The Best Bridal Diet

OK, we lied. No miracle weight-loss here.

The diet-industry is a thriving money making misconception. They know large percentages of people are emotionally distraught about our bodies- and they are willing

to capitalize on it

help. They also know that brides are prime targets. The most important day of your life is fast approaching and you want to look like a smoking hottie.

Maybe it’s those nagging 10lbs that have been plaguing you for years and maybe it’s much more. Dieting is NOT the avenue to success. We live in a society of immediate gratification and minimal effort. We want everything now and we don’t want to do anything for it. Weight-loss is no different.

So you’ve decided to do something about it. You’ve put off buying your wedding dress and desperately Googled weight loss. Hey, you’re in luck, the entire first page has miracle quick-fix promises. (Oh, and you can get rich quick from home too.) “Rapid weight loss,” “Drop pounds without exercise,” “Just eat our dinners and lose 30 lbs.” Magic. Magic. Magic. You’ve seen them all over your TV and in your email. Somewhere inside you there is an intelligent person, someone who knows better than to believe these empty promises. You’re not 5 and this is not abracadabra.

Yo-yo dieting is not only dangerous, it is counter-productive. After you come off that 6 month miracle rice-cake diet, you’ll gain even more weight back. Early married life is a whole new life to get used to. You don’t need to throw in weight gain too. So what can you do?

Weddings are stressful. Diets are stressful. This is not the time for a double whammy. Please spare your fiancé 6 months of cranky. “Oooh, oooh, I’m so glad I decided to marry this crabby woman.” It is too easy to focus your entire life on your one day vision. We know it’s the most important day of your life (it’s why we’re in business, to get you there in fabulous style). While you are planning your wedding you need to also focus on your life beyond. That’s what this is all about- a celebration of your new life together. Prepare for it too, not just for your bash.

If you want something, then go get it. Isn’t it much better to start your marriage as a healthy (albeit buff and hot) couple. It is much more beneficial to learn how to eat well and to introduce a healthy lifestyle. Do it together. You’ll keep each other accountable, you’ll stick with it and earn a hot husband too! Take up a sport together, go to the gym together, have weight lifting contests (muscles look hot and help you metabolize your food better), walk together, take a healthy cooking class (ahhh, a husband who can cook), register for healthy cookbooks from the American Heart Association and other sources (they will help you make healthy taste good). Also register for low-fat cooking items; non-stick pans, steamers, and grills (no deep fryers- it’s like ordering 10 extra pounds).

Don’t avoid food. Celebrations and our lives center on food. Everything in moderation. Don’t miss this amazing time. Celebrate it!

Resources:
American Heart Association Health
American Heart Association Cookbooks
Williams-Sonoma New Healthy Kitchen Series Cookbooks
Online Cookbook at Cooking Light
Web Md Health & Eating
Colorado Cooking Schools
Mise En Place- Denver
Cook Street- Denver
The Seasoned Chef-Denver
Come Back To The Table- Fort Collins

Make a vacation out of it
Conscious Gourmet- Across the United States
Cuisinart Resort- Anguilla




OK, now go for it. Call your fiancé and hatch a plan- then tell us about it in the comments.
We will publish your plan and your success along with wedding, honeymoon, and pictures of the two of you.
Come on, get ready to show off…

hungry for more nutritional tips and great eating habits? Click on over to Fightin Foods

Get What You Really Want

Registries are great. You know your guests want to buy you something- you don't tell them what you want because that's just rude. You tell a store and they tell your guests- somehow it's different.
Do you really want a vacuum that cleans all the way down to the carpet pad or a canister set that will never ever be as shinny as when it came?
Well look no further. We know what you really want. Fiji- Bora Bora- Paris- Why not let your friends and family pay for it?

You can register for your dream honeymoon and it's easier than traditional registries. No returns, shipping costs or duplicates (not that you'd complain) Your guests can spend exactly what they wish.
try...

http://www.distinctivehoneymoons.com/

A few tips so you come off looking like a blissful bride not a gold-digger.

Registry do's and don'ts
Do Register
Your guests want to buy you gifts and by registering, it saves your guests time from guessing what to get you and it ensures that you will not get things you don't want or need and saves time returning five of the same item!

Don't put off starting your registry
Once your family and friends know he 'popped the question', they will start preparing for the engagement party and bridal shower. You want to register up to 9 months in advance and it is never too late to register - use your registry for wedding gifts as well.

Do get the ‘word out'
Give your parents, bridesmaids and groomsman all of the details about your registry so they can start letting your guests know by ‘word of mouth'. If you have a wedding website, place your registry information on your website (don't forget to include the website address and telephone number). Use the announcement card or email service provided by your registry. Never send a registry announcement in your wedding invitation. An etiquette taboo! The one exception is the shower invitation.

Don't forget to consider more than one registry
There's no “correct” number of registries you can have. Get together with your future spouse and discuss what makes you both happy. Having a store registry and a honeymoon registry is a way to cover all the bases. Besides, it's more fun for your guest to purchase the gifts you want.

