Sleep.

In the midst of wedding planning I know that sleep can fall by the wayside. Sleep is easily in the top five – for important ‘must do’s’ to maintain a healthy lifestyle while preparing for your wedding. Yet it is so easy to stay up late working on your programs or researching inspiration for your big day.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

Make time to sleep! Close your wedding binder, turn off the TV and REST! Find time to do activities unrelated to your wedding that you enjoy. Start shutting down all electronics about 30 minutes before you want to go to sleep and get in a routine. Find an activity such as reading, or simply talking 30 minutes prior and just calm down. Don’t sit and talk about the wedding or your day that might stress you out, but spend some time winding down! It may sound crazy, but remember when you were 8 years old and you had a bedtime? Don’t underestimate the power of a bedtime! Give yourself a bedtime and stick to it for two weeks. You will be surprised how quickly that bed time will become habit and you will quickly increase on your overall hours of sleep a night!
Sweet Dreams!

Source: Harvard Health Publications

Engagement photos are always some of my favorite.  There is an excitement surrounding them, and a feeling of relaxation while flipping through the photos.

This session is so important because it allows you to get to know your photographer, and for your photographer to pick up on cues from your personality to bring out your energy in the photos.  Think of the engagement session almost as a practice session for the big day.  You are learning how your photographer shoots, his style and mannerisms – while he is learning what makes you and your fiancé laugh, smile, and take great photos.

Spend the day somewhere that reflects your relationship whether it be the city you live in, the city you got engaged in, an old college you both attended or where you first met.  If your photographer allows it – bring a couple of different outfits so you can have formal and casual photos.

Schedule your appointment now… and have fun with them!

Source: Rich Weddings

Drinking water has so many fabulous impacts on you as a bride-to-be.

1. Weight Loss – It only makes sense, when you are drinking water, you are not drinking other high calorie drinks.  It is easy to drink a day’s worth of calories with soda, smoothies, coffee and juices.  Once you replace these drinks with water you will be amazed at how easily the pounds go down.  Also, much of the time we think we are hungry we are only thirsty. Always keep a water bottle with you and refill it regularly.  Keeping a steady flow of water in you will keep you from eating less often.

2. Clear Up Complexion – Water will help carry healthy nutrients to your skin and flush the body internally, acne breakouts are less likely to occur due to toxin release through your skin.  You won’t see results overnight, but after a week or two of reaching your water goals you will see an improvement.

3.  Energy – Water will help keep you energized throughout the day. Much of your body is made up of water and keeping it hydrated will in turn give you more energy for daily workouts.  Water also helps prevent muscle cramps, lubricate joints and maintain muscle tone making your workouts more enjoyable.

4. Cleanses Your Bod – Water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues. Water helps with digestion and keeps most of the bodily functions working properly.  Keeping them fueled with H20 will ensure no uncomfortable body issues on wedding day.

5. Cures a Headache – Whether your headache is stress related, hormonal, or sinus related, water is an easy cure for all of them. Before reaching for a few Tylenol try drinking some water first and see how you feel.  Many headaches are a side effect, telling your body that you are dehydrated.

Suggestions to Help Increase Your Intake

- Always carry a water bottle with you

- Schedule workouts – you are more likely to drink water while exercising

- Track how much water you drink per day, creating a tracking form will keep it in the front of your mind

- Purchase a water purifier to help the water taste its best

- When you go out to eat make it a habit to always order water.  Restaurants will keep refilling your drink, so you could drink a lot of water or a whole lot of soda pop!  Keep it clean with water!

- Discover how you like to drink your water, surprisingly many people will only drink water if its ice cold, or at room temperature – find the way you like it and drink more of it!

Source: Sierra Blanco Photography

Shoes, a vital accessory to some girls’ overall attire. Hours spent shopping, hundreds of dollars spent on the perfect stilettos, to make you strut your stuff in just the right way!

Did you spend the same time and energy shopping for your bridesmaid’s shoes as you did your own? While shopping for the bridesmaid dresses did you have the perfect shoe envisioned with the dress to complete the outfit and encourage each gal to purchase it?

If you read my previous post about pre-wedding showers at onewed you would know my stance on controlling costs when it comes to your bridesmaids. I believe you have to prioritize what is important to you and ask your bridesmaids to spend money accordingly. For instance, if you are stuck on having your bachelorette party in Vegas – that is a plane flight and an expensive weekend that your girls are willing to pay – but maybe try to save them money on the dress and shoes. On the other hand, if you are a shoe girl, which I know many are, have a local bachelorette party (equally as fun) and have your girls splurge on the shoes to complete the outfit.

Another big consideration is who you pick to be in your wedding and what they are comfortable wearing. My five foot friend will not be comfortable in flats, while my 5′9 friend will feel awkward in 5 inch heels. If you are getting married outside, heels will make your walk down the aisle a bit wobbly. Be realistic when planning the shoe attire! (Realistic doesn’t mean boring!)

Finally, if shoes are not a concern to you, let your bridesmaids be comfortable and choose their own. Give them a color and let them find a style they will wear again. The variety will reflect each gal’s personality while letting them walk down your aisle in confidence.

I want to hear from you… were shoes for your bridal party a big concern or was that an item you left open for your bridesmaids to decide?