Get a Wedding Worthy Look from a celebrity hair stylist and top personal trainers and plastic surgeons
The snow is all melted away, brisk air is turning warmer and flowers are blooming. This can only mean one thing: Wedding season is upon us! All though you may have been planning your wedding for months now, it is time to focus on yourself before the big day. In as little as 3-4 weeks you will be able to get fit, get beautified, and even bounce back from a little nip and tuck with help from our experts.
4 Weeks Before Wedding
About a month before the big day you want to plan out your schedule to fit in workouts. By this time you should have already picked out your dream wedding dress and had it fitted, so the goal isn’t to slim down for the big day but to tone up. The perfect workout for this task is The Bar Method, which should be done 3-4 times a week. The Bar Method is designed to tone and sculpt muscles, enhance posture, and reshape your body. Creator of The Bar Method, Burr Leonard, shares a quick tip on how this look is achieved. “The Bar Method class alternates between exercises that demand intense bursts of energy and deep stretches. This format produces both high caloric burn and firmer muscle mass. It also gives you an overall slimmer, more youthful appearance by working on your posture.”
3 Weeks Before Wedding
Studies have shown that not only are brides-to-be seeking physical enhancements before their wedding, but also the mother-in-laws! So if you or mom is considering some slight plastic surgery to enhance your features, now is the time to do it. Board certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Richard Chaffoo, suggests a few quick procedures that require three weeks or less total recovery time.
1. Breast Augmentation: Whether you have been considering a breast enhancement for years or you just want to fill out your dress, this procedure is quick and easy with minimal down time. It takes about 2 hours in surgery, 1 week until you’re back to normal activities, and 3 weeks until you can exercise normally.
2. CoolSculpting: As a non-surgical alternative to liposuction, CoolSculpting helps you get a thinner and trimmer midsection. “On average, a single CoolSculpting treatment creates a 25 percent reduction in fat in the treated area,” Chaffoo explains. The device cools fat cells to a point at which they become damaged and die, and this is why your thinner appearance will become visible as soon as 3 weeks after treatment.
3. Lipo of neck and chin: As we age, certain elements start to sag and lose firmness and even by our mid-twenties this is visible in some facial features. With just 2 weeks recovery time, liposuction of the neck can give you back your sculpted jawline.
2 Weeks Before Wedding
A couple weeks before the wedding day is the best time for any facial rejuvenations. For whatever area you want treated, any injectables or peels will need at least a week for swelling to go down.
1. BOTOX®- “The most common area of injection is between the eyebrows where adults frequently develop a furrow. This area responds extremely well to Botox. "Crows feet" and forehead lines also respond well,” explains Dr. Rebecca Baxt of Baxt Cosmedical. When applied carefully it helps you obtain a smooth appearance. They have also recently started using Botox for under the eye and areas around the mouth.
2. Fraxel® Laser Resurfacing- Many women and men are unaware of this new facial peel technology. The laser is applied in microscopic spots to minimize downtime. You will have a “sunburnt” look immediately after, but within a week you will notice smooth skin, less wrinkles and faded brown spots!
3. Fillers- Another quick way to amp up your look is with the option of several different injectable fillers. Fillers are used to plump up lips, fill in lines and wrinkles, and contour the face.
1 Week Before Wedding
For the past few weeks leading up to the wedding you have been exercising, beautifying, and planning last minute details for your overall wedding look. It is important to remember that looking good on the outside is achieved by feeling good on the inside. Cosmetic treatments can aid in a beauty regimen, but to get a glowing appearance you must nourish your body with plenty of healthy foods. Certified nutritionist, Franci Cohen has created a Wedding-Prep food guide of which nutrients to include in your diet pre-wedding day.
1. Carrots for a Natural Glow: We all know that eating obscene amounts of carrots can give the skin that orange hue, but a slightly above average intake can do wonders for your health as well as your beauty regimen. Carrots are high in beta carotene (a derivative of Vitamin A, which plays a huge roll in the renewal, protection, and fortification of cells). Ingesting this from nutrient-rich sources such as carrots, will most definitely beautify your skin from within. Over three decades of research support the claim that those who eat ample amounts of Vitamin A from betacarotene, have lower incidences of ski cancers, and have long-term glowing, beautiful, and nurtured skin!
