Are you looking to get wedding ready? As a recent bride and registered dietitian, Sarah Grace Meckelberg breaks down the 6 essential areas to get wedding ready as a bride to be.
For audio from podcast only, listen here below. Or keep scrolling to read!
When it comes to wanting to get wedding ready, I had a lot of things I needed to learn before the big day. The process was long and engagement season can be hard, but the important thing is to look forward to everything that lays ahead and deal with the stress in a healthy way! I’ve put together my six essentials, along with some life lessons and product suggestions for getting ready for the big day.
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Get Wedding Ready: 6 Essentials!
1. Nutrition
The biggest thing when it comes to food and to get wedding ready was… finding balance. Balancing meals is and always will be the master key to living a healthy diet. We are looking for a variety of nutrients and moderation, and there are ways to keep your major nutrient needs balanced. My favorite way to balance my meals and easy smoothies is using the famous FreshFitnFive concept when eating. The FreshFitnFive contain the 5 nutrients to really help you feel full, energized, and satisfied.
TheFreshFitnFive Approach:
- Protein
- Smart Carbs
- Healthy Fat
- Fiber
- Boost
Another thing I learned quickly after engagement was how to stay on track of my health while traveling. We found ourselves doing a LOT of traveling, whether it was seeing friends, having a reception, setting up details, business trips, it felt like I was spending more time away from home than ever before! A lot of times it’s hard to continuously eat out and be on the go while still being able to stay on track. So the biggest thing when traveling and eating out, is always being mindful of your hunger and fullness. Eat until you’re satisfied, not until you’re overly full.
Hunger + Fullness Scale
Use the hunger and fullness scale that I’ve talked about before. Where 1 is being painfully hungry + hangry, and 10 is being so stuffed you can barely move. I like to always try to stay between a 3 and an 8. Three being, I’m hungry and ready for a meal, not hangry or starving. and 8 being content, satisfied, but not overly full.
Drinks!
Another thing that can really add up is the amount of drinks during pre-wedding season. It’s not that you can’t have drinks, but just be mindful of the drinks that you are having and know they are empty calories and carbs. When you are going to drink, make sure to pair it with a veggie and a protein focused meal that includes healthy fats. Try and limit too many appetizers and bread, especially when pairing with alcohol.
Gut + Hormonal Health
Another huge thing for staying on top of my nutrition was supporting my gut and hormonal health. When I first got engaged, I tried out birth control for my first time and let me tell you guys… I become someone that I was NOT. The birth control totally messed with my hormones and my emotions and my moods were everywhere. Thankfully Brandon stuck with me through those tough times! I was also having stomach aches and was totally bloated- needless to say I was not fun to be around. So to get back on track, I started using oil and supplements. Even though I thought oils were just a fad, they really made the whole difference, you can even ask Brandon! I’ve been balancing my hormones and supporting my gut with oils this whole time. I have a whole blog post on the things I did to really get back on track and get to feeling my best again. To check that out, click here!
If you’re really interested in creating your very own #freshfitnhealthy lifestyle, check out my mini course here that walks you through it all!
2. Fitness
This one is so essential, not only when it comes to wanting to get wedding ready, but in all areas of life. I did another blog post though on my typical workout schedule as I get ready for my wedding, check it out here!
I always try to incorporate HIIT- High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT really targets the entire body and gets your body moving to its maximum capacity. Other than that, I always try and make sure I’m getting all my steps in and find fun ways to incorporate more movement in my day. Workout on the weekends if you want to, but more than that just try to live a fun and active lifestyle on your days off. Whether that’s going on a hike, going canoeing, walking around a park, anything that’s up your alley and will get you moving in a way that’s enjoyable for you.
For me, I signed up for cycle class twice a week when I was getting wedding ready and committed to at least doing a HIIT workout at home or a strength workout at the gym at least twice a week. Maybe a run or a fun workout in here and there if I had more time one week. Since we were traveling so much, getting a structured workout wasn’t really an option for us. But there’s definitely ways to workout we’re you’re on the go!
The key here is to workout in a way that you enjoy. Find things that you like and can get that cardio and strength in for you. I do offer nutrition and fitness coaching if that’s something you need help with, and always feel free to reach out about questions or look for answers on my website.
