Tag Archives: bride

An Introduction to Wedding Fitness

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It’s no surprise that brides often feel a crazy amount of pressure to look good on their wedding day. Not only is there the worry of fitting into your dream wedding dress, but an endless amount of pictures will also be snapped over the course of the day.

Unsurprisingly, over 90% of brides hope to shed extra pounds before getting married. However, perhaps more shockingly, as many as one in three will resort to crash dieting in an extreme bid to get their ideal bridal body.

The good news is that crash dieting is completely unnecessary – which is great seeing as it has no benefit to your overall health and is unlikely to give you the results you want anyway.

When Should I Start My Fitness Regime?

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to when you should start your wedding fitness regime. It really does depend on your starting point and how much weight you want to lose. The sooner you start the better. Don’t wait until the last minute to try and lose weight and then expect miracles.

You should be thinking about your diet and exercise plan as soon as you start your wedding planning, so that you don’t end up resorting to a crash diet in a bid to lose pounds at the last minute. Ideally you should aim to reach your weight loss goal within 4 weeks of your wedding, in time for the final dress fittings. That way you’ll be able to focus more on the finishing touches of the wedding planning rather than worrying about fitting into your dream dress.

Set Yourself Short Term Goals

Make sure you take regular exercise over the first four to six weeks for general fitness, then start to target specific areas such as your stomach, thighs and bottom. Keeping a fitness diary will also monitor your progress and help you to feel good about your achievements.

What if I’m Short on Time?

Finding the right kind of exercise regime to suit your needs and schedule can vary from a brisk walk to a full workout in the gym or an exercise video that you found online.

If you have a demanding work and life schedule that rarely allows you to fit exercise in, then try to make lifestyle swaps wherever you can. For example, ditch the car and walk to work or the shops and try to take the stairs instead of the lift – even just taking up small exercises like this will help you keep trim.

High intensity interval training (known as HIIT for short) is great for a busy bride. This consists of short bursts of intense exercise mixed in with small rests, which could benefit you more than a long session in the gym.

You need to start sweating and exercising alongside a healthy diet to make great changes to your body but this doesn’t mean that you need to spend hours on a treadmill.

Above all, have fun and don’t beat yourself up if it takes a while to get the results you want. Getting fit and losing weight healthily takes time, but stick with it and you’ll feel fabulous inside and out when you finally get into that wedding dress. 

How to Make the Father of the Bride Feel Special

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The wedding day is one of the most important days of many couple’s lives; they’re finally having a formal declaration of their love. The father of the bride, however, may not be as excited for the big day, not only does he traditionally pay for the wedding, but he is also losing his little girl. So it’s important to make the father of the bride feel special on the wedding day.

Dare to Show That You Care

If you’re marrying his daughter, then he may not be your biggest fan at times. This is completely natural, because he will only want the very best for his daughter and he’s just nervous that you might not appreciate her. He only wants to protect her and no matter how similar you are or how well you get on, he will always be worried that you’ll hurt her.

The first step to putting him at ease is to show how much you love and care for his daughter, hug her and be sure he knows that you are both in love. This not only shows him that you love his angel, but also shows that you are like him and only want to protect her and keep her safe. Just try to keep the public displays of affection to a minimum, hugs and smooches are fine, he probably won’t appreciate you two French kissing.

It’s Not a Bribe…

While you have been courting his daughter he has seen the countless gifts and shows of affection that she’s received from you. Well now it’s his turn, buy him something nice to make him feel like you appreciate him and that you have respect for him. He’s your future father in law, so you should probably start trying to win him over A personalised gift will go a long way, just like when you were trying to win his daughter’s love, you can never buy them too many gift. If some is good, more is better.

Do Some Homework

Before the big day, check the father of the bride’s Facebook or ask his family about his favourite drinks and music. If you were to go to a party where the drinks were not to your liking and they played songs that you hated, you wouldn’t feel welcome. With this in mind, make sure you play his favourite song, this is guaranteed to make him happy. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see him break it down to his jam. You can’t have a wedding reception without dad dancing.

