It goes without saying that you want to look and feel your best on your wedding day. That’s exactly why Katherine Bahlberg created Bells & Barbells, an exclusive fitness and training club for brides and grooms. With so many events leading up to the wedding where you’re the star of the show, the wedding fitness experts at Bells & Barbells understand that quick results matter, but longevity is important, too! Their personalized and tailored plans help brides and grooms get in the best shape of their life in preparation for marrying the love of their life. Today, we’re chatting with Katherine about all things wedding fitness – expectations, nutrition tips and advice on the best moves. Scroll below for all the good stuff!
Photo // Kristen Dee Photography
Which is more important when getting fit for the wedding day – diet or exercise?
BOTH! Diet and exercise go hand in hand. It’s important to start your wedding diet and fitness program at the same time in order to achieve your desired results and in time for your big day. Understanding that it takes time and consistency to see real changes and to achieve lasting results. Quick fixes and crash diets cause more harm than good and often leave you feeling frustrated, so we recommend avoiding them if possible.
What tips do you have for creating and maintaining a nutrition plan leading up to the wedding day?
GREAT QUESTION! Being prepared can make or break your success with a nutrition plan. Make sure you have a designated day or time on your calendar for weekly meal prep. Plan for busy days with ready to go and easy to make snacks so you don’t skip meals. Make sure it’s balanced. Have 1-2 cheat meals a week so you don’t feel deprived and crash. Balance is the key to sustainability.
What are your #1 workout moves you like to incorporate into a wedding fitness plan?
We love to cover it all! Ensuring that our brides tone up from head to toe so that they look flawless in their honeymoon bikinis as well as their wedding dress are so important. So! A few of our favorite moves are Dumbell Thrusters ( squat + overhead press), Single Leg Deadlifts which hit your back, glutes and hamstrings, Glute Bridges for a more targeted glute focus and Turkish Get-ups because they are fantastic for overall mobility and stability of the core.
What goals should brides set for themselves to be successful in getting fit for the wedding?
Making sure goals are attainable is important. It is best to set 30-day goals, then 60, then 90 and so on. Make sure that once you reach a goal you are always working toward a new one. We set new goals every month with each of our clients, in addition to basing some of them around important dates in their engagement timeline such as bachelorette parties, dress fittings and engagement photos. This will keep you motivated and feeling on top of your game as your wedding day gets closer.
What suggestions do you have for a bride doing gown fittings throughout a vigorous fitness plan leading up to the wedding?
PLAN AHEAD for sure! We suggest to clients that it is best to schedule the first fitting, set that date as a goal in their personalized fitness plan with us and before they schedule more, bring in photos from the fitting to their next training session so we can start setting new ones. Waiting until after you have reached 75-80% of your goals to schedule fittings following the first one will save you money in the long run. The average bride trains with us 4-6 months before they even start their dress fittings and in most cases before they go dress shopping.
What all is included in the private training packages at Bells & Barbells?
We offer a one-of-a-kind experience for the motivated bride and groom. We have an in-house registered dietitian that our clients have access to at rates that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Each of their private and semi-private training sessions are a full 60 minutes and our elite team of wedding fitness professionals work hard to ensure each of our clients meet their goals through a very personalized approach packed with a ton of accountability, knowledge and passion. And it gets even better! B&B clients also gain access to our exclusive #BBCLUB Vendor List once they start training at the studio. This vendor list can potentially save every B&B client hundreds if not thousands from everything they need for the big day including wedding planners and photographers to anything else a bride or groom might need during the engagement period, such as facials, massages, restaurants, movers, real estate agents and much more. The carefully thought out design of our studio and the experience we offer to our clients is unlike anything you will find anywhere else. It’s built with the bride in mind.
How can couples make the most out of their time with Bells & Barbells?
#teamworkmakesthefitdreamwork! Couples that sign up together see TREMENDOUS results. They are able to bond over a common goal, find more time to spend together and help keep each other accountable and motivated. We suggest that they meal prep together, stay active outside of their sessions with walks outside or social sports leagues. We have had so many wonderful brides and grooms come through our door and seeing them transform their bodies by placing a priority on their health and fitness pays dividends for them later in life and in their marriages.
Katherine truly has so much wedding fitness knowledge to share, and we’re so grateful she passed on some of her wisdom to us today! Interested in working with one of the trainers at Bells & Barbells to up your game before the big day? Reach out to Katherine’s team directly via their Brides of North Texas vendor profile here!
