Well I am super excited my Bridal Planning Workshops are here and ready to go! I can’t wait to start and help newly engaged brides to be to plan and create a fantastic wedding day which is true to them and on budget!

I was being asked so many questions about wedding planning, things like how do we set our budget?  What do we book first? What should we do tackle first? That I thought why not create a special course where you can come and spend a fun and practical morning or afternoon with me learning how to plan your perfect day.

Weddings are a huge investment (the average being £20,000!). For an investment that size my course is an affordable, fun easy way, to gain expert help and guidance.

You’ll learn to create the wedding of your dreams, which is personal to you and your budget. If you are a follower of The Wedding Genie you know it’s not the amount of money you spend it’s how you spend it! It’s creating a wedding that has your stamp all over it without stress or anxiety.

I definitely believe that you can save at least three times the money you paid to come on our course. Once you know the inside tips and tricks to saving your budget will stretch further than you thought.

Here is a list of what’s included:

• Choosing your Venue – so important to your dream day.
• Theme and Styling – lots of brides are really daunted by this. We make it simple.
• Money saving tips! – Insider tricks to help get what you really want.
• Choosing and Managing Suppliers – wow the paper work! Let’s make it simple.
• Negotiating to make savings and add more value to your package or service.
• Wedding Etiquette – Many people have parents who are divorced and don’t know how to handle this.
• Top tips for a stress free wedding day – Brief your bridal team to help your day run like a dream.
• Q&A session. Ask me anything you like and chat to other brides just like you.

On top of all that I guarantee it will be fun, not a stuffy boring seminar but an inspirational few hours spent talking about what you love the most – Your Wedding Plans!

Take Home a Wedding Genie Goody Bag which includes:

• A CD that with everything we talk about. It’s a mini wedding planning software package.
• An Interactive Budget Planning Spreadsheet.
• The Wedding Genie, insider tried and tested supplier list.
• Top Ten Wedding Planning Tips.
• Inspirational Web Sites for great ideas.
• Handbag planner to use to check you are on track with your all important tasks.

The first course is on the 24th October from 10am till 2pm at The Ramada Hotel Birmingham North. Afternoon tea and refreshments are provided as part of the price too, so bring your Mum, bridesmaid’s or best friend. Hey your groom might even want to come! More men are helping out with the planning these days.

The cost is £75 or £120 for two. To book a place click here. If this date does not suit you then email or call me and I will update you with other dates in the pipeline.

Competition!

The Wedding Genie is always looking at ways to help, what better way than to give away a pair of tickets to our first workshop? Click on this link and send me your details and mention that you are interested in the workshop. If you are the lucky winner I will be sending you an exclusive invitation for you and your bridesmaid, Mum or best friend.

I look forward to hearing from you and if you want to ask me anything about the course just call me.

Well I think I have found the perfect answer. Arian Goldman of Two Birds has designed the perfect solution. It’s one dress that can be wrapped around the body, using the shoulder ties, to flatter all body types. It comes in two sizes 4-18 and 18-22. A bridesmaid dress that is incredibly versatile, affordable, available in eighteen different colours and can be worn in fifteen different ways with various lengths.They will even colour match for you for a little extra on the price. Another added advantage is that there are no alterations! How hard is it get your bridesmaids in one place for fittings.

The Two Birds name came about because the dress is perfect for formal and evening wear. There are three different styles to choose from.

The material is of a very high quality and does not cling to the body. I certainly wish I had found these when I was getting married. Yesterday I met a lovely bride who was having five bridesmaids. The logistics are getting them all together on the same day is hard enough, but trekking around many shops to try and find the right styles for everyone can be very time consuming. You really have to do your research thoroughly to ensure you find what you want in one day. I speak from experience of being a bridesmaid early this year. It was quite a task and in the end we had to have dresses made for each of us.

You can also buy wraps to match in case its a little chilly on the day.

I understand it may be tricky wrapping these dresses correctly, but there are plenty of videos on line which show you exactly how to do them. Its a perfect opportunity to get a night in with your bridesmaids for a practice session. Happy bridesmaids makes for a happy wedding day. No one wants to wear a dress they feel uncomfortable in. The growing trend nowadays is for the bridesmaids to pay for their own dresses, this way you can be sure of a dress that can be worn many times after the wedding and one that can be adapted depending on the occasion. Check this out, to learn all you need to know.

