Mrs. High Wire, DallasAge and Occupation: 23, Legal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Director of CommunicationsEngagement Date: October 9, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Clark GardensAbout Me: My loves include yoga, anything spicy, our eccentric cat, our rambunctious dog, and Mr. High Wire, of course! Like the steadiness act of the tightrope walker, this gal is busy balancing life while planning a wedding to the man of her dreams. We’re hosting a laid-back, vintage-inspired, bird themed wedding with heavy doses of love, good eats (did someone say tacos and margaritas?), and endless Texas charm. Mr. High Wire and I are so happy to have you along for the walk across the tight rope.
A while back, I talked about some healthy goals I had taken on in order to be my best self for the wedding. I’ve been incorporating most of these goals in a big way (except drinking water, and I don’t even want to depress myself trying on those stupid black shorts).
Today and right now, I feel good. I want to bottle this up and tap into it whenever I need to. That’s the great thing about blogs, the opportunity to preserve the kinds of moments you want to hold on to forever.
The fact that I feel good right now is no random accident and I have to remember that. All of the books I’ve been reading, yoga I’ve been doing, and weights I’ve been lifting have helped me tremendously. I’m capable and strong and unique.
Personal Photo of my first 5k last year
My biggest goal in all of this body-image “stuff” is finding peace with it all. Read more…
Mrs. Ladyfingers, Saint Petersburg, FLAge and Occupation: 30, Marketing ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Sports WriterEngagement Date: December 24, 2010Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Palma Sola Botanical ParkAbout Me: I hail from Oklahoma, he was born and raised in Long Island. Fate brought us together, and now we live in a cute little rental house with our nutty dog, and our aloof cat. We both love to read, watch movies, explore our town, and laugh like hyenas. When I’m not obsessively wedding crafting, I enjoy stalking style and decorating blogs, making collages and painting, napping, thrifting, rearranging our bookshelves, and being a total weirdo with my friends. Hi!
Ever since we started planning The Wedding, I’ve found myself concerned with things I never imagined I’d be concerned with. For instance: makeup. Up until like two years ago, seriously, I was all about department-store makeup. Only problem was, I had problem skin. So I finally made the move over to Bare Escentuals and, lord, let me tell you what a difference that made. Recently, though, I’ve found myself heading to Sephora on like a weekly basis, trolling the aisles and picking up all sorts of illuminating primers and lip stains and mascaras—mascaras! I never wear mascara! And you want to know the craziest part? I’m having my makeup done. By a professional. I don’t even need this stuff! But for some reason, it makes me feel like a bride. And this is why I hate commercialism. Well, love/hate.
Then there are the things I feel I need to line up in the months ahead. We are at just over four months and counting and, all of a sudden, I’m finding myself obsessed—I tell you, obsessed—over my appearance. This is not a very comfortable situation for me, as I typically think of myself as very un-vain.
The body
In January, I started working out. Like, for the first time ever. I started with Jillian Michaels’s 30 Day Shred and then moved to Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism. I swear, I started seeing results right away! I had been eating terribly—fast food three-plus times per week and sweets and salty stuff every day, all day. And I was totally sedentary. In February, I started doing P90X, and not only have I lost some weight in the past five months, but my arms are more toned and I feel better. But still, I’m a huge slacker, and I haven’t mastered the art of actually working out six days a week. Plus, I could still eat better. Boo. 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!
Sooo, this past weekend I was chillin’ with the Magic Fam in Wilmington, North Carolina, enjoying the beach, walking The Loop, and eating the best hot dogs ever at The Trolley Stop and also eating some shrimp (I was hungry).
personal photo
Magic Mom, Mini Magic, Magic Bro [ yes, I have a brother!], Roxie Ann (the dog), and I all decided to go for a walk. Then things got hairy.
Mrs. High Wire, DallasAge and Occupation: 23, Legal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Director of CommunicationsEngagement Date: October 9, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Clark GardensAbout Me: My loves include yoga, anything spicy, our eccentric cat, our rambunctious dog, and Mr. High Wire, of course! Like the steadiness act of the tightrope walker, this gal is busy balancing life while planning a wedding to the man of her dreams. We’re hosting a laid-back, vintage-inspired, bird themed wedding with heavy doses of love, good eats (did someone say tacos and margaritas?), and endless Texas charm. Mr. High Wire and I are so happy to have you along for the walk across the tight rope.
