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Monday, April 29, 2013

Healthy Bride Series - Getting Started with Skinny Wraps!

There are many times in our lives that we begin to feel it is time to get into a healthy living routine with eating healthier, exercising, and taking care of our body and mind a little more than we have been. These times tend to come with major life events such as after graduation, landing your first job, GETTING MARRIED, getting pregnant, and retiring. When you are planning a wedding you want to look and feel your best on one of the most personal and special days of your life. For some it is easy to start putting in the extra time and effort to take care of yourself because it has always been a part of your life. For others it may be a bigger change, some brides-to-be have never put themselves first and the thought of actually putting the focus on yourself and working towards feeling your best may be a foreign concept. In this new Healthy Bride Series I will be sharing great products, healthy living strategies, and workout routines that can help you on your way to looking your best on your wedding day.



When I began planning my own wedding it gave me the jump start I needed to start incorporating a workout routine into my life. I wanted to loose about ten pounds and bring a little more definition to my shape. At the time I had a Wii Fit so that was my go to training tool to jump start my fitness routine. You are in the spotlight on your wedding day so why not work towards looking your best.

Sometimes the hardest part is getting started and finding the motivation to make a change; I have found that once I start seeing results I get energized to keep going to meet my goals. Often times the goal you create as a bride is about how you envision the way you want to look in your bridal dress. That could mean taking off a few pounds or firming your tummy, arms, and maybe even a little back fat that has accumulated over the years to get the right fit in your dress. Not only do you want to look good but you want to feel good too.

I've come across something that could help give you the motivation you need to get started with a healthy living routine and give you the results you have been looking for. It's called It Works! Body Contouring Wraps. These wraps tighten, tone, and firm in as little as 45 minutes! Hence the name... When it comes to products that make claims about results I feel I must try them for myself before sharing them on this blog as I do not want to provide false claims. I have tried these wraps and below is my review and results after using only one wrap!


                                                                    Before                           After





My Review: 

Sandy Griego is an independent distributor of It Works! products and she was able to share with me a sample of the Body Contouring Wraps. There are different packs you can get where you save money when combining items however, you can also purchase a pack of four Body Contouring Wraps on their own for $99.00 or $59.00 at the loyal customer price. I was able to try out one Body Contouring Wrap and was pretty pleased with the results of using a quarter of what you would get at home with a full purchase (check out my results above). You can check out even more results on the Griego Skinny Wraps Facebook Page where others have used full packs and up to 6 wraps, the results are pretty amazing.


So when my wrap arrived I was pretty excited to try it, I have been married for almost 3 years and after the big day life caught up with me and I had gained back the weight I took off for the wedding and my body was not looking as firm as it once did in my wedding photos... it was time to get back on track. I followed the written and video instructions provided by Sandy which were so helpful and followed them with some assistance from my husband with the wrapping.

The wrap itself smelled great and healthy, no strong chemical smells as many of the ingredients are derived from plant extracts. It smelled like a mixture or tea tree oil and eucalyptus... it made me feel healthy just putting it on lol! So I chose my tummy as that is where I get the most bloat and the area I would like to work on toning. When you first put the wrap on you must drink 8oz of water right away then half of your body weight of water in ounces each day for 72 hours. I actually had a sample of the It Works! Greens so I mixed that in my first 8oz of water.


                                                                               All Wrapped Up!

The whole process was kind of fun and once I was all wrapped up with saran wrap (plastic) my muscles felt quite firm. I could feel I was sweating under the plastic which made me feel good thinking of the toxins I was sweating out, this was as a result of being wrapped up in saran wrap. But I also felt a cooling sensation from the gel on the wrap, that is the botanical mixture you want your body to absorb to work at shrinking those fat cells. I kept my wrap on overnight which was a little strange feeling all wrapped up but I slept fine... just extra sweaty in the morning which I'm sure is a good thing when you are cleansing toxins from your body. When taking off the wrap I made sure to rub the remaining gel from the wrap into my skin to get the full effect. I drank all of the required water during the 72 hours after taking the wrap off and took the after picture on the 3rd day. I felt less bloated, my skin looked more clear, and my midsection and lower waist measurements had reduced by about an inch and a half. The results after using only one wrap definitely made me curious about the results I would see if I had used a whole pack or 4 or more. One of the best things using the wrap did for me was it gave me the motivation to start a work out program to firm up the rest of my body and continue toning my tummy; after seeing the change I wanted more!  The Body Contouring Wraps are not a water weight loss wrap and work different from some other body wrapping techniques on the market, with these wraps you can expect the results to last 2-6 months. Below are some links to It Works! products in the news!


