Kid’s Party 101: The Best Birthday Games That Won’t Cost You a Dime!

Children’s parties vary tremendously from an adult’s. Unlike a typical dinner soiree an adult hosts, a kid’s party is a myriad of various entertainment shows and of course, games. While an array of appropriate kiddie food should still be served, the party games kids will play are more integral to the occasion. After all, it is how you keep the kids from getting rowdy and bored and entertained as well. So, before you book a suitable birthday party venue for kids, it might be a good idea to come up with a list of party games your kids and their guests can play on his or her birthday party. While there are some games listed below that would require supplies, they are objects commonly found in the house. Furthermore, it is rather easy to improvise if you have another item in similar or opt to play the game in a variation of your own.

The games listed down below can be played by both kids and adults so that each and every single one of your guests is guaranteed to have a good time. Here are some of the best games you can play during your child’s birthday party:

1.) Treasure Hunt Game

The treasure hunt birthday party game is not only fun, it is easy to conduct as well—and you would only need the items you already have in your homes. Give your party guests a list of clues as to where they can find the “treasures” situated in various areas around your house or yard. Another way of playing this game is to lead your guests in several places in your home one clue at a time until they finally reach the ultimate treasure.

2.) Button-Button

If you want a bit more flair to your party games, then perhaps letting your guests play detective might be all you need to let them enjoy hours and hours of fun. Button, button, who has got the button? While this might be an uncommon party game, it is incredibly simple and straightforward that even your young guests will enjoy it. All you would need is a single button. The mechanics of the game are rather easy, just have one child at the center while the rest of the kids circle him with their hands and palms together as they pass the button. The child at the center closes his or her eyes while the children who are circling him pass the button around, then after a while, the child at the center would have to guess which child has the button.

3.) Charades

Charades is a fantastic game to play—whether you are a child or an adult. Think of age-appropriate things to have your little guests guess about. Alternatively, you can have a birthday theme for your kid’s party and think of relevant stuff to include in your game of charades.

4.) Marco Polo

If you have a pool, the mechanics of the game need not change. However, if you do not, this game can be modified to be just as fun on land as it is on water. All you would need is several sets of blindfolds and utilize the same rules the game has on water. Have the children blindfolded call out “Marco” while the child designated as “Marco Polo” should echo back “Polo” every single time.

5.) Dress Up Relay Race

Make your relay races a bit more fun and interesting by adding a bit of flair. Instead of having your guests compete in relay races the usual manner, let them compete for these races where they pile on clothes and accessories laid out. Make sure the clothes and accessories are relevant to the theme of your party.

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Party Planning 101: Five Tips to Creating An Excellent Guest List

“A balanced guest list of mixed elements is to a successful party what the seasoning is to a culinary triumph.” -Lentia Baldridge

A wise adage about successful parties has one said that, “The most successful event is the one that achieves your goal and exceeds your expectations”. But this sentiment begs the question, how do you plan an event that does exactly two things? How do you put together a party that accomplishes what you want by the time it ends and succeeds spectacularly beyond your dreams? Well, part of it is having a solid plan, a good and appropriate venue and more than enough food. However, your invitees would also play a pivotal role to the success or failure of an event. For this reason, you might want to be a little particular and meticulous about how you create your guest list. You might think that this is a negligible aspect when it comes to party planning, but whether you are throwing a children’s party with a fun ranch party package, or a party exclusive to adults, your guests’ presence would matter as they would contribute to how a party will go.

To create a good guest list, here are some tips you should keep in mind:

1.) Consider the mix

In creating your guest list, be extra mindful of the guests you invite and take into account what their interests are. In the same vein, try to invite guests who are within the same age group—after all, you cannot expect your teenaged guests to blend in and get along well with adults who are well into their fifties. Choose guests who you know would appreciate your invitation and actually make a conscious effort to contribute to the overall success of your party.

