Bridal Countdown: PROJECT THIN!

3 months. 

  Three months of bridal, get fit, tan, and tone before the big day!  Why does every bride insist on losing weight before their wedding?  Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Adkins, South Beach, even the cookie diet give hope to all those betrothed to the fitted, strapless dress.  Believe me, the list of diet plans are endless and I've done them all!  In fact, this last week I created my own combination of South Beach/ popcorn/ chai tea diet.  I call it the Miami Movie Latte diet.  Brilliant. 

  In my dreams, or Marsi's World as my friends refer to it,  I will be a size 2, complete with boob job and tummy tuck.  I will pause outside the chapel door, before gliding, without jiggle, down the isle in absolute skinny perfection.  After seeing my rockin, hot bod, my sweetie will pick his jaw up off the floor, just before he faints across the alter.  Right?

  You know, it's not like our guys are Shallow Hal and haven't seen our true bodies.  I mean, I know I must look like Kate Beckinsale through those goggles but when the goggles come off Matt still loves me, for me.   Nevertheless, all confidence is forgotten when I put on that strapless dress, complete with complimentary back fat!  Back to Jillian's 30 day shred for me!  http://www.jillianmichaels.com/

 Along with Jillian's grueling work-out routine, I'm doing Zumba!  I flippin LOVE Zumba!  It's a great work-out and so much fun.  For those of you who may not know, it's a combination of Latin dance moves, like the merengue, cumbia, and salsa, along with other rhythmic dance moves.  I'm taking classes at Studio 57 http://www.studio57fitness.com/ with the talented instructors Bren,  Karen, and others.

  However, all of this exercise doesn't really matter if I continue to cheat on my diet, oh wait... I mean healthy living lifestyle program.  In 2010, diet it a bad word, but come on, really... let's just call it what it is.  Seriously, do you know of a "healthy living lifestyle program" that allows you to eat Burger King croissant sandwiches?  Yeah, me either.  But that is precisely what I did yesterday.  

Confessions of the slightly chubby (sounds better than fat) bride-to-be;

  My daughter's school is near the fitness center.  After dropping her off at 7:40, I decided to wait in the gym's parking lot until class started at 8:30.  I had my TIME mags ready to keep me occupied, and then it occurred to me.... I have panty lines.  Yep, I was wearing tights with full coverage Vicki's (Victoria Secret) briefs.  I forgot to put on the appropriate panty choice for tight clothing before leaving the house!  I didn't want to drive all the way back home  just to turn around and come back.  What's a girl to do?  I must take the panties off.... but where.  The gym wasn't open yet, my car does not have tinted windows, and there are not a lot of businesses open at 7:45 in the morning. 

  After contemplating the problem, I came up with this TERRIBLE solution.   Drive across the street to Burger King, use their restroom to change, and return to gym parking lot.  Now, I don't like using a business restroom and not purchasing something.  I think that is rude, and of course, I can't be rude.  I approach the counter to buy a bottle of water, and walked away with a bottle of water and...

a croissant sandwich.  

  OK I think, mistake made but my dear friend Natalie will meet me soon and we'll half it.  Then I ate it, ALL of it.  Immediately, I felt regret, and entered the gym with a loaded belly, a guilty conscious, and a happy heart.  Happy because I burned off the calories of the croissant sandwich in Zumba.   I'm not perfect, but I'm trying, and that's half the battle.  

Keep trying,

~Truly, Cinderella

Honeymoon Wishes

Our honeymoon is booked! I told my teenage daughter this morning and she asked, “Maui, Europe?” And I said, “Braces. No we can’t travel to Europe, we have to pay an orthodontist. Fort Lauderdale! And I’m so very excited about it!” And she replies, “Cool.”


Not quite the response I was hoping for, but what more can one possibly expect out of a teenager. At least I got a cool. Cool is actually pretty good. A nod would have translated to ok. And an “oh” would have meant no bueno. I’ll take cool. And yes, when I think Fort Lauderdale I think Golden Girls, or worse yet, Girls Gone Wild. But I think they really have spruced it up down there in the Sunshine state. I’ve been to Miami and absolutely loved it, so I think Fort Lauderdale will be nice. And how did we choose Fort Lauderdale, you ask? For all you money savvy brides out there, I’ll dish.


Like I’ve said before, we are paying for the wedding ourselves. {wedding + money= 0 honeymoon} After making our wedding plans we thought a honeymoon simply wasn’t in the budget. But we realized that we needed that time to bond, without kiddos, and relax after all the hubbub of wedding. And we knew it would be a very long time before the just two of us take a trip again. So the question became, “how can we make this work?” And if there is one thing I enjoy, it’s problem solving.


First problem solved: Free flight anywhere Southwest flies.   Matt and I both have frequent flyer miles. http://www.southwest.com/


· We want surf, sand, and sun, leaving us California or Fort Lauderdale.
· Matt called his travel agent at Drifting Sands Travel for ideas. http://www.driftingsandstravel.com/  Marianne  was wonderful and worked with us to find many great resorts with good prices.
· We booked four nights at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa http://www.diplomatresort.com in Fort Lauderdale for right around $700. FABULOUS!
· I registered us at http://www.honeymoonwishes.com/  We both have plenty of stuff, so this is a great option for guests who would like to buy us a gift. Maybe we’ll get an extra night, or amenities from our registry. Some couples have had their entire honeymoon paid for by gifts from friends and family. Super!


Honeymoon, check. One more thing we can happily cross off the list. I hope other brides on a budget will find a way to have a special honeymoon with their sweeties.