Include Him

Make sure that you involve him on the day, possibly the easiest way to make the father of the bride feel special is to make him feel wanted. Even if you don’t need any help, be sure to ask for his opinion on things, no matter how small, he will appreciate you asking for his guidance.

Things to Avoid

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After months of planning, you want your wedding day to be perfect and for that reason there are a few things to avoid the day before your wedding! Take on board these points to avoid some easily made mistakes.

Making Any Extreme Changes to Your Hair

If you want to do something a little different with your hair before your wedding day such as dying or cutting it, the day before your wedding day is not the time to start experimenting! It is recommended that you try out your new look about 6 months in advance giving you plenty of time to change it if it goes horribly wrong! Even a basic trim is recommended to be done a week before your wedding and a refresh of colour 10 days before.

Drinking Too Much Alcohol

I’m sure we don’t need to remind you how you feel after too much booze! We appreciate that you may want a glass or two of champagne to celebrate your wedding eve, but leave it at a couple and make sure you drink plenty of water between glasses. You have the whole of the next day to go crazy on the bubbly stuff so keep it modest the day before.

Fake Tanning

To ensure you get the perfect skin tone and don’t end up with your dress a delicate shade of tan, apply your fake tan 48 hours before the wedding, not the day before.

Going to Bed Too Late

We know it might be difficult to sleep with all the excitement, but endeavour to hit the sheets at a reasonable time. Even if your still awake, lying down in the dark will help rest the mind and body so that you are fresh for the next day.

Extreme Physical Activity

A bride should glide down the aisle, not be hobbling because of achy muscles or worst yet, a broken limb! Let’s keep any extreme physical activity that could cause injury to a minimum the day before your wedding.

Sunbathing

It can be tempting to top up your tan the day before your wedding, especially if you are getting married abroad, but the last thing you want is to burn, strap marks or sun stroke! However, if you can’t bear the thought of missing a day out in the sun make sure you apply a high factor sunscreen, wear a hat and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Leave Everything to the Last Minute

The last thing you want to be doing the day before your wedding is panicking because there are still things to be sorted. Don’t be afraid to enlist the help from friends and family the week before the wedding to get any last minute things sorted, leaving you to do nothing but relax and pamper yourself the day before the wedding.

Using New Cosmetic Products, You Haven’t Tried Out Before

Whilst you may never have had an allergic reaction to cosmetic before, don’t take the risk right before your wedding. Have a trial run of all the beauty products you intend to use (including makeup, creams, oils, face washes etc.) well in advance so that you can ensure you look nothing but radiant.

Cringe-worthy moments

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While most aspects of planning a wedding are really fun and exciting, there are a few moments, which may leave you feeling uncomfortable. There are also aspects of the day that may make you feel a bit anxious. 

Telling your friend, she’s not your bridesmaid

Having to tell one of your friends that she isn’t your bridesmaid is probably one of the biggest hurdles in the planning stage of the wedding. The best way to let her know that you still care about her is to tell her quietly and ask her to do something else at the wedding, for example make a speech.

Inviting work colleagues to the wedding

If you don’t want to invite everyone in the office to your wedding day, that’s absolutely fine! It’s your day, just invite your closest work friends and be discreet. Ask them to keep quiet about it too and if you decide to invite everyone, try not to leave one or two people out.

Inviting your mum or mother in-law to the hen do

Inviting your mum to your hen do can be a hard decision. If you feel like you won’t be able to let your hair down, relax and have fun then don’t invite her. An alternative can be to do something a bit more formal to celebrate with your mum rather than taking her out with your friends. It’s important to make sure she doesn’t feel left out though.

Messing up the first dance

Every bride fears messing up the first dance, whether that means stepping on the groom’s toes or falling to the floor. It is definitely something that should be practiced a few times, it doesn’t have to be choreographed but take some time with it. If you really can’t dance, then just simply sway with each other and invite everyone to join the dance floor as soon as possible.

Going to the ladies’ room in your dress

This may be something that’s overlooked when choosing your perfect wedding dress, but essential on the wedding night. This is one of the main reasons you should be really close with your bridesmaids, it’s essentially their job to help you with potential problems like this on the night.