2.) Send your invitations the traditional way

While sending invitations through email or social media’s event invites might be a lot more convenient, and faster, there is a likely chance it will get ignored. Additionally, sending it digitally can cause a myriad of headaches as guest-list management is a lot more complicated when you do it over social media. Inviting your friends digitally would cause some of your uninvited friends to question why they were not invited and may hurt their feelings. Avoid this by using paper invitations.

3.) Do not let others bully you

“But, are you not going to invite all your cousins?”, “What about my friends from the health club? Are they not coming?”, These are just common statements from people who bully you into inviting more people—particularly people who are in the social sphere and not yours. This is especially true for weddings. However, if a relative or friend is pressuring you to invite more guests, politely tell them that it is your party and not theirs. In any case, you should not yield to any kind of pressure to supersize your guest list—whether it comes from a relative or your friends. After all, at the end of the day, you are the one who is going to be paying the event—not them.

4.) Give your single guests the option to bring dates if they have partners

While you are not obligated to extend the invitation to the romantic partners of your guests, you should at least be consistent. Do not give one guest that option while denying it to another. If you grant this option to one guest, make sure it is an option available to all single guests. Remember to include “and guest” in the designation of their invitations should you decide to let your single guests bring their plus ones.

5.) Beware the snowball effect

There is no rule in etiquette dictating that you should invite all the guests of your wedding to your kid’s christening party. If your budget dictates otherwise, invite only the people who you want to be in your party.

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Five Things You Should Never Say to A Bride Before Her Wedding

“Happy is the bride that the sun shines on” -Robert Herrick

Weeks prior to a wedding, there is no one more stressed than the bride herself. For someone who has been dreaming about walking the aisle ever since her husband-to-be proposed, she wants every aspect of her wedding to be perfect, and the way she envisioned it—anything less than stellar would be unacceptable. Considering how she has meticulously planned every detail of the big day, from scouring the best catering services in pasay (or wherever she might be) to the wedding souvenirs, it would be no surprise if some brides would be near breaking point days or even weeks before her wedding.

Knowing all this, it would be unwise for any of her guests to say something insensitive to her that would cause her to either get uncomfortable or riled up. Unfortunately, not all of her guests have enough tact to practice it, and some may be none the wiser. So, if you are attending a wedding anytime soon, here are some things that you should never say when you are conversing with the bride-to-be:

1.) “Why are you not inviting (name of your brother, a roommate of yours in college, a common friend, the bride’s ex)?”

It may sound like you are just curious, but for some brides-to-be, this can be a rather touchy and sensitive subject. Remember that everyone is accounted for during the wedding reception and more often than not, the couple pays per guest. Seeing as this would be the case, most couples would opt to invite only their closest family and friends to avoid exorbitant fees. Stay out of this, and just be thankful you even made it to their guest list instead.

2.) “You should be able to get whatever you want. It is your big day after all.”

While you probably mean well, the bride might not exactly feel that way. Consider that one of the most private and incredibly delicate matters of planning wedding is the budget, so it is best if you do not get involved. At all. Do not suggest something more expensive than what she has chosen as she likely has her reasons for choosing them (and you will only sound like an insensitive friend when you do). Besides, if she could afford them, she would probably be getting them.

3.) “When are you starting a family? Will you be having kids?”

Again, you may sound like you are naturally curious, but it may come off as if you are prying. This is none of your business. Comment about the wedding decorations or the food, but stay away from something personal to the bride and groom. Who knows? Even they have not even figured the answer to your question just yet.

4.) “Are you pregnant?”

No, just no. Of all the questions you should never ask the bride, this one has to be the most insensitive of them all and more often than not, you would be indirectly insulting the bride. You may have heard it from the other guests gossiping or so, but if the bride does not offer this information to you herself, do not ask confirmation from her.