If anyone has bought and worn these dresses please let me know the experience you had with them. The prices are from £200 – £300 and there is a store in London in Notting Hill which you can visit by appointment. If you like this advice why not book a place on our Bridal Workshops? You will learn all my insider tips and advice so that you can create and plan your perfect wedding. Call me for a chat if you want to know more.

Until next time, happy planning.

There are many wedding blogs out there that are inspirational, but some of the best are written by brides to be themselves! When you start to think about planning your wedding it’s a huge task and who knows where to start? It’s not like all your friends are getting married at the same time, so sometime’s there is no one to talk to or bounce ideas off or ask for advice. What better way than to make a diary of your wedding journey and share it with like minded brides. Suddenly you are not alone and its a chance to share your creativity and unique ideas to help other brides in your position.

I found Purple and Pearls quite a while ago, it’s written by the very creative and talented Laura Francis and I was hooked. Not only is it a pretty site to surf around but its funny, inspiring and written from the heart. It gives a fabulous insight into wedding planning and shows how you can make your mark on your dream day without breaking the bank.

There are lovely ideas and images to help inspire you, I love looking around myself, I particularly like all the posts relating to the Candy Tables. I am often intrigued why brides to be start a blog and what they get from it, I asked Laura a few searching questions and she did not disappoint.

What Made You Start Purple and Pearls Blog?

Purple and Pearls started out as a way for me to document my time as a bride to be.  I’ve always kept diaries and essentially that is what Purple and Pearls is.  It’s my online diary, I want to be able to look back in years to come and remember every detail about planning our wedding that I know I could easily forget.

What do you think you give to other brides who are planning their weddings?

I’m a DIY bride.  Anything I make myself, like my chalkboard heart place cards, invitations, candy table signs and wine charm favours, I write about and explain exactly how I did it.  I’ve had quite a few comments from other brides-to-be about how easy the projects I take on look and have been inspired to have a go themselves.

I’m also very honest, it’s not always rosy in the run up to the wedding and things do get stressful.  I share my concerns, worries and mistakes (such as the spelling error on my invitations I noticed just days before they were due to go out!)

I don’t get paid for writing Purple and Pearls either, I have no sponsors which means any recommendations I make for suppliers are based purely on my own opinions and experiences.

Laura’s gorgeous chalk board place cards

Wine Charms to match Laura’s theme

How has it helped you?

I enjoy writing Purple and Pearls so much.  It keeps my thoughts in order; I write a monthly countdown post with jobs that I need to do in the up coming weeks, which helps me keep track of what I’m suppose to be doing.  It’s also put me in touch with other brides who write their own blogs and lots of different wedding industry professionals.  I feel like I’m part of a little community and if I need advice, suggestions, support or even just a chat there is always someone around either to comment on the blog or on Twitter to talk to.

Do you think your wedding will be different because of it and have you learned loads about the wedding industry?

Writing Purple and Pearls has made me more aware of other blogs written by suppliers, other brides and industry professionals.  I have 100’s of different blogs in my Google Reader and they have definitely opened my eyes.  Starting out I didn’t know that I could break away from the more traditional side of the wedding industry, I didn’t know that I didn’t have to have sugared almonds as favours and I’ve learnt that it’s ok to make our wedding day reflect our personalities.  I’ve been inspired to create details myself, which means certain aspects of our wedding will be unique to us and hopefully our guests will appreciate that too.

I wouldn’t say that I’ve learnt loads about the wedding industry, but I have met (online and in real life) some fabulous wedding professionals who have all helped me out in some way.

Laura is using the shots from their engagement shoot for their guest book.

If you have what are the good things and what are the bad?

Getting to know the wedding industry has made me realize how much choice there is, there are so many different ways you can personalize your wedding day to suit you.

I’ve also learnt to shop around; unfortunately a few suppliers find it acceptable to up their prices just because it’s a wedding.  Throughout my planning I’ve learnt to compare prices and do a lot more research before committing to a service.  For example I saved over £200 on our wedding flowers because I didn’t settle for the first quote I received.