We are now about four months out from the High Wire wedding. All of our vendors have been selected and contracted. The big to-dos are now to-DONEs. It feels great.
My passions before wedding planning were very health oriented. Lately, those passions have taken a backseat while I’ve worked diligently on getting wedding tasks accomplished.
But now that the largest tasks are behind me, it is time to combine things a bit.
When I started to put this post together, I immediately thought of a post from one of my favorite blogs, Healthy Tipping Point. Caitlin wrote an awesome post on goal-setting for the new year back in January, and I went to re-read that post today to give me some tips and inspiration. Read more…
Mrs. Tartlet, Rochester, MIAge and Occupation: Age & Occupation: 27, Post-Doctoral Research FellowFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Medical StudentEngagement Date: May 2, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: The Royal Park HotelAbout Me: I'm an exuberant gal from the Midwest with a penchant for Neuroscience and anything sparkly. I'm not afraid to poke fun at myself, and I'm a believer that given the right pair of shoes, a girl can conquer the world. While an interest in the sciences threw Mr. Tartlet and me together (again, and again, until it finally stuck), we share a love for many things---food, video games, car dancing, food, bad puns, travel, did I mention food?---that ultimately led us to where we are now, less than five months from becoming Mr. and Mrs. We're planning a laid-back, romantic, garden-inspired affair with organic and quirky touches that reflect our love for the unexpected!
*Note: I’ve been composing this post on-and-off for weeks now trying to find the best approach to this topic. It not only touches upon the sensitive subject of weight, but it also brings up some unsettling memories for me. Everyone wants to look their best for the wedding day. However, that absolutely doesn’t translate into “needing” to lose weight. If you *want* to shed some pounds, though, there’s a “right” way and a “wrong” way to go about it. This story is about the latter.
The elusive lesson of self-love is one I’m still trying to embrace and learn to this day. It wasn’t until I learned to be happy with who I am that I could develop any sort of meaningful relationship (platonic or romantic). And, in full disclosure it caused a lot of problems along the way with Mr. Tartlet. When we first started dating I was so full of self-loathing that it drained his emotional reserves to crash my pity parties for one. We almost didn’t make it. To this day I’m incredibly thankful that he saw something in me that I didn’t, and stuck around to help me become a better person. Read more…
Mrs. Prairie Dog, Cincinnati
Age and Occupation: 24, Program CoordinatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, PhD/Biomedical EngineerEngagement Date: December 18, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Glendale LyceumAbout Me: I'm a pilgrim soul of a girl with a house full of books and a coffee addiction that could slay Juan Valdez. My life is a whirl of grammar correction, good music, glue-gunning, and two pets named Hazel and Winston Churchill. I'm marrying my high school boyfriend in a formal-ish spring affair, roughly themed: "Elizabeth Bennet crashes a party co-hosted by Jay Gatsby and Cath Kidston, and loves it."
Like most brides-to-be, I have some fears, rational and otherwise, about our wedding day. I fear that all the hotels in Cincinnati will book up before the procrastinators get rooms, and then I will spend my wedding day to setting up a Hooverville in my little urban backyard. I fear extreme weather, and gridlock traffic, and having a bad hair day.
But mostly, I fear I’ll get a migraine.
They started about six months ago, and now I get them about once every two weeks. Luckily, (I mean, if you can call losing half your weekend “lucky”…) they’ve tended to fall on Saturday or Sunday about half the time, saving me from using up all my sick time at work. I’ve tried three different medications now, to no avail. At present, there’s a fourth kind waiting in my purse. If it doesn’t work, the next step will be taking a daily pill to prevent them. I don’t especially like taking medicine, but these aren’t regular headaches—the kind for which you can drink a lot of water / a bit of caffeine and pop some Aleve.
