Almost wordless post

Hello from my honeymoon in wine country! I woke up way too early, so I thought I would share some highlights so far in photo form, from Thursday’s drive to Friday’s wine.

Reception menu

Sorry for the radio silence, but I’ve been up to no something really good:

Yep, I got married! It was the happiest day of my life, folks. Seriously.

The view didn’t hurt, either.

I will do a more thorough wedding post when I have professional pictures, but I did want to acknowledge the big day.

On that note, I am finalizing my menu for this weekend’s local reception (live in LA and want to come? Leave me a comment!) and wanted some advice. I am guessing we’ll have 20 people in attendance, and while I don’t want to serve a full dinner, I do want enough nibbles for everyone. Here are my thoughts so far:

• Nacho Bites (modified slightly)
• Chips and salsa
• Fruit salad with orange-mint dressing
• Seasonal roasted veggie salad with pesto dressing
• Either hummus or bean dip
• Cookies and/or cupcakes and/or brownies

Who has an opinion to share? I would love to hear from you! I want to keep it easy, healthy, and delicious!

I’m not dieting for my wedding

By the time I get married next week (!!), I will have had a five-week engagement, which is very, very short, obviously. But, then, so am I, so it only makes sense.

Anyway, I quickly dove into the world of wedding planning sites (and quickly got overwhelmed, then scared). One theme I’ve noticed pretty strongly is that brides want to lose weight. Not only do they want to, but they expect to and go so far as to plan their attire around the new weight they expect to hit. I can understand the draw, especially with the strapless dresses most want to rock on their big days. If you’re overweight and your wedding day is the motivation you need to get into a healthy routine, then I applaud you.

However, the obsession with bridal body image frankly disturbs me. My wedding day is supposed to be a celebration of the love I share with my fiancé. It is an opportunity to gather our closest family in our new home for a happy occasion. It’s also a time to help us outfit our kitchen. (I tease on the last one.) It is not a time to scrutinize my arms or my hips. It’s not a time to be on display. It’s a time to laugh and cry and hug and make joyful new memories. Yes, there will be a photographer, but his lens will be focusing on our smiles and tears, not our saddlebags.

Fact: I am currently about five pounds heavier than normal, which is in turn five pounds heavier than my ideal weight. I want to lose that full 10 pounds by eating well and getting back to the gym.

That said, I have decided not to lose an ounce for my wedding. Why? For all the things I said about what a wedding is. A wedding isn’t a pageant. It isn’t a modeling competition. It is a celebration of love and happiness. It is the last day on which I should be worried about whether or not anyone is judging me. If they are, then they can take a hike (but leave the blender, please).

It’s also for my sanity. Theoretically, I could lose those five extra pounds in five weeks, but at what reward? There is no chance I won’t feel radiant on my wedding day. How could I not, when I’m surrounded by the people I love most in the world, including the man who is going to promise to love me for the rest of my life? Losing five pounds or 50 doesn’t increase or decrease the love in your life. Obsessing over weight loss (something at which, frankly, most people fail) will not make your wedding day better.

I spend so much of my daily life thinking and worrying about my weight that I want my wedding to be a break from it, a day on which I’m grateful to be exactly the way I am.

It goes without saying that this is all just my opinion, and maybe your experience is totally different, but I wanted to give voice to another perspective.

From a miss . . .

And in a second, everything changes.

You go from a girlfriend to a fiancee.

Yep, this gorgeous guy will make me the luckiest lady in the world in a month! Here we are overlooking the place where we’re getting married. Oh my goodness!

I had high hopes for 2012; now they are soaring even farther than I could have imagined.

Food posts to resume tomorrow.