3. Mindset & Heart: Marriage > Wedding Day
It’s easy to get carried away with planning the perfect wedding day. It’s was sooo so important for me to remember that the lasting healthy marriage is much more important than the wedding day. A lot easier said than done. Wedding stuff just piles up and starts taking up so much of your time and mental space. It can get really stressful with the all the decisions that need to be made, the money being spent, and trying to get everything right. We’ll talk about stress management next, but what I really realized was that I had to get my heart ready for marriage.
Mindfully Spending my Time
I realized I had to make sure I was investing enough time with Brandon during the evenings and weekends, and making sure I wasn’t investing all my time in work and wedding planning. I needed to learn to make time to cook meals and do things around the house, all while still honoring my own work and my future husband. This actually meant that I had to restructure my work schedule! Because let me tell you, I was a work alcoholic. But I realized quickly that I had to invest more time on my current relationship and prepare for my future marriage, and make sure that I was going to be the wife I truly wanted to be.
Communication
Another thing that made a huge difference in our lives was really trying to stay open and honest about our communication, and open up clearly and have full transparency about ourselves and each other. Not pushing things under the rug and learning to open up fully to each other. This was a huge thing that kept us working on our marriage instead of just focused on the wedding day.
Make it FUN
And when it came to all of the wedding planning that we did have to do, we were really intentional about making it fun and enjoyable, and also doing it as a team so we could spend that time together. We would make date nights out of it, like go out and practice our first dance and just have fun with things. If we have to spend time on wedding stuff, why not make it fun?
Invest in Growing
I also really invested into gaining knowledge through books and podcasts when it came to marriage and intimacy. Personally, I needed to really learn how to flip that switch from seeing intimacy as a bad thing and something to stay away from, to now being married and it being an okay thing. I was nervous and I needed to learn to be fully transparent. One of the best books I read during this time was Good girl’s Guide to Great Sex. It’s a great book written from a Christian’s perspective, which made all the difference when trying to make that switch. Another book I loved was The Meaning of Marriage, and also a book called What were you expecting?
B and I also listened to a lot of podcasts together when preparing to transition into marriage. One of them was What Happy Couples Know, which is an amazing series that talks about expectations and things to include or not include in your marriage.
The biggest thing is to invest time in yourself and your partner together and find new information and perspectives that will help both of you grow together and spiritually throughout your lives together.
Real talk: Engagement season isn’t the easiest but keeping a healthy mind and heart and reminding yourself what is important is key. Use this season for growth!
For the link to the lessons during engagement podcast from our podcast, click here.
4. Stress Management and Mental Wellness
Getting Wedding Ready + Finding me Time
I really had to remind myself of what was important when stressed popped in (because trust me, it will!) One thing that made all of the difference when it came to managing all of the things that I had going on, was really taking time for myself each day. Give or take, I think we all need 30 minutes a day at least to be able to recharge and fill our cup once again. Whether that was reading through a devotional, taking a walk outside, or simply just sitting still. Make sure to get workouts in each week and not put health on the back burner. This is a really stressful time, but if you’re not loving yourself and end up not taking care of yourself, it’s going to become even harder and even more stressful. Working out and moving my body was actually a huge stress burner.
Another huge thing for stress management was having clear communication with Brandon. A lot of tension and issues that arise in a relationship are just due to a lack of clear communication and full transparency. Take a step back, and learn to fully express yourself and communicate with your partner.
Oils Make the Difference
Having the right oils had a mega impact on me as I was getting wedding ready. I love using oils to really calm myself down and manage stress. Some of my favorite oils to diffuse and apply on myself were my lavender, my peace & calming, and stress away.
Sometimes the stress would pile up, and I needed a little extra help falling asleep. I loved to use sleep essence when I needed something extra to wind my mind down at the end of the day. Also, cortisol levels spike at night when we’re stressed and cause us not to be able to fall asleep. So, I also love used Young Living’s cortistop whenever I felt like I really needed it.
If you’re looking to invite this healing oils into your life, click here!