Photo angles

It’s a given that on your wedding day there will be hundreds of photos taken of you and you may be worried about not looking good. Try not to worry too much about this, you’ve paid a wedding photographer to take photos of you and they’ll know what angles look the most flattering on you. You can always have a chat with the photographer to ask for the photo you’ve always been dreaming about for the mantelpiece though.

Deciding between lingerie or supportive underwear

This can be a tricky decision because you want to feel the best on your wedding day but wearing tummy-tucking underwear with a non-VPL will be really forgiving when you’re wearing your dress. It’s definitely something to keep in mind; you’ll always have the chance to change quickly after the wedding reception.

Dealing with family feuds

Most of the time, relatives will be civil with each other at a wedding even if they don’t get on with each other. They love you and are there for you on your big day, they won’t be focusing on each other. If you are worried however, then make sure they aren’t sat on the same table or sat near each other at the ceremony. The more distance that can be created between them, the better.

1920’s Wedding theme

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Weddings that are themed around a particular era have become more popular as couples are looking to the celebration to reflect their style. The Roaring 20s are a big one. This decade is full of Big Band Jazz, Art Deco visuals, and intricately adorned ensembles—a theme that has been trending since the release of The Great Gatsby in 2013. Although the movie illuminated this classic style, there’s been an ongoing appreciation for all things vintage, and it looks as if this will continue. 

​Here are some ideas for your 1920’s Wedding theme:

  • For a 1920s theme, a classic palette of black, white and gold is easy to achieve and truly timeless and elegant. For the bride, we love the look of a trumpet-style gown.
  • Bridesmaids can be styled in simple LBDs with the addition of headpieces or fascinators, and the groomsmen will look dashing in classic black tuxedos.
  • Champagne towers are making a comeback, especially in Roaring 20s-inspired celebrations. We adore the look of sophisticated black and white striped linens.
  • For brides preferring something a little more colourful, jewel tones are the way to go! Think of the rich shades of a peacock feather for inspiration.
  • ​With vintage ​wedding cars you can show up in style and use this classic as a prop in your wedding photos.
  • ​For wedding entertainment, try a unique performer like a Charlie Chaplin impersonator. With a comedic 20s era presence, Charlie can make your guests feel like they’ve travelled to a time of satire and silent films.
  • ​For your wedding photos, ask your wedding photographer about vintage overlay options for development. Your big day will be captured with a nostalgic 1920s look.

We wish you a happy marriage and roaring celebration! 

Take a deep breath, and count to ten

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The ever-growing to do list

You think you’re getting to the end of the list, happily ticking it all off, but then you’ve found that somehow more things to do have magically appeared on the end. Ticking off one thing makes you remember to do another. It just keeps going, and going, and going, and going. Will it ever end? The answer is yes! Keep it up – you’ll miss it when it’s gone!

Nosy parkers

Once you’re engaged, there are a number of questions that you’re almost guaranteed to be asked by anyone you talk to. Why are they asking what your baby plans are when you’ve just got the ring on your finger? You can barely decide on the colour of napkins for the wedding yet, let alone a baby’s name…

Yeah but no

Something that is super annoying, and understandably so, are the people who are SO up for helping you out with bits and bobs for planning your wedding day, but then… then they just don’t. You don’t understand why, because you swear they were just excited as you were. But you know what? That’s not what you need, so focus on what you – and the friends that WILL stick to it – can get done!

Monster-in-laws

Well, every bride-to-be will know she’s not alone here – we mean, there’s even movies on it! We know, it’s not just the mother-in-law that can be a bit of a pain, it’s your own mother too, but what you need to remember is that it’s all out of the goodness of their hearts. Sometimes they just need a little bit of reminding that it’s your wedding day, oh and that you’re not a baby anymore.

Cancellations

The days leading up to the wedding: the last thing that you want is something that you’ve been planning gets cancelled. Whether that be some mishap with your chosen wedding florist, entertainment, or even one of your invited guests. Whilst your wedding flowers being cancelled is worse than the seats at your reception not being filled, either way, just breathe. Remain calm, and your problems will be resolved quicker.

