Bride Buddies

I am a Bride to be who is getting married in May of 2008. I would love to have a support group of women in the same boat as me trying to lose weight and tone up for the big day! Lets motivate each other so we can look and feel great for our weddings! (not to mention the honeymoon!!!)

Hey everyone,  I'm losing weight for myself but getting married and seeing all those relatives i haven't seen for years is a big motivator as well!  I've lost about 20lb and my wedding is three and a half weeks away so i can only lose 3-6lb more tops but more like 2lb probably.  I'm OK with that though cause i'm about a size 10-8, though i'll continue afterwards until i'm happy.  I got a wedding dress that laces up the back so even though i've lost a bit since i got it, it still fits.  :)

about the cost.  were both college students and at first my parents didn't pay anything so we were like, just book a place and see what we can buy on the way and if we have just a wedding and some pies afterwards on plastic tablecloths so be it.  luckily we had some relatives give early wedding gifts of $500 and my parents came up with another $500 and his parents are now paying for the food cause the dad is a pastor at a church so tradition dictates the whole church is invited so i think it will probably  turn out well. i haven?t really got most things planed yet but i have a dress and a ring so i think we are set anyway.  as for those

the way i'm keeping costs down is having it at the park-free

reception at said park- $80 for the tables reservation

making pies for desert and buying meat and rolls for sandwiches that people make themselves, home made punch (having it at the park will excuses you for buying champagne cause they don't allow it), water bottles (it might get in the hundreds towards noon), whatever cheep party platters looks tasty at Costco- we estimate about  $500 for the  200+ people

cuttings form backyard for decorations like eucalyptus leaves and flowers put into small Styrofoam domes bought at wall mart- $2 a center piece

flowers at Costco for bouquet and decorations (you can pre-order to make sure they will carry your fav. flowers)- probably $80 tops

not sure about table cloths,  if you buy cheap white flat bed sheets there about $10 a table which is too much for how many tables i have.  I?m going plastic  party ones for about $12 for all

I got tons of toile for about $30 for my veil and decorations

need to get some sort of hair piece to make veil with - $2

Dress I found cheep cause it was last season ? you can make your own but the materials might come out to about the same price so might as well look at some made ones - $200

An archway- $20 on sale

Music, a family member is going to play the keyboard at the ceremony and a boom box will play a CD of ?romantic songs? softly in the background during the reception-  $10 for CD

We?ll use white tissue paper and ribbon to wrap Jordan almonds for guests- $30

Bridesmaid dresses- letting them wear whatever they want- free

My fiancé is buying a suit and getting it tailored so it can be used afterwards for job interviews weddings, funerals, est.- $100

Having a friend do Hair and makeup- free

Pedicure for me and bridesmaids for funzies- $80

Homemade cookies in baskets and probably something else (any ideas?) for gifts to two awesome bridesmaids - $40

Did I miss anything?  It?s the first time I added it up but it looks like my wedding for 200 people will be about  $1222.  Wow! I didn?t realize it was so expensive!  Anyway, I hope I can lose another few pounds so I can look super awesome for that expensive party.

Wow, congrats on saving so much cash, Emily. If our parents weren't helping, I would be doing a lot of the same things as you. As it is we're playing it pretty cheap and low-key compared to a lot of people, but I'm very happy with the way it's turning out.

My mom and I just finished making the veil. It wasn't all that hard, just a little tedious to measure it repeatedly, and it honestly looks amazing. I'm very excited. It's a white, shiny tulle material with a gold trim, and some silk flowers (a sunflower and some smaller red flowers) glued to the comb. I'd post a picture, but my camera broke!

Anyway, if anyone's looking to save money, I do recommend making your veil. They cost $200-$300 at David's Bridal, which seems crazy to me! This site was helpful: http://www.do-it-yourself-weddings.com/making -a-bridal-veil.html

Bride to be, not exactly when! I just got proposed to @.@~

I'm 164, hoping to get down to 120. It's kind of hard.. D: ..I seem to be able to get down to 160, lose control and go up to 164. I don't go past 164 for some reason now, though (unless you count night fluctuation).

The proposal just kicked my brain into finally being able to say "I have to do this!"

Well I am not getting married but One of my best Friends is May 24, 2008....

but it is impotant for me to lose some weight!

Hey ladies - my wedding is over a year away (probably in October 2008), but have wanted to lose my freshman 20 (maybe 25) for a few years now.  Hoping the big day will really motivate me!

I am around 155 now, but seems like just a few months ago I was 150.  Ahh! Want to reverse the trend and start to lose!  I'm 5'6" and goal is 135.  My final goal though is 20 lbs by Thanksgiving (17 weeks away).  I should probably have another one sooner though. 

I'm not even going to start trying on dresses till I get there!  I will though look at them in magazines and on the internet every chance i get!

Thanks for the $ saving tips - great ideas!  I don't want to wear a veil.  It just seems so old fashioned - not my style at all! 

