Mrs. Raccoon, IndianapolisAge and Occupation: 22, StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Graduate StudentEngagement Date: Christmas 2010Wedding Date: January 2012Venue: Catholic Church, Chateau Thomas WineryAbout Me: I'm a wholesome Midwestern girl, TV series junkie, professional shower singer, and Anglophile. I love my fiance, crock pot cooking, my cat Heepo, going for the gusto, and all things wedding. Mr. Raccoon is pretty sweet, too! He’s a mad scientist that loves to travel. We met my first night on campus and have been inseparable since.
Who doesn’t want to look and feel their best at their wedding?
Hey look! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s one of those things that makes so much sense and is so easy to say but isn’t easily done!
Even in the face of some serious and some trivial pressures, I’ve managed to fa la la la la fail in this area so far. Where some brides might feel like they need to lose five pounds because they’re getting married and that’s what good brides do, I need to lose closer to ten times that because I’m honestly at an unbelievably unhealthy weight. Am I dying a little inside as I share this? Yup, but seriously, catch a side profile—it’s not like it’s a secret. I guess shout out to Mr. Raccoon for sticking with me through all of the ballooning. Sorry for the bait and switch; you’re a good guy.
Miss Petit Four, San Antonio/Isla MujeresAge and Occupation: 25, Technology teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Math Teacher and Football CoachEngagement Date: Feb 13, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Zama Beach Club, Isla Mujeres, MexicoAbout Me: I am a polka-dot obsessed, destination wedding diva living and loving in the great state of Texas. I am an island girl at heart and I visit the beach as often as I can. I am a wannabe DIY goddess, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it my best shot. I love pearl earrings, the color pink, and ruffles are a part of my everyday wardrobe. My wonderful fiance and I are planning a destination wedding with our closest family and friends and we’re leaving a trail of glitter in our path!
That’s right, bees. My wonderful, lovely, ever-so-perfect dress doesn’t fit!
I went to my first fitting this weekend and we did get it to zip, but it’s soooooo tight around my booty. Most people try and lose weight for their wedding, but I gained some! Who does that?
Lucky for me, I’m participating in a three month personal training program.
The best part about the plan is that they’ve planned out all my meals for me on my Google Calendar, which takes out all the guesswork on my part. I don’t know about y’all, but that’s where I’m really clueless. They’ve also gave me several different workouts to choose from so I don’t get bored.
OK, now without further ado, the before pictures: (after further consideration, I decided not to post a picture in my sports bra…You’re welcome) Read more…
Miss Doily, Cedar Rapids, IowaAge and Occupation: 25, Autism Paraeducator/ StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Freelance Writer/ PublisherEngagement Date: August 27th, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Father’s Vineyard Church/ A Touch of Class Banquet CenterAbout Me: I’m an Iowan girl with a deep love of Harry Potter, classic movies, cardigans, and Post-Its. My type-A Virgo tendencies often cause me to drive my laid-back college sweetheart fiance batty with lists and PowerPoint presentations. I love to be crafty and do things myself, which explains why my two crazy kittens often will prance around the house covered in glitter and ribbons. When I am not bogged down with work, school, or wedding planning, I like to travel to visit my expansive family and have wild adventures with my best friends. After a rollercoaster ride of a love story, I’m ready to take that final plunge, marry the love of my life, and become a Mrs.!
There has been kind of an elephant in the room when it comes to my wedding planning. Most of the stuff is settled on, it just has to be executed. The bridal party has been properly attired, the reception hall will have its decor, the ceremony has its music. However, there is a huge, huge thing that I have yet to check off of my list. It’s such a huge thing that I feel like a failure of bride for even uttering these words.
Are you ready? I want to make sure that you can handle this before I expose the truth.
Mrs. Skunk, AtlantaAge and Occupation: 23, Post baccalaureate studentFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Mechanical DesignerEngagement Date: February 13, 2011Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Neverland Farms About Me: I’m a Georgia peach born and raised in the dirty dirty. I love reading, baking lots of sweets and forcing them on my friends, and most of all, rock climbing. I am in the process of applying to graduate school in physical therapy and I work at farmers’ markets around town selling bread for a local bakery. The mister and I met while rock climbing just over two years ago and have been inseparable ever since. Our climbing friends mean the world to us and have played an integral role in our relationship. We’re planning a barnyard shindig filled with good food, good friends, and lots of love.
Miss Petit Four, San Antonio/Isla MujeresAge and Occupation: 25, Technology teacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Math Teacher and Football CoachEngagement Date: Feb 13, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Zama Beach Club, Isla Mujeres, MexicoAbout Me: I am a polka-dot obsessed, destination wedding diva living and loving in the great state of Texas. I am an island girl at heart and I visit the beach as often as I can. I am a wannabe DIY goddess, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it my best shot. I love pearl earrings, the color pink, and ruffles are a part of my everyday wardrobe. My wonderful fiance and I are planning a destination wedding with our closest family and friends and we’re leaving a trail of glitter in our path!