5.) Do not mention anything about divorce

If you are a married guest, you may just want to shed some wisdom, and if you are unmarried, you may just want to offer a little insight. Regardless of what you are, however, you are going to sound resoundingly bitter to the bride, and it would seem like you are raining on her parade. Remember that this is her big day, so any gloomy talk about divorce, separations and general unhappiness should be avoided. Do not even try to joke about this if you do not want to be at the receiving end of the bride’s or her her other guests’ death glares.

 

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Five Ways to Throw a Successful Kiddie Birthday Bash

Throwing a birthday party for a kid is widely different than throwing a bash for an adult. In some cases, it may be even more stressful and time-consuming. Whereas teenagers and adults would be fairly satisfied with food and drinks, kids, on the other hand, are another story. There are so many aspects to consider such as how to entertain your young guests and keep them entertained. After all, kids do not possess the same attention span as adults do and could easily get bored after a while. However, fear not, children are fairly easy to please after all. So, if you are planning a birthday party or are hosting a kiddie birthday party anytime soon, here are some tried and tested tips to make it a successful bash:

1.) Have a theme in mind

Generally, in planning a kid’s birthday party, it is best to have a theme in mind so that you can base the rest of the party from that theme. This is so you that the rest of the party’s aspects such as the decorations, the entertainment, and the giveaways would have congruence. One such example is to have a ranch style party that you can hold in a local barn with a petting zoo. There are so many caterers that would offer you fun ranch party packages that are affordable as well as fun and entertaining for the kids.

2.) Consider the Food Issue

Most kids would be picky eaters and are unlikely to eat something they are unfamiliar with. In order to have a good workaround to this issue, look for a neutral menu that you are certain kids would love. An example would be a menu that consists of hamburgers, spaghetti, fries, pizza, and stews. These are all inexpensive to make and kids will love it. Additionally, make sure to have colorful utensils as kids are attracted to color and as much as possible, these should be plastic so that should accidents happen, you would not have much to clean up nor replace.

3.) Get creative

To curb costs, opt to do the decorations and the souvenirs yourself most especially if you have a creative streak. It might be time-consuming but the money you will save from making this than buying them ready-made would be very much worth it. Apart from the money you can potentially save, kiddie party decors are pretty straightforward and are not all that hard to make. You would only need small inexpensive packets of construction paper, craft foam, a pair of scissors and some tape or glue which you can then transform into banners and paper chains of any color combinations you want.

4.) Decide whether you want to use your home

An integral aspect of planning a kid’s birthday party is the venue. This is because if your home does not have an area where kids can freely roam around and would have a lot of fragile objects, you are putting those items at a risk when the kids would run amok or when they play. True enough, home parties can save you a great deal of money as you can leverage how much you would spend on food and decorations, but if you do not want to put that much effort in and you would not want to run the risk of broken house items, then choose a venue.

5.) Decide if you want to have the parents stay

Most parents would leave their kids at the party venue and would go on about their day until it is ready to pick them up. Other parents, however, would want to stay and keep a close watch on their kids. To make sure there is no miscommunication, indicate it on the invitation if the parents are invited to stay or not.

 

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Q&A: 5 Crucial Things to Consider Before Hiring a Catering Company

“I don’t like food that’s too carefully arranged; it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I’d buy a painting.” – Andy Rooney

Planning an event is one of the most exciting yet overwhelming times one can experience. The success of the event is a reflection on how capable you are in organizing and coordinating things. When initiating an event, planners need to think about the flow of the program, theme, some people to attend,and don’t forget the food – it’s one thing most attendees are waiting for. While others would rather go for a snack, many event planners and organizers prefer hiring a catering company.

 
There will always be advantages when you hire a caterer. Most companies have catering packages that offer not just coordinating with the reception timeline and the flow of the dinner but, in most cases, they will also supply the needed tablewares. On top of your priorities, there’s no pressure when it comes to food. However, just because you decided to hire a catering company, that does not mean you’re done. There are crucial things to consider when choosing the right catering company for your event – this is to ensure that attendees would be satisfied with their services.

