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Monday, May 24, 2010

rsvp frustration

battle #1:

mr uva and i invited 167 people to the wedding with the hope that we would have 150 guests or fewer. with our big families, this meant that a lot of "and guests" were not included - only for those people who were engaged or living together. since invitations have gone out, i have noticed that mr. uva and i have some bold friends and family members - "can i bring my boyfriend?", "my girlfriend and i will see you in july"...seriously!? it's a little bit shocking that people would openly ask. the alternative, however, is that they might just show up at the wedding and we'll have to make room for these "and guests".

battle #2:

mr. uva and i have been engaged for over 2 years now. and the wedding date has not been a surprise. we've had july 3rd scheduled for a long while, which is why it was quite a surprise when several family members let us know that they weren't going to be coming. if 2 years isn't enough notice, i must have some seriously "in-demand" family members. i'm trying not to take it personally, but it makes me sad to know that these family members feel like they a)have more important things to be doing or b)don't feel like sharing in our big day and spending time with family is important enough for a trip to c'ville.

of course the festivities will be wonderfully fun no matter who shows up...just a little pre-wedding stress, right?

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Saturday, May 15, 2010

Bridal Detox

Recently, while perusing the usual wedding websites, I stumbled across an advertisement for a bridal detox program. It consisted of mysterious, colorful drinks, as though straight out of Alice In Wonderland, promising to decrease my dress size and weight in an extraordinary amount of time for the low price of over 500 dollars. Call me a cynic, but ads like this one immediately raise my suspicion. Is it healthy to lose a significant amount of weight in a short period of time? Must I spend so much money and consume strange, toxic-looking concoctions? I’m all for being healthy and looking great on the big day, but I don’t agree with getting so skinny that your relatives no longer recognize you.

I hate dieting. I wish I could lose my belly and tone my arms and butt by eating pasta and drinking wine. However, I’m forced to resort to exercise and…cue Jaws soundtrack…eating healthy food. I’m adapting to the first part more easily than the second. Since I was laid off, I have a bit more time for exercise and have managed to incorporate about three days of jogging, spinning, or elliptical training per week for the past three weeks. Mr. CH and I have also been working on eating smaller portions and more vegetables, a somewhat successful effort. I’ve been making us salads for dinner twice a week, mixing them up with ingredients such as dried cranberries, walnuts, blue cheese, artichoke hearts, garbanzo beans, and other items that offer a little flavor to enhance the lettuce, tomato, green peppers, and cucumbers. Now we just have to work on not consuming an entire roll of French bread with our salads!

So far, the scale isn’t telling me much but I feel better, my face looks a little thinner (that seems to be the first place I lose weight), and my clothes aren’t quite as snug as they were a month ago. Mr. CH and I signed up for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, to provide us a goal that would help motivate both of us and raise money for a good cause. Unfortunately, Mr. CH is extremely busy at work right now and he has been trapped there during lunch and late at night, which puts a damper on extra energy to go running.

A friend of mine who got in great shape before her wedding recommended Suz’s Couch to 5k running podcasts —compilations of hip hop music with a narrator who instructs you when to walk and when to run. Week one starts with short runs followed by long walks and she slowly builds you up to mostly running by week nine. I’m on week three and finding it incredibly helpful and motivating. Now I just have to stick with this!

How do you find motivation to eat healthy and exercise?

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Tuesday, May 11, 2010

BRIDES Magazine- June Issue






Check out these highlights from the June issue of BRIDES magazine, on newsstands TODAY:


Check out the new look of BRIDES: The editors have given the magazine a little mini-makeover this month. Look out for new typefaces and layouts—as well as an updated voice that looks at a wedding as both a modern celebration and a timeless ritual In our updated Buzz section, you’ll find all kinds of timely and seasonal information – this month, it’s nail polish that smells like bubble gum, a Lady Gaga-inspired wedding dress, and more (p 57 – 66)



The editors of BRIDES (and our readers!) tested products galore in the BRIDES 2010 Beauty Awards to find the best brands to give any bride that wedding-day wow factor. We feature the top honors in makeup, hair, skin and fragrance (p 101)

We tell you how to have no regrets on your wedding day: Real brides share their wedding mistakes – so brides-to-be can have a regret-free day (p 116)

You wouldn’t believe the wacky things you can rent for your wedding day – hot-dog cart anyone? Check out our fun list of things that can spice up your special day (p 120)

BRIDES has great ways to celebrate your wedding at any age – from dresses, to beauty tips and planning advice (p 180)

Enter our BRIDES Operation Dream Dress contest: Create America’s most beautiful wedding gown. Submit a sketch of a wedding dress that illustrates this year’s “cutting-edge classic” theme and you could win $10,000 and will see your dress on the cover of BRIDES, and sold nationwide by David’s Bridal. Visit OperationDreamDress.com to enter (p 34)

For these stories and more, check out the June issue of BRIDES, on newsstands May 11