Weddings

7 TIPS FOR GETTING INTO WEDDING SHAPE | Part 2

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Hey everyone! He is the continuation of "7 TIPS FOR GETTING INTO WEDDING SHAPE" for you to enjoy! If you missed Part 1, it's in an earlier blog post. Enjoy the read!

4: Hold yourself accountable:

Make sure when you start any new diet and exercise program that you keep track of your progress and keep up with writing in your fitness journal if you start one. Keep track as to what you eat every day. They even have apps for these things now, but I like the idea of writing notes in my phone or on paper. There’s no need to download another app that’ll take up space on my phone and it gets the job done. Remember, holding yourself accountable means acknowledging when you have an “off day.” If you ate an extra slice of pizza or drank a soda when you knew you shouldn’t keep track of that. If your goal is to look and feel your best know that the power is in your hands. Whether you lose 5 pounds or 50 lbs. before your wedding mental clarity is important. Know that you hold the key to a healthier life, and your success depends on yourself at the end of the day.

 

5: Don’t be afraid to ask for support:  

You are responsible for your own weight loss journey, but when you join a group or work out with a friend it does help the process for many people. Your friends and family may have the same reservations as you do when it comes to starting a new routine. Find someone you trust to workout with you and help each other achieve goals. Sometimes having someone in your corner helps the process. Better yet, see if your significant other wants to join a program with you. It could be a way to get even closer before the big day!

 

6: Don’t be afraid of failure:

Stick to your diet as much as possible. Eat vegetables daily and eat lean meats or go vegetarian temporarily if you can. Never beat yourself up about the occasional cheat day. We all have our moments. You might be surprised to learn that the body does well when put into shock every occasionally. If you’re eating a strict diet of nothing but vegetables and lean meat and you have a night where you eat a cup of low fat ice cream it’s not the end of the world. In fact, it may give you a small boost in your metabolism. Just do not let that one night a week be an everyday habit.

 

7: Get a trainer if you can:

Sometimes having a workout buddy is good for motivation but when you get closer to the big day you may need a little extra help to get down those extra pounds. When working out on your home or with a friend isn’t enough you may need the assistance of a professional. Finding a trainer may seem like a difficult task, but I find that word of mouth is the best thing. Make posts on Facebook, check websites, or go to your local gym for the perfect trainer. Many will offer your first session for free or half off so deciding on who will work best with you is mostly affordable and easy!

Remember, trainer or not muscle is denser than fat, so you've most likely turned some fat into lean muscle (no matter what the scale says)b by your wedding day, if you’ve stuck with some workout regime. Visualize yourself coming down the aisle in the best shape ever and don't give up! Even if you haven't lost weight, you should be seeing some results in your muscle tone by the time you get to your big day.  

Thank you, Katrina, for the amazing information! For those interested in contacting Katrina, her information is listed below :)

8 Tips To Keep Within your Floral Budget For Your Wedding

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Wedding Floral | Not Just The Bouquet Anymore

Happy Monday everyone! We know Monday's have the potential to be a drag so here's a blog post, written by the amazing Kelly Dixon of Union Blooms Floral to brighten up your day :)

This will be Part 1, so be sure to check back to see more tips from Kelly!

Wedding floral is one of the items for any wedding that sets the tone, theme, colors, and what can be one of the most budget killing expenditures for any budget.  As a floral designer, who specializes in weddings and events, here are tips for how to keep within budget while getting the look you want as well as what to ask your florist and my tips for making sure your day goes as seamlessly as possible.

1.     Use Pinterest to find the overall look you want.  But only use Pinterest as a guideline.  That huge hydrangea and rose covered arch you’re looking at may be out of your budget, but it’s the general look you want. That cascading bouquet with Phalaenopsis orchids may be stunning but is it the flower or the overall look you like?

Wedding Floral

I tell all my clients to bring photos of ideas they like to a consultation.  Why? It allows me to see what their overall vision is and how to tailor it for their particular budget.

2.     Once you find the look you want and decide on colors, STEP AWAY from Pinterest.  After you have made your final decision it can cloud the overall look with multiple new photos being sent to your floral designer, leaving he/she questioning the notes they took at your consults and culled from your emails and phone calls.

There will always be a new trend, a new color palette, but feeling confident in your final choice is important for the outcome to be as close to what you envisioned.   

Bridal Bouquet

3.     The MOST important part of your wedding floral is the bridal bouquet.  Why? It will be in nearly every photo of the bride.  A breakdown of your proposal per cost should show the bridal bouquet being a pretty hefty part of your proposal costs.  A good designer will know that this is the “showstopper” piece and the most attention needs to be put on the bridal bouquet.

Many times, I have had clients who said they wanted a small bouquet. Happily, I will accommodate that request with varied responses on the day of the wedding as the bride wishes her bouquet was bigger and more elaborate.  It is frustrating for a designer to spend hours if not days working on a wedding to find a client who is not as pleased with their decision.

4.     Listen to your designer.  It’s 100 degrees in August and you want tulips and hydrangea.  You’re insisting on those two flowers, your designer is begging you to reconsider.  There is a reason for this.  Designers spend a lot of time designing your pieces, whether they be the personal floral, ceremony floral or reception floral.  They know in August, tulips will be dead by the time the wedding starts and the hydrangea will look like something left over from the week before.  Designers know what flowers will do well in what situations. Listen to their advice to help alleviate wedding day disappointment.

Wedding Floral Crown

Case in point.  One of my first weddings, yes, in August, and yes she insisted on red tulips.  Not only was the cost higher as they are out of season, I knew her venue, which had no air conditioning, would not be a good fit for her desired tulips.  I showed her red garden roses, dark red standard roses, and still, she held fast to the red tulips.  While the assembly looked good, the outcome was a huge disappointment.  Sitting in a church for 2 hours before the ceremony with no air conditioning the tulips were fully open and petals falling by the time the ceremony started.  Her bouquet? It was nearly dead by the end of the ceremony.  She was upset, she was angry.  While I fully understood her disappointment, I only redirected her to the countless emails with the flower options and me as the designer begging her not to use the tulips and the reasons why.

Kelly Dixon | Union Blooms Floral

Info@unionbloomsfloralweddings.com | www.unionbloomsfloralweddings.com