5 Important Things to do Weeks Before the Wedding

Weddings are filled with such love, joy, and fun. However the weeks leading up to your wedding can be anything but. Here are a few tips and tricks to help prepare yourself for the special day.

1. Drink lots of water. This one is a lot easier said than done. It is recommended to drink half of your body weight in ounces per day. That's a LOT of water. Personally, I recommending adding about 20-60 ounces to that (depending on your weight [higher weight- less water; lower weight- more water]). High water intake is proven to be beneficial for a multitude of reasons, but here are a few reasons that should speak to you.

Reason 1: It will clear up your skin. I challenged myself to drink a gallon of water a day. After 2 weeks of (what felt like) drowning, I noticed my skin hadn't had a single breakout. In fact, my skin was glowing! Having such a large intake of water balanced my skin by rehydrating it from the inside out, which in return caused me to have the best skin of my life.

Reason 2: Weight Loss! That's right! Consuming large amounts of water will help your body feel full. Therefor eating less food, and loosing weight. To notice a difference in your weight, you will need to start drinking months in advanced. However, there will be no doubt that you feel slimmer after a few weeks of drinking the recommended amount of water.

Reason 3: Energy. You will undoubtedly wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day after a few days of this. Which is pretty crucial when you're planning your wedding! Another benefit I noticed to upping my water was that I had an overall more positive outlook, and felt energized to do whatever task was at hand. This is due to the fact that the large amounts of water will flush out unnecessary toxins in your body, making you feel less groggy and tired, and more alert and awake.

Quite honestly, the list of benefits to drinking large amounts of water is much longer. I just listed my top three. The best part of all of this- it's free!

2. Meditation. I know that for some of you, meditation in the sense of sitting down in silence with your thoughts may not do anything for you. However, meditation could be any idea of clearing your mind. Whether it be journaling, going for a run, or even the traditional way of meditation.

Personally, I like to use guided meditation through apps such as Headspace, or OMG I can Meditate. Setting aside time for yourself to clear your mind, and reflect is so important. Especially weeks before your big day! It helps you to make clear, level-headed decisions, get a better night sleep, and feel more calm and relaxed. Stress is a huge factor to weight gain, insufficient sleep, and mood swings. It's an underlying tone in a lot of negative energy. It's important to take time (all you really need is 10 minutes) to unwind in a positive, beneficial way.

3. Create a vision board. A lot of you may have already done this, but bare with me. When you're counting down the days to your big day, you may lose sight of what it's all about. I've had so many brides express to me that they're so stressed that the caterer won't bring the right hors d'oeuvres, or that the centerpieces are missing lilies. As humans, we get so caught up on the physicality of a wedding. We too often forget the reason why we're even having one to begin with. Keeping a vision board of what is important to you in the weeks upcoming (hint: your partner should be in the center of it!) will help you to keep your focus on what's needs to be accomplished, and the reason for it all.

4. Call your mom. Or whoever it is in your life that grounds you. Having someone who can talk you back down to earth, and lend you a helpful ear can seriously help in the moments leading up to your wedding. It's too easy to get caught up in the rush of the wedding bustle, that sometimes you can get caught in a spiral to stress town. Calling the person that will bring you comfort, and make you realize you're not totally insane will help.

5. Eat healthy! And not just for the obvious reasons. You are a product of what you put into your body, and whether you realize it or not. The more junk, processed sugars, and chemicals you consume, the more lethargic, and unmotivated you'll feel.

We all know that planning a wedding will make you feel like you have 3 jobs on top of the daily chores you already have on your plate. It's too easy to grab the Wendy's down the street because it's on the way to your dress fitting. And it's only really "one burger", right? What's the harm?!

Have you ever noticed how lazy you feel after eating a huge fast food meal? The starches and sugars slow down your body's metabolism, making you feel sluggish and "gross". Your body is built to perform, so when you fuel it with foods your organs know how to process, and can process easily, you will perform to your maximum potential. Making it much easier for you to get up and do those mundane tasks on your to-do list. So put down the fries, and replace it with some carrots! You'll be glad you did in the long run.

Most importantly, BREATHE! It's going to be okay! When everything is said and done, you won't remember that one of your bridesmaids forgot her shoes, or that the flowers weren't delivered on time. You'll remember the joy that was your fabulous wedding day.