Do register for gifts in a range of prices
Registries are not only for engagement parities or showers; also use it for your wedding gifts. By having gift items in all price ranges this will ensure you don't leave anyone one out when it comes to their budget. Having a range of prices will allow guests to purchase lower price items for a shower and higher price items for a wedding gift.
Don't tell unless asked
It's plain tacky for you to tell your guests where you are registered unless asked of course

Do say thank you
Always send a hand written thank you card. Gifts received before the wedding should be sent within two weeks. Gifts received after the wedding should be received no later than 3 months after you return from your honeymoon. Don't forget to mention the gift by name.

(Do's and Don'ts courtesy Distinctive Honeymoons)

Fab Honeymoons

Need we say more...

Swept Away

Negril, Jamaica

http://www.swept-away.com/



InterContinental RESORT AND SPA MOOREA
Moorea, French Polynesia

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ic/1/en/hotel/mozpf?_requestid=314283

Just Elope Already!

An attorney suggesting that you represent yourself.

A mechanic not finding any additional problems that you need to take care of.

Paris Hilton taking responsibility for her actions.

A wedding coordinator suggesting that you elope.

“I’ll take things that will never happen for $500 please Alex.” Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

Well get ready, because you’re about to witness the final item on that list. (In related news the temperature in hell today is a chilly 32 degrees Fahrenheit with a cold front moving in tonight.)

Your vision of eloping probably includes a light up Elvis, a free Vegas buffet and disgruntled relatives. Modern “eloping” has evolved into “destination weddings”, and it’s not just a new name but a new way to look at weddings. Simply go somewhere else.

Your wedding dreams can change overnight, quickly going from: fairy tales, flowers, dreams, doves, and layers of flowing organza to pushy relatives, budget limitations, hours fighting over seating charts, details, details, details. One minute you can’t stop looking at your new 1 carat princess cut diamond and the next morning you realize you’re going to pay $120 a guest, your mother wants to invite everyone she ever knew, thinks you should hang swags of lace and have huge centerpieces of babies breath and carnations. All of the sudden you find yourself hoping that your mother won’t be offended if you throw up all over her wedding book from Michaels.

Usually brides seriously consider eloping after 6 months of planning, when they just can’t take it anymore. At that point you’re 6 deposits in and stuck with 6 more months of your mother.

While we pride ourselves in reducing your stress planning your wedding and helping you Enjoy Your Event!, there are cases where it’s just better to find an amazing resort, a gorgeous dress and buy an airline ticket. We are not counselors. Likewise if you would love to come to Colorado for your get-a-way, we would love to help.

Couples have many reasons not to elope. Let us tell you the truth…

1-The laws are too confusing. I can’t get a license.
(Thanks to about.com) just click here to find your location. You can also get all the info you need on the internet. Research has never been easier.

Bahamas Example:
ID Requirement: Photo ID such as passport or driver's license. Additionally, you will need a sworn declaration to prove that you are not married. If you are a US citizen, this can be done at the US Consul at the American Embassy in Nassau. Others can have a notarized declaration.
Residency Requirement: 24 hours for either the bride or groom. You must provide evidence of the date of your arrival in The Bahamas.
Waiting Period: 24 hours.

2- I want my family and friends to come but don’t want them there for my honeymoon!

There are many ways to accommodate this.
Island hop! There are so many great Caribbean locals close to each other, you can marry at one and stow away to another secluded spot to sunbathe and sip the week away.
Resort Hop! Marry at one resort and then move to another. Sandals, Couples, Barbados, check other all inclusives

Stay with your family and friends the week prior and enjoy a vacation with them, then plan for them to check out and stay and enjoy a private honeymoon for the next week. (Your family and friends will understand. Be honest with them about your desire to have alone time.)

3- I will feel like I didn't get a real wedding.

You do not have to have a shotgun wedding. You are simply planning a wedding in another location. It is less work, less details and less guests. All of this leads to a relaxing and memorable day of bliss.

Pick an idealic beach or a thatched hut in a tropical local or stay at one of Las Vegas’ new super hotels, perhaps get married at the Terrace at The Bellagio. Take your family to Italy. Spend a week in Colorado’s Mountains.

Do whatever you need to do to Enjoy Your Event!

Romantic Colorado Getaway

Gold Lake Resort
A YMCA camp? Yeah, really. I’m serious. Stop looking at me like that. Let me explain:

This resort used to be a YMCA camp.
Each cabin has been renovated to include log beds with feather tops, bathtubs carved out of rock, stained glass windows and the camp counselors have been removed for your enjoyment. Very cool.

As if that wasn’t cozy enough, just steps from your front door are rock hot tubs built into the side of the mountain with a view of Gold Lake. What could make this any more enjoyable? Some light snow, your man bringing you a hot cocoa by the fire that he built and then reading poetry to you. (OK so the poetry thing might be pushing it, but the rest sounds good right?) Oh, and don’t tell him that there are no TVs there, or be sure to go during a bye week.

Gold Lake Resort also boasts a Spa and Alice's Restaurant (awesome food)

It's ok if you want to sing...

"You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal, You can do whatever you feel ... "

http://www.goldlake.com/
Gold Lake Mountain Resort and Spa •
3371 Gold Lake Road, Ward, CO 80481 USA •
303-459-3544