Here are the things I did to feel beautiful for my wedding in my 30s!

A month ago, I said “I do” for the second time, and the young age of 35 ๐
The first time I got married, I was 23. Fast forward 12 years, 2 children, and 30 lbs later, things were a little different! Albeit, I am now in a much better place in my life, and I married a man much better suited to me. But time and children will do things to a woman’s body, and while I am so grateful for the life I’ve had, I also wanted to feel beautiful on my wedding day.
My engagement lasted 9 months, so I did some things that would make me feel healthier in the time leading up to my wedding. Here are the 7 things I did to get ready for my wedding.
7 Things I did to feel beautiful for my wedding
Followed the Keto Diet

I had been carrying around an extra 25 – 30 pounds since my last divorce (because single parenting is super hard, am I right?), and I was pretty determined to lose the weight before my nuptials.
For about 5 months, I tried calorie counting, but it didn’t work for me. Finally, after hearing some incredible success stories from a few friends, I jumped on the keto bandwagon.
Once I was fully committed to following a keto diet, I rapidly lost almost 20 pounds, and have had no problem maintaining the weight loss since. I am not exaggerating when I say it wasn’t hard, at all! Once your body adjusts to a lower carb diet, the cravings for pasta, candy, and carbs pretty much disappears.
There are a ton of resources on the internet about the keto diet, but I found a Ketogenic Diet for Beginners a super easy and informative guide.
Not into the low carb lifestyle? You could also try clean eating. I have a full month’s worth of free clean eating menu plan. Another great option is to check out Sun Basket’s meal kit delivery service, that focuses on clean and organic food.
Teeth Straightening/Whitening in 6 Months

My two front teeth are crowded and overlap, which I’ve always been self-conscious about. It’s the self-consciousness that makes me smile with my lips closed, so no one can tell in photographs.
While it felt like a huge gamble, I decided to try out Candid Co’s at-home, clear teeth aligners. It cost about $1,900 and took 6 months, but my teeth are now straight, for the first time in my life ๐ And for a fraction of the cost and time it would have taken to get braces (while also not having to wear braces as a 35-year-old professional), I feel like it was a solid investment.
Candid Co also sends you a free teeth whitening that is super effective.
If you’d like to try it, you can Save 65% off the purchase of your Candid Starter Kit with code NEWYOU65.
Daily Meditation

Planning a wedding can be time consuming and stressful. Especially if you have other commitments, such as work and children. To keep myself grounded and stop myself from getting overwhelmed, I incorporated daily meditation into my life.
I read the book Stress Less, Accomplish More, which goes into great detail about the benefits of regular meditation, and also explains how to do it. But if you don’t have time to read a book and want to dive right in, the headspace app is super easy to use for guided meditations.
Overnight Resurfacing Peel

I started using BeautyCounter’s overnight Resurfacing Peel, which is a gentle, natural facial peel that you can do at home.
I added this into my nightly routine, 2 – 3 times per week, and saw pretty dramatic results.
Yoga, Walking, Working Out

It isn’t news to anyone that adding in daily exercise can benefit you in numerous ways, from reducing stress, losing weight, to boosting energy.
I started slow by adding in a daily 20 minute walk while I was at work. I then used an app on my phone to track how many steps I took per day, and set a goal to walk 10,000 steps each day. (Fun fact: 10,000 steps is about 5 miles!). I found that taking 3 20-minute breaks each day almost got me to the 10,000 steps.
I also did yoga at home 2 – 3 times per week. There are thousands of free yoga videos on youtube and tons of free apps.
Weekly Facial Scrubs

I’m a huge fan of homemade exfoliating facial scrubs, because they’re natural, inexpensive, and you can do them at home. The link above features 13 recipes that you can make with ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen.
I did a facial scrub about once per week, but each person will vary based on their skin type.
Wear Sunscreen

So, I actually didn’t do this, and regret it. My wedding dress had an open back, so I really tried not to get any tan lines from tank tops during the summer. But, I ended up going to an outdoor yoga session a week before my wedding and ended up with a pretty rad sports bra tan line on my back.
Don’t be like me. Wear sunscreen.

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