Welcome to my bridal blueprint!
Having been through this entire process myself, I know firsthand what you’re going through right now, and I’m here to help you every step of the way.
In this blueprint, I’ll be sharing exactly what I did in the lead up to my wedding to not only achieve the physique results I desired, but to ensure that I enjoyed every moment of the lead up, the day itself, and of course equip me with the skills to enjoy my mini-moon and every day after.
I hope this helps you on your journey to making your bridal dreams a reality. If you find this useful, please share it with other brides-to-be so we can support others on their journey.
Dieting expectations for Brides
Before I jump into my goals and everything I did for my wedding, I want to touch on the topic of dieting for brides briefly.
84% of brides say that they feel pressured to lose weight for their big day. Whether your goal is to diet, or change your physique in any way, its super important that you are doing this for you, and no one else.
You should love your body no matter what stage of your journey you are in, BUT if you want to lose weight for your wedding - because you want to improve your long term health, feel better in yourself day to day, have more energy, and feel more confident in yourself - it’s is an incredible goal to work towards.
The problem with many diets out there (which I’ll cover off below) is they are extremely restrictive and can put your health at risk, along with zero education as to what you’re doing and why. This is where dieting can be risky, if not carefully planned and executed.
My goals for the wedding
I think every girl dreams of how they will look on their wedding day, I know I definitely did! So when it came to setting my goals for the wedding, I wanted to represent everything I am passionate about and stand for at Lifestyle Fitness Formula; strong, healthy and confident.
My physique goals were specific, I wanted to have defined shoulders, a strong back, lean arms, and as I had a dress change later in the evening (prepare for the mini!) I wanted my glutes to give me shape, and my legs to look nice and strong.
You might think that these are very specific goals, but when it comes to changing your physique, absolutely anything is possible with the right plan and support, and I achieved exactly that working with my own coach.
What I didn’t do before the wedding
Before we go in to what I did do before the wedding, I think it’s important to touch on some of the things that I didn’t do and why.
Unfortunately, I’ve worked with many women who have come to me after their wedding with poor health, no energy, and fear of food - which is why I’m so passionate about spreading this message to you before your big day.
Drastic dieting
It’s very easy to fall into this trap as a bride-to-be. Your wedding date is looming, and you want to drop a dress size or lose a few pounds to fit into your dream dress. The obvious answer is to eat less, right?
The problem here is, many women don’t understand the fundamentals of nutrition (like eating enough protein, carbs, fats, and veggies), which can impact how you feel day to day, strip away any enjoyment in the lead up, leave you looking gaunt and in extreme cases, lead to eating disorders.
Not only this, but drastic dieting can have severe consequences for your long term health; increased rates of lost periods, infertility, miscarriage, digestive issues and many more. Definitely not the start to marriage that we want you to have!
Excessive training
With most things in life, more = more. However, this where that logic doesn’t work. Training is stress on your body (and good stress when done in the right way), but when you’re already being put under a lot of pressure, managing external stressors becomes very important.
I see a lot of brides start training 5, 6, 7+ times per week, and although you might work up a sweat and feel like its doing you good, combined with restricted nutrition, is a recipe for disaster.
Stress eating
Most people will fall into one of two buckets when it comes to stress eating; you’ll splurge and overeat, or hardly eat anything at all. Both of these come with big risks.
For you to go into your wedding feeling healthy, energised and confident, you need fuel (and good quality fuel). Globally, we are over-eating, but under-nourished, meaning most people are deficient in fundamental vitamins and minerals required to stay healthy and function optimally. It also means that most diets consist of highly processed or ultra-processed foods - foods which are void of any nutritional value, and are made to make you crave more of them.
The last thing you want is to be feeling stressed, run-down, and get sick before your wedding. Try to see food as your medicine, which when planned properly, allows you to function optimally.
My daily habits
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you have so much to do with wedding planning, which is why my daily habits were my daily rituals I stuck to like no other.
I had a lot of travel the 5 weeks before my wedding as we held two international client events, so I made sure no matter where I was in the world, I stuck to these:
Morning movement
This is my absolute non negotiable. Worldwide, we have become more stagnant and sedentary than ever, and it has more health risks than you might think.
