Post Wedding Post & Tips

So…I'm married now.  It's very strange, this whole day has been.  Not completely strange, but just a little strange.  It's like a new sense of love.  A deeper one.  Is that too much to blog about?  It started mostly at the ceremony.  The ceremony was so surreal.  No one ever tells you how surreal it is.  I don't think I've ever heard that.  It's like I was in a dream.  It was beautiful, my most favorite part.  It's just like they say...you have the most fun, it goes really fast, and the day after you debrief about all the happenings.  It was awesome, I loved it all and want to thank everyone for coming, it made it that much more special.  Thanks to all our family and friends for coming and supporting us on one of the most important days.

Ok, so…my tips post wedding.  I had these thoughts throughout the day and new I needed to post for those pre-wedding brides before I forget.

First and most importantly, know that things will go awry…really awry.  The week of my wedding I pinched a nerve in my foot which left me with a limp.  I got an eye infection 5 days before the wedding which made it absolutely impossible for me to wear make up in one eye.  Matt's wedding shirt got shrunk.  The restaurant decides we need to change the floor plan, party favors get royally screwed up, dealing with momzilla, girls' appointments get lossed, needless to say, I had a melt down…with my make up artist…on the way to my rehearsal dinner.  But, once I walked into the venue and saw my family and friends and then Matt's family, it immediately changed.  The point is…expect it…things will go wrong, there cannot be a perfect wedding, as far as your details go.  Remembering, the point is…and it takes work to really absorb this point, it's about the fact that you're getting married to the person you love, your best friend, and everything will work out, maybe not like you envisioned, but nobody notices those details anyways.  So letting go, really letting go and expecting the mishaps, and reminding yourself…you are getting married to your love, in the presence of your loved ones.

If you want things perfect, hire a wedding coordinator for the day.  I think it would be worth it.  I, on the other hand, did not want to pay for one, so I had my friend and bridesmaid help manage.  She did awesome, but she can only do so much as she is part of the wedding party.  So, it's nice to let friends relax and instead pay a professional and not have to worry about the day deets.

My husband's tip...that's still so weird to say..."my husband".  But, he says to try to stay within the budget and that it's just one day.  I had a great time at my wedding, so I was ok with going over the budget a bit, but we did try to stay within budget, which is nice, after it's all said and done.  He also says that it doesn't make the day any less special...to stay within the budget.

Try to absorb every minute and really enjoy it.  I remember those quiet moments with my bridesmaids, in the hotel, getting ready, and in the wine room before the ceremony.  We had a lot of time and I got to really enjoy each moment.  Again, it does go really fast as people say it does, but I just remembered trying to take it all in and now, I still remember those moments.

I would really invest in a good photographer.  A really good one...that follows you everywhere, is in your shadow, basically.  I would also hire a great videographer.  It all goes so quickly and you really don't get to see a lot of things.  I kept saying I wish I was like a fly on the wall.  With a really good photographer and videographer, I think you can be.

I would definitely go see a nutritionist a few months before your wedding day.  I had been wanting to find one and happen to get a chance 6 weeks before the wedding day and it made my wedding day perfect!  I can't tell you how many people noticed the difference it made.  It made my workouts even more effective on my physique...probably my biggest push...go hire a nutritionist!

Ok, that's it for now.  I don't want to make this into a novel.  I'll post again soon.  A few photos...starting with our rehearsal dinner.  Enjoy!

Wedding Tip #4 - Beauty Shares

Less than a month to go and it's time to start those beauty regimens!  On skin...recently, Lauren had a chemical peel done and I decided I may need one too.  I was thinking about the concept of referrals...the funny thing about them is that you don't necessarily have to get the most raving review, but you just need one, anyone, and to know someone else used them is often times good enough.  I went to the dermatologist today and I really liked her, Sonya.  She suggested I not get the chemical peel, as it's a very extreme process, but recommended I use a certain cream.  That, I really appreciated.  My dermatologist is at Bellaire Dermatology Associates.

On teeth...on occasion people comment on how white my teeth are.  I'm not in need of teeth whitening at the moment, but when I am, I usually do some minor form of teeth whitening once every 3-4 years.  Usually, I'll get a syringe of whitening gel from my dentist, as I already have teeth trays, it's $10 and works.  If you don't have trays, I find Crest white strips work well and is what Matt is doing now.  He's on day 9 and he says he can tell they are working.

On physique...I have been working with weights a lot more in general for the past year and a half.  However, I've been incorporating an extra day of cardio, weights, and high intensity training and have been getting a little more serious about my weight training.  I can definitely see some changes, small but some.  A great app I use that was introduced to me by Matt's brother is Nike Training Club.  Sometimes people ask me what I'm using during my work out, probably because they see a voice from my phone training me...NTC is all you need!  It's pretty awesome, it provides you a work out plan according to what you're looking for, getting toned, lean, strong, etc.  It's a free app  on the iphone.

