Playing with my new nephew.

Baking Yummy Cookies.

Walking along the lakeside with my wonderful husband.

Going to Cubs Games.

Beaching it.

Hanging with my loving family.

Spreading Hearts.

Making BIG Plans. More to come on this one!

Stick with me as the summer ends and I catch you all up on the trends, tips and details that shouldn’t be missed.

What have you been up to this summer ?!

Tip :  A simple way to make your back look instantly more defined and confident is to stand tall and hold your shoulders back. You will be surprised how quickly posture improves your overall appearance (you can instantly look skinnier by simply standing straight up!)  This is written for all of my brides out there who sit at a desk or hunch over for 8+ hours of the day.  I challenge you to constantly self correct yourself pulling your core tight, shoulders back and sitting tall through your day.  It is vital for you to add exercises into your routine which work your back muscles and strengthen your core to help improve your posture.

Here are a couple of my favorite back exercises:

Birddog – Begin on all fours on your yoga mat. Slowly extend your opposite leg and arm and tighten your core to help you balance. Lift your arm and leg up high and then lower them back to where you started. Alternate with your right arm/left leg and left arm/right leg.  Complete 15 lifts on each side. Keep your head facing down in order to keep your spine in a neutral position.

Y, T and I Raises - This is a great move for beginners and can be done simply on a yoga mat (as shown below) or on a stability ball or bench.  You want to use your core and back muscles to lift your torso off the floor and raise your arms to make a Y shape.  You may also bring your arms straight to your side to make a T shape, or directly forward to make an I with your body.

Inchworm – You will get a full body workout with this move. Begin in a standing position and bend over so your hands are on the ground.  If you aren’t flexible yet bend your knees slightly, but begin working to where you can keep your legs straight when you bend over. Next, walk your hands out while keeping your legs as straight as possible until you are in a full plank position and hold for a 1 – 2 second count.  Walk your arms back in towards your legs and return to a fully standing position.  Repeat 10 – 15x.

Pull-ups - Pull-ups are a more advanced move and you will need to work up to where you can do an unassisted pull up.  They take a lot of back strength but are a great way to add definition to your back.  I suggest using an assisted pull up machine at your gym or finding a trainer or strong friend to hold your feet and help give you resistance while you are learning.  With an assisted pull up machine you are able to control the amount of weight which is helping you, slowing decrease the weight as you continue to practice these.

Lat Pull-downs are a great way to start building up that back strength you will need to complete the above pullup. Sit down on the machine facing the weights, brace your core and pull down on the bar towards your chest. Complete 12 – 15 of the pull-downs at a weight where that last repetition is a struggle for you to complete.

By strengthening your back you will improve your posture and set yourself up for less injuries in the future.  Oh wait, you will also look FABULOUS in your wedding dress while you are standing in front of 150 of your friends and family members. Hit the gym and start working in some of these back exercises to your routine. If you have any questions on proper technique please email me or ask a personal trainer at your gym.

What is the main muscle group you are working on for your wedding?

Now it is Anita’s turn to give away all of her favorite things.  Anita is an officiant here in Chicago and has seen numerous brides walk down the aisle and knows  what it takes to plan and prepare for a wedding. Her blog AnitaWeds is giving away a package of great wedding goodies.  There is still a week or so left to enter and I think all of you should check out the site and put together a short paragraph about how your wedding is going to be unique to YOU! Enter by Monday January 31st and let me know if you win! i would love to read your entry you send in!

Good Luck!

Recently I have heard more and more surrounding pre written – fill in the blank thank you notes. I understand the thought process on why these cards began, it is hard  to keep track of the million of things to do in addition to the 200+ thank you cards you are writing for all the great stuff you received as gifts. What I have a hard time understanding is how in deciding what your priorities are, items such as finding the perfect garter, or getting your dress cleaned weeks later can be more important than thanking those most important to you

Etsy

Not everyone will share my outlook on these non-personal thank you cards.  It is truly an opinion of priorities and how you choose to organize them.  I will say receiving a pre written card is better then sending no thank you card at all!

What do you think?!  How important are thank you cards in the big picture of your wedding?

]]> http://www.bubblybride.com/blog/2010/10/fill-in-the-blank-thank-you-notes/feed/ 4 http://www.bubblybride.com/blog/2010/09/to-clean-or-not-to-clean/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=to-clean-or-not-to-clean http://www.bubblybride.com/blog/2010/09/to-clean-or-not-to-clean/#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 02:53:04 +0000 bubblybride http://www.bubblybride.com/blog/?p=3838 I am curious to find out the percentage of brides who professionally cleaned their dress and the percent of brides who still have their dress in the original state from the wedding day.  I will be honest, I had all good intentions for my beautiful wedding dress post nuptials, but I didn’t plan accordingly. After the honeymoon we quickly moved to a new city, moved into a new apartment and changed careers.  Long story short, weeks quickly turned into a months … and embarrassingly enough 2.5 years later my dress still hangs proudly in the closet.

Leave comments and let me know what you think. Is it worthwhile to clean your dress? How did you  plan ahead to ensure it made it to the cleaner? Was your dress cleaning an afterthought or pre planned? What was your main incentive to have your dress cleaned?

I LOVE these city shots and for all of you brides who live in Chicago, I hope you all are taking advantage of what a wonderfully diverse city we live in and start getting creative with your photo shoot locations!

I 

Source: SB Childs Photography

Enjoy the photo videos, I did!

Allison & Jared are Getting Married!! Save the Date!! Engagement Photo-Shoot. from Thomas Marlow on Vimeo.

Amy & Abe – Love & Cookies – Engagement Session from Thomas Marlow on Vimeo.

Source: Brian Dorsey Studios

Leave a comment, I want to hear why or why you don’t keep the wedding invitations of your friends and family members!

What’s your story?!