Mrs. Parasol, San Ramon, CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 25, Non-profit writer, editor, and bloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Law school studentEngagement Date: December 19th, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Bent Creek Winery (Livermore, California); Reception: Family Residence (San Ramon, California) About Me: I am a California girl at heart. I love the outdoors, sunny days at the beach, and hiking in the woods and mountains. I also love good books and am fresh from completing my Master's degree in English and Comparative Literature in New York City. Living in NYC was an amazing experience, and while I'm glad to be back on the West Coast, I'm also thankful that my two years back East gave me an opportunity to explore new places, make new friends, and indulge my passion for Broadway shows. Oh, and I received a pretty awesome proposal from Mr. Parasol in Central Park. Above all else, Mr. Parasol is my biggest cheerleader and my best friend. But even though I'm thrilled to be marrying him, I wasn't always totally on board with this whole wedding thing and at first, I wanted to run off and elope. I've finally been convinced to throw the wedding I never thought I wanted, and so now I'm busy planning an intimate September wedding filled with DIY details. Along the way, I'm slowly learning to appreciate, perhaps even love the wedding planning process.
So, everyone around the hive seems to be talking about weight and getting healthy for the wedding, and I thought I should jump on the bandwagon before it’s too late.
**Disclaimer: This post is very personal in nature, and I discuss some difficult emotional struggles that affected my weight and overall health. I haven’t shared the details of my struggle with many people before, but I want to be honest about my journey toward healthy living, and I hope that others will find encouragement from my story. I welcome any comments, feedback, and questions; I just ask that you please be sensitive and respectful.
Also, I have no shame when it comes to photography, so get ready for some pictures of me looking ridiculous.**
Growing up, I was the skinny girl. I was the girl who ate bacon cheeseburgers, drank a ton of surgery soda, never exercised regularly, and was still skinny. I had a fast metabolism and enjoyed every sweet moment of it. Looking back, even I hate me.
Mrs. Teacup, Santa CruzAge and Occupation: 34, Pharmaceutical SalesFiance's Age and Occupation: 41, Ditto! (For a different company)Engagement Date: October 1, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: ceremony in our family's Catholic church in Watsonville; reception at the Santa Cruz Beach BoardwalkAbout Me: I’m learning to embrace my true spirit as GIRLY GIRL after previous careers in the Navy and consulting for the government. My favorite hobby is SLEEP, with dancing HULA a close second. An INTROVERT in extrovert clothing, I’m questing to UNDO 34 years of TYPE A conditioning. Constantly processing the details of our upcoming nuptials, peek into this late blooming bride & groom's roller coaster ride to the altar. Giant Dipper required, sold separately.
Before I tell you about me, let’s talk about you. Hive, your outpouring of support and encouragement for my initial shedding posts overwhelmed me! I was nervous to share and you dispelled my fear. Your comments ran the spectrum of weight loss options, from quick fixes to long-term lifestyle change. Diet, exercise, how-to books and motivating pictures—oh my! Please accept my gratitude, I’ve read all the feedback twice over and it means a lot to have you there on my journey. From the bottom of my teacup heart, thank you!
When we last left off, I was debating the merits of Weight Watchers vs. Jenny Craig. WW received the vast majority of positive feedback and I agree wholeheartedly with the concepts they teach. Based on my needs and lifestyle, I chose the road less traveled. Allow me to introduce my new BFF, Jenny!
Mrs. Candy Apple, Princeton Junction, NJ/ Seattle, WAAge and Occupation: 26, Project EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, AttorneyEngagement Date: May 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: St. Joseph's Parish, Seattle Tennis ClubAbout Me: I am a Pacific Northwesterner, born and bred. I have lived in many cities---Santa Clara, Durham (England); Florence; Boston; Princeton Junction---but my heart will always be nestled up near the Cascades and Olympics, which is why we are holding our wedding there. I am a bookworm and a History nerd: I love that my life consists of books, books, and more books, since I work in Publishing! Recently, all waking time not consumed by work and my daily commute has been overtaken by wedding planning. Well, that, and watching Premier-League soccer. There is nothing I love more than a good Tana French mystery, traveling to new places, Anthropologie shopping sprees, Iittala dishware, Kate Spade shoes, impeccable typefaces (think: Archer), and a nice English ale (hellooo, Old Speckled Hen!). Oh, and did I mention my obsession with wedding blogs? Yeah, there’s that too. Join Mr. Candy Apple and me as we prep for our wedding, and, more importantly, our marriage!
Like many brides before me, at the beginning of our engagement (a whole 15 months ago) I vowed to lose weight and get in better shape.