 
Below, we list down some questions to ask and consider before you choose and hire a catering company.

Who am I meeting with?

The basic question you need to ask – who you need to meet and talk with regards to the overall process. As a planner, you need to determine whether you are meeting with the owner of the company? A manager? A representative in the sales department? Do you know the owner of the company in person? Knowing these questions would give you an idea on how to approach such person to work with you for the entire event.

How will you run this event?

The next question you need to think about is what kind of event you are planning? Is it a formal event? A party style event? This will determine how the food will be served. Moreover, don’t forget to ask a similar question to the company. Although it is not your job to tell the caterer on what to do, at least you know how the catering staff will be operating during the event.

What other services do you offer?

Apart from the main course, a lot of catering companies offer desserts, some have licensed bar services, and there are even companies that offer you a venue where you could have a rehearsal dinner. Availing their deals or packages is not only convenient on your part, but you can also have it in a less expensive than purchasing other services from different companies.

Can you provide me with a broken-down cost estimate?

For most event organizers, unless if needed, spending too much is a no-no. As much as possible they would find a way or alternative on how they can pull things off in an affordable way. That means, when it comes to the cost, you need to be skeptical enough to make sure there will be no hidden cost. Know how much you need to pay for the labor, set-up/breakdown, and anything that involves you paying.

What is your leftover policy?

Some catering companies are strict when it comes to the leftovers. If a catering company does not allow you to take the leftovers, then you are only paying for what your guests ate. Moreover, make sure to ask whether you can wrap up the food for you to take home after the event.

 
As the event organizer or planner, it would take you some time to think about the crucial things to consider when hiring a catering company. You do not want to ruin a good event just because you’re not satisfied with the food and their services they offer. Again, the success of the event would determine how you manage and organize things.

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Personal Checklist in Choosing the Best Caterer for Your Grand Wedding!

Wedding is a once in a blue moon event. As such, it’s important to pay close attention to every detail necessary to make it successful.

One of the most important consideration when planning for one’s wedding is the catering menu. In any special event, the food can make or break the occasion’s impact so it’s crucial for couples and organizers to hire a caterer who is capable of providing certain menu at the right price.

If you’re currently stuck with the decision of who to call, then using the following checklist to narrow down your list could help.

Food and drink packages.

This is the most important part of the catering selection process. If you’re following a certain theme for your wedding, it’s only appropriate to choose foods that fit the motif. Different caterers have varied packages that contain predetermined menu selection so you’ll need to check what package fits your preference well.

Should you want to customize or create your own menu, it’s important to discuss it with the caterer in advance. Some may not be open to special requests, so giving them a heads-up saves more time.

Package cost.

As you go over the specific menu available, do take time to compare their pricing too. Needless to say, cross reference it with the packages offered by different caterers. This way, you’ll have an idea who gives the best-value prices for a specific package.

Granted that you’re working on a budget, knowing the price of the catering service is necessary to ensure that you don’t fall short of money on the other things that needs to be paid for your grand day.

Set-up and clean-up coverage

Will the company be in charge of setting up the foods for the venue? How about the clean-up? Choosing those who do will save you time and hassle before and after the event.

Some companies however require additional cost for this service so might as well include this in your considerations.

Utensil inclusions

There are caterers whose sole focus is the cooking of food and delivering them on your venue. Some doesn’t offer utensil such as plates, food warmers and linens to complete the entire setup.

Before agreeing on a deal, make sure you’re clear on this matter. For maximum convenience, it’s best to go for those who already include these tools in their service.

Beginning and end period of the service

Does the catering company offer an open-hour service? There are some who are strict with their services and only limit their service for specific hours.

Don’t forget to ask for this detail when canvassing for one. This way, you won’t have to worry about limiting your time in holding any program.