Once it comes on, there’s no stopping or powering through it. Read more…
Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store ManagerEngagement Date: March 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: The Tribute Golf ClubAbout Me: I'm a Philly native creating roots deep in the heart of Texas. I might be a little obsessed capturing those Kodak moments of anything and everything (mainly on vacations). I've become more of a gamer thanks to Mr. Elephant, who I met online and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. We are planning a wedding based on our favorite colors, blue and green, with a travel theme for 150 of our closest friends and family. Hopefully our long (2-year) engagement won't kill me!
You’ve been gone for so long, I’m running out of time
I need a doctor, Call me a doctor,
I need a doctor, doctor to bring me back to life” - Dr. Dre, Eminem, Skylar Grey
Image of Dr. Hibbert by Matt Groening via Search.com
I thought I was handling all of the wedding planning stress pretty well. Most of the projects are done and packed and ready to be dropped off at the venue the week of the wedding. I have had nightmares about the wedding, but who doesn’t have them? I guess my subconscious was trying to clue me into the fact that everything wasn’t as stress-free as I thought it was. Read more…
Mrs. Giraffe, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 23, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Music Student TeacherEngagement Date: October 23, 2008Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Trinity Lutheran Church & Idlewild Country ClubAbout Me: Coming from the suburbs of the Windy City, you'll often find me with my foot in my mouth while laughing for no reason or telling bad knock knock jokes. I've been crafty for as long as I can remember, and will DIY something twice over before I have someone do it for me. I'm a semi-awkward, typeface obsessed, design junkie and have been know to break out my dance moves for no reason as well as try my best to be ridiculous at all times. My love of pop culture, wordplay, and graph paper almost rivals my love of Mr. Giraffe (who is just the bee's knees). After a 2.5 year engagement, we're planning a modern-in-disguise traditional wedding, and cannot wait!
You guys have heard me talk about waiting for marriage here and here, so I figured I’m just going to keep with the possible over-sharing and fill you in on some more super personal details of a Giraffe life.
Growing up, the Giraffe Parents (emphasis on Mama Giraffe here) were very open about sex. I’ve received the talk probably hundreds of times, from when I was younger through when I was in high school. I mean, granted, I was mortified when I was in junior high and Mama Giraffe sat me down to explain how “Even though Bill Clinton thinks oral sex is not sex, it still is.”
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!
Ms. Sloth, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion BloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design AdminEngagement Date: December 25, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Bartram's GardenAbout Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
Apologies if I venture into TMI territory here, but I promised myself that I’d blog frankly here on Weddingbee, so here we go.
You know that thing, that thing that happens to most adult females on a regular basis, that thing that you really don’t want to deal with on the day when you’re wearing a very expensive white dress?
Mrs. Eggs Benedict, SeattleAge and Occupation: 29, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, AttorneyEngagement Date: December 5, 2009Wedding Date: February 2011Venue: IslandWoodAbout Me: I'm a Northwest girl who spends my time goofing around with Mr. Eggs Benedict and our dog, hiking, traveling, drinking wine and planning a wedding that will showcase the best of what the Pacific Northwest has to offer. I also love photography, beating Mr. Eggs Bene at Mario Kart, and watching the most ridiculous natural disaster flicks you can think of (seriously, how can you deny the awesomeness that is The Core or 2012?? That's right, you can't). We are planning our weekend wedding adventure at an environmental educational center, and I can't wait for the fun to begin!
I’m a pretty emotional person, and generally wear my emotions on my sleeve, as much as I like to think I have a poker face. (Ha. Notsomuch.) I cry when watching movies. (Toy Story 3 was the last one. Also probably Avatar. But I blame the 3D on that one.) I cry when reading books. (I may or may not have bawled through the entire last few chapters of the sixth Harry Potter. And, um, more high-brow literature as well that I just can’t think of at the moment.) And I’m a very empathetic person, which comes through whether it’s with literary characters or my own friends. Read more…
Mrs. Bacon, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 26, Digital Advertising ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, IT Client ServicesEngagement Date: June 17, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Ravenswood Billboard FactoryAbout Me: I'm a Midwestern girl that can't seem to commit to staying in one place for too long and is constantly daydreaming about my next adventure. I am an aspiring foodie with a weak spot for the unusual and I love semi-reality food television. My other loves easily include laughing as a form of exercise, a book that I can't put down, summer baseball games, espresso with whipped cream, couch potato days and nights with the ridiculous Mr. Bacon, and our two kitties, Lincoln and Sawyer. We're planning a faux-destination wedding for 150 of our closest friends and family in the city we've both adopted as home that has a modern, yet whimsical twist and as many personal touches as we can manage.
