Bride's Guide: Q&A for the Big Day
Advice on getting in shape for your wedding and what to eat in the days before.
May 11, 2010— -- In four days I will be walking down the aisle in front of everyone I know and love, and like most brides, I want to look and feel my best on the Big Day.
Part of being a beautiful, blushing bride will hopefully result from the countless beauty appointments I have in the next few days for everything from a manicure/pedicure to a massage to make-up on the wedding day.
But another part of it comes from feeling fit and fabulous in your dress.
If you go to enough weddings and watch enough wedding shows on television, you can feel pressure to lose weight during your engagement and arrive for your first dress fitting a few sizes smaller. As soon as I changed my Facebook status from "in a relationship" to "engaged," I started to get bombarded with ads for wedding diets.
And I kept meaning to go on a wedding diet. I had the best intentions to start six months before the wedding or three months before the wedding. But it never really happened. I'm a pretty healthy eater to begin with and I just wasn't disciplined enough to do anything beyond that.
I'm also not that disciplined when it comes to exercise, so I did sign up for some personal training sessions at my gym to get my upper body in shape for my strapless dress.
Wedding and event planner Mindy Weiss says that's very common.
"Whether your goal is to shed a few pounds or spot-tone specific areas like your arms or torso, if you set realistic goals it's certainly doable," she writes. "The added benefit of exercise, of course, is that it's a terrific stress reliever!"
And hitting the gym is much better than going on a crash diet, according to Mindy.
"It's more important than ever at this time to eat a healthy diet, keep your energy up, and build strength to fight stress," she writes in "The Wedding Book."
She recommends a healthy diet based around high-energy food and plenty of water.
Mindy's Wedding Day Diet Tips
What should I be eating for the next few days?
"Enjoy yourself but go light on anything salty or foods that may cause you to retain water," Mindy said. "Stick with foods you have always eaten."
As for the Big Day, it's crucial to eat something, even if you're nervous.
"On the wedding day you must eat," she said. "Protein is important for your energy ... you will need to be on all day, and by not eating not only will you get a headache but the combination of your nerves and no nourishment will leave you with an awful feeling all day and night."
Mindy suggests cereal, yogurt or scrambled eggs for breakfast ("Stay away from juice," she writes in "The Wedding Book," "which is high in acid and can irritate a butterfly-laden stomach."
And make sure that you have a water glass next to that champagne flute.
"Hydrate all day," Mindy said. "Yes, you will be going to the bathroom, but the water will not only be good for your insides but will make your skin look dewey and fresh."
Also, a key piece of advice for brides who have butterfingers in addition to butterflies, like me:
"This should go without saying, but just in case: Eat before donning your wedding gown," she writes. "And keep food and beverages far away from wedding clothing hanging in different parts of the room."
The 30-Day Wedding Countdown
Day 30: What's the proper invitation response etiquette? CLICK HERE to find out.
Day 29: What are Mindy Weiss' top 10 tips for the final month before your wedding?CLICK HERE for more.
Day 26: Great gift ideas for bridesmaids, groomsmen and other attendants, and how much you should spend. CLICK HERE to read.
Day 25: Seating chart strategy. CLICK HERE to read.
Day 24: Little things that make a big difference on your Big Day, from eating lunch to saying thank you. CLICK HERE.
Day 23: Juggling wedding planning with work, without losing your mind. CLICK HERE.
Day 22: Planning your wedding day timeline. CLICK HERE.
Day 19: Unique guest book ideas. CLICK HERE.
Day 18: Gifts for the bride and groom to buy for one another. CLICK HERE.
The 30-Day Wedding Countdown
Day 17: Tips for the photographer. CLICK HERE.
Day 16: Advice on toasts and speeches at your wedding. CLICK HERE.
Day 15: The Big Dance on the Big Day. CLICK HERE.
Day 12: Finding the perfect dress and getting it altered. CLICK HERE.
Day 11: What should be in every bride's emergency kit. CLICK HERE.
Day 10: Mindy's answers to readers' questions. CLICK HERE.
Day 9: The budget and the band. CLICK HERE.
Day 8: Happy Mother's Day to the mother of the bride. CLICK HERE.
Day 5: Honeymoon help. CLICK HERE.
CLICK HERE to visit Mindy Weiss' website.