Clear details on deposits, insurance and cancellation terms

This is primarily concerned with the paperworks and payment for the service. In most cases, you will be asked to pay for a down payment before the event. Insurances are ideally part of the package too though some companies do not have this item on their inclusions.

Dealing with someone who have insurance details is an added protection that would hold the company liable in case there are issues with the food they serve.

Also, you may be presented with the terms of cancellation. This details the issues or grounds that are considered valid for you to cancel your request. It’s important that you understand its contents carefully to avoid wasted money just in case.

Choosing the right food for your grand wedding celebration is a crucial step. Factors such as the profile of your guests, their number, and theme of your event can potentially affect the type of package you must choose.

Work on completing your list with the thing we included in this post and start searching for the best catering service!

Four Things to Remember When Event Planning

“The most successful event is the one that achieves your goals and exceeds your expectations.”

Events, whether big or small, require conscious and continuous planning. From this sentiment alone, it can be truly daunting. Any misstep along the way can cause you a great of stress and may have critical repercussions for your brand. This is why it is imperative to develop a checklist that is both strategic and helpful in your endeavors. This will serve as your roadmap in the initial planning phase and would help you navigate through the waters of your event. As you go along, you can then refine the details (from the event place down to the invitations to be handed out)

Here are four of the most important items to remember when you are planning an event. The next time you have an event to plan for, keep the items down below in consideration.

1.) The purpose of your event

Your event needs to have an objective–whether the event is a wedding reception, a birthday party, etc.—you need to ask what the purpose of your event is. This to ascertain that there is a real necessity for holding an event and a concrete reason for doing so. Without a defined objective, your event would be a costly effort, and you would not attract attendees or further your goal.

2.) Know your target audience

Carefully consider who you are inviting to your event. Is your event something that is only appropriate for select members? Or should you open the event to the general public? Knowing who to invite and who your target audience is for your event is crucial in having a good turnout of people attending your event.

3.) Getting the word out

To get people to attend your event, they need to know about it. Getting the word out is vital to make sure you have attendees and in today’s modern age, this is not exactly difficult to do. Tap in the prowess of social media, email, and snail mail alike to make sure people know about your event. But the best way to get your invitations across to people is to utilize is through email. This is as it would most assuredly get your event noticed minus the exorbitant cost of handing out invitations through snail mail. However, if your event is general in nature and does not require invitations, you may want to advertise through social media, newspaper event advertisements or posters.

4.) Overall logistics

You may think that things such as parking spaces and traffic flow are inconsequential aspects when it comes to an event, but you have to consider that what may seem like the small things can escalate into big issues if they are not addressed properly. Consider every aspect of your event from the parking space (make sure your event venue can hold the number of invitees you have) down to the food that is served (ascertain that there is enough for everyone and that there is always extra)

Holding an event may seem like a challenging endeavor, but more often than not, it is an event planner’s lack of preparation that could cause it to fail more than anything else. Be prepared by having a strategic plan and by furnishing yourself with ideas on how to make such an event prosper. Invite the necessary people that you think would benefit from the event and make sure the overall logistics are checked.

If you have carefully considered all of the things listed above, then you can guarantee that your event would be a success.

 

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Filipino Traditions 101: What Makes a Filipino Debut?

“I cried on my 18th birthday. I thought seventeen was such a nice age. You are young enough to get away with things, but you are old enough, too.” – Liv Tyler

 

It has been said that in the Philippines, every girl dreams about what her wedding would look like.

Although this may be true, most girls envision a very different occasion prior to that—an event more popularly known to them as their debut. This event marks their rite of passage from being a girl to a woman—a transition from adolescence to full-blown adulthood. This traditional eighteenth party is derived and heavily influenced by archaic foreign customs, and although this has been long abandoned and considered obsolete by other countries, it is still practiced today in the Philippines. A debutante ball was a traditional banquet held by end exclusive to the esteemed, affluent and upper-class families to formally introduce their young women to polite society. The soiree involves an event wherein the debutante is introduced to eligible bachelors and their families, in the hopes that one day, it would result in marriage with the most eligible man.