2. Almond Milk for Smooth Skin: Almond milk is a nutrient-dense food that offers an abundance of essential nutrients and trace minerals such as manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin B-2, vitamin E, tryptophan, and copper. It has many health benefits, including promoting healthier, vital, and younger looking skin. The vitamin E in almond milk protects the skin from free radical damage, leaving only plump, young, beautiful skin. Almond milk plays a role in the body's oil-regulation, which can prevent acne and other skin conditions caused by oily skin. Almond milk is also an excellent hydrator for the skin.
3. Blueberries for Clear Skin: Blueberries are high in antioxidants, which fight those nasty free radicals that we keep mentioning. They protect the skin from premature aging, and help maintain a healthy and clear complexion. They have even been labeled "the fountain of youth"! As they counteract the aging process, they help skin steer clear of the age spots, wrinkles, acne, and other blemishes that accompany the aging process. So stock up on blueberries, and you may just be that 30 year old who looks like a teenager!
4. Flaxseeds to reduce Wrinkles and Dry Skin: The oil from these tiny little flaxseeds can do wonders for skin tone. Flaxseed oils are very high in omega 3 fatty acids, which are very beneficial to the skin. It is loaded with vitamin B, potassium, magnesium, fiber, and zinc. This is the perfect elixir to treat various skin disorders associated with dry skin, such as eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis. Omega 3 fatty acids are also essential for the repair of skin cells, leading to the reduction, smoothening, and prevention of wrinkles.
3 Days Before Wedding
The big day is almost here and you are looking fabulous! Now it is time to try out another important look for the wedding- your hair. This could honestly be the toughest choice because there are so many different wedding hair trends, how do you know which is the right look for you? Danny Jelaca of the Danny Jelaca Salon in Miami Beach advises that the hair should compliment the dress design, so he has picked his top looks for each.
¨ For a sweetheart top: For a strapless dress it is best to let your hair fall down with loose bouncy curls. Repeat: LOOSE curls, you don’t want it to look like a Quinceañera! To bring some of the weight off your face, take a small strand from each side and pin it back around the head.
¨ For a low cut back: This look is stunning in itself, so you don’t want to have your hair hanging down. An interesting hairstyle would be a low side pony with loose waves. Start with clean hair and using a large curling iron make big waves. Pin loosely onto either side, securing any loose strands in place. Decorate with tiny white flowers or a tiny braid.
¨ For a lacey top: Lace is a huge hit in fashion these days and nothing could look more glamorous on a wedding dress. Like Duchess Kate’s dress, the lace adds a look of elegance and class, so the hairstyle should match. A classy style is a medium-high messy bun. You don’t want a tight bun that is too ballerina-esque, and also not that high. “A bun just above the middle of the scalp is elegant, flirty and extremely stylish,” says Danny. You should start with wavy hair and pull it back into a ponytail. They waves will help the hair twirl around the base of the pony and be secured into the bun. For a sleek look, tease the front and smooth it back, and for a more relaxed look pull some pieces down around the front of your face.
Burr Leonard, Founder of The Bar Method
Burr Leonard is the founder and creator of The Bar Method, a full-body exercise workout that utilizes a ballet bar technique. The method draws from the principles of isometrics, dance conditioning, interval training, and physical therapy. With 19 years of experience in the fitness field, she and her business partner have turned their one Bar Method studio into a franchise operation with 30+ studios and a media company selling exercise DVDs and accessories.
Born in 1947, Burr Leonard is the daughter of George Burr Leonard, an educator and published author in the field of self-mastery and human potential. Burr started her career as a writer, working as a journalist with Esquire, Adam Smith’s Money World, and Forbes covering young innovators and entrepreneurs. In 1981 she discovered the Lotte Berk Method of exercise and became an avid student. In 1991, along with her new husband Carl Diehl, they bought a license to operate Lotte Berk Method studios in Southern Connecticut. Burr spent a year studying and teaching The Lotte Berk Method at the Manhattan studio then opened her first Lotte Berk exercise studio in Greenwich, Connecticut. Immediately, Burr noticed that some of her clients’ knees, backs and shoulders were not responding well to the exercises and sought the help of a physical therapist. Under his guidance she reworked the sculpting exercises so that they would target students’ muscles without impacting their joints.
During the 90s, the business partners opened three more Lotte Berk Method studios in New Canaan, Darien and Westport, Connecticut. At the end of their ten-year license term, their four studios were thriving, but their version of The Lotte Berk Method had become so unlike their licensor’s that they made the decision not to renew. In 2001 The Bar Method was founded, the Connecticut studios were sold, and the flagship Bar Method exercise studio opened in the Marina neighborhood of San Francisco, California.
