After you get the ball rolling on wedding planning, you realize 'oh crap, now I need to work on myself!' and start hitting the gym to get into tip-top shape for your big day.
Growing up, I was a scrawny kid - I was a really picky eater and usually had little appetite. In high school, sometimes I would just eat a Starbursts for lunch and that was it. Seriously, just a pack of Starbursts or Skittles!!
Then, sometime in late high school/college, my body changed and I filled in. I didn't get chubby and I didn't get super curvy, but my body changed just so I was more solid. It was kind of hard for me to go from skinny to normal body shape. I remember when XS's start to fit a little tighter, I would go into denial and buy it anyway. These days, I almost feel like I have the reverse problem and I like to buy clothes that are a little too big for me. It's even got to the point where my friends tease me about my wrongly-sized clothes! One way or another, I guess my body image doesn't match what my body looks like. I'm pretty sure at this point, my frame is the way it's going to be so I just have to work on that!
Earlier this year, I had to go to physical therapy because of some knee issues I developed while I was training for my half marathon. Basically, the crux of the issue was that I have a weak core section that caused my running posture to be compromised, thus putting undue stress on my knee. My friend Linda (and bridesmaid :) ) introduced me to a workout method called Pure Barre. It's a great strength training and toning work out that focuses on the areas of the body that women care about most - arms, abs, thighs and butt! I went out of curiosity the first time and totally got my ass kicked. These ladies were doing crazy things that were almost inhuman. But a funny thing happened, I got really into the challenge. I knew it would be good to help tone my body but mostly, I thought it would be great to be stronger in general. I bit the bullet and bought a unlimited monthly pass and have not looked back. All of April, I've gone to PB ~4 times a week and I actually feel stronger! I don't think I'm losing any weight like when I was running (in fact I almost think that I'm getting even more "solid"), but I feel a difference in how I carry myself and I can see (or am imagining) more definition in my muscles. I've never been buff so this is a really cool thing for me to experience.
Eventually, when I run out of my monthly pass, I'll be really glad that I did this experiment with my body and am sure that I will continue to do PB until the wedding to help tone my body. In the future, I think I'm going to try to mix in some cardio as well, just to also help lose a little weight.
I don't think I'm going to set any weight goals for the wedding. I think that kind of stuff is kind of silly because, after all, you look like what you look like, but I really want to get as fit as I can before the big day. That way when I marry the love of my life, I'll know I'll be giving him the best version of me, in all ways :)
Monday, April 29, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Long Haitus, Lots of Progress!
Wow! It's been a while since I have posted. However, that doesn't mean that not a lot of progress has made. Since my last post, we've put in a deposit for our reception venue, held the date for the ceremony venue, and have hired a wedding coordinator!
The big day? August 2, 2014!!
At the 16 month mark before our wedding, I think we are doing pretty well. I read that most engagements last about 16 months (from proposal to wedding), so by that statistic, we are for sure ahead of schedule. Having a long engagement was at first a logistical decision (my job post-MBA will have me traveling the first year), but ended up be a great choice because it gives us first pick of everything and also gives us time to save some money. On top of that, we've also decided to postpone the honeymoon until some time after the wedding (maybe a year?) to make sure that we will have time to spend with our families while they are in town and also to make sure we have enough money saved up to have a luxurious vacation. It took us 6 years to get engaged, 2 to plan a wedding so it shouldn't be a surprise that we're taking honeymoon planning slow too :)
I guess the big development has been the decision to hire a wedding coordinator. At first, we totally didn't think we needed one. We have the time and the resources to do the research ourselves. What we realized very quickly is that there are a lot of choices to be made, and a LOT of different options out there. Googling vendors can be overwhelming because you get a ton of results and over time it's hard to differentiate one from the other. Also, in trying to negotiate with our reception venue, I realized that we (the couple) don't have that much leverage over the vendor. We are a one-time relationship and on top of that, we are emotionally charged and invested in the decision! Talk about a compromising situation (this analysis actually occurred to me was I wrote about this negotiation for a paper for class!). While I'm sure it's probably possible for a couple to negotiate with a vendor, I was not successful and am pretty excited to see if our coordinator can get us further. Wedding coordinators are able to build long term relationships with vendors and who it motivates them to provide us with the best service and to give our coordinator (and thus us) a good deal so it looks like she's doing an awesome job and also to get referral business. We've only been working with her for a week or so, so the jury is still out, but so far I'm optimistic and curious to see how that "investment" will turn out!
Aside from that, next up to bat is finding a photographer. Outside of the venue, I think the photographer is probably the most important vendor so we're taking this next step pretty seriously. We did our own research and our list was supplemented by our coordinator. We are currently doing interviews with them to better understand their working and photography style.
H has been a total angel this week. After booking the coordinator, we went straight into intense planning mode and so I've peppered him with invites to these meetings, which is kind of terrible since he is in the middle of busy season. I would totally understand if he can't make it, but he pops onto the calls and, although quiet most of the time, offers his opinion here and there, when I know he has a million other things to do on this plate. I know he's doing it to be supportive and it makes me feel so lucky to be marrying such a sweet, loving man :)
The big day? August 2, 2014!!
At the 16 month mark before our wedding, I think we are doing pretty well. I read that most engagements last about 16 months (from proposal to wedding), so by that statistic, we are for sure ahead of schedule. Having a long engagement was at first a logistical decision (my job post-MBA will have me traveling the first year), but ended up be a great choice because it gives us first pick of everything and also gives us time to save some money. On top of that, we've also decided to postpone the honeymoon until some time after the wedding (maybe a year?) to make sure that we will have time to spend with our families while they are in town and also to make sure we have enough money saved up to have a luxurious vacation. It took us 6 years to get engaged, 2 to plan a wedding so it shouldn't be a surprise that we're taking honeymoon planning slow too :)
I guess the big development has been the decision to hire a wedding coordinator. At first, we totally didn't think we needed one. We have the time and the resources to do the research ourselves. What we realized very quickly is that there are a lot of choices to be made, and a LOT of different options out there. Googling vendors can be overwhelming because you get a ton of results and over time it's hard to differentiate one from the other. Also, in trying to negotiate with our reception venue, I realized that we (the couple) don't have that much leverage over the vendor. We are a one-time relationship and on top of that, we are emotionally charged and invested in the decision! Talk about a compromising situation (this analysis actually occurred to me was I wrote about this negotiation for a paper for class!). While I'm sure it's probably possible for a couple to negotiate with a vendor, I was not successful and am pretty excited to see if our coordinator can get us further. Wedding coordinators are able to build long term relationships with vendors and who it motivates them to provide us with the best service and to give our coordinator (and thus us) a good deal so it looks like she's doing an awesome job and also to get referral business. We've only been working with her for a week or so, so the jury is still out, but so far I'm optimistic and curious to see how that "investment" will turn out!
Aside from that, next up to bat is finding a photographer. Outside of the venue, I think the photographer is probably the most important vendor so we're taking this next step pretty seriously. We did our own research and our list was supplemented by our coordinator. We are currently doing interviews with them to better understand their working and photography style.
H has been a total angel this week. After booking the coordinator, we went straight into intense planning mode and so I've peppered him with invites to these meetings, which is kind of terrible since he is in the middle of busy season. I would totally understand if he can't make it, but he pops onto the calls and, although quiet most of the time, offers his opinion here and there, when I know he has a million other things to do on this plate. I know he's doing it to be supportive and it makes me feel so lucky to be marrying such a sweet, loving man :)
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