Divine Dreams Wedding Consulting & Event Planning

Wedding Workout

2008-05-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

Wedding Workout
by Kate Dailey for ExerciseTV

Every bride wants to look amazing in her wedding dress. But surviving your wedding day is a separate challenge altogether. The happiest day of your life is also a grueling, intense, marathon of a day—and one done in a corset and heels. That’s why we found the best tips to beat common wedding conundrums—and unveiled some new moves from Violet Zaki’s Bridal Body Burn Workout. Follow these steps to ensure that you start AND end the day looking fantastic.

PROBLEM: You have to spend an entire hour standing in front of your friends and family—no slouching or fidgeting!

SOLUTION: Add this move to your workout in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. It will work your triceps, shoulders, upper back, core, glutes, and thighs, and improve balance, all of which will help perfect your posture.
With a set of 5-pound weights, stand on your right leg with a soft knee. Lift your left knee to hip level, and bring your arms extended behind you with weights in both hands. Bring your hands closer together, almost touching. Open your chest and squeeze your shoulder blades together. As you lift your arms up and away from your body, rotate your lift knee to the left keeping your hips and shoulders still. As you lower your arms, bring your knee back to the front. Do 10-12 reps on each leg with two counts up and two counts down. “During the ceremony think about lengthening the back of your neck so that you look taller, confident, elegant and graceful,” says Zaki. “Avoid locking your knees—release them so that you are able to stand in those cute shoes for hours on end.”

PROBLEM: A pro (or a steady-handed pal) applied perfect makeup in the morning, but it has to last all day.

SOLUTION: Be sure to apply an oil-free moisturizer and a shine free primer before you have your makeup applied. “You don’t want to use a primer every day, because it blocks the pores and can lead to breakouts,” says Keri Ellet, celebrity makeup artist at the Jim Wayne Salon in Beverly Hills, Calif. “But for special occasions, it seals the pores and prevents the makeup from being absorbed into your skin.” Once your makeup is applied, seal it in a matte mineral powder.

PROBLEM: You’ll need a lot of calories and nutrients to get you through the day, but you’re also trying to squeeze into your dress.

SOLUTION: Fill up on lots of lean protein, which will give you long-lasting energy without upsetting your stomach. “It’s not going to hold onto extra water and make you feel puffy and bloated, like fiber may,” says Keri Glassman, owner of Nutritious Life, a nutrition consulting firm in New York City. Have fresh turkey, an egg-white omelet, or hard-boiled eggs.
Be sure to eat enough—no one wants a woozy bride. During the day, snack on edamame or nuts, which will give you a mix of good fat and protein. Berries offer a good mix of fiber and natural sugars, but will stain if you get sloppy, so try some peanut butter on a banana for a similar effect.

PROBLEM: To look perfect in pictures, you need to hold your bouquet high—but it’s heavier than you thought.

SOLUTION: Prepare your biceps, shoulders, glutes, and quads with this move, which will also help your balance and core. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with 5-pound weights in each hand, palms facing away from you. Squat, bringing your elbows to your knees, raising the weights into a bicep curl. Come out of the squat and stand, lifting your heels while extending your arms overhead turning palms away from you. Do these slowly, for three sets of 12.
“While holding your bouquet on your special day, pull your elbows in and be sure to have your hands in line with your elbows,” says Zaki.

PROBLEM: A ceremony full of laughter and tears has left you looking worn out.

SOLUTION: The most important thing you can do to freshen up your makeup is not re-applying your blush or your lipstick, but your under-eye concealer. “Tears, smiling—that’s a lot of wear and tear around your eyes, and it’s really easy to accumulate lines,” says Ellet. Using a Q-tip and makeup remover, remove the morning’s concealer and replaced it with a fresh application mid-day. “Your whole face looks so much fresher if you do that,” Ellet says.
Save some energy for after the big day because that's when the real fun begins. If you get started on it now, the Honeymoon Hot Body workout above will help you look look your best and feel great about your body on your wedding night.

Fresh Ideas for a Wedding Guest Book

2008-04-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, a wedding guest book helped a newly married couple remember who came to their wedding, organize thank-you notes, and start a formal address book. But in this day and age, most wedding guest books end up in a dusty old closet. Want to make yours a hip modern thing of beauty that you'll love to look at? Have your guests sign a memento that you can display in your home, keeping the memories out in the open rather than up on the bookshelf. Some popular ideas we have seen: have guests sign pages in your favorite coffee table book. One of our couples used a book about California vineyards, where they were taking their honeymoon. Guests were asked to sign the book and write in recommendations on which vineyards the couple should visit. Photo by Eric Hegwer

Is Your Wedding Going to the Dogs?

2008-04-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

Not so long ago it would have seemed absurd to envision a wedding with a pet as a member of the party. But with more and more people treating their pets as children or members of the family it is not too far of a stretch to envision this newest matrimonial trend. Many celebrities have included their pets in their day of wedded bliss - Gwen Stefani, Adam Sandler, and Tori Spelling, just to name a few.

If you'd love to include your pet in your wedding, but you just can't make it work, you don't have to have the animal there at the ceremony to include him or her. You can do bridal portraits with your pet, or put your pet's picture on your invitations, as I have seen done before. One of our clients, pictured here, created signature bar drinks using their pets' names.

You may feel bad about leaving your beloved pets out on your big day, but trust me, they really won't mind.

