Unique Wedding Tips

Every bride wants to look perfect on her wedding day. Selecting a dress that will make you look and feel great is an important first step. But what happens when you look in the mirror and don’t think you look quite as good as you could? When this happens it’s not uncommon for brides to try quick-fix diets to help them get in shape. Unfortunately, many dieting brides make fitness mistakes that not only prevent them from reaching their goals but also cause unnecessary stress and sometimes even illness. Those are two things no bride needs! Here are five of the most common diet mistakes as well as some tips to help you avoid them.

1. Too much, too late.

One of the most important things to remember if you are trying to lose weight is to start early. For example, don’t try to lose 20 pounds two months before the big day. The key is to plan ahead so that you can lose the weight (or just tone up) gradually. So if you’re dream-wedding day includes you being in great shape, then include fitness as a “to-do” on your overall wedding checklist. That way it will be a priority in your wedding planning.

2. Setting unachievable goals.

Many women get engaged and begin imagining themselves drastically thinner or more sculpted. Be realistic with yourself. If you’ve never been a size 6 in your life, then it is probably unrealistic to think you can magically transform just because you are getting married. And, do you really want to look so different on your wedding day that most people (including your fiancé) hardly recognize you?

3. Radical diets or fitness programs.

Brides typically are short on time and long on to-do lists. This leads many to try unhealthy fitness programs or starvation diets. Don’t be tempted by diets that promise quick, drastic results with little effort from you. You should avoid any programs that suggest taking “diet” pills or eating unbalanced meals (like eating only cabbage soup for a week). And, don’t be lured into trying dangerous things, like laxatives.

4. Not exercising.

It’s very easy for brides to say “I don’t have time to exercise” or “I’m too tired to exercise”. But diet and burning exercise should always go hand in hand. Consider them to be like yin and yang. Without activity your body can’t burn as many calories. If you are very short on time, try to exercise in small 10-minute bursts throughout the day. And, keep in mind that little things help too, like taking the stairs or parking at the outer edge of the mall parking lot. Plus, if you are tired from all of your planning, exercise will help give you back some energy.

5. Skipping Meals

It’s not uncommon to get caught up in your planning and then realize at 9 p.m. (as your head begins to ache) that you haven’t eaten a thing all day. While it may not be an uncommon scenario, it is unavoidable. Not only is skipping meals unhealthy, it can lead to binge eating. That often means eating very fattening foods and/or overeating all at once. To avoid this, try packing light snacks to keep on hand throughout the day. Good examples include carrot sticks, cheese strings, peanut butter on crackers, etc.

Sample Exercise FITscription: 20 – 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise (3 – 5 time per week) Example: 2-5 minutes of brisk walking, 2-5 minutes of jumping jacks (repeat for 20 – 30 minutes)

Sample Diet Plan:

Eat 5-7 small meals per day (meals should include protein, grains, vegetables, etc. to meet the food pyramid daily requirements) Example: Small, grilled, skinless chicken breast Slice of whole wheat bread Slice of cheese Mixed Vegetables Glass of Water (2 or 3 would be even better)

Be Yourself

A common mistake often made by many brides-to-be is going overboard with their make-up on their wedding day. Trying to look too different from your usual self should be avoided, aim for your natural look with just a touch of extra glamour and make-up that’s been applied to last all through the evening.

Color Matters

Achieving just the right amount of color from your wedding day make-up can be tricky. Avoid garish colors or the dramatic approach, save that for the honeymoon if you must. Remember, photos of this day will be displayed and seen by many for years to come, the last thing you want is to look back at your choice of make-up and wonder what you were thinking.

Plan Ahead

The majority of brides are going to cry at least once during some point of their wedding day. Sooner or later, even the most prepared and stoic of brides will be shedding tears as the sentimentality of the day sets in. Waterproof make-up is the most sensible approach, and about the only way to avoid looking like a raccoon halfway through the ceremony. To prevent make-up from running, it’s a good idea to keep the eye liner and mascara to a minimum on the lower lashes.

Tricks of the Trade

A simple way for keeping your foundation on as long as possible is to first apply concealer and foundation as normal, wait a few seconds, and then blot gently with a tissue. The tissue should absorb excess oils and leave behind the pigment. If you tend to remove too much foundation with this method, apply a bit more than you normally would before blotting.

