visit her website www.vickipt.com (currently in the process of going live) or her facebook page.
Vicki Cumberworth Personal Trainer + Nutrition Coach.

Here is a checklist of all the things you should be doing in order to look radiant and ravishing on your big day:

Eat healthily – adopt good habits now and for the future. A sensible eating regime is essential in the lead up to your wedding day. Cut down on sweets, chocolates and crisps and incorporate fresh fruit and vegetables into your daily meals.
Eat small meals little and often, but whatever you do, do not starve yourself otherwise you will end up looking very unhealthy and you run the risk of not fitting into your dress.

Exercise – not only does exercise makes you look better and healthier it also helps you to breathe – which you may be forgetting to do as your stress levels begin to increase! It’s also a great way of eliminating toxins, which can make the skin look dull and lacklustre.

Drink plenty of water – to keep your skin looking fresh and radiant. Still mineral water is the best as fizzy will just bloat you.
Try to drink at least two litres a day to keep skin hydrated and to avoid dark under-eyes. Increase your water consumption and at the same time, decrease your caffeine consumption!

Sleep – make sure you get a good night’s sleep in the weeks leading up to your wedding to ensure you and your skin look and feel great.

Flawless skin is a must as you’re going to be photographed all day long so you’ll need a picture perfect complexion.

If you don’t already have a set skincare routine, now is the time to get one! If you have any concerns regarding your skin you are best to visit a qualified Dermatologist or Skin Specialist to determine any treatment you would require and what products would best suit your skin type.
There are plenty of skin care products on the market ranging from high-street brands to high-end price tags! If you are unsure where to begin and what would suit your skin type (be it dry, oily or combination), then pop along to your local beauty salon or beauty counter.

I often get asked what products I would recommend and what I use on myself on a daily basis. I swear by Dermalogica, Elemis and my favourite everyday must-have, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish. However, what works for one person may not work for another, so you are best to find a brand specifically for your needs and skin type.
Dermalogica offer a free face mapping analysis for your own personal product prescription. Visit their website at www.dermalogica.com/uk for your nearest stockist.

Your daily skin care routine should consist of Cleanse, Tone and Moisturise both morning and night. Make sure you adjust your morning and night time moisturiser.
The one you use at the end of the day should be specifically for ‘night time’. It may feel heavier and more oily than your day moisturiser but it needs to be able to work 8 hours plus to repair, re-hydrate, rejuvenate and refresh your skin ready for the day ahead.

When adopting a new skin care routine you may find your skin feels and even looks worse to begin with. At this point many people will ditch the new regime and go back to their old ways and brands.
Skin takes 28 days to fully renew itself so it may need to go through the process of ‘looking worse before it feels better’! Try to stick with the new ritual and products that have been selected specifically for you as your skin will soon be reaping the rewards and looking fresh and glowing.

Alongside your daily cleansing routine your skin will require weekly exfoliating. Exfoliation is a simple process that removes dead skin cells from the surface of the face/body.
There are many exfoliants on the market – some have tiny, sand like particles and others have much larger. By gently rubbing these particles on your face it helps to remove dead skin cells and expose newer ones, thereby leaving your skin looking and feeling healthier.

Try to have a brightening/hydrating facial once a month in the run-up to your big day.
The final one should be done about a week before hand. Any nearer to your wedding and you will run the risk of breakouts and blotchy skin! Don’t worry if you do wake with blemishes on your big day.
If you have booked a professional make-up artist you can feel safe in the knowledge they will erase them in a flash!

This guest blog post was written by Kelly Hollands – Regional Winner for Best Wedding Make-up Artist by The Wedding Industry Awards 2012.
For more information from Kelly, or to discuss your wedding make up, please visit her website www.KellyHollands.co.uk

Braids are common but can be used in a half-down style or a chignon form. Braids are flexible and you can use a two strand twists for a beautiful updos too. Don’t forget to the use of a bridal comb or a sparkling tiara to set off right.

What would a wedding be with out the flip. A flip hair style goes with any thing practically. You can use a pony tail long or short doesn’t matter. The genius is to add a phony ponie or some flowered extension clips.

Corn rows are great for unpredictable weather conditions. This style can help to accent the woman’s facial features. You can braid in the zig zag or the straight and you will still look great.

You want that long way loose hair style then a sewin weave might be the ticket. I would advise that you use treated human hair for the best results. Make sure the hair is the same texture as yours and you can half that free flowing hair to will simple amaze everyone.

Whatever black hair style you choose in 2012 make sure you show off your good points so the world can see you shine on your wedding day.
Guest post written by Black hair gallery

One of the most popular bridesmaid gifts is the heart trinket. Engrave it with her name and the date of your wedding and she will remember it forever. This is a beautiful way to say ‘thank you’ to someone who has been there for you on your special day. This is one gift that will always remain as a beautiful keepsake with her.

Another gift that you can present your beautiful bridesmaid is a personalised bracelet. The personalised stretch pearl bracelet is a good option as the silver pendent can be engraved with personal message and name. This is a great idea for bridesmaids. A personalised hearts candle can be given to your beautiful bridesmaids as a thank you gift for taking part on your special day. It is a wonderful gift which will make her feel honoured.

The personalised Purple Ronnie mug with your bridesmaids name and thank you message from you is a great gift. It is the best way to make her feel special and to thank her for her support and presence on your special day. You can gift a jewellery box engraved with her name and a thank you message with the date of your wedding and your names. This will be useful and will also make her happy as she will know how special she is to you. There is a variety of personalised gifts you can choose from. Wine glasses etched with the name of the bridesmaid are quite fashionable. They can even be engraved with personal messages thanking her for the wonderful day. Other gifts like engraved photo frame, key chains are also very popular. Champagne bottles which are liked by everybody are ideal gifts for your dear bridesmaids. These can be personalised with any name and message. Some of these bottles also come with silk lined gift box. This gift is sure to make your bridesmaid flush with happiness!