Having said that all of the suppliers involved in our wedding day are wonderful – it was one of our requirements during the planning process for us to get on with our suppliers.  There is nothing better than your florist or cake maker to be just as excited about your wedding as you are!

Its good to hear that. Suppliers should be interested in your wedding just as much as you are. It’s one of the traits that we like to know a supplier has before they go onto our Wedding Genie recommended list. Quality and good service are a given if you use any of The Wedding Genie suppliers. Many of our brides are just like Laura. They want us to help their day go exactly as they planned. Leaving them to enjoy every minute knowing someone they trust is looking out for all their little details.

Well I for one can’t wait to see the gorgeous wedding that Laura paints such a beautiful picture of on her blog. I will post it on my blog if Laura doesn’t mind, we can’t possibly not follow up this lovely story.

In the meantime if you want to know how to start to plan and find inspiration, why not book one of our new Bridal Workshops. They are fun, informative and I promise you will go home armed with all the hints tips and advice you could possibly need. You can enter our competition too for a pair of tickets to one of our classes in October or November.

Until next time, happy planning.

Hi, today I thought I would share with you one of our weddings from back in May. Wedding Genie

Ardington House has beautiful grounds and a lovely lake, the couple crosses over a delightful little bridge to get to the Island Temple where your civil ceremony is held if the weather permits. Clare and Alastair are very sporty out door people and more than anything they wanted to be married outdoors. They were going to leave the decision to me and the hotel staff as to whether the ceremony took place indoors or out. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when the sun came out and all the guests were able to meander over the gorgeous grounds to the ceremony area.

As I accompanied Clare and her bridesmaids over to the island a string quartet played in the background, it was idyllic. and so peaceful. Everyone was involved even the family dog, who was super well behaved and loved the whole celebration.

Following the civil ceremony everyone walked over to the local church and a blessing took place, with readings from Clare’s friends and family. Later the guests were served Pimms and Cider with Cassis( very popular now), which they sipped on the lawn in the sunshine. Chris and Louise from Simplicity Photography shot the entire day and were just brilliant. They blended into the background as group shots were not to be taken, well just one of the whole throng of guests. Check out Clare’s gorgeous bodice on her dress, tiara and shoes.

Alastair’s heritage is Scottish so the cape that Clare wore was made specially to reflect that, along with the favours which were scottish tablets. The menus’s, table plan and place cards were all made by Clare and matched the scheme beautifully.  In the evening the guests strolled across the lawns to the Marquee for the night time celebrations. The marquee was dressed with green sashes and table runners matching the colour scheme. Vases of lilies were placed on the tables and candles in votives arranged around them to make the whole evening sparkle.

Claire made the place names herself and everyone took them home as extra favours.

A disco was not really in keeping with this style of wedding so a Ceilidh band played all night and the guests filled the dance floor. Lovely food delights such as a chocolate fountain, a hog roast and for desert, cup cakes were served to the guests.

Clare and Alastair took dance lessons and to everyones surprise took the dance floor to commence the evenings entertainment.

Clare had all her flowers hand made to keep as souvenirs. They were stunning and accessorised the unusual wedding dress to a tee.

I will leave you with a gorgeous picture of the grounds of this venue. The staff were lovely and I have to say a huge thank you to Gareth, Linda and their staff for looking after us the whole day long. The food was delicious and nothing was too much trouble.

All that’s left is to wish Clare and Alastair a happy and blessed marriage with huge amounts of joy, laughter and happiness. If you want any help on your special day I would love to speak to you.

Until next time, happy planning.

This beauty was made by Red Floral Architecture. It looked stunning and they were provided for all the bridesmaids and the bride. Fresh flowers still made up the table and venue decor as well as button holes but these bouquets will serve as fabulous memento’s of the day.

How about this one too?

Photo by Simplicity Photography

Flowers like Lily of The Valley are so gorgeous but very costly to import out of season so why not have artificial ones made then use room fragrance to substitute the smell. A tip from the top from January Flower Magazine.

Another top supplier for unusual bouquets of this type is Button Moon based in Birmingham.

If you want to investigate further why not try buying a lovely book called Forever Flowers by Margaret Ashbourne.  Gone are the days of awful plastic imitations, it would seem your imagination is the limit. You can even personalise them with vintage brooches, even more meaningful if you have one from a relative or special friend who could not been with you on your special day.