Comparisons

There is nothing worse than getting excited about your wedding plans with one of your friends or family members and their reply to be, “Oh yes, Sally did that” or “Well, Sally didn’t do it like that “. Firstly, you don’t care what Sally did, and secondly why mention that!? You needn’t worry about any comparisons or any expectations, because it’s YOUR wedding and not Sally’s!

How to get your wedding makeup just right

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Make-up

1. Get your skin in shape

Seek professional advice to ensure your skincare routine is right before your big day. This way, your skin will be in tip-top condition and your foundation will look ultra-flawless. Try using a facial oil at night for powerful and quick results. 

2. Prime your canvas

For perfect bridal make up beauty on your big day, be sure to start with a primer all over your face to even out skin tone and texture, and help your foundation to last all day. 

3. Choose long lasting foundation

Choose a long lasting foundation to avoid shine and dullness throughout the day. 

4. Peach your cheeks

Choose a peachy blusher and apply to the apples of your cheeks for a fresh and natural look. When applying this type of wedding makeup, blend upwards and along cheekbones to finish. 

5. Wear eyeliner and make it gel

Gel eyeliner is magic! It creates real definition like liquid liner but is so much easier to apply. It looks great on and lasts all day, something you’ll need with all the attention. Opt for brown for fair skins and black for darker complexions. 

6. Line your lips for great definition

Use a lip liner (in a natural shade) all over your lips before applying your lipstick or gloss. It creates natural definition and the colour lasts for hours! 

7. Get rid of those dreaded bags

Do not use light reflective concealer under your eyes as you risk having white eye circles in your photographs. Instead use a matte concealer or your wedding makeup foundation to hide those bags.

8. Focus on your eyes

When it comes to wedding makeup for eyes, use waterproof mascara to avoid panda eyes in pictures, but comb through your lashes after each coat to eliminate clumps.

9. Eliminate creasing or fading around the eyes

If you suffer from creasing or fading, make sure you start off with a good base. Use an eyeshadow before your shadow to keep it smooth. 

10. A quick pit stop – touching up on the day

On the day itself, carry with you 3 essential products for touching up; your lip liner, lip gloss/stick and a translucent powder for stopping shine. This will ensure you look your best throughout the entire day. Why not but yourself a little wedding makeup bag as a treat for the day

10 rules if you’re considering a marriage proposal

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If you’re thinking about a marriage proposal, there are many pit holes you should try to avoid when planning to utter those 4 special words. Here are 10 golden rules that you should follow if you’re considering a marriage proposal.

If she ever points a ring out in a shop window, go back and buy it. Otherwise a temporary ring will be just fine – a girl needs to choose her own ring. Haribos make some fun, colourful ones.

Ask her Dad for his daughter’s hand in marriage. You’ll be amazed what this will achieve. He might even say yes, thump you on the back and take you down to the pub for a beer.

If you whisk her away somewhere to do it, do it early on – don’t leave it till the last minute or when you’re packing up to go home. You’ll want the time to make plans, feel all coupley and get used to the idea that you’re in it for keeps.

Don’t do it in the heat of emotion or passion. People have different opinions on things when their senses are highly stimulated and you don’t want her changing her mind. Similarly, you don’t want to wake up the next morning regretting it.

Don’t bring too much alcohol into the mix either. A drunken proposal is a bad idea, not least because you won’t be able to re-live each moment when you’re telling the tale. And you’ll want to enjoy the ensuing Champagne. A beer or couple of shots for Dutch Courage is fine, but stop right there.

If she’s the sort of person who hates being surprised, or can’t bear being the centre of attention, don’t be dragging her up onto the stage at a Take That concert. She’ll probably say yes but mean no, and will find the whole thing humiliating and embarrassing, ruining the moment for her.

Conversely, if she likes spontaneity, it’s worth writing to her favourite band, nightclub or football team to ask for their help. It’s a great spectator sport this proposal lark.

State from the start how much you want to be involved in the planning. Talk to her. You don’t want to wake up the next day with no clue where to start or how to help. She might produce a list she’s been compiling for years of what she wants, so get in there quickly.

Don’t propose unless you are fully committed to setting a date. Getting engaged isn’t a mere gesture, or to be used to pacify your girlfriend, it’s a commitment to marry, to spend the rest of your life together.