Our light schedule has one of the strongest impacts on our sleep, and ties into our circadian rhythm - our wake/sleep cycle. A big benefit of light exposure in the morning means it increases dopamine and cortisol - getting this earlier has indicated improvements in mood.
Real foods
Eating quality, real foods - and by real foods I mean not processed or manufactured in any way, not only helps you get all the vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy, but also ensures you aren’t eating anything that can cause inflammation or weight gain.
Ultra-processed foods have been linked to higher levels of obesity and weight gain, and long term health risks such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Of course, I appreciate that some processed foods are cheap, quick and easy to consume, so its really about trying your best to pick healthier options where possible, and finding a balance.
Morning & night routines
The more you can control, the less overwhelmed you will feel in other areas of life. This starts with a solid night time routine - a consistent bed time, reduction of screens, and doing something relaxing. The key here is finding what works for you, and forming your routine around it.
A successful morning starts the night before. Prep and plan to help yourself as much as possible. I like a consistent wake up time (unless I’m super jet lagged!) which I try and stick to wherever I am.
My training approach
At Lifestyle Fitness Formula, our unique approach has all of our clients train less, to achieve more. The reason this works is, if you focus on the quality of your sessions vs the quantity, you allow yourself more time to recover, go into your training sessions fresh, and can create more of a stimulus by doing so.
Training is stress on the body, and the one thing we need to be wary of in the wedding lead up is managing stress. Not only does this benefit your body and mind, but you get more time back for wed-min!
I followed this exact method in the lead up to my wedding. As I had a lot of travel in the weeks prior, my goals were to hit 2-3x sessions per week. This method showcases that when life gets in the way, you can tweak your plans to still reach your goals.
My goal in my sessions was to get stronger, if not maintain the weights I was lifting. I was eating at maintenance (more on that below) so I was really looking to maintain my lean muscle mass, and stay nice and lean in the lead up.
My nutrition approach
As boring as it sounds, I love eating similar meals. This means less planning/energy goes into thinking about what / how much to eat, and allows me more energy for other tasks I need to get done.
At Lifestyle Fitness Formula, we want all of our clients to have flexibility with their nutrition, while still ensuring they hit their important targets. I follow the same approach, hitting my minimum protein target, fat target, and fruits/veggies target, with my carbs making up the rest of my calories (and lots of them!).
I kept my calories at maintenance as I wanted to minimise stress and maintain my physique as it was. This means eating enough food for my body to function optimally and do all of my daily activities - I didn’t want to lose or gain.
This also becomes important when it comes to your dress fitting. There is nothing worse than picking up your dress and sending yourself into a panic as you’re not where you want to be, or doing a crash diet and your dress not fitting properly.
Nutrition can feel overwhelming, but once you understand the basics, it’s like riding a bike - simple once you know how.
A final word of advice
Remember that this is your day, all about you and your future hubby.
Your wedding day is going to be the best day of your life, I can promise you that!
There will be days where you might feel stressed or anxious about not reaching your goals. It’s very normal to feel this way, especially when working towards a big goal like a wedding.
If this happens, take a moment for yourself, take a deep breath, and remember how far you’ve already come. Make your plan of action with simple tasks, and you’ll already feel much more in control.
I hope you found this useful, and can start implementing some of the tips I’ve provided. Please feel free to reach out below if you want to ask me any questions, or chat all things weddings - I love nothing more!
Your countdown is on - I can’t wait to see you as a beautiful bride!
See our wedding in . . .
Photography: Jack Aldridge | Video: AWB Films | Venue: Abbots Court | Flowers: Blush & Boom | Makeup: Tara Sanger | Hair: April Natalie | Dress: LeLee Studio | Dress Store: Eternal Bridal | Mini Dress: Lauren Francis Bridal | Bride Shoes: Charlotte Mills | Caterers: Fossil Food Catering | Evening Food: Fiery Fox Pizza | Accoustic music: Robin | Evening Band: PYT | Bridesmaids Dresses: Maid to Measure | Suits: CT2 Suits