Today, this sort of event has been largely watered down and has a lot of Filipino aspects incorporated to them that would make it significantly more different and culturally influenced than its foreign counterpart. Apart from the dishes served by a Filipino catering service that provides debut packages, there are a lot of aspects that make a debut truly and traditionally Filipino and here are some of those characteristics.

GRAND COTILLION WALTZ DANCE

This waltz dance is usually composed of an entourage consisting nine pairs which include the debutante and her escort. For many, this is considered to be the highlight of a woman’s formal debut. The cotillion performs an elaborate waltz dance that would last between five to twelve minutes. Depending on the debutante, the dance can either be a formal waltz dance or she can choose to incorporate a modern twist to it.

EIGHTEEN ROSES

As tradition would have it, this segment of the soiree would require eighteen boys to dance with the debutante after presenting her with a rose. Customarily, the dance is opened by the debutante and her father and is ended by the debutante and a very special male in her life (a suitor or a boyfriend) but she can choose to have it in any order. A host would usually introduce each “rose” with an introductory spiel as to what sort of role the particular man has in the debutante’s life. A modern twist to this traditional dance is to utilize lively modern pop music instead of the traditional waltz.

EIGHTEEN CANDLES

Ladies would also get their turn after the men have done their part. The eighteen candles presentation is that part of the celebration wherein eighteen ladies consisting of the debutante’s closest family members and friends would give her well wishes and speeches while holding a candle. Their different spiels would, later on, guide her in life. It can be a toast/roast hybrid which would essentially reveal some of the debutante’s real personality through anecdotes shared by her family members and friends.

EIGHTEEN TREASURES PRESENTATION

This is a modern addition to what would have been a three segment event that is slowly gaining traction throughout the years. The eighteen treasures segment of a debut celebration consists of eighteen of the debutante’s closest friends or relatives from both genders who come with gifts to bear which would play a significant role in her life as an adult, aid her in her journey as a young woman or would symbolize anything that she may encounter or experience as a grown-up. The gifts are to be presented with an accompanying spiel and would usually range from wise, creative or even humorous.

FATHER AND DAUGHTER DANCE

Possibly the most poignant and sentimental part of the debut, the father and daughter dance is one of the most loved traditions in a Filipino debut. This signifies the initial step the daughter takes into womanhood and the father’s acceptance of that fact. This tradition is truly heart-warming and this could even cause some of the debutantes as well as their fathers to tear up.

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Tips to Avoid a Children’s Birthday Party Disaster

Throwing a party and attending one can be great fun, and celebrating your birthday, where in your honor a party is thrown is, even more, fun. However, this does not necessarily mean that all parties celebrated and celebrated are successes. More often than not, when a bunch of kids is lumped together and on an elevated sugar high at that from all the notorious candy offered—something somewhere is bound to go wrong. No matter how adequately prepared you are for your child’s natal day or how many contingency plans you have—in a children’s party, it is best to expect the unexpected. After all, dealing with one child can be a handful, having a dozen or more of them in the same room would take a miracle for you to handle.

But this does not mean you could do absolutely nothing about it and resign your fate to the hands of a bunch of toddlers. The fact is, being well equipped with information regarding what may go wrong and how to deal with it head on can make the difference between a successful party and a disastrous one. So, if you are planning your child’s next birthday party, read the tips below on how to avoid a party disaster.

1.) Talk to your child about the guest list

Children would naturally want to invite all of their friends and classmates to their birthday parties, but that does not mean that you as the parent would want the same thing either. It largely depends on the budget you have allocated for your child’s party and the birthday party package you have chosen. But to avoid tantrums from your child, hurting your wallet and having an unwanted guest who spoils all the fun come, give your child a realistic number of guests they can choose to bring to their party.