Don’t get me wrong - I consider myself to be fairly thin, and understand that I am not overweight for my height and body type. However, I had gained weight in the years since college, and wanted to look more lean and toned. Not only that, but I wanted to feel better. We’re talking about my wedding day, after all! I wanted to look as good as I possibly could, and be healthier to boot.
So, alongside Mr. CA, I started eating even better than we had been previously, and exercising.
The real kick in the butt was when I went to try on wedding dresses. I was shocked that the dresses I tried on had such tiny sizes. To give you an idea: I generally wear a size 4 in dresses. The dress I ended up purchasing was a size 10. A TEN. What is the deal with that?? How is that possible? I honestly do not understand how their sizing is so different from regular clothing. Even though I knew the sizing was irregular, it made me really self-conscious and worried about my weight.
Nevertheless, I waxed and waned in my exercising over the next few months - going through spurts of sustained work-outs, then lapsing into indolence. Read more…
Mrs. Pretzel, SeattleAge and Occupation: 32 Learning, Training, and Development SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 28 Manufacturing EngineerEngagement Date: September 2, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catholic Church & The Engine Room at Georgetown StudiosAbout Me: I’m just a thirty-something girl who never dreamed of weddings, poofy dresses, or ritzy receptions. I am a rabid knitter, except recently, wedding projects have replaced my yarn and needles. I’ve been fiercely independent since the age of 2 and 30 years later I think my family and friends had given up on me settling down and getting married.
Ironically, I had to go all the way to Seattle to find a boy from Purdue. We fell in love over Seattle Beers and cooking together. I love NASCAR, he loves Legos. I can talk like a Muppet and he can fit a whole McDonald’s cheeseburger in his mouth. We are a two reception couple, currently planning a brewery inspired bash.
Hi there! I know I said I was going to take the summer off of wedding blogging but I wanted to share some recent successes that Mr P have achieved. Mr Pretzel and I recently lost some weight together and it got me thinking: Why didn’t we do this before the wedding?
Before the wedding, both Mr P and I were about 20 lbs heavier than our ideal. We had both gained the weight during our courtship due to our mutual love of beer and cooking. We ate healthy, but our portion sizes were a bit too big and our activity level dropped the year that we were planning the wedding. I was worried about juggling a diet, workout routine, and wedding planning on top of our already busy lives so I made a decision for myself and ultimately for both of us: no trying to lose weight before the wedding.
After the wedding our busy lives continued to be busy. We cooked a lot of yummy meals in our first 6 months and then slowly we started to eat out more and cooking less. Soon another 10 lbs had crept up. I was the heaviest I had ever been and I did not like the way I felt.
Mrs. Teacup, Santa CruzAge and Occupation: 34, Pharmaceutical SalesFiance's Age and Occupation: 41, Ditto! (For a different company)Engagement Date: October 1, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: ceremony in our family's Catholic church in Watsonville; reception at the Santa Cruz Beach BoardwalkAbout Me: I’m learning to embrace my true spirit as GIRLY GIRL after previous careers in the Navy and consulting for the government. My favorite hobby is SLEEP, with dancing HULA a close second. An INTROVERT in extrovert clothing, I’m questing to UNDO 34 years of TYPE A conditioning. Constantly processing the details of our upcoming nuptials, peek into this late blooming bride & groom's roller coaster ride to the altar. Giant Dipper required, sold separately.
It wasn’t so long ago that I would be ashamed to admit feeling like my favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor, Chunky Monkey.
{For the girls of the night chat!} / Image via Flickr / Photo credit: cromatophobe
Food is an easier control for me than exercise. I know you need both, but a girl can only accomplish so much in a day. Read more…
Mrs. Teacup, Santa CruzAge and Occupation: 34, Pharmaceutical SalesFiance's Age and Occupation: 41, Ditto! (For a different company)Engagement Date: October 1, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: ceremony in our family's Catholic church in Watsonville; reception at the Santa Cruz Beach BoardwalkAbout Me: I’m learning to embrace my true spirit as GIRLY GIRL after previous careers in the Navy and consulting for the government. My favorite hobby is SLEEP, with dancing HULA a close second. An INTROVERT in extrovert clothing, I’m questing to UNDO 34 years of TYPE A conditioning. Constantly processing the details of our upcoming nuptials, peek into this late blooming bride & groom's roller coaster ride to the altar. Giant Dipper required, sold separately.
