Whirlwind Wedding Weekend: The Importance of "Cheat Meals"

I spent this past weekend in upstate New York with all of my beautiful girlies from Hamilton. One of our own, Little MRS Trailmix tied the knot! The ceremony was brilliant-- I had never been to a traditional Jewish wedding before, and I pretty much love anything that involves a new-to-me cultural or religious tradition. The reception was fantastic! The food was delish, and the band was SO much fun! We basically danced and sang our faces off all night long!

M and I arrived on Friday evening, and went immediately to the rehearsal dinner-- a catered affair at the Cranwell Resort . The spread included lobster, steak, chicken, clams and all of the sides you would associate with those tasty meats. After dinner, we went back to our accommodations, the Shaker Meadow Bed and Breakfast, where the bride had so thoughtfully reserved rooms for our whole group of friends. There we had an after dinner bonfire complete with s'mores...mmMMMmm...

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On Saturday morning, we woke up early to accompany the bride on a pre-wedding, get-your-jitters-out run through picturesque New Lebanon, NY. We ran three miles down Lovers Lane...seriously...past farms and open fields. It was a wonderful start to the morning!

The ceremony and reception were at Tannery Pond. I can't imagine a more perfect place for this wedding! Check out Mrs. Trailmix's blog to see why...

The reception was outside, under a tent decked out with string lights and Chinese lanterns. The dinner was family style: filet mignon, red snapper and portobello ravioli. The drinks were...well, free...and that explains why the only pictures I have of the entire event are the following:

The bride made all of the table labels-- they were just so cute I had to take a picture...I know how hard she worked on them!

The place settings were also made by the bride and groom! My favorite part was the sprigs of lavender with their names and wedding date attached.

The wedding favors were gourmet chocolates with a tribute to the Dave Matthews Band--the Bride and Groom's favorite band.

Some Wine

My drink of choice: the always-classy Bacardi and diet. It's my guilty pleasure...actually not so guilty...Check out the drink flag! Another DIY methinks.

Someone else's guilty pleasure...I think I just liked the color.

The wedding was so much fun! After reading Mrs. T's wedding blog, it was so cool to see everything come together. I think everyone had an amazing time-- it was one for the books. A wedding to aspire to.

As for "cheat meals," I think that depending on your diet/ lifestyle, they are an approved necessity. Some people need them in order to stay sane and on track with their healthy eating, while others can happily forgo the cheat. I fit somewhere in between those two groups: I eat clean, healthy meals probably 85-90% of the week. When I feel like eating something that's not in my "diet," I don't beat myself up, because I know that I'll be back on track the next day.

So if I'm at an amazing wedding and I wish to partake in some adult beverages and chocolate, I do! When am I going to be at this wedding with this chocolate ever again? It took me a while to get to a place where I didn't punish myself for "cheating" and now that I'm there, I'm much happier. Life is so much more fun when you can enjoy yourself with friends without thinking about sticking to your normal diet 100%. The trick is to hop back on the wagon after your meal/day of indulging. It can take practice, but it can help when you know that one day of eating is not going to have a huge negative impact on your goals.

What is your "cheat meal" philosophy?