Featured in the News






For those who are skeptical and feel that the body can have many changes on its own you may be right with a certain degree of change however, sometimes the body needs a little something extra to go even further. Using the wrap was an enjoyable experience, I did not experience any side effects and I felt quite healthy doing it. I think this product would be a great product for brides-to-be to try on any of the key problem areas (tummy, back, arms, legs, or butt), the least you will get is a mental shift making you feel healthier and gain the motivation you need to push harder to reach your wedding day goals. It Works! boasts that that body contouring wraps work every time and that 90% of people see results after the first wrap, so try it out for yourself and keep an eye out for the next blog post in the Healthy Bride Series!

If you would like to purchase your own body contouring wraps from It Works! click on the Shop link here ----------> https://smarvel.myitworks.com/Shop and choose the items you would like from one of the categories on the left products menu.You can also contact Sandy Griego directly at (913)-563-0936 or send her a message on her Griego Skinny Wraps Facebook Page. When making a wraps purchase from Sandy you can get a FREE It Works! Greens sample when you mention you heard about It Works! wraps on this blog!




If your a bride who has tried the It Works! wraps or plans to try them out please post a comment to share your thoughts and results with future brides-to be :)

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Destination Wedding Feature & Look"Blog" - Thailand

As you may already know from one of my previous blog posts my best friend Mandy got married abroad in an elopement style wedding with her now husband Jeff. It was intimate, simple, and full of love. Hundreds of thousands of brides choose a destination wedding each year and many are combining the wedding and honeymoon in one like Mandy and Jeff did. There are so many options to choose from, the options are nearly limitless. So in my new Destination Wedding series I will choose one location to feature and give you all kinds of ideas on how to pull of a DIY wedding in that location. Many of us have "Travel" on our bucket lists so why not start by checking off an item on your list by incorporating one of the biggest days of your life and making it unforgettable. Whether planning a romantic destination wedding for two or bringing the whole family along you can pull off an amazing wedding DIY style no matter where you are.


THAILAND
(Click the images to get further information on getting married in Thailand!)



LOCATION

Thailand has been gaining popularity as a destination wedding for it's amazing scenic beauty, rich culture, fabulous weather, and most importantly for the DIY Bride it's affordability. Your money will last a lot longer in Thailand than it will most places abroad, and you can increase the savings by incorporating your honeymoon into this destination wedding as you will already have the lure of a tropical vacation.



When planning a wedding abroad do your research, you can never have enough information about the country you plan on traveling to. Find out the process of obtaining a marriage license in the location you have chosen, check out wedding package options, local hotels, wedding venues, and vendors. Most importantly compare prices!!!


Ko Phi Phi, Thailand is named one of 2013's best budget destinations, the average hotel stay per night on this amazing island paradise is $151 per night.




WEDDING DRESS

Once you have chosen your location and accommodations you can begin planning your DIY wedding details. First you will want to find that perfect dress for a tropical wedding and you can easily stay in budget if you shop on Etsy, check out second hand or vintage shops, or if you are really crafty make your own. Here are a some fabulous destination wedding dresses that will leave you with enough funds for the rest of the details for your DIY Destination Wedding.






FLOWERS

Then on to the flowers, it is totally financially impractical to order your flowers locally and have them shipped to your destination wedding so finding a local resource in Thailand is the only way to go. Look no further because Flowers Thailand (https://www.gogoflorist.com/) is your best bet as they ship nation wide in Thailand and have fast delivery. An awesome feature about ordering through Flowers Thailand is that you can order what you are looking for online in your currency prior to traveling for your destination wedding and the prices are very reasonable. Many of the floral arrangements come in vases which is perfect for placing you bouquet in during the wedding reception. All you need to bring with you is some twine or florists wire to hold the flowers in the arrangement, and your colour choice of ribbon and pins to wrap your bouquet for carrying down the aisle. The arrangements are very versatile and can be used as the bridal bouquet, centerpieces, wedding floral arrangements, and even thank you gifts for the parents of the bride and groom or bridal party.