Hey lemntwist! Good thing you have plenty of time to lose your weight by the wedding! That should be no problem, even if it comes off slowly :-)

Are you wearing a white dress? I was almost not going to wear a veil, because they seem silly, but since I'm not wearing a white wedding dress I needed something to distinguish myself from my bridesmaids. A veil is the biggest thing that says "Yes, I am the bride!" even more than the white dress, so I decided to go with that.

hi lemntwist, i'm also 5'6 and have around 20lb to lose, was at 142lb when first posted here now i'm 146, had too many birthday parties and family meetings before the wedding in nov this year been really slacking.

I'm gonna be 30 on the 26th of septmber so gonna use this as my new mini goal and make a real effort to loose weight and tone.

nic x

My friends threw a surprise wedding shower for me this past weekend, and it was really cool. We went to the Clayroom in Boston, a pottery-painting place, and everyone painted a plate for me! It was so nice!

How is everyone else's wedding planning/weight loss going?

Hi shoeofkuribo & kookiesangels-

I want to wear a light color like lavendar or pink and then have my bridesmaids in black dresses (of their choice).  That way I think I'll stand out still but something about wearing a traditional white poofy skirt dress doesn't appeal to me.  Red is totally awesome - I guess I just don't have the guts to go that radical!

As far as planning - I have to decided whether to do it in my hometown of Denver or in Vegas...  there are pluses and minus to both sides.  My mom obviously wants in denver at her and her husband's house or at my grandpa's ranch.  The reason I want vegas is because my finacee is from England and his entire side will be flying out anyway - I think it would be eaiser and more fun for them.

???  At least I have time to decide!

I just found a great place to buy your veil at a really reasonable price! I looked for veils at David's Bridal and there was no way I was going to spend almost $200. I was just on target.com and they sell veils online as well as most wedding items. For the long veil (like cathedral) it was $18.99 and the short veil (mid length) was $14.99!!! The only other cost is tax and shipping. I am so excited and had to share this.

WOW tootsiegirl, that is absolutely amazing. I hope you like the veil! I love Target. We had our wedding shower the other day and got tons of things from our registry there, and might get more from the relatives who didn't make it. :-)

I'm going to have to host some nice dinners with all these new dishes and cooking gear, though... I don't even really cook, so that will be a learning experience.

hey B-T-B's!!! (Bride-to-be's)

I hope I can join this group... I just found it on CC... I'm getting married on March 14, 2008 in St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. So you can imagine how much pressure their is to look HOT and skinny for that day on the BEACH!

We're doing a destination wedding there, and getting married on the actual beach. Then, we're going to have our honey moon right there, and when we come back, we have a "party" planned to celebrate our wedding!

I need to lose 50+ lbs before 3/14/08. It's about 7 months away, meaning I MUST lose 7.142857143 lbs per month. That's roughly 1.785642858 lbs per week, and even further at .2550918368 lbs per day...

I'm trying to decide if this is possible or not- but I don't know why I'm doing that, because it HAS to be positive. Are you kidding me? I'm HUGE!! I cannot and will not get married this way... having me on the wedding pictures looking the way I do now will not work... It just WONT and I need to get that through my thick fat head!

Maybe talking with fellow BTB's will help me be more motivated for my own wedding! you'd think that would be motivation enough- but i'm a fatass I guess...

Stats---
Height: 5'0"
Current Weight: 171 lbs
Highest Weight: current
Lowest weight: 115 lbs
Goal weight for wedding: 120lbs

I hope to get to talk to some of you! Good luck to you, and I plan on posting on this thread @ least once per day, if I may! TTYS!

-Amanda

Hello Brides To Be,

I was wondering if I can join your group.  I am getting married next August 16, 2008.  I was very happy to see a chat room devoted to Brides To Be.  I am excited and a little nervous.  I just want to make sure everything goes well.  So far, I have a loation, photgrapher and volunteers to help decorate.  I was getting alot of helpfull hints from your comments and ideas.  Budget is tight but I know I can make our wedding look beautiful.  The photographer that I got is a friend of my mom.  My mom told me that her friend did the wedding pictures for her daughter and they looked beautiful.  An some of my mom's friends have volunteer to help with the wedding.  Right now that is all that I have done.  Pretty soon I need to start look for my dress and a someone to marry us. I will admit my parents are helping out a little bit.  But I am putting money aside  as well to help.   Right now I have a couple of wedding magazines.  There are some very good ideas.  I will admit that some of the wedding dressing in the magazines are dresses that I have dreamt about but will never have. OH Well.  In the magazines it has a time chart on when items should be done.  They are giving me Ideas on when certain items should be done.  Not having been married before, are those charts good idea to stick with? 

Hi stagemanager!  I am going to try and stick to the timelines only beacuse I think they help you spread things out and therefore feel less stressed.  And we all know how stress can affect you diet.  Obviously some things are not going to come together exactly as planned and then you have wiggle room to fix it!  The dress has got to the biggest motivator for me - I am waiting to try them on till I reach some goals.  It sounds like you are doing well so far - epecially since you family is helping with the planning and setup!