Photo by Eric Hegwer

Austin Bridal Secrets

2008-04-21T13:25:00.001-07:00

This evening Divine Dreams is interviewing with owner and creator of a new website, Austin Bridal Secrets. Austin DJ, R.J. Johnson created the site. The site is a blog and podcast set up to help brides find vendors they would like to work with. The site gathers the stories and assists brides in finding ways to help them have the best wedding they can. Check out the site and be sure to check back for the post of the Divine Dreams interview. Photo by Eric Hegwer

Texas Round Up

2008-04-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Divine Dreams will be participating in the Texas Round Up 5K on April 26, 2008. The Texas Round-Up 10K, 5K and Family Mile is held annually in Austin, Texas on the last Saturday in April. Race weekend begins with a health and fitness expo showcasing vendors and sponsors. The race is followed by a fitness festival where families can enjoy live music, food, fitness demonstrations and family friendly activities. Many participants spend months training for Texas Round-Up, and for several participants, the Texas Round-Up is their first race, making the events a very special accomplishment and a true celebration of healthy living.
In 2004, Governor Rick Perry launched the Texas Round-Up statewide fitness initiative and 10K race to motivate and encourage Texans to become more active and to incorporate healthy choices in their daily lives. Today, Texas Round-Up is an independent not-for-profit organization working to improve the health of Texas through education and promotion of physical activity and healthy living. Texas Round-Up provides Texans with tools, opportunities, and programs that encourage and allow for Texans of all ages and fitness levels to participate. http://www.texasroundup.org/

Destination Weddings

2008-04-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

The ever-popular destination wedding, affectionately called the "weddingmoon", combines the wedding, reception and honeymoon together in one location. With all the details and challenges in planning a "perfect" wedding and the pricetag that come with it, more couples are opting to reduce the hassle and focus on something truly unique. The destination wedding is generally held at a desirable location that allows the wedding guests to vacation and spend more quality time with the wedding couple. The destination wedding is typically under 40 people and involves a few days of activities for all the guests. The destination wedding is the central location that the bride and groom chose as their "headquarters". Activities are then planned for their guests from this location. These destination weddings can be an exotic destination or the hometown in which you grew up. When planning a destination wedding be sure to have an itinerary for your guest, so they will have an idea about what to expect.

*This Destination Wedding was held poolside at the MGM Grand Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Picture taken by Divine Dreams on personal camera.

The "Flushing Bride?

2007-12-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

Here comes the bride, all dressed in white two-ply extra soft toilet paper.

Scanning through the news this morning, I was caught off guard by this headline. "Bride in Toilet Paper Dress to Tie the Knot in Times Square Restroom"

The bride will be wearing a gown fashioned from glue, tape, and Charmin Ultra Soft and Ultra Strong toilet tissue sheets, designed by Hanah Kim, winner of the 2007 Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest.

Well, I guess if the mother of the bride starts to shed some tears, atleast there will be plenty of tissue handy.

Toss Bouquet Idea

2007-12-13T14:28:00.000-08:00

This idea I think is just fantastic: a break-away toss bouquet. Each mini bouquet with a charm, each charm has its own meaning. When thrown the bouquet breaks apart, and it is also a surprise which charm (or wish) each maid will receive. So no more mad massacres at the reception! Well not as much of one (depending on how many maids you have at your reception), since there would be several bouquets going into the air. Check out this website for charm ideas. http://www.weddingcakecharms.com/ There are many to choose from and each has its own special meaning.

Writing Your Own Vows

2007-12-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

Writing your own wedding vows may suit your personal wedding style, but it can be a bit of a daunting task to begin with. If you are trying to write your own vows, don’t let the task overwhelm you or intimidate you. Writing your own vows should begin and end with how you feel, not what others are expecting. If you are creating your own wedding ceremony and style and you want to write your own vows, here are a few questions to consider in creating the vows you want to make.

*When and where did you first meet?
*What was the state of your life before the two of you met?
*At what point did you realize you were in love? Describe the feeling.
*What inspires you about your loved one?
*What life goals and dreams do you share?
*What have you learned from each other?
*What qualities make your love unique? What qualities will keep it strong?
*How has your view of the world changed since you fell in love?
*What do you most look forward to about life with this person?
*What are some special moments in your relationship?
*What happened the day you asked her to marry you?

Reading the vows you have written yourself during your wedding ceremony can be one of the most romantic things you’ve ever done. It’s the kind of thing that really helps you create your own personal wedding style. Writing your own vows is a kind of personal touch that cannot be replicated by any other style of vow.

Winter Themed Weddings

2007-12-10T18:52:00.000-08:00

Though it isn't snowing outside it sure is getting cold. Living here in Texas we really don't see alot of ideal like Winters. When I think of a winter wonderland scene, I envision an old fashioned frozen pond with people dressed warmly in sweaters, hats, gloves and mittens ice skating on it, snowmen have been built alongside the pond, icicles drip from the trees and it makes me want a hot cup of cocoa and a roaring fire to go home to. This is one nostalgic scene of a winter wonderland. You could take this scene and use the elements to create your own winter wonderland theme wedding.
When planning your winter wonderland theme wedding you can use all these fabulous winter elements like snowflakes and icicles, ice skates and sleds and use them in your decorations. You can create a nostalgic scene by using a dark blue and a light blue with a more country essence or you could have a sleek and modern winter wonderland by just focusing on the metallic color scheme and using mainly the snowflakes and icicles. With the metallic colors, snowflakes and icicles I envision a cool, modern and sexy winter wonderland. Any way you choose you winter wonderland theme wedding will turn out perfect for you.

Photo by Laura Mendolia http://www.austinpremierphotography.com/