Flowers Thailand has FREE delivery and delivers to the following areas: Central Thailand Bangkok, Pattaya, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Chachoengsao, Chainat, Chanthaburi, Chonburi, Kanchanaburi, Lopburi, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathumthani, Phetchaburi, Prachinburi, Prachuap Khiri, Khan (Hua Hin), Ratchaburi, Rayong, Sakaeo, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut, Songkhram, Saraburi, Singburi, Suphanburi, Trat.North Thailand Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Kamphaeng, Phet, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Nakhon Sawan, Nan, Phayao, Phrae, Phetchabun, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Tak, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit. North East Thailand Amnat Charoen, Buriram, Chaiyaphum, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Loei, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon, Ratchasima, Nong Khai, Nongbua, Lamphu, Roi Et, Sakhon Nakhon, Sisaket, Surin, Ubon, Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Yasothon.South Thailand Chumphon, ,Krabi, Nakhon Si, Thammarat, Narathiwat, Pattani, Phang Nga, Phattalung, Phuket, Ranong, Satun, Songkhla, Surat Thani, Koh Samui, Trang, YalaF.




 
Flowers Thailand also offers the option to add a cake or fruit basket to your order which you could incorporate into your reception.


WEDDING FAVOURS & MORE

Siamstyles is an Etsy shop based out of Thailand that offers authentic wedding favour options handmade in Thailand! Their goal is to give handmade items from Thailand a chance to be seen in the world. One of their wedding favour options are carved soap flowers highlighting the craftsmanship from Northern Thailand; they can be used as decorative elements in a room that also freshen the air with their wonderful fragrance.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/189758748/wedding-guest-gift-carved-and-scented?ref=shop_home_active_13


They have also created this smart alternative to traditional guest books. With this Jenga Game Set guests write their good wishes to the happy couple on wooden blocks. The couple then plays Jenga with building blocks which help them remember a special time in their lives.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/172993745/jenga-guestbook-100-blocks-in-a?ref=shop_home_active_1


Siamstyles has a variety of Thailand inspired wedding photo albums that would be a unique compliment to your destination wedding.


Check out Siamstyles for all of their handcrafted items straight from Thailand that will compliment your Thailand inspired wedding.


THAILAND WEDDING LOOK"BLOG"

 For the remaining wedding details here is a Look"Blog" for your DIY Destination Wedding in Thailand.




 




Thursday, April 4, 2013

Doerman Photography - DIY Eco-Friendly Wedding!

Next to the venue and the wedding dress one of the most stressful, but important choices to make during your wedding planning is the photographer. Wedding photography has become such a competitive area in the event planning industry and when you are looking to get one of the best you need to book the one you get that gut feeling about up to a year in advance (At times more than a year when you have chosen a popular weekend wedding in the Summer). Doerman Wedding Photography in Nashville, Tennessee is sure to give you butterflies with their contemporary portraiture and photojournalism blend. If you don't live in Nashville but love Doerman Wedding Photography no need to worry, they love traveling for weddings, and would be ecstatic to travel abroad! Doerman Wedding Photography's average price for wedding photography is $3,500 however differs with your choice of album size, print options, and if you are looking for an engagement or bridal session. If you would like to get your own price quote just click the contact link on their site and let them know what you are looking for. Michael Doerman is the lead photographer of Doerman Wedding Photography and has vast experience in the photography industry including having acquired a Bachelor's Degree in Photography.



Doerman Wedding Photography captured an amazing DIY and Eco-friendly wedding that exemplifies the essence of what this blog is about. Picture this... A warm Summer day, an amazing wedding dress garage sale find, handmade details, simple yet exquisite backdrop, and a whole lot of love!



















Your Wedding Could Be Here!