TIPS:

1. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH! You can’t just book the first thing you find; you really must shop around and do your homework. 
2. Always utilize those connections. If we couldn’t make the beach thing work then we planned on heading to a friend’s lake place for the week. She was very kind to offer it to us, and then we still could have our sand and sun. 
3. Just Ask.  Whether your speaking with your travel agent or a wedding vendor, don't be afraid to ask for a great deal.  The worst thing they can say is no.  

Most importantly, remember what matters, you’re celebrating your beginning. As long as your together, enjoying each others company, then your honeymooning. Whether that may be a beach, a city, Europe, or Maui. Happy planning,


~Truly, Cinderella 

Westin Diplomat Resort

Truly, Cinderella

I’m obsessed!  Wedding plans have taken over my life!  My poor, sweet finance’ must listen to wedding talk 24/7!  Bless his heart, he never complains and is always good to help me work through ideas.  In fact, he’s so good that after listening to me stress about all the upcoming due dates, and appointments, he customized a spreadsheet for me.  Now everything can be listed in excel in it’s proper category.  Reason 528 why I adore him. 

We have mailed the Save the Dates and now are working on invitations.  The Save the Dates turned out simply fabulous, thanks to the incredibly talented team of Matt and Katrina Ballentine.  http://www.ballentinestudios.com/  Not only did they take the engagement pictures, Matt Ballentine, talented graphic designer, styled the photo magnets.  They completed captured out nostalgic view.  Super job! 
I must share

 Our invitations have been created by another oh-so talented graphic designer, Lindsey Overman.  One Tuesday morning I shot her an email describing a bit of what I wanted.  We are marrying at the historic Little Chapel in the Woods, and the gorgeous lanterns hanging from the ceiling became my inspiration for the invitations.  After sending her pics of the chapel and reminding her of our elegant, vintage theme she shot over the most perfect invitation, all complete by lunchtime!  Incredible.  She customized a design better than I could have asked for.  This girl should have her own marketing/design firm.  Once they have been mailed I will upload a pic so everyone can see.  

And as a last order of business; last night I went to the Technorati site http://technorati.com/ to look for other wedding blogs, and I stumbled on another Encore Bride.  In fact, that is the name of her blog.  She has some great ideas and links on her blog, that I plan to pan over later. 

Truly, Cinderella

Second chance wedding etiquette

October 4th, 2010. Matthew proposed and I said yes with all my heart and soul. He is the man I should have began life's journey with long ago, and even though I made a wrong turn I'm blessed to have the opportunity to begin again at the new intersection of love and forever. On June 5th I will say I do again, but time without reservations.

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I believe encore brides want their second wedding to be perfect, all of it! Maybe even more so than other brides because it’s our “re-do.” It’s our second and hopefully for most, our last chance to get it right. Also, encore brides must be careful to keep all matters in good taste. There are just some things an older, second time bride must or mustn’t do that our younger first-timers can. Let’s discuss etiquette.

White, or not?

The predominate thinking today is encore brides may wear white if they so choose. It’s your day, and you should wear what you want. Personally, I think an ivory, beige, or champagne color is more appropriate. It appears more elegant and sophisticated for the encore bride. You want grandma saying how beautiful you look in the dress, not saying aloud “why is she wearing virgin white?” And what about the headpiece? Avoid the veil, and most certainly a blusher veil, which is a symbol of virginity. Choose instead a tiara, flowers, ribbon, or feathers….get creative with accessories for you hair!

Your names, in black and white. Should we announce our engagement in the local paper?

Yes, if you so choose. If having an engagement party wait to announce it in the paper until after the party. Typically an announcement appears two to three months before the wedding. If you, as a couple are paying for the wedding and would like to announce your engagement then go for it. Especially for the older bride with children it seems silly to write: Mr. and Mrs. Smith (parents of the bride) of anywhere, TX announce the engagement of their daughter….etc.

• Instead you may word the announcement: The engagement of Ms. Sarah Grace Smith of Anywhere, Texas to Mr. James Richard Grey of Anywhere, Texas has been announced. Ms. Smith graduated from Texas Tech University and is a market analyst with Cullin and Company. Mr. Grey graduated from the University of Texas and is a graphic designer with Cellio Advertising. A September wedding is planned.

• If you prefer a more informal announcement: Sarah Grace Smith and James Richard Grey are happy to announce their engagement. A September wedding is planned.

Last word: in the age of social networking sites a newspaper announcement is not necessary, but it’s still fun to see your name and photo in print. It’s your time to shine, embrace the spotlight!

It’s raining toasters. My friend wants to throw a bridal shower for me. Is that alright?

Yes, if you live in a different town, or have different friends, or did not have one the first time around. As long as your last shower was before Wedding Crashers became your favorite movie, you should be ok. It’s just a nice way for friends and family to honor your new beginning. And if a bridal shower seems too formal, then have a couples shower. If you have enough stuff, register for a honeymoon. There are some great sites out there.

Should I wear a condom veil?

No, but most definitely have a bachelorette party! I’m all about having a good time with friends, and what better an excuse than celebrating your new “married filing jointly” status. Maybe leave the condom veil for younger, first time brides, (still a bit tacky) and exchange for a palm wand. Spankins anyone? Kidding but seriously; we are encore brides, not nuns! Have a ball, because after all, it’s the last time you will have a bachelorette party.

Well, that is enough etiquette for one day. We’ll revisit this discussion at a later date, and until then….happy planning.

Truly, Cinderella