5. Finding Balance and Figuring Out Life Together
Something that I really had to consider when transitioning into a married lifestyle and to get wedding ready, was figuring out what life looks like together. I had to learn to balance time with Brandon and invest in our relationship while still having solo time and doing things for myself. As a recovering workaholic, I had to learn to restructure my work schedule in order to be able to find that balance between the things I needed to do for myself vs. for my relationship. I had to set strict shut off hours and be super mindful of our time spent together.
Dreaming Together
Another thing that really helped Brandon and I as we were getting teddy ready was learning to dream together. As two go-getters, it can be really easy for us to set up our own dreams and try and pursue them alone and by ourselves. But we learned quickly from our counselors and from our experiences that we needed to set our dreams up together, and include each other in our success and the things we are striving towards. Learning to connect life in the future as one instead of two separate people was a huge learning curve, but it made all the difference.
It’s not all about me.
Something huge that I also learned was that I had to put my selfishness aside about just wanting to stay in and being a home body. I love my alone time, but with Brandon having the adventurous heart that he does, I learned how to fulfill his heart for adventure too and learn to put our relationship first. You have to learn to give and get. Sometimes he needs me to be there for him, and vice versa. So much of a healthy partnership comes from knowing how to serve each other’s needs in a way that fulfills us too.
6. Wellness Products that Saved My LIFE
I am such a big believer in diffusing oils. You better believe that I probably went through bottles and bottles of oils when I was getting wedding ready. But not only am I getting oils to supplement my health and transition into a healthier, cleaner home, but also I joined a beautiful family of women who work together to lift each other up in more ways than one. If you think you might want to get started with your oils journey, check out this blog post I wrote on how I got started. Or you can click here to buy your oils and get starter yourself! Or, you can totally just message me on instagram and I’ll show you more about it!
For hormonal balance and female support, I used 3 main oils + 1 I really recommended if you are not on birth control.
Endoflex: This one is incredible for thyroid and thyroid support.
Sclaressence: This one is amazing for hormonal support. I apply this one to my wrist everyday !
Dragon Time: Dragon time is for shark week 😉 aka that time of the month… if you’re PMSing, bloating, hormonal… dragon time is a lifesaver during that time of the month.
Progessence Plus: This is the one that is only recommended for women who are not on birth control. Progessence Plus balances your progesterone levels, and BC usually throws those hormones out of whack.
As far as Gut Health goes, something I take every single day is my Life 9 Probiotic. The digize oil is also amazing if you have an upset stomach, feeling bloated, or ate too much. I like to rub this on my tummy with some coconut oil and it makes all the difference. I also like to take it right before a meal if I know it’s going to be a lot of food or a heavy meal. Digestive enzymes help so much when it comes to digesting our meals. To check out these oils, click here!
Ningxia Red Juice is something I take every morning. It’s pureed wolf berry and it’s packed with antioxidants. I like to make my FreshFitnFive smoothie every morning and add maca powder for hormonal support, protein powder to get in some extra protein, and a little bit of Thieves Oil for flavor + immune support.
Bridesmaid Fun
I also loved making all my bridesmaids oil rollers to give them with their PJ sets! By combining the oils joy, valor, and frankincense, I made the most delicious smelling blend to give for my beautiful bridesmaids! These oils are an amazing way to add some joy and health to your family and friend’s lives!
For the actual wedding weekend, I used Valor Oil, as it really helps with feeling courageous and brave, which is what you need most on your wedding day. I also used digize when I felt like I needed help with digestion during the weekend. Being at an all inclusive resort in Mexico with a ton of delicious food can really make you need a little extra help.
Sensation massage oil was used for our wedding night to have a wonderful night with your spouse! I will say no more….
I also used stress away, lavender, and peace and calming to help with travel stress and leading up to the wedding.
Links I promised in the podcast:
My bible + journal for solo time
Books mentioned in podcast:
Podcast Series: What Happy Couples Know by Andy Stanley
WHITE WEAR
Other Madison James 2 piece white dress
2 piece white skirt with crop top from red dress
White dress for possible rehearsal
High waisted stripes swim bottoms
Red Dress Boutique: Self sufficient white skinny jeans $42
RDB Keep it current White Crop Top $22
Across The Way White Two Piece Set $52
So I hope you enjoyed this recap on how to get wedding ready! If you’re looking to create your own healthy lifestyle, check out this mini course here or check out nutrition coaching with me right here!