Make it fun – if you’re not one for PDAs, be a bit creative at home. You could spend the day planning and preparing the house for her return to work – lay a trail of petals to the ring, make a treasure hunt, be waiting at her favourite restaurant, in a quiet corner (send a text saying: “You’re late, I’m at the restaurant”) or be waiting under a tree on your favourite country walk. You could even tie it on a ribbon round her kitten’s neck – just do it! Good luck!!

How to announce your engagement right

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Given the fact Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us, there are going to be a few couples that want to announce their engagement; but how do you announce your engagement without clogging up your family and friends’ news feeds? 

Make it priceless for your parents

Both sets of parents might already know that the proposal was on the horizon, but traditionally the mother and the father of the bride should be the first to hear about your happy news. But instead of the teary and excitable call, FaceTime yourselves writing ‘We’re engaged’ in the sand – or maybe even the snow (if possible)!

If you’re not lucky enough to be on holiday, spell it out in chocolates. Whatever you do, make it different – this is one of the most exciting announcements you’ll ever make.

Say it with a surprise

It’s time to prepare for screams, excitement and ring admiration from your inner circle of best friends. They might not have had the wonderful Valentine’s Day that you did, but no doubt your girls will be full of delight and excited to start planning your big day.

Show your nearest and dearest that you value them by sharing the news in a personal way. Organise a champagne and tea party, and flash your ring as you pop the cork. Witnessing the look of happiness and joy face-to-face will be far more rewarding then receiving an array of emoticons on WhatsApp.

Bring out the balloons

Balloons mean you have something to celebrate! People put them outside their house for birthday parties and to announce the birth of a baby, but why not bring out the balloons to showcase your engagement? People will soon realise your wonderful news, and you’ll watch the chocolates and flowers pour through your door!

Celebrate good times

Can you ever get bored of drinking champagne or toasting to your happy future? Hopefully not! What better way to announce your engagement to your wider social network than to throw a party? It’s the perfect way to tell everyone how your fiancé got down on one knee! Just watch the delight on their faces as you flash your sparkly rock.

Save the date

Once you’ve decided on your date, whether it’s in three months’ time or three years’ time, get it in your guests’ diaries. Wedding season is a busy affair and you don’t want to lose numbers to someone else’s event. For maximum effect, send a save the date via post so they can shine on everyone’s mantelpieces!

The official invite

The wedding venue is booked, the caterers and cars have been organised and the band knows what to play. Now it’s time to get the official invite in the post to cement your engagement and prepare your guests for the wedding of the year!

Wedding must-haves

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Your wedding dress

We’ve all heard horror stories from brides who chose to risk buying their wedding dress from an online seller. We have so many calls from brides who have been let down by an internet supplier, receiving a dress in a condition not at all as described or how they’d pictured.

Every bride deserves the one-on-one attention they will receive visiting a bridal store. It’s the most important item of clothing you’ll ever buy: make a day of it – make a week of it! It’s an experience you will treasure for the rest of your life.

Your perfect venue

Finding the perfect venue is like finding the perfect pair of shoes: they should fit beautifully straight away!

Just as influential as the dress, your wedding venue will say a lot about the type of wedding you are having. Not only is it the backdrop for your photos – the pictures you’ll cherish for a whole lifetime – but the venue also acts as a prompt for your guests: it sets the scene and will give them a hint of the day to come.

When searching for venues, couples often comment that ‘the one’ hit them like a thunderbolt. It fitted their theme perfectly; it accommodated all of their guests; the grounds were stunning and it ticked all the right boxes. Don’t be tempted to compromise on the venue. It will add to that sense of ‘specialness’ by marking your big day out as something unique and memorable. It’s the venue that helps to set apart a wedding from a run-of-the-mill party.

Gastronomical delights

If Jamie, Marco and Gordon are all unexpectedly unavailable, never fear – there are some delicious taste-bud treats out there!

Hugely important, the food for your big day will play a big part of your guest’s opinions about your wedding. Hungry or dissatisfied guests are a big no-no. Treat your guests to a gastronomical delight. And it doesn’t have to be super fancy, either – bangers and mash is always a winner – just make sure that there will be enough for everyone.