Merry Brides: May 10, 2007

Brides and Bloating Prevent bloating before your wedding day

Theirarticles.com
By: Gail Young

Your big day is just two weeks away and with your crazy schedule at work and at home and the fact that youve been eating poorly and are all stressed out it suddenly occurs to youwhat if I retain water and end up all bloated and feeling like a soggy marshmallow in my dream wedding dress?

You have spent countless hours planning and dreaming about your wedding day which is now fast approaching. As you count down the days the panic begins to set in. How do I prevent the all too familiar pre-wedding bloating experienced by so many brides on their wedding day?

Naturally, we as women may think, I will simply starve myself and not drink a lot of liquids for a few days before my wedding. If I do so perhaps this will help drop a bit of weight and reduce some of that nasty cellulite on my bodyright? Wrong!

Did you know that water retention is directly linked to what you eat, drink and your daily habits?

Bloating is caused primarily by dehydration. The loss of water in the body can cause constipation. And the corresponding lack of bowel movements creates the tummy bulge.

Here are six tips to follow for at least 1-2 weeks prior to your big day:

1. Drink 8 10 glasses of water a day. Drinking less fluid will not cure water retention and can actually make it worse. So drink plenty of water to flush the toxins from your body. Cellulite is a form of fat with retained water. When the body cannot get rid of the wastes and toxins it tends to store cellulite.

2. Try to eliminate salts and refined sugars from your diet. If you cant eliminate these types of foods then at least cut down on their use as much as you possible can.
3. Get some exercise. Go for a brisk walk, even if it is just 10 minutes. Movement helps you lymphatic system drain and gets the blood pumping which increases circulation. Did you know poor circulation can cause water retention?

4. Dont skip meals. Much as you may think this is wise, low calorie diets have been shown to increase water retention. But do avoid high fat foods. Incorporate protein in your daily routine. While you are running around getting all the last minute details finished remember to reach for a yogurt, some cottage cheese or make yourself a protein shake. One of the most important nutrients to prevent water retention is protein.
5. Cut down on caffeine and alcohol. These liquids cause dehydration, plus they are empty calories.

6. Take a good multivitamin. Find one that has a high content of Vitamin B (12 and 6). Stress robs your body of essential vitamins, plus you are probably not eating as healthy as you should. Vitamin B is especially good to take when you are under stress, or have bloating. I always take a daily multivitamin but supplement them with a good B vitamin.

Of course it goes without saying that you should also try your best to get proper and sufficient sleep during this stressful period.

If you can follow these six simple, natural yet highly effective guidelines then you'll look better, feel better and be as radiant as a bride should be on her wedding day. Take charge and eliminate that unnecessary and unwelcome pre-wedding bloating!

6 Tips on Writing Thank You Notes for Wedding Gifts

By Lisa Gunther

A wedding is the biggest party of your life. Several hundred guests may also be giving you hundreds of gifts. You must thank people for their generosity. Here are some helpful tips to make this monumental job easier. You need to be organized to keep this process as efficient as possible.

1. Order your thank you cards (with envelopes) when you order your invitations. Order 25 extra just in case you get some unexpected gifts or you make a mistake and need to re-write a thank you.

2. Write the return envelopes when you are writing out addresses for the wedding invitations. Whether it’s a calligrapher or you and all the bridesmaids writing out the invitation envelopes with addresses, this is the time to write out the thank you envelopes too. File these in a box in alphabetical order by last name.

3. Use your wedding guest master list when opening presents. This is the computer age, so you probably have your master list of guests in a Microsoft Word or Excel spreadsheet document. Print this out (sorted by last name) and have it handy on a clipboard. Every shower or wedding I’ve ever been to scribbled down guest names and what was given as a gift on the backs of napkins or loose paper. If you’re opening gifts in front of others, have your maid of honor or trusted friend be in charge of recording who gave what on this master list. If just you and your new husband are opening gifts, you can take turns opening gifts and being the recorder. The huge benefit of having your master list already printed out is that you don’t have to try to figure out how to spell anyone’s name. It will all be right in front of you.

