Wedding season is in full bloom, and a lot of the “side effects” of weddings (overindulgence, drinking, and skipped workouts due to being away from home) can often lead you to feel less than your best when you get back to reality. We’ve all been there, right? Well, Kevin and I drove down to Fredricksburg, TX for a friend’s wedding this weekend, and we (yes, he helped!) came up with these 7 tips to enjoy a wedding without straying too far from your healthy living plan. **Before we dive in, remember that today is the last day to enter the Barre3 giveaway … I’ll choose a winner at midnight tonight!
If you’re traveling to the wedding, make a plan for what you’ll eat and drink during travel. Head over to my post on “7 Healthy Travel Snacks” for some ideas! For the 4.5 hour drive to Fredricksburg, I brought my favorite breakfast (this time I skipped the pumpkin because I didn’t want to open a new can when I won’t be home for a week, but added extra cinnamon and an apple), celery/ yellow pepper/ baby carrots/ cucumber with spicy black bean hummus, seaweed snacks, and a Quest bar, and I have a similar stash for the way back. Of course, load up on water, to be sure you’re not already dehydrated before you head into the big night! (And if you … ahem … frustrate your husband because you have to stop twice on the drive, then you can blame me!) 
- Be sure to squeeze in your workout between wedding activities. In a new city? Take a walk with some friends and explore the area. Otherwise, work out before you leave town or make time for a workout at your hotel. Like I posted on Facebook, I enjoyed a spin class and some Barre3 before hopping in the car – nothing like a great workout to keep you energized through the drive! Thanks to your suggestions on my anniversary post, I’m working on a post for later this week about workouts you can do in a hotel room or from home.
- At the wedding, be sure you’re hydrating, especially if you’re drinking alcohol. Alternate alcoholic drinks with water, or have a glass of water alongside your beverage of choice.
- Speaking of drinks, choose them wisely. Stick to light beer or wine, or choose club soda as a low-calorie mixer. Last night, I stuck with vodka + club soda + a splash of cranberry (and tried to get a water alongside every drink).
- Have a plan. A little extra thought and planning can go a long way towards making your weekend healthier. Will it be a “big night,” or will you stick to one or two drinks? When will you get your workouts in? Are there multiple nights of wedding festivities? If so, you may choose to make the healthiest choices possible on the first few nights, and let yourself relax a bit on the last night. Of course, weddings are a great opportunity to fit the BDD rule into your plan – especially if you want to enjoy some delicious wedding cake!
- Do your best to make healthy choices at dinner.
Weddings can be tough, because you’re often served a pre-set menu or offered a buffet. My best advice is to make the healthiest choices you can, and then enjoy your meal – even if it isn’t exactly what you’d choose to make at home or isn’t your “ideal” healthy meal, you can pat yourself on the back for making the healthiest choice possible and then enjoy your meal without any guilt. In a buffet setting, walk through first to scope out the options. Load up on the veggies and/ or salad, then fill in with some lean protein and a smaller portion of any indulgences that look too good to pass up! If you’re selecting your meal in advance, I’d usually recommend going with the seafood option (if you’re not vegetarian). Usually, the seafood will be grilled or baked, and is often served with veggies. The vegetarian option is often a heavier pasta dish (and it’s hard to know this beforehand if you’re just choosing “vegetarian”), but if you’re limited to this based on personal restrictions, then just monitor your portions and stop when you’re full, even if your plate isn’t empty. Last night, I enjoyed a simple spinach salad and some delicious grilled shrimp served on top of tomatoes and orechiette (sorry for the blurry picture!). - Dance!! There are very few places when you can look like a total fool and show off your “best” dancing skills without getting laughed at … so take advantage of it and have some fun! Dancing burns about 320 calories/ hour for a 150-pound woman … a great way to burn off some of those indulgences!
So tell me in the comments … Are you going to any weddings this summer? What are your healthy wedding tips?
Just went to a wedding yesterday…I drank lots of water along with my signature drink (champagne with a splash of something red in it, apparently picking a signature drink that is the latest wedding trend). But you are right, the vegetarian option at weddings, and almost any reception-like party is usually a pasta or some sort of veggie pastry puff. I did have a really yummy spinach salad to balance out the super yummy chocolate cake 😛
Way to go, Katie! Sounds like you struck an awesome balance. Champagne for some reason gives me such bad headaches (right away, it doesn’t even wait until the next morning!) but that’s a good choice!
I’m very glad to make your acquaintance via this site. I have my nephew to thank for pointing me this way. So, Dana Andrews, I shall be be reading the intellect, common sense, and over-all spirituality that you have worked for AND been born with. God bless you.Aurora
I needed this advice BEFORE my week in San Diego last month for Holly and Teedy’s wedding! At least I had already committed to your directive to drink more water. That advice alone has seemed to really help my recovery from my prior day’s run. It’s either that or the whole grain granola that takes the place of Captain Crunch in my cereal bowl each morning. I am not yet drinking the “green slime”, but do I really want to live to be 180? – Gary
Awesome that water is helping! I’m not sure if living until 180 sounds all that great, but feeling good all the years you are living probably does :). Keep up the water and the whole grains!