All you need to do is like their popular facebook page and stay tuned for the announcement. Good luck!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/BlueShore-Productions/82963636919

Kelly McSwiggan of Bel Amour Weddings has been transforming wedding photos into beautiful images since 2002 in the US. Her website http://www.BelAmourWeddings.com

Kelly’s passion is photographing people and the relationships between each other, she specialises in photojournalism style weddings, capturing the true spontaneity in the moment.
Her images are fun, relaxed, close, with lots of smooching! And according to her website, she often sheds a tear or two at the ceremony.
Kelly clearly cares a great deal about her clients, and this comes accross in her photography.
Why not take a look at her gallery page if you’re looking for some ideas for your wedding photos.

It’s important to work out how much you can save between the point of getting engaged, and the end of the honeymoon. Write yourself a list of all the things you intend to buy or hire for your wedding, then set about getting some quotes. Once you have yourself a full list, and a good idea of what it will all cost then you have the basis of your wedding budget.

Today’s question, is what item on your wedding budget are you willing to overspend on ? By that we mean, you’ve set your budget and the item you truly desire costs more then you’ve planned for. In this hard economic times, at what point do you say to yourself, “no I’m not paying that”.

PLEASE VOTE BELOW :
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
If you have problems using this poll – try our facebook page – Facebook

All comments accepted below…..

Today, I will be writing about the first dance song. For some, this has already been decided and rehearsed (as you’ve forced your fiancée to dance with you in the living room over a thousand times). However, for some, you still haven’t found the ‘perfect’ song for the wedding band to sing on your special day… there are so many to choose from.

I’ve got a couple of suggestions here in hope that this makes the process a bit easier.

First: You and your partner could spend a night in, listening to as many songs as you can that best reflect your relationship (maybe a song that reminds you both of the beginning stages or a song that says a lot about your relationship). Once you’ve done that, you could think about whether you would like the wedding band to perform it, or whether you would like it played via CD or iPod. From our experience, a good band can make the right song a lot more personal and intimate.

Second: We’ve had a couple of clients who have discovered their partners have two left feet or cringe at the concept of dancing in front of large crowds. If this is you, DO NOT FEAR! There are a number of ways to manage this. The great thing about professional musicians is their flexibility. You could have your first dance song merged with a more up-tempo song. This will mean that the focus will be on you for only the first half, and then you can bring everyone to the dancefloor for the uptempo song.

One client had one of our bands perform ‘Etta Bond – At Last’ which segwayed into ‘Black Eyed Peas – Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night’ halfway through. This worked out to be quite wonderful, as her bridesmaids and grooms men came up to dance relieving the nervous groom. We have a number of wedding bands for hire that are more than happy to compose this for you allowing you to have your special moment and allowing the party to start without an announcement! Something different and unique.

Hope this has helped some of you and triggered an idea!

Until next time,

Krystine
entertainment co-ordinater, earcandy

A wedding proposal starts with a romantic idea and then planning it out the right way. Romantic ideas sometimes take a little bit of time to develop, and it might be hard for those who aren’t used to getting creative. Here are some of the most popular plans for proposals to help you jog your mind.

Propose at the place where you met. This isn’t only a meaningful place to propose, it’s also one that reinforces how much that location means to you. If you met at a nightclub or at a party, this might not be possible. But for those that met at a school or at a convention, it is very easy to retrace your steps.

Get some fancy reservations to a good restaurant, and propose there. This is, by far, the most common way to propose, but it’s common because it works wonderfully and is easy to plan out.

Make a vacation of it. If you have the money to do so, why not take her on a trip to a romantic destination like the Caribbean or Paris to pop the question? This will make it a vacation to remember, and it will also be a vacation that she will be boasting about for years to come.

Write it in the sky. If you want everyone to know your love for her, hire a skywriter to propose to her. This can be tricky, and can be expensive, but it’s going to be one of the most memorable proposals in your circle of friends.

Once you have got an idea of where you want to propose, you are going to have to make it happen. Make sure to tell her that it’s an important date, and start booking any reservations, tickets, and other necessities that you might need to think about.

Some proposals will take more effort than others, so you will also have to take into account the amount of work that you will have to do. If you aren’t the type to coordinate things very well, it’s best to stay with a very basic proposal, like one in a favorite restaurant. However, if you enjoy the idea of planning it out to be “just right,” then putting together a more involved proposal is a great idea.
After all, it’s going to be your wedding – you might as well do it in your style.

The article is written for Brillianteers, Global Diamond Engagement Ring Designers.

Just choose your gift, enter your message and wait to receive your item in the post, you’ll be amazed at how much a few thoughtful words can change the look and importance of your wedding gift.

Here are their current top 3 personalised wedding gifts, at number 1 is a stylish Personalised Hip Flask in a gift box, you cannot get a better gift for Father, Brothers, Best Man or Ushers.

Number 2 the Engraved Wedding Photo Frame, a stunning frame with joined wedding rings at the center of the design. The ideal frame for your favourite wedding photo, it’s so elegant and stylish it compliments a wedding photo perfectly.

Number 3 is an essential for cutting the cake, an Engraved Wedding Cake Knife and Server. A great item that is becoming really popular, not only does it look great in your wedding photos, people love it as a keepsake and use it at anniversaries, their babies birthdays too. It becomes a tradition as well as a beautiful item to remind you of your special day.