With the wedding just a few weeks away now, I wanted to share one of my favourite elements of the bride-to-be process so far: pre-wedding wellbeing.

As you know, wellbeing is always a priority for me, but with the added incentive of our wedding day coming up, every element of my wellness feels like it’s under a microscope.

Eating well, exercising and tryinggg to stay calm ha!

Both Oli and I agreed in the early stages of wedding planning, that we wanted to ENJOY the process.

And we’ve applied that to our pre-wedding wellbeing too.

We’ve both approached our health kick in (what I feel like) is a fairly balanced way. Friends who are personal trainers often talk about the 80/20 approach – disiciplined for 80% of the time, and relaxed the other 20% – and I’d say that’s about right!

Below I’ve detailed my overall approach to my pre-wedding wellbeing. I hope this is helpful if you’re a fellow bride-to-be, or if you’re thinking about embarking on your own wellbeing kick.

My Approach To Pre-Wedding Wellbeing – The Full Lowdown

What I’m Eating & Drinking Ahead of The Wedding

Eating well, and fuelling my body with ‘good food’ is always a priority, but ahead of the wedding I’ve been doubling down on my efforts.

Oli and I want to feel our best on our wedding day, so whilst it takes discipline ahead of time, it’s definitely worth it!

The diet side is a bit of a no-brainer. It’s everything you’d expect from eating in a more healthy manner, namely: less bread, pasta, alcohol, sugars etc and more veggies, lean protein and ‘good’ fats.

Things we’re having a lot of: tuna, salmon, green vegetables, salads, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, avocado, eggs, berries.

Things we’re having rarely: alcohol, sugar, bread, pasta, pizza.

As I mentioned above, the 80/20 approach has been really helpful. It’s kept me sane! I think I’d go crazy if I didn’t have a glass of wine now and then, or share a pizza with Oli on the odd day.

Plus – here’s something I’ve learnt in the lead up to the wedding – there are LOTS of occasions to celebrate! My advice is to give yourself the flexiblity to have some fizz now and then. Just make sure that you get right back on it afterwards ????????

^^^ A handful of meals over the past few months. Wine + pizza night included ????????! ^^^

What I Eat In A Typical Day, Pre-Wedding

Breakfast

Black coffee, or coffee with almond milk and cinammon.

Scrambled eggs with peas, rocket and chilli OR banana and egg pancakes with berries.

Lunch

I generally use as many salad-y things as we have in the fridge, and try to focus on creating a ‘rainbow’ of colour, since I know that I’ll be getting a wide range of vitamins that way.

I really love Camille Styles’ recipe section, and often refer to their ‘rainbow recipes’ for inspiration on salads and easy light meals.

Dinner

Home made green thai coconut milk curry, either made with veggies or chicken.

Sweet potato shepherd’s pie.

Some other kind of light dinner with veggies, and protein.

Snacks

Green apple, berries, green tea, coffee, diet coke.

(Side note: I’ve craved so much diet coke since starting this health kick?!)

Exercising Ahead Of The Wedding

At the beginning of this year I asked a personal trainer friend for advice on how to prepare for the wedding.

His advice was to try and maintain a regular exercise regime for the 3-6 months ahead of the wedding, up the ante a bit 3 months in advance, and in the 6 weeks leading up to the wedding be as disciplined as you can be.

On a whole, I feel like that’s worked for me.

I’ve made a conscious effort this year to attend the gym regularly, and generally to stay active.

Then after I got back from Fés in June (four months ahead of the wedding), I really honed in on my exercise regime as well as my diet.

A few things which have helped me to stick to a regular exercise regime include:

• Signing up for a gym I can walk to. It’s amazing how the convenience of somewhere makes it SO much easier to attend!
• Buddying up with Oli! We’re now signed up to the same gym, and I’ve really enjoyed working out together. Accountability helps!
• Working out, in some way, nearly every day.

^^^ A selection of gym selfies ????! ^^^

My Typical Weekly Workout Routine Pre-Wedding

Weight traning 1 – 2 x a week

HIIT workout 1 – 2 x a week

Running 1 – 2 x a week

That being said, I listen to my body, and I know the difference (I think ha!) between a day when I’m just feeling lazy (in which case I get my arse out of bed and go to the gym) and a day when I really need to rest.

Rest has been REALLY important to me ahead of the wedding (more on that below) so if there’s a day when I need to take it a bit slower, I’ll do so.

ALSO, if you havn’t listened to this podcast episode about your menstrual cycle, DO IT. It has helped me to tune into my body and the ebbs and flow of my energy levels so much.

Mental Health

Outfit Credits

Cotton T-Shirt: Marks & Spencer – I bought three of these and I LOVE them! They’re only £8.50!

Crop Top (Worn Underneath): Girlfriend Collective at The Sports Edit – one of my favourite places for sportswear

Leggings: SUPER old, but these are similar | Water Bottle: Swell c/o 

Staying on top of my mental health ahead of the wedding has been something I’ve been really conscious of.

No matter how laid back you are about your wedding, there are LOTS of moving parts to it.

I’ll do another blog post after the wedding about how I planned everything, but a few things that have helped my mental health include:

• having a cushion of time before the wedding to sort out last-minute bits. I’ve consciously not over-commiteed for the whole month leading up to the wedding since I know that there will be lots of last-minute things which need my attention. Plus I want to feel rested, not stressed, going into it all.
• sleep! Ahh sleep! I’ve been trying as often as possible to hop into bed early (especially on days when we’re getting up early to go to the gym), or lying in for a bit if I don’t need to set an alarm. Regular, good quality sleep is one of the best things you can do for your mental health, since it’s your body’s time to heal and reset.
• meditation. This is the one wellbeing element that I’ve been slack with, and in the last few weeks before the wedding I really want to get back into the swing of regular meditation. It’s so SO beneficial. I use the Rituals app.

In general, I’ve felt like it’s really important to acknowledge that planning, organising and actualising a wedding is a BIG task, and to cut myself slack on days when I’ve felt overwhelmed.

It’s like a whole OTHER job, on top of your job and life, so it’s normal to feel like your head is swimming from time to time.

My advice is to take a step back, write out a monster to-do list, and tackle tasks one by one.

Macro – to – micro to-do listing is ace for this.

OVERALL

Eating well, exercising regularly and generally being mindful has definitely helped me to feel more confident leading up to the wedding.

Unsurprisingly  I’ve felt more energised, lean and healthy, so whilst I can’t wait to be a little more relaxed (hiiiiii honeymoon!), I’m hoping that Oli and I will both be able to stay focused on some of the good habits we’ve developed.

If you have your own wedding coming up, I suggest starting your pre-wedding wellbeing regime 4 – 6 months in advance in a more relaxed way, and as you get closer to your date, really hone in on your discipline. If you start too early you’ll get bored! Start too late and you may not get the results you’re hoping for.

And most importantly, as much as you can, ENJOY the lead up!

There are so many mini-celebrations along the way!

WHAT’S YOUR TAKE?

Do you have any last minute tips for Oli and I both?

Or do you have any questions about my pre-wedding wellbeing routine?

I’d love to hear from you!

Love, Monica x

Photography by Charlotte Bryer-Ash