Until next, time happy planning

You may also be interested in Part 1 of this Flower Blog

First of all try and choose flowers that are in season, they will be more cost effective. Here are a few ways that you can use flowers throughout your wedding day.

• Use them as accessories in your hair. With more brides choosing not to wear veils its great for more laid back weddings. If you dont fancy fresh flowers, they may droop a little, how about a hair corsage, try BHS around £8.00
• Flower circlets for your bridesmaids or flower girls look heavenly. Instead of the usual posy why not go for wrist corsages. Cheaper and easier than carrying flowers. This is especially good for younger bridesmaids.
• Flower pomanders are gorgeous for flower girls to carry.
• Cut down on the cost of your cake by decorating it with fresh flowers. They can be chosen to be part of your style and theme and bring a plain cake to life. The one in the picture is from M&S.
• How about a vintage style table centre. Pile up a three tiered cake stand with flowers, cakes and macaroons.
• For a winter wedding, I love this tip from Victoria Sullivan, Style  Editor of Flowers, how about using an amaryllis stem wrapped in lace ribbon.

Red Rabbit Photography Cake By M&S Photography by Mark Scott

Tip!! - Choose flowers with large heads such as hydrangeas. It will cost less as you need fewer stems but still look amazing.

How about bringing flowers into your day using your invitations. Check out Lilylou and You

Lilylou and You

Choose a floral wedding perfume, go to Jo Malone and choose from their  gorgeous fragrances such as Orange Blossom, Honeysuckle and Jasmine.

Use your flowers as thank you gifts for you guests. Potted plants last longer than bouquets. Try Marks and Spencers

Marks and Spencers

How about wearing flowers on your shoes, Emmy Scarterfield makes bespoke beautiful shoes and is about to launch her new Secret Garden Range. Until then here is an image from her current range.

• Using flowers to decorate the bride and grooms chair to make them stand out and look that bit special is a lovely idea. What about using them to decorate your wedding aisle. To reduce cost hang just dress every few chairs on the ends of the rows where you walk past. After you can move them to decorate other areas of your reception.
• Use flowers like a single rose, or sprigs of herbs laid on each ladies napkin, tie the napkins with colour coordinated ribbon and slide the flowers underneath. Its a thoughtful touch instead of favours, you can write a note to say that you would love your guests to wear them in their hair or pinned to their bag. The smell would be fab too.

Real Wedding Picture Courtesy of Flower Magazine

I hope this has given you a little flower inspiration for your wedding day. Next time we will take a look at the trend of using artificial flowers for bridal bouquets. Having seen them first hand at our last two weddings I have to say I am becoming a fan.

Until next time, happy planning.

I promised to add a little more to advice to

How about having a props box full of fun things to dress up in. This is still very popular and inexpensive. Your guests can have great fun with wigs, fun sunglasses, glow stix, false moustaches, feather boas, and home made wedding signs. You can either use disposable cameras that you can leave on the tables or put them in a lovely decorated basket near to the props. Hang a lovely backdrop, perhaps a gorgeous piece of fabric which matches your theme for the photographs to be taken against. Alternatively use a large antique mirror frame as a backdrop. You can always spray it to match your theme.

If you were to provide a digital polaroid camera then your guests can pop the photographs into your guest book along with their wishes and comments. You can also leave CD’s on the tables for each guest so that they can take their own pictures and send you them after the wedding. Alternatively your photographer can take these pictures as part of his package.

If you have a friend who is a really good singer why not ask them to sing at your wedding. We had a fabulous time singing at our wedding with my husbands cousin who is a fantastic vocalist.

For free entertainment check out university notice boards, there are often budding entertainers who need the practice and are very good. You can go and listen to them and they will even bring their equipment.

Another inexpensive way for guests to be entertained is to provide garden games for everyone to play, giant genga, or connect 4, boules, and croquet. They are very cheap to hire and if you are having a quintessentially english traditional wedding will fit in with the whole ambiance.

Write questions about you and your partner on luggage labels and put them on your tables so that your guests can see how well they know you. Its fun to ask the questions of each other and a great ice breaker. Give out a present to the table with the most answers. Table trivia is another idea but you can make up the questions yourselves, perhaps about weddings? films? whatever suits your style and personality.