Hi Amanda! The Virgin Islands sounds soooo awesome for a beach wedding!  Congrats!  March will be here before you know it, but you sound really motivated!  I think you can do it - at least within 10 lbs of your goal.  You should make 5 or 7lb goals to keep you on track.  One concern is that your wedding dress may not fit if you buy it now - heck even if you buy it a month before.  Do you have one or what are your plans for that?

 

Hi Lemntwist,

I think I will stick with the timeline. At least it will tell me what I need to do next.  LOL.   I am here shortly going to start looking around for a wedding dress and see what is out there. 

hey lemntwist!!!

The dress is a concern for me as well! I definitely have NOT bought it yet, and truthfully don't plan on getting one until like right up to the moment we leave! I plan to lose weight everyday- and with a goal like that, buying a dress now would be pointless... and I'm also afraid to buy it now in a smaller size- because who knows how things will fit once 50 lbs is gone... lol

Anyway- everyone's ideas sound wonderful! I'm sure all of you will have spectacular weddings even with tight budgets! it's insane to see how much weddings cost these days... YIKES! Unless you're a billionaire- I don't know how you could afford one! LOL!

Funny thing- my friend is getting married 2 months after me and I am in the bridal party- well, we ALREADY went bridesmaid dress shopping! EEK! tooooo earlyyyyy!!! Her wedding isn't until May 2008. So of course I had to try on the dress being the huge cow that I am... and had to get it in a size 10 because the woman who was getting us the dresses, etc, wouldn't let me order it smaller. I explained to her how I'm getting married in March and plan on losing 50 +/- lbs, and she said that too many brides and bridesmaids order their dresses smaller than they are, don't end up losing weight, and have to get the dress either ordered bigger, or let out... So I can see her point- but I def. will not be a size 10 by the time her wedding comes around!!!

I'm trying to plan out my day-to-day eating and activities to give me a feel for my mini-goals. I agree with you, lemntwist, that making smaller goals is better, because it's easier to stick to. unfortunately, that is my biggest problem. Sticking. Sticking w/ a weight loss plan. Let me tell you that my weight goes up and down like the damn stock market! I can gain 10 lbs in like 2 wks... UGH. I know having your genes against you isn't an excuse- but I mean, come on! It's hard to lose weight... if it was easy, I guess I wouldn't be so damned large and in charge!

I want to do this for hubby to be, but mainly for myself. He was with me at my smallest of 115 lbs... that's how he knew me... When we first started dating 2 years ago (July 2005), I was like 140, then within a few months, I shrunk down to 115 (by December 2005). Then.. by this past Christmas (December 2006) I was about 140-145 lbs... and now, yes, only a few short 8 months later, I'm 171 lbs. I mean O.M.F.G. That is a shitload of weight... girls, I need help. I need serious help. I'm out of control, and i KNOW I need to stop, but it's so hard... it's like I'm on a roll and just can't come to a hault. But I need to, I must- I must come to a SCREACHING hault... I can't take it anymore. I want to do this for myself... I must seriously have a wonderful man who would stay with me during my +lbs and -lbs... I mean, I'm only 5'0", so you can imagine how much weight I have on me... I look like a friggin' marshmellow. If I don't do something, and do something NOW, I'm going to have to wear a tarp as my wedding gown!!!

Okay- thanks for listening, sorry for such a long post- but I needed to get it out... WHEW. Bye! :)

<3 Amanda <3

Ahhh! I have been searching for this group! Thanks for bumping it! Can I join?

My wedding is Nov. 17th and I've been engaged for exactly one week! I'd like to lose 20lbs by then. That will be my first goal of 160, my ultimate goal is 140, but 160 isn't too bad and its a healthy bmi.

I'm 27, 5'8. My mail goal is to really look good in my dress, damn what the scale says. I also lift weights3 times a week, so I know I am building muscle. I have bought my dress, and it will likely need to be altered a week before.

I'm so excited!

Hey Cupid,

You and I are totally in the same boat... I get married on the 16th Nov!
(at Loch Lomond in Scotland... You?)

I'm 5'9' and want to lose about 15lbs for the big day. I don't have a defiinate number, all I know is I want to be less than 70kgs! I also weight train 3+ times a week, so I know what you mean about building muscle - but I like the way my overall shape is changing because of it. You're so right, on the big day no one will know what you weigh, all they'll see is how good you look! 

Can't believe you only got engaged a week ago! Action stations!
Good luck!

See you in the chat room from time to time? 

Most def Andie13uk, and I'd LOVE a buddy to stay motivated with. We are pretty close in stats and I can't believe our days are one day apart! Yay!

Good! I think I might be needing someone to help me and listen to my stressing! I will, in return, respond with appropriate listening, motivating and ass-kicking skills, as required...

You must have a lot to do to get organised, only being engaged a week. I've had a year (nearly) and I feel like I've left too much to the last minute!