On nutrition...I also hired a nutrionist.  I have been wanting to find one for some time and now just seemed like the appropriate time.  I have always felt I eat fairly healthy with more of a leaning towards a vegetarian diet.  But, to be honest, I eat whatever I want and I have always wondered what my best would be if I really tried or made more of an effort to eat right.  Since last Thursday I have been cooking like a mad woman and Matt is not complaining.  He doesn't mind being my guinea pig on trying new foods and "healthy" snacks, see picture below (protein pumpkin muffins).  I have been packing our lunches, eating every couple of hours, it's a lot of work!  Each night I find I am cooking two meals, one for dinner and one for tomorrow's lunch.  I have never been someone that enjoys cooking and I think it all stems from not really knowing how to cook.  I mean I can follow instructions, but have not been one that loves and desires to learn about foods.  This whole new cooking process has been a big effort on my part, but oddly kind of nice.  I've found that once you have some dishes under your belt, you can easily switch things around and it's not been so bad.  Mostly, I'm just motivated to see what this new style of eating is going to do for me.  I have to say, I was flabbergasted about the information about foods and the hidden fats that my nutritionist explained.  I am really excited, but mostly it's all fun.  I now have to eat 5 meals a day, most main meals must contain protein.  Today, I made egg salad sandwich and it was actually pretty good.  I'm feeling a lot more firm, maybe even a little smaller.  I have a second visit in 2 weeks, it will be interesting to see if there is any change, at least on paper.  My nutritionist is Keith Klein.

Just a few tips I can share about what I have incorporated in my diet is cook all my own meals, cut out the oil, do a lot of baking, add protein in each meal, add mid morning and mid afternoon snacks daily, and drink more water.  Ok, that's it for now, got to go make my veggie drink!

M+S Wedding Tips - #3 Tradeoffs

The weather is just beautiful!  Days like this get me into the holiday mood.  There's just something really romatic about this time of the year.  Janice and I went by Liscomb yesterday and they already had holiday candles out!   I love the holidays, but I also like to enjoy each month's festivities.  We're in October and to me that means, I still have 2 months of wedding planning, yay!  Thankfully, my bridesmaids are really helping with a lot, so I have very little stress.

Now back to wedding talk...early on, I realized you can't have everything.  I received so many tips from married folks, who are so great at helping and giving really useful tips...but something I just learned on my own is that you really have to prioritize early on what is most important to you.  We talked about 3 things we each felt were important to us.  Combined they were, we would have a spectacular time, that our guest would have a great time, and that the wedding would be beautiful...ie, the atmosphere.

From the very beginning we had some difficulties staying within our budget so that our guest would have a great time, like increasing the alcohol budget, entertainment budget, etc.  Trading off the band for the dj was a big hurdle for me.  But, in the end, it was either the band and some other high ticket items, or we get married next year.  That just seemed ridiculous, so we made the tradeoff and now, it's not really a big deal anymore.  I think once you start letting go a little bit in exchange for what you really want...it makes your decision making a little bit easier.

Something a few married folks said to me was, "it's just one day".  That is probably one of the wiset things I've heard.  You often think, well this is my wedding day!  And that's normal.  One time, we were fitting Matt's son for a tux and Ethan said, I don't like that...and Matt put his hands on Ethan's shoulders and said very nicely, "son...this is my day, you will wear what I tell you to wear."  I thought to myself...even men think it!  Anyways, on getting together with one of my married girlfriends, now with a second child, said that she couldn't remember a lot about her wedding anymore, and that day just seemed so unimportant given the stage of life she was in now and that spoke volumes to me.

Before, I really cared about the details, and I still partly do.  But, I'm getting to the point where I'm just like...I don't care if this is a typical wedding or if people are bored to tears, let's get this over and done with!  So, what I'm saying is, yes it's your wedding...it's your day...it's finally here...but again, it's just one day and after some time, you won't even care about all those things you swear you thought you were going to include in your wedding. 

Oh, one more thing, DIY (do it yourself) projects...unless you're saving a ton of money, I would highly recommend you not consider doing these projects, unless you're a master at crafts.  Often times, I am finding you do not save that much money, from the time and effort that goes into putting the pieces of something together, getting all the necessary pieces, paint, etc...it's just not worth it!  Just buy it.  Unless...you are saving quite a abit of money...whatever that is to you.  To me, saving $100 on a card box may be worth it, but saving $30 is not.  And sometimes, the work that goes into it, really is just a pain in the butt...to me, definitely not worth it.  But, I had to fail at a few projects to realize this.

Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Macy's, Payless Shoes, Nordstroms, Minted, and Etsy have been awesome places to shop at!

Purchased - Vintage Ball Mason Jars from Etsy

DIY - card box (supplies from Hobby Lobby & Home Depot)

DIY - Ring box (supplies from Michael's & Home Deopt)

Purchased - Table no (supplies from Michael's & Home Depot)