At our wedding we bought a whole load of small rubix cubes for the men. The first one to match the colours won a bottle of champagne.

If you can’t afford a DJ then ask your guests in their invites to give you their most favourite dance song and a favourite smooch song. That way you can make up a play list on an IPOD composed of everyones favourites which is sure to keep everyone dancing all night long.

I thought I would make a list of entertainment just to help you think a little out of the box

• Ice Cream vans/carts
• Popcorn machines
• Candy floss machines
• Chocolate fountains with coloured chocolate, I know about purple, yellow and orange!
• Silhouettist
• HIre a music juke box for a marquee wedding
• Belly Dancers – of course depending on your theme and style
• Look alike characters – such as Basil and Sybil Fawlty to mingle with your guests
• Fireworks
• Roasted chestnuts and mulled wine
• Casino hire
• Living Statues

If money is no object lets have some fun. How about a magical dare defying colourful act from fire performers. Try www.spinoffevents.com they really have the wow factor, or Pyromania, a fantastic fire spinning juggling show choreographed to the beat of african drums. Singing waiters and waitresses. These are a delight during your wedding breakfast. You guests have no idea who they are until they start to perform. How about Poles apart, stilt performing magicians? Yes these things are a little OTT but just for a minute my imagination got the better of me.

On a serious note don’t over the do the entertainment, your guests don’t want to be completely overwhelmed with activity. Choose carefully and enhance the parts of the day when your guests are left to their own devices. A wedding that is full on constantly can be a tiny bit wearing and then the entertainment is not fully appreciated.

Until next time, happy planning.

I have a treat for you today, a little break for our normal field but, if you want to get honed and toned for your big day don’t say The Wedding Genie wasn’t there to help you. Not just a whiz at wedding planning but hey I started my training today so how about you start yours!! Its simple and does not take long. Read on and go for it, we can do it together!!

Hi Girls,

Welcome to part two of how to be Bridaliscious for your Wedding day. On the last blog I gave you some tips on diet and weight loss and today I’m going to show you a quick 10 minute workout that will enhance weight loss and get super arms with my simple and effective work out.

This workout can be performed twice a day to give you a short sharp metabolic blast to keep your  body alert and responsive. We are going to work the legs too to encourage lower body tone and bring in the big guns thigh and butt muscles for the ultimate calorie burn.

So what can we use to keep it easy to perform anywhere?

1. 2  x  hand weights 2 to 5 kg or water bottles from 0.5 litres for beginner phase to 1.5 litres for weights (if no weights available)

2. A Towel or Mat.

3. A Step or Stair

4. A Stop watch or a clock with second hand.

Here you have a full body workout that should be completed in around 10 minutes.

Start slower at first with the transition from exercise to exercise, especially from the squat to the press up as a lot of energy is used here and you could feel a little breathless after.

Increase the weights and time as it gets easier performing the circuit twice for 20 minutes and maybe twice a day if you are really keen to kick that bod into Bridaliscious shape.

The body responds best to frequent changes in program or as in weight loss the progression will plateau, so seek good professional advice on how to get in shape the safe and fast way, all exercise is good for you performed in the correct technique but a lot of time can be lost if you trying to achieve specific results with little knowledge.

Have a great day and check out my website – NEW for August are 10 minute video workouts .

For more help and or information on personal training or my fitness hen party boot camps give me a call or email, Or come along to my studio in Lichfield, Staffordshire, and try the latest workout on the Gravity GTS equipment, with more than 200 multi-plane exercises to tone and sculpt you for your big day.

1. WARM UP

We need to have a short warm up to prepare the body for work. So take yourself off for a brisk walk around the house, garden using stairs and steps just to raise your body temperature for around three minutes. Then Start the Stop watch – if you are a beginner let’s work for 30 seconds per exercise. Advanced, 45. We are super setting which means no rest between exercises.

2. SQUATS

Your buttocks and leg muscles burn big calories. Feet at shoulder width while facing forward and squat down to sitting position body weight in the heels and knee tracking the third toe-and-return to the top. This will build your leg and buttock muscles. As you build up strength, try holding dumbbells in your hands while you workout. Be sure to warm up first,and stop if you notice any sharp pain in your knees.

