Name That Table!

Personalize Your Wedding with Unique Table Names

As a wedding planner, one of my main goals is to personalize your wedding so the evening feels like "you." Essentially, I want your guests to walk away from your evening and say "That wedding was so Hilary and Jeff." One of the easiest ways to do this is with your table names. Here are a few simple ideas:

1. Are you and your fiance film buffs? Designate your tables with movies the two of you love to watch together. It will give your guests a little bit of insight into your personal tastes and maybe even expose them to a movie they've never seen before. Example: Table 1 is Casablanca, Table 2 is Splendor in the Grass, etc.

2. Designate your tables with photos of the two of you growing up. For example, Table 4 would photos of you at age 4, and so on and so forth. Everyone will coo and feel like the two of you were meant to be with each other from the begininning. Awwww.

3. Have you done lots of traveling together? Designate your tables with custom maps of your travel destinations along with the dates and highlights (i.e. "Hilary & Jeff kiss on the Eiffel Tower) and your guests can travel the world with you.

4. Maybe you love to read. Designate your tables with your favorite novels - preferably love stories. Personalize them even further by including a favorite quote or short passage. "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

5. Take novels a step further and designate your tables with poets and your favorite verses.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.

I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;

So I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,

so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,

so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

-Pablo Neruda

Of course, these are just examples. Take whatever it is you do together and run with it. If you like to cook together, feature your favorite chefs! If you like wine, use your favorite vinos! The possibilities are endless! It's little details like this that make it "your" day and create really personal memories for both you and your guests.

Bootylicious or Bridalicious?

Time for Bridal Boot Camp!

Everyone wants to look incredible on their wedding day - it's like the Academy Awards for normal people! You want a firm, toned butt, a flat stomach and perfectly sculpted shoulders and arms so your dream body looks smashing in your dream dress - to complete your dream day.

Enter Bridal Boot Camp! According to The Knot, Bridal Boot Camp is "the no-nonsense, get-it-done outlook toward getting in shape. Expect to step outside of your comfort zone and work harder than ever before. The goal is to shed pounds, shape up in a serious way, and push yourself to the limit."

Are there different types of boot camps? YUP! Check out my two favorites!

DALLAS BRIDAL BOOT CAMP

Helen Harris, founder and trainer for Dallas Bridal Boot Camp, is a certified personal trainer from the Cooper Institute of Dallas (awesome!) and certified Johnny J. spinning instructor through Mad Dogg Athletics. As an August 2007 bride, she understands where you're coming from. Her energetic, unique approach will help you reach your goals, remove the stress, boost your energy levels and tone your body for your wedding day and your life.

She provides you with a complete health assessment before beginning Boot Camp (participants include ladies of all shapes, sizes and physical abilities.) During each session, you participate in cardio, strength training and agility drills to work the entire body.

For $400, you meet twice per week for 50 minutes (Friday evenings and Saturday mornings) for six weeks. Call 214.522.0611!

BRIDAL BOOT CAMP ONLINE.COM

Cynthia Conde is a trainer certified with the National Academy of Sports Medicine and a strength-and-conditioning coach who designs fitness and nutrition plans. She developed her Bridal Bootcamp® program after working with a client who was 100 pounds overweight and engaged for almost two years because she refused to set a wedding date until she slimmed down. Cynthia researched the boot camp training methods of the U.S. armed forces and adapted them for brides. And so Bridal Bootcamp® was born, and her very first bride rocked the aisle 100 pounds lighter on her wedding day!

The daily online program will help you lose weight, tone your body, and look amazing for your wedding with a set of online tools to help you reach your goals, like a custom meal planner and fitness plan, shopping lists, a food log, a weight calculator and much more!

The Bridal Bootcamp online program is just $4 a week, with a five-week minimum commitment (please see website for details.) Check out www.bridalbootcamponline.com now!

So whether you need to get up close and personal with Helen, or you need daily drills with Cynthia, now is the time to take control of your dress destiny! But consistency is key, so make sure you can clear your calendar before committing. (Now I know what you're thinking - "I'm busy! I'm working 40+ hours each week, I have so many things on my mind - the bridesmaid dresses, invitations, flowers, your rings, your future in-laws, the honeymoon... - plus I want to spend some quality time with my fiance and enjoy this very special time in my life." But making the decision to shape up is one you will not regret! And trust me, wedding photos will live on FOREVER!)

Finally, please note the Bridal Boot Camp is about physical fitness and eating healthy - not over-exercising or crash dieting. The ultimate goal is to achieve a healthy lifestyle you can maintain long after your wedding is over. And as always, please consult your physician before beginning any new exercise regimen.

GOOD LUCK!