Burr’s passion for The Bar Method is an intentional expression to live a balanced, healthy lifestyle and to help create that for others. Burr’s former husband, Carl Diehl, is her business partner and her sister, Mimi Leonard Fleischman, owns and operates several Bar Method studios in Southern California with her husband Mark.
Burr dedicates her time to ensuring consistency and quality in the exercise system, guiding the franchisees, and producing media products. Last year “Change Your Body!” and “Accelerated Workout” exercise DVD’s came on the market, making The Bar Method workout available to wider audience. She is currently working on more home exercise workouts and a book on the Bar Method.
Burr lives in Sausalito, California with her husband Michael Doud and her Pomeranian Pi.
“I feel lucky that the fitness technique that has enhanced my life is something we are making more and more available to people.”
~ Burr Leonard, Founder, The Bar Method
Dr. Richard Chaffoo, MD, FACS, FICS
Richard Chaffoo, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.I.C.S., is triple board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the American Board of Otolaryngology and the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He is also President of the San Diego Plastic Surgery Society and Chief of Plastic Surgery at Scripps Memorial Hospital, Encinitas.
Dr. Chaffoo completed 3 post-graduate surgery fellowships at Stanford University Medical Center and UCSD Medical Center and has over 20 years of facial aesthetic surgery experience.
Through a partnership with San Diego skin care specialist Dr. Susan Stuart, Dr. Chaffoo's San Diego plastic surgery patients also can choose medical spa procedures for beautiful skin. To view Dr. Chaffoo’s full credentials, please visitwww.drchaffoo.com.
About Rebecca Baxt, M.D.
Rebecca Baxt, MD, MBA, FAAD is a Board Certified Dermatologist specializing in both cosmetic and general dermatology for adults and children. Attending Ivy League University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Baxt graduated Summa Cum Laude Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in English Literature. She continued her studies at the University of Pennsylvania for medical school and completed an internship in Intern l Medicine. She also obtained an MBA from the Wharton School of Management in Health Care administration.
www.cosmedical.com
Meet Franci Cohen:
A No Nonsense Approach to Fitness, Health & Your Life
Franci Cohen is a personal trainer, certified nutritionist, exercise physiologist and creator of SPIDERBANDS®, a total-body cardio resistance workout that leverages gravity and your bodyweight with other intense exercise modules such as rebounding, kickboxing and indoor cycling. With over 18 years of experience, Franci has been a mainstay in the fitness and nutrition industries. Franci believes in a tough love approach to fitness and health. “We all have our fitness wake-up call at some point in our lives and it can be a powerful catalyst for change,” saysFranci. “Unfortunately, many people overcompensate and try to change everything at once, which is a disaster. Making lasting change involves going through stages that aren't necessarily linear. People fluctuate and transition between the stages. Knowing how to move through them can get you where you want to be.”
Franci devotes much of her time to Fuel Fitness, a specialty fitness center in Brooklyn, NY and continues to teach group fitness classes, train clients and broaden her perspective in all areas of fitness, nutrition and wellness. She designs unique fitness modules and group exercise programs for her clients utilizing the most effective and popular products, tools and exercise equipment available. “Exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your health, but sometimes it’s hard to just get motivated. My goal is to keep it fun and interesting by creating out-of-the-box programs that wow my clients with both the innovative nature of the classes, as well as with the rapid results they see in their bodies! My classes are the ultimate playground where fitness meets fun, and nothing is off limits!”
Education:
- Triple Bachelors Degree
- Masters in Nutrition
- Masters in Exercise Physiology
Certifications:
- Nutritionist
- Group Exercise Instructor
- Group Fitness Specialist
- Personal Trainer
- Lifeguard/Professional Rescuer
- Indoor Cycling Instructor
Certifying Institutions
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (A.N.D.)
- American College of Sports Medicine
- National Academy of Sports Medicine
- American Council on Exercise (ACE)
- American Fitness Association of American (AFAA)
- Mad Dog Athletics
- American Red Cross
Franci has been married for 14 years and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and four children.
DANNY JELACA SALON
500 SOUTH POINTE DRIVE SUITE 120
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DANNY JELACA- MASTER STYLIST
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