Loose powder should be lightly applied with a large brush to set foundation. Applying powder onto the skin with a puff as opposed to a brush may actually cause too much of the powder to collect on the skin, ultimately causing it to sweat more than usual and appear shiny in photos.

For a perfect application of blush, choose a brush that’s approximately the size of the apples of your cheeks. Pick up some color, just enough to be visible on the tip of the brush, and tap onto the cheeks, blending toward the temples. After applying, gently blending with a clean sponge will ensure the blush doesn’t appear to be resting on top of the skin, but rather as a natural enhancement of the skin’s color.

The tried and true trick of applying powder to the lips before lipstick, blotting and then repeating is the best way to ensure lasting coverage. First coat the lips with powder, fill in the entire lip area with lip liner, and then apply the lip color. Blot the lips then add another layer of powder before the final coat of color.

To brighten the eyes, try a soft white color on the brow bone, the inner corners of the eyes, and just above and below the lash line. To make eyes look larger, a light taupe color or sandy shade on the crease of the eyelid will do the job. A soft cotton swab is useful for blending eyeliner, and eyelash curlers should always be used prior to applying mascara.

No matter how much you try to scrub, wash and moisturize your face and body prior to your wedding day, without professional knowledge and products you can’t possibly make much difference. It can be so disappointing to see flaws in your skin when you receive your wedding photos, and the best way to avoid it happening to you is to have a skin plan for preparing for your big day.

Starting right now, the first and most important thing to do is increase your water intake. Keep bottled water everywhere: in the fridge, in the car, on your desk, by the bed and in the bathroom. Every time you see the water, have a drink, and the benefits will be seen after only one week. Continue drinking around two liters of water per day, and avoid alcohol and sugary foods or drinks. Exercise is also fantastic for the way your skin looks, and nothing will achieve the healthy glow like regular visits to the gym and good food.

There are some natural things you can do at home to help skin problems, and these can be done regularly every night. For open pores, blackheads and problem skin a great solution is to rub half a tomato over your face, chest and neck, leaving it on for fifteen minutes. The acid in the tomato along with antioxidants are great for balancing and cleaning clogged pores. For tough, thick skin you can use ground rock salt and avocado for a facial scrub, but if your skin is fragile this is not recommended. For a gentler scrub soak some oats in a bowl of warm water for a minute or two, using them before they become completely soft. Rub the oats in a circular motion for five minutes over your whole face, neck and chest, softly removing dead skin cells and soothing any irritations. If you have very bad blackheads you can use colorless, odorless iodine mixed with rock salt to scrub. Only scrub it on the areas that are toughened with a lot of blocked pores, and do it for the moths coming up to the wedding. Stop one month before, or when your beautician recommends.

You should definitely include in your wedding budget some visits to a beautician, and this is where the planning comes in to it. Any good beauty therapist will offer a free skin analysis to potential customers, and the sooner you have that the better. Through evaluation and discussions about what you would like to achieve with your skin, you can work out a schedule for ensuring you achieve your goal by the wedding day. It could possibly involve some micro-dermbrasion, chemical peels or simply regular visits for facials. The added bonus is you get to talk in length about how you want your makeup and hair to be for the day, as well as any waxing or manicure plans.

Never compromise on your beauty requirements for the wedding: no matter how many times your man tells you that you are fine the way you are and he doesn’t want anything fancy, every man appreciates the fantasy when he sees you looking more beautiful than ever. It is a day you have always dreamed of, so make it a dream come true! Wedding photos where the bride has gone to little or no effort with make-up look horribly drab and boring. If you can’t look beautiful on the most important day for your future life, when can you? Splurge and hire a professional beauty therapist to do your face, and go through a basic practice run with them prior to the day to make sure you like what they have in mind for you.

If you look after your skin at home and follow a plan for improvement with the beauty therapist, you should have the result of looking your best on your special day. Don’t look at your photos with pangs of regret because you didn’t do anything about it at the time, and include it in part of your overall plans, like ordering caterers and booking the church. You will have a much better time when you are feeling confident and beautiful, so go on and treat yourself, and if you are lucky your husband will love it so much he will be happy for you to go regularly.