alexisinjamaica

Awesome, I'll look into it. Can't beat 12min!!

We just posted an article on how to lose weight for your wedding: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/84502/losing-weight-for-the-new-year-your-wedding and now we want to know: what's your favorite workout or weight loss tip? I've used and enjoyed all of the following: Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred ($8.15 on Amazon) Jillian Michaels 6-Week Six-Pack ($7.72 on Amazon) Crunch Fat-Burning Pilates ($6.49 on Amazon) Lauren Brooks Kettlebell Lightning ($34.95 on Amazon) The Biggest Loser: The Workout - Weight Loss Yoga ($7.72 on Amazon) Billy Blanks' Tae-Bo - Instructional Workout, Basic, Advanced, 8-Minute Workout ($58.18 on Amazon) But I would love to try something new or get some ideas, so if you've tried something else and have advice, please share!

We’re several weeks into the new year now and if you’re like a majority of the population, you resolved to lose weight in 2013; either in preparation of your upcoming destination wedding, or just to be a better, healthier you. If you’ve stuck with your resolution so far and have started to make changes to your diet or fitness routine you’re already ahead of the curve as studies show most people abandon their resolutions early on. Go you! For anyone who’s looking for a little inspiration or some tips and support, look no further than our guide! Be Specific! Set a specific goal. You already know you want to lose weight. Do you want to lose inches? Pounds? Fit into a specific dress size? If you take the time to consider your desired end result it helps focus your overall plan. Be Realistic! Make sure your goal is reasonable. Are you starting this new plan with only a couple months to go? If so, you might want to adjust the goal you have in mind to fit the time constraints. Or does your preferred method cost money you may not have now that you’re saving for a wedding? If you have your eye on gym memberships, personal training or boot camps that can be expensive, consider purchasing weight loss DVDs or finding streaming workout options on Netflix or Amazon and working out in your own home. To get started, here are some of our favorite workout DVDs at various price points: Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred ($8.15 on Amazon) Jillian Michaels 6-Week Six-Pack ($7.72 on Amazon) Gaiam Resistance Cord Workout ($19.95 on Amazon) Crunch Fat-Burning Pilates ($6.49 on Amazon) Lauren Brooks Kettlebell Lightning ($34.95 on Amazon) The Biggest Loser: The Workout - Weight Loss Yoga ($7.72 on Amazon) Billy Blanks' Tae-Bo - Instructional Workout, Basic, Advanced, 8-Minute Workout ($58.18 on Amazon) Be Proactive! Make a plan for how you are going to accomplish your goals. Are you going to count calories? Cut out carbs? Join a gym? Sign up for boot camp? Buy and do workout DVDs? Whatever you decide, make sure you form a plan that takes into account both diet AND fitness. Doing one without the other won’t yield nearly as much results as doing them both at the same time. If you’re the type of person who does better planning everything out to the letter, make yourself a calendar and slot out your workout days and meals. Be sure to have plenty of “safe” foods like fruits, veggies and whole grains on hand so you can make healthy choices when hunger strikes. If you’re short on time or just aren’t big on cooking, frozen foods can occasionally be healthy. Stick to frozen veggies or brown rice. For full meals, here’s a list of 20 healthy frozen dinners, with included nutritional information. Be Accountable! Now that you have specific, realistic goals, and a plan, STICK TO IT! We all slip and miss a day of working out, or a cheat meal turns into a cheat day or couple of days. But if you fall off the program don’t beat yourself up about it—start fresh the next day and try to do better. Make sure to track your progress with regular weigh-ins. It helps to say motivated when you start seeing results! And if possible, get yourself a workout or weight loss buddy so you can keep each other honest. Or, even better, get the support of an entire weight loss community and join our Biggest Loser contest! Join Our Biggest Loser Contest! Prefer your tips in quick bullet form? Here are some highlights and additional tips in do/don’t format. Let us know if we missed any! Do: Set specific, realistic goals Make a solid plan and stick to it Keep healthy foods on hand Watch portion sizes Drink plenty of water Get plenty of sleep Track your progress Get a workout/weight loss buddy Don’t: Drink your calories Skip meals Beat yourself up if you temporarily get off track Need more motivation? Join our Biggest Loser contest for a chance to win some money! Connect with other users in the official P90x support group thread! Connect with other users in the official Insanity support group thread! Good luck!! Tip: You can read this in article form here: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/a/losing-weight-for-the-new-year-your-wedding and you can subscribe to articles by clicking the "articles" heading/button right below your Best Destination Wedding Activity window on BDW main.