3. PRESS UPS

Press ups can be performed against the wall, in a box position on the floor or full press up on the toes.Arms should be placed one and a half times your shoulder width apart and hands places in line with the top of the chest. Abdominal muscles pulled in, chest lifted and bring the arms down to right angle position and return to start.

4. JUMPING JACKS

Jumping jacks are an excellent whole-body aerobic workout you can do between your weights workout to keep the calorie burn high.Start with feet together then jump and widen legs feet a little wider than hip width apart. Arms can be added so making a star position each time. Perform this exercise for the 30 or 40 seconds.

5. DUMBELL PULLOVER

Lie on the Towel facing up (supine) taking one dumbbell or water bottle in two hands (choose the heavier weight for this) Start position at the bottom of the chest and then take the arms up and over the head and return to chest start position.

6. STATIC LUNGE

Start with feet shoulder width apart and take a step forward with one foot , bending both knees in this position take the back knee down towards the floor about six inches off the floor and return back to the top, repeat for half of the stop watch time then change leg to perform the exercise on the other side.

7. LATERAL RAISES

Stand with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Take a dumbbell or bottle in each hand and hands resting on the side of each thigh raise the arms out to the side together stopping just below the shoulder line. Return to the start and repeat for the desired circuit time.

8. FRONT RAISES

The same standing position as in Lateral raise but now bring the arms in front of the thigh with palms facing down. Raise each dumbbell alternatively out in front of you and return down to the thigh. Repeat.

9. BICEP CURLS

Again the same standing position as above and arms rest at the sides of the body with dumbbells in each hand, palms facing up. Raise each weight, simultaneously bending the arm at the elbow and then return to the straightened arm position.

10. TRICEP OVERHEAD PRESS

In the shoulder width standing position as before take hold of a single dumbbell with both hands and as if it were a ball, take it above the head ready for a throw. Lower the weight with both arm behind the head bending at the elbows and then straighten to complete the move. Repeat this.

11. ABDOMINAL CURL

Lying supine on the mat or towel feet on the floor hands either crossed on the chest or with bent elbows behind the head. Keeping feet down neutral spine (don’t tilt or push the pelvis up or into the floor, just lie in a comfortable position for your back) Now raise and lower the upper torso, imagine you are keeping an apple tucked under your chin to keep the head in right position.

Right then ladies no excuses for us. My sessions started today so I would love to hear how you are doing and whats working for you. Gail is going to get me fit and she can do it for you too.  Thats our body plan sorted out, how about your wedding plan? If you need help to get started with your wedding planning  just give me a call. I would love to help inspire and guide you.

Until next time, happy planning.

Since then I have recommended them to many people. Their stationery is excellent quality and you can get anything you like made to your design. Their prices are brilliant and the customer service is second to none.

Wedding Genie make a great fuss about only working with suppliers who offer the same standard of service that we do and Lilylou and You certainly fit this bill. Now in addition to sharing them with you I asked Bernie for advice on when to send your invites and what to think of when ordering them. Enjoy!

Your invitations are the first impression your guests have of your big day

The greater the impact the greater the response and general excitement among your guests in the lead up to your big day! You invitation sets the scene for the day whether it be subtle and serene or wild and wacky!

Give Your Guests Plenty of Time to make the necessary arrangements

Your guests do really make your day so give them time to make sure they can attend – post your invitations out at least three months prior to the wedding and allow your guests six weeks to reply – at Lilylou & You we make this easy by introducing RSVP postcards as standard with all day invitations.

With the above point in mind handmade stationery takes time

Allow 8 – 10 weeks from point of order to receipt of your invitations – other items can be ordered at a later stage closer to the wedding date.

Colour Matching

Our invitations are all handmade from either our own or your original designs, we are able to match any colours you would like throughout your design. Sending us a swatch of fabric or anything we can get a glimpse of colour from is a great start and helps us to create your perfect unique stationery.

I love this one, we got this for my best friends Mama Mia style wedding in Cyprus

And lastly we urge you to contact us at any time

We are always here to help with any questions you may have no matter how niggly you might feel they are. After all it is your day and it must be perfect.

If you want me to blog on anything you need information about then please let me know. My blog is for all brides who want the inside track on planning and I want it to be enjoyable, informative and above all answering the things you need to know.

