Wellness Wednesday Newsletter

This Week's Theme: When the Picture Changes

I hope you’re having a wonderful week!

Many of you reading this are in different stages of wedding planning. You may be 18 months away, nine months away, or only days from your wedding.

No matter where you are, you probably have an idea of how you thought this season would look and how you hoped you would feel.

But what happens when the reality looks different?

Inside this week's newsletter:

A Note from Me - When life looks different than you imagined.
Wellness Tip - Looking beyond the original picture.
From the Coaching Room - What brides told me about weight loss.
From My Kitchen - Lentil and tzatziki lettuce wraps.
What's Happening in HFG -Support when consistency feels difficult.
Reflection of the Week - Where might you be overlooking progress?

My hope is that you walk away remembering that different does not mean wrong, and it certainly does not mean you failed.

A Note from Me

Tall grass stalks backlit by low sun in a field in Nara, Japan

Right now, as I am writing this, it feels like fall.

The air is crisp, and it is the kind of day that makes you want to put on a hoodie, curl up under a blanket, and hold a warm cup of coffee or tea.

Something about that first hint of fall always makes me reflective.

Can you relate to arriving somewhere important and realizing it does not look exactly the way you thought it would?

I got married nine years ago, before COVID changed the way so many couples thought about weddings.

My husband and I were friends for 10 years, dated for one, and then got married.

I grew up imagining a wedding surrounded by all the people we loved. While much of what mattered to me came true, our wedding was an intimate celebration with 25 people.

I felt the disappointment and anger from friends and family members who were not invited. I thought we would have a longer engagement and experience more of the traditional celebrations. We also believed we might have a larger celebration later, but that never happened.

I am at peace with the choices we made. I can also acknowledge that our wedding looked different from what I once imagined.

Now I find myself in another season like that.

I feel this now as Eriana prepares to start pre-K. It has me reflecting on what I thought life would look like by this stage and the ways it has unfolded differently.

But life looking different from what I imagined does not mean it is wrong. Maybe it is simply unfolding in a way I could not have pictured yet.

The same may be true for you during your engagement.

Maybe the budget changed. Maybe someone you love cannot be there. Maybe your body has not changed in the way you hoped it would. Maybe you expected to feel happier, calmer, or more certain.

There is room to feel disappointed about what did not happen while still recognizing what has.

Where are the wins? How has your life shifted for the better? What are you building now that you may not fully appreciate until later?

Sometimes the wedding does not arrive in the packaging we expected.

That does not make it any less meaningful.

Wellness Tip: Look Beyond the Original Picture

When something looks different from what we imagined, it can be easy to focus only on what is missing.

Pause and ask yourself:

What did I originally want?

What has changed since then?

What do I need now?

The original goal may still matter, but the timeline, path, or version of it may need to change.

Adjusting the picture does not mean you stopped caring. It means you are responding to the life you are actually living.

From the Coaching Room

I recently looked back at the Wedding Radiance and Wellness Questionnaires completed by the brides and couples I have met.

71% said they wanted to lose weight before their wedding.

But the answer to my next question was even more revealing.

When asked how much weight they wanted to lose, nearly 95% of those who answered selected five pounds or more. That included some people who initially said weight loss was not one of their goals.

Weddings can bring our attention back to our bodies. Even when we say weight loss is not the goal, many of us still carry an idea of a number we would like to reach or a way we believe we should look before the wedding.

But those numbers are never where I want the conversation to end.

Why does losing weight feel important to you?

How do you want to feel on your wedding day?

What is happening in your life right now?

How much capacity do you realistically have to make changes?

I believe people are capable of meaningful change. I also believe the plan needs to be built around their actual lives.

Sometimes our work results in weight loss. Sometimes the focus shifts toward nourishment, sleep, stress, movement, or building the foundation that may make weight loss more sustainable later.

That shift does not mean the original goal failed.

It means we are paying attention to the person behind the number.

From My Kitchen

This week’s recipe is a simple Lentil and Tzatziki Lettuce Wrap.

The lentils provide plant-based protein and fiber, while the tzatziki and crisp lettuce keep everything fresh and flavorful.

This is a great option for a quick lunch, a light dinner, or a meal you can prepare ahead when you know the week will be busy.

You can also serve the lentil mixture over rice, add it to a salad, or tuck it into a pita if lettuce wraps are not your preference.

The goal is not to follow the recipe perfectly. Use it as a starting point and make it work for you.

Lentil & Tzatziki Lettuce Wraps

What's Happening in HFG

My questionnaires also revealed why making changes during wedding planning can feel so difficult.

74% said staying consistent or losing motivation was one of their biggest struggles.

63% said a lack of time for meal preparation or workouts was getting in the way.

Knowing what you want to do is different from finding a way to do it while planning a wedding and managing the rest of your life.

That is why I created Coach in Your Pocket.

Starting at $99 per month, brides and couples receive personalized accountability and support without adding another lengthy appointment to the calendar.

We can focus on nourishment, movement, sleep, stress, wedding-planning routines, or whatever is making consistency difficult in your current season.

If you are curious about Coach in Your Pocket, you can book a clarity call. We will briefly discuss your goals, what has been feeling difficult, and whether this level of support is the right fit for you.

Book a Clarity Call

Not ready to schedule? Reply to this email and tell me what has been hardest to stay consistent with during wedding planning.

Coming Soon: Charted Territory

Two weeks ago, I sat down with Dr. Lisette Rollins, a chiropractor, personal trainer, and medical massage therapist who owns Spinal Couture in South Plainfield, for Episode 4 of Charted Territory: Reflections from the Waiting Room.

What started as a conversation about health coaching and Wedding Wellness became a candid conversation about motherhood, women’s health, body image, and the expectations we carry.

Honestly, we could have talked for several more hours.

Stay tuned for Episode 4. I will share it as soon as it is released. In the meantime, you can find Charted Territory: Reflections from the Waiting Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.