I just sent out the below email to all of our stragglers who have yet to RSVP/book. The money for the hotel is due in a month and I had to get into nagging mode. We'll see if it works! As of right now we have 29 people who have said they are coming, but only a handful have actually put down their room deposits. Hello Friends & Family! By now you should have received our save the date and invitation to our upcoming wedding in Jamaica. I know RSVPing and booking a hotel room is probably the last thing on your mind right after the craziness of the holiday season, but as we're only a few months away we wanted to reach out and see if you'll be able to join us. Our wedding will be Saturday, April 27th at Secrets St. James http://www.secretsresorts.com/stjames/index.asp. We are working with a travel agent to book a block of rooms for wedding guests (at no extra cost to you) and since we will be getting a lower group rate, she needs a final headcount and payment for the hotel by February 22nd, 2013. In case any of you were unaware of that date, we thought it might be a good idea to reach out and let you know. We made the RSVP date a month prior to account for this, but we haven't heard from you so we're going slightly stalker and contacting you directly. You're welcome/we're sorry. We realize Jamaica is a long way from here and that not everyone will be able to make it. That's OK! We totally understand! But if you could be so kind as to let us know either way if we should expect you, either by replying to this email, sending a text, posting a Facebook message, sending a homing pigeon or dropping the RSVP card in the mail (we even put a stamp on it for you already!) that would be delightful. Our website has a lot more info: https://alexisandjoseph.modwedding.com/ http://alexisandjoseph.modwedding.com/site/pages/153951 and Joe and I are always here should you have any additional questions! Much love, Alexis and Joe

What a great idea, and those are super cute!

Hey there! You can upload a pic straight from your computer by clicking that little yellow icon that looks like a painting (to the left of the film strip icon) and it'll embed whatever you want here for all to see! Good luck!

Instead of favors at the wedding reception we're giving out our OOT bags the night before at a welcome bonfire. It'll be a reusable tote that says Jamaica and is filled with goodies, so hopefully people use the totes again at home!

Here you go! http://www.groupon.com/deals/big-fireworks-4?p=8&utm_source=channel_occasions_VD1-deals&utm_medium=email&sid=d66efcff-45ed-4f1d-b6df-e9e001b1b7b3&division=los-angeles&user=bcde477a2551eadee4a4540a30b79fe26c63744ea1002e28df64d0b5c6965960&date=20130124&s=body&c=image&d=occasions_deal

By the way, BDW bride Allie got married at the El Dorado Royale in Mexico. She's an ambassador for the hotel and prob has some good info to share. Here's her planning thread with pics! http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/t/81660/allie-hs-edr-rm-mexico-11-5-2012-planning-thread

There's a GroupOn today for sky lanterns for any bride who still needs to purchase some! $25 for $50 worth of Chinese sky lanterns with fuel patches $40 for $100 worth of Chinese sky lanterns with fuel patches

Hello and welcome! You'll learn fast that there's a lot of great info on this site if you spend some time here! I'm getting married in Jamaica, so I unfortunately don't know much about Mexico weddings but you might want to start with the Mexico-specific boards for some info on the areas you're interested in/times of year to go. http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/f/4/destination-wedding-in-riviera-maya-cancun-surrounding-areas Once you decide on a resort and a date, there will be plenty of great ideas on here you probably never considered but then decide you have to do (yep, I'm speaking from experience.) Haha. Good luck and happy planning!

Haha I know. But I swear until this weekend it was cold (for us!) Bali looks gorgeous! Jealous!!

It’s January and cold in dreary in most places. Even LA, where I am, is just getting out of an extremely cold couple of weeks. Since we can't be physically warm, let's get a thread going of our dream destinations to escape the weather! I'll start with a couple pics from the Four Seasons Bora Bora, where I'd rather be right now (or where I'd rather be pretty much anytime.) What's yours?

Thanks, I will!!!! I'm doing the beach area. I don't remember the max number either (I think it's somewhere in the 70s) but we will probably have around 30 so we are good. And yeah, an indoor reception might be good for that time of year. We're in April and hopefully shouldn't have to worry about it since I want to do everything on the beach. I'm scared about the add-ons too, even for 30, because other brides have warned it adds up at Secrets. I'll let you girls know!

Yay congrats!! I haven't heard back yet from the TA about switching rooms and if it's possible, but the pics from Oyster weren't as bad as I was expecting so I decided I'm OK with St. James if that's what it ends up being. I forget what site I was on, maybe Trip Advisor, where I found a couple pics that made the St. James side seem more English than modern, and that freaked me out. But I wonder if they were just older pics. Anyway, my mini freak out is over, and I'm now OK with whatever happens.