4. Write out two or three generic templates you can use. I would recommend writing one to two sentences on each thank you so that your guests don’t feel that you rushed through the thank you’s. You really need to write more than “Thank you for the nice wedding gift. Love, Amy and Robert” for instance. Let’s go with a better example: “Thank you so much for coming to the wedding. It meant a lot to us that you were there. The (fill in the blank) will come in handy in our new kitchen (home) and we will think of you each time we use it. Love, Amy and Robert.” Something like this. Mix it up a little. The first couple thank you cards will go slowly but you’ll get into a groove once you get going.

5. As soon as you get back from your honeymoon, do 10 thank you cards a day until you are done. Some days you’ll be on a roll and do more than 10. Other days you might only crank out 5. But think about it. If you had 200 thank you cards to write, it will take you 20 days. That isn’t even a month. Your guests will be impressed to get their thank you cards so quickly and it will make you and your husband look organized, responsible and grateful. Might as well start off your married life together on an organized front!

6. Keep track of who you’ve sent thank you’s to. Be sure to make a mark (like a “T”) next to each name as you write the thank you. Otherwise, you won’t be able to remember who you’ve sent thank you’s out to. And that would be embarrassing! Drop off your sealed thank you envelopes each day at the post office or leave in your mail box with the flag up so the mailman knows you have a pickup. The job is not done until these thank you’s are in the mail and on their way.

Congratulations on your wedding. I hope you find the above tips helpful. Don’t delay in sending out your thank you notes. It will only stress you out. There is nothing worse than your mom calling you up and saying something like “Aunt Susie said she didn’t get a thank you card yet. I’m just calling to make sure Amy got the gift.” Don’t go there. Get your thank you notes done and over with. Then you and your husband will have more time to enjoy married life.

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Lisa Gunther is a freelance writer and product reviewer. She loves to give advice to young couples. Gunther Invitations is the perfect place for your Save the Date, Wedding Invitations and Thank You note needs: http://www.guntherinvitations.com. If you need bridesmaid gifts try ttp://www.gunthergifts.com/groomgifid.html for groomsmen gifts. Gunther Gifts has engraved and personalized gifts for all occasions such as weddings, birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, graduation, holiday or "just because." Visit Gunther Gifts today at http://www.gunthergifts.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Gunther

Golf Themed Wedding Favors

By Sarah Freeland

If you are planning a golf themed wedding then there are a lot of simple touches that you can add to your wedding’s design to tie in the golf theme. Using golf themed guest favors, golf themed decorations, and golf themed wedding party gifts can really add a unique touch your wedding event. While adding golf themed items to your weddings design is important, you want to make sure that you don’t over do it.

The first thing that you think about when planning your golf themed wedding is what wedding decorations you need. Golf themed centerpieces can be a great touch to add to each of the tables at your reception. For example use a glass bowl filled with personalized golf balls with the bride and groom’s names on them and their wedding date. After the reception is over your guests can take these balls home as a souvenir of the day. Or use personalized golf balls as place holders.

Guest favors are another element of your wedding that you can give a golf twist. You may want to replace the traditional candy coated almonds in pretty bags with a netted bag with personalized golf balls and tees. Golf themed candy is another guest favor that you can hand out. Think white chocolate golf balls and dark chocolate putters.

In addition to creating a golf theme for your guest favors you also can create a golf theme for the gifts that you hand out to your wedding party. For your groomsmen gifts think about golf themed cuff links or a pass for a round of golf at a local golf course. For the bridesmaids think about golf themed cookie bouquets or a pass for a round of golf at a local golf course.

As you continue to plan for your wedding, don’t forget about your spouse-to-be. You already know that you each love the game of golf, otherwise why would you be planning a golf themed wedding, so why not give your significant other unique golf themed wedding gifts. Here you don’t want to be cheap. Think about buying your spouse-to-be the golf set of their dreams, or surprise them with a honeymoon to an exclusive golfing destination.

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