I’m sure you’ve heard of the ’freshman fifteen’… Read more…
Mrs. Magic, Chapel Hill, NCAge and Occupation: 30, Licensed Clinical Social WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, ResearcherEngagement Date: December 1, 2009Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Barn at ValhallaAbout Me: I’m a tall drink of water (5’10”!) and a Southern bride with an enormous appetite for Mexican food, good deals, anything French, and all things wedding! By day I am lucky enough to work with individuals with autism and their families. By night, I’m even luckier to be able to spend time hanging out with awesome friends, crafting, shopping, thinking about exercising, and kicking it with Mr. Magic and our two cats. I tend to have sudden, intense cravings that will not be denied (seafood enchiladas! new jeans!) and I’m prone to being a disorganized mess of anxiety and stress. After waiting (and waiting!) to get engaged, I am finally planning the colorful, fun, fabulously awesome Fall wedding of our dreams. In an effort to share the fun and craziness that is wedding planning, I’m gonna blog about it for y’all---the good, the bad, and the pretty!
This time, I’m getting serious. For real. I heard you guys loud and clear about drinking water and exercising in the living room during commercials, and I am taking it to heart (except True Blood…which just watching shirtless Eric is a workout, eeper, I totally agree!). The carbs thing, I shall consider…are garlic fries made of carbs? Read more…
Mrs. Teaspoon, Sydney, AustraliaAge and Occupation: 27, Medical ScientistFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, BankerEngagement Date: June 4, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: St Aloysius' College, Milson's PointAbout Me: I am a mad scientist who enjoys swimming at the beach in summer and skiing powder in winter. Our favourite times together are spent with the sand between our toes, cooking up a storm, re-watching and re-reading every Harry Potter ever made, and spending time with our dear friends and family! We have travelled the world together in our 6 years of dating, from Paris, to Thailand, to Las Vegas, and we are tackling the many challenges of planning our special day the best way we know how---together!
So like many a crazy-vain bride before me, I am already starting on my plan to ensure that I look more than picture perfect on our wedding day. I have taken a three-fold approach, which so far seems to be working!
Miss Snapdragon, Chicago/DallasAge and Occupation: 32,Associate ProducerFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Lighting DesignerBlogging Since: November 14, 2008Engagement Date: January 1, 2011Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Marie GabrielleAbout Me: Voracious reader of short stories, Russian literature, National Geographic and Cosmo. I'm a GENIUS at spicing up Weight Watchers recipes and a pathological cheater at board games. I run a slow marathon, but my feet are learning to move faster. Mornings aren't my thing, but I can night owl with the best of them. Don't tempt me with your Cherry Cokes---I'm trying to quit. Tomorrow. Or never.
I’m going to have a “real” moment with you guys. I know we all have perfect body image and all that stuff (right?), but… when we’re getting ready to walk down the aisle, we do tend to eat one less piece of cheese, just a tinier sliver of cake, etc etc. It’s hard not to think about the fact that we’ll likely be in 70% of the million wedding photos no matter how healthy (!) and positive (!) we are.
I’m currently in training for my second marathon. Basically, running a million miles per week guarantees that I can eat pancakes every day and not gain weight. Not a healthy approach, but I do love my pancakes.
Running hasn’t always been a passion of mine—(on my Saturday long runs, running is definitely not my passion!). I signed up for my first race—an 8k—purely because I wanted a challenge. I have never, ever, ever been athletic. People please, I have a BFA. Sometimes, I like to sign up for things that are way outside my comfort zone, just to see what I can do. Also, this 8k featured a free beer afterwards. I’m Irish; I’ll take it.
Of course that 8k was the day that Chicago was buried under a freak blizzard. Did my friends and I drop out of the race? No. Because this way we can say we are bad-ass ladies. Proof: Read more…
Mrs. Magic, Chapel Hill, NCAge and Occupation: 30, Licensed Clinical Social WorkerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, ResearcherEngagement Date: December 1, 2009Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Barn at ValhallaAbout Me: I’m a tall drink of water (5’10”!) and a Southern bride with an enormous appetite for Mexican food, good deals, anything French, and all things wedding! By day I am lucky enough to work with individuals with autism and their families. By night, I’m even luckier to be able to spend time hanging out with awesome friends, crafting, shopping, thinking about exercising, and kicking it with Mr. Magic and our two cats. I tend to have sudden, intense cravings that will not be denied (seafood enchiladas! new jeans!) and I’m prone to being a disorganized mess of anxiety and stress. After waiting (and waiting!) to get engaged, I am finally planning the colorful, fun, fabulously awesome Fall wedding of our dreams. In an effort to share the fun and craziness that is wedding planning, I’m gonna blog about it for y’all---the good, the bad, and the pretty!
A couple of things happened that made me realize it’s time to get serious physically (physically serious?).
One: It became August…I don’t even know how that happened. And after August, y’all, it’s September, and after that…wait for it…comes freaking October!!! Who knew?!?
Two, I just got back from a week long vacation at the beach. Nothing makes me want to work out more than wearing a bathing suit all week.
We’ve got about three months until The Big Day, and that means I have that same amount of time to tone up and most importantly, annihilate that stubborn stomach fat. Why did I buy such a fitted dress anyway? Read more…
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