Lastly I have had a flurry of enquiries in the last few days, it seems like some of you are just going ahead with a lovely wedding on the spur of the moment. If you want help to coordinate your day I have a few dates left and I would love to help.

Until next time, happy planning.

Be Realistic

What’s healthy weight loss?  One  to  two pounds per week, for a total of four to eight pounds per month. This is what can realistically be expected. Yes I know it’s not fast enough and yes the scales may sometimes show a greater loss s but body water fluctuates and waste storage etc. So you will find that over a period of a couple of months the scales will show eight to sixteen pounds loss. Mean while of course there should be no sitting about waiting for diet alone to change your shape as so often to begin with clients can’t believe that comments are flooding in from friends to them about how amazing they are looking so quickly. Muscle is dense lean tissue and needs food therefore with exercise alone the body mass will start to change.

Set A Deadline

For a healthy level of weight loss, it takes time. So if you need to lose 30 pounds? Get cracking at least six months before your wedding. For 15, you’ll need three months, and so on. Just don’t cut it too tight ,leave yourself a little  extra time so not to put yourself under too much pressure .We all can lose focus at times and might have a bad few days. So set a firm deadline, just don’t make it your wedding day. Give yourself time to really tone up and sculpt your physique to look absolutely fabulous for the pre wedding parties too.

Know What It Takes

I would recommend a minimum of three to four 30-minute sessions of cardio per week and the same amount of strength training, Already starting to panic at the thought of fitting this in to your daily schedule? Well first of all you can start by  taking three or four brisk walks around your area per week and spending at least 20 minutes doing some basic exercises like push-ups and crunches. Just try to stay active, and cut down on at least the worst of your high-calorie eating habits. If you have been a regular gym goer for a while then you will have to up the ante and take your workout up a gear.

Up The Ante

Start working a little heavier with the weights and super setting, so no rest between exercises and  varying the workouts. Remember, if you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’ll continue to get the results you’ve always gotten. Want to make more progress? Then you’ll need to push yourself a little harder.

Don’t be afraid of increasing the weight load. This is required to challenge your body and take it past a plateau and no, increased strength training does not equal a masculine physique.”

Track Your Progress

Keep track by recording your goals in a journal — having them in writing is a fantastic motivator. Keep them small and specific. Ie:
Week One: Work out at least twice and be sure to strength train; then also do cardio two times during the week for at least 20 minutes.
Week Two: Repeat your fitness regimen from week one, but add 10 minutes to your two cardio workouts. Cut out drinking alcohol during the week, and replace with more water. As you reach each goal, record it — you’ll find it’s not so tough to build on your successes.

Its for Life

You can lose weight through diet alone and there are plenty of crash ‘new diets’ that come out on a weekly basis.

Before I came into the fitness industry I tried them all too and felt the frustration / elation/frustration/elation and could not believe how simple the formula was. Healthy eating, smaller portions, eating regularly, plenty of water and good exercise programmes.

Clients often come waiting for me to consent to the latest fad diet as Mrs ?? has just lost 135 lbs on the belly buster programme in 4 weeks.

Q. Do you really want to live on a shake for the rest of your life? Can you drink alcohol and eat cheesecake with the shake like you have been for the last two years and starve yourself of water?

A: No

Then just cut out the alcohol and cheesecake from your old diet for starters!!

Protein heavy diets?? The same no alcohol and cheesecake…. amazing!!

Be sensible and realistic, make small lifestyle changes, include exercise and long after the wedding day has passed you will still be reaping the health and beauty benefits.

Most brides want to focus solely on their upper body because of their wedding gowns, but you want to work on your entire body for symmetry and a neat waist.. Remember ladies, the dress eventually comes off!”

My next Blog for Wedding Genie is going to be giving you some more nutritional tips and a simple to follow four week  exercise programme  for beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Brides to seriously maximise your metabolism and set you well on the way to looking Bridalicious.

For any more advice on Health and Fitness, or info on my Bridal fitness and Boot camp Hen and Stag parties.

Contact me on: mob:07818 492578   web:www.gailabbey.com             e:gail@sospagreece.com

Wow!! thats given me a boost, pop back on Wednesday next week for the second instalment. Keep fit is like wedding planning, you have to be organised, enjoy it and keep at it!!!

Until next time, happy planning.