Mr. Bacon and I have put on some pounds since last summer when he put a ring on it. There is no use trying to sugarcoat it. In fact, sugarcoating it is the reason we’re in this little pickle. Note all the yummy food references?
Ms. Sloth, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion BloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design AdminEngagement Date: December 25, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Bartram's GardenAbout Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
I started Weight Watchers on September 23rd, 2010. Four months later, I am down exactly 27 pounds. Thanks to the handy tools on WeightWatchers.com, I know that that means I’ve lost an average of 1.5 pounds per week and almost 15% of my total body weight.
I wish that things were going at a quicker rate, but 1.5 pounds a week is considered a healthy weight loss rate. And I’ll be honest: I slacked a bit around the holidays and gained almost 3 pounds. I lost it again (and then some) but it definitely slowed me down. But you know what? I don’t regret it. My future mother-in-law is an amazing cook and I didn’t want to miss a bite!
I didn’t think to take a before photo, but here is an engagement photo that was shot a few weeks before I started dieting. I put the same dress on today to take a progress photo (don’t judge on the wrinkled dress or my messy updo, please!)
Mrs. Giraffe, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 23, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Music Student TeacherEngagement Date: October 23, 2008Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Trinity Lutheran Church & Idlewild Country ClubAbout Me: Coming from the suburbs of the Windy City, you'll often find me with my foot in my mouth while laughing for no reason or telling bad knock knock jokes. I've been crafty for as long as I can remember, and will DIY something twice over before I have someone do it for me. I'm a semi-awkward, typeface obsessed, design junkie and have been know to break out my dance moves for no reason as well as try my best to be ridiculous at all times. My love of pop culture, wordplay, and graph paper almost rivals my love of Mr. Giraffe (who is just the bee's knees). After a 2.5 year engagement, we're planning a modern-in-disguise traditional wedding, and cannot wait!
There’s one thing I don’t want to look like on my wedding day. Okay, really, there’s probably more than one thing (others in the list include: crazy person, sleep deprived crazy person, etc), but one thing is like this:
Today I’m going to talk to you about a kind of embarrassing health problem. Warts. See, as far as I know, they don’t really hurt you, but they are obnoxious, annoying, and—again—embarrassing. Nobody wants some lumpy bumpy thing sticking out of their skin. I’ve had my fair share of experiences with them, too. Read more…
Mrs. Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
Seeing as how it is almost January, I want to share with you a few things I’ve learned in the last year about eating. Maybe I just want to refresh my memory because I’m slightly scared Julie and her partner Aldina are going to give me a hard dose of honesty at my next dress fitting. Anywho, last January I started Weight Watchers at work, which is a wonderful program. Look to see if your company has a contract because it seriously is worth the knowledge. I am by no means an expert. I’m just giving you some information on what worked for me. Also, as a disclaimer, (because I caught a lot of flack about being on WW in the first place) I am simply a woman who would like to improve her body. I am not fishing for compliments or sympathy. WW has a policy that one must have at least 5 pounds to lose in order to join (calculated by height). I am well over that limit. So with that formality crap out of the way, here are my easy tips to kickin’ a few pounds.
Sign up for the daily Hungry Girl newsletter emails. She has some great recipes and suggests wonderful low calorie/fat products you can switch from your higher fat/calorie items.
Everyone says it is all about diet and exercise, which is true…totally true. However, I’m lazy. You might be lazy too. Just go for a walk. Park your car a little further away. Let Jillian Michaels beat you up for 30 days. Whenever you can sneak an opportunity to Rock That Body, come on come on, Rock That Body, do it to it.
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
If you want to buy them for yourself, go here.