2.) Wait until everyone is gone before letting your child open gifts

Kids can get antsy to open their gifts the moment they receive it, but remind your child to go out and play with their guests and participate in the games before they can get to their presents. Ideally, presents should be opened long when all the guests have gone home. This is to avoid any tantrums thrown by other children who may get jealous on what your kid may have received and would want the opened toy for themselves. Additionally, this is a great way to appease children when their parties are over.

3.) Ask guests to RSVP at least a week before the scheduled party

Nothing would dismay your child more than no guests showing up to their party. Regardless of how much you have planned for this party or have meticulously constructed your invitations, it is inevitable that some busy parents would forget that their child is scheduled to attend your child’s birthday party. To make sure this does not happen, ask them to RSVP at least a week prior to the scheduled party. A couple of days before the party, send them a reminder about your event to make sure it does not slip their mind.

4.) Have a plan for your pet

If you are planning to hold your kid’s party in your home, make sure that your pets have somewhere safe to stay away from the guests as having pets with a party underway can only result in two things: Your little guests may either be startled by your furry friend or your furry friend may be enthusiastic about making friends with your little guests. Some kids are afraid of pets while some of your guests may wreak havoc on your pet. If there is no available space in your homes for your pet, ask a neighbor to take care of your pet for the duration of the party.

5.) Make sure your kids BFF can come

Guests may come in droves to your kid’s party, but your child will feel undeniably incomplete without their best friend to celebrate it with. Contact the parents of your child’s best friend beforehand and make it absolutely sure that they can come to your kid’s party. Your child will inevitably have a better time if they have their partner in crime to celebrate their birthday with.

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Best and Worst Food to Eat on Your Wedding Day

 

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Walking down the church aisle on your wedding day is probably a dream most girls would have by the time they reach their teenage years. And on this particular day, they would want each and every aspect to be meticulously in place and flawless that by the time their husbands-to-be pop the question to them, they would be mentally assessing how much time they need to lose all the extra weight. This much is true that by the time you reach your wedding morning, you would probably have dieted yourself to tiptop form and exercised yourself to perfection. So much so, that you may fall off the wagon on the day of your wedding and give in to some of your cravings. Well, just because you have learned to deprive yourself of food you normally would want to eat on usual days, there is no reason for you to gorge on bad food the morning of your wedding (save that for when your wedding caterer serves you a sumptuous feast).

You would still want to look picture-perfect on as you walk down the aisle after all. To ensure you will feel like a million bucks and look like one as you say I do, here are three of the best and worst foods to eat during your wedding day.

1.) BEST: OATMEAL

A bowl of oatmeal would be enough to supply energy to your body for the entire day and kicks your body into pre-wedding preparations mode. Preparing for your wedding day may require you to have the necessary energy to last you through it, the goal is to give your body enough nutrients that would allow the blood-sugar levels to rise slowly and stay for a long period of time and go down slowly. A bowl of oatmeal is perfect for this as it contains soluble fiber to slow the absorption of glucose from food stored in your stomach. This would effectively keep your blood sugar levels steady.

WORST: SPICY OR HOT FOOD

Apart from leaving a tingle on your tongue and in your mouth, spicy flavored food can trigger your sweat glands. This compounded with wedding jitters is an absolute no-no should you want to stay dry on your wedding day. Spicy food, as well as caffeine, can activate neurotransmitters as well which would affect the glands that would cause you to sweat profusely.

2.) BEST: OYSTERS

It has been rather well-known that oysters are a popular aphrodisiac which would effectively increase your sex drive which may come in handy on your wedding night. During the wedding toasts or perhaps during the main course of your wedding meal, consider having some oysters by the side and complement them with your wedding champagne to double the effect.

WORST: ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

When having our morning coffee, we sometimes pepper it with artificial sweeteners which are often found in diet drinks, gums, and hard candies. That in itself should already be enough to convince you that these things are in no way healthy. Additionally, it would make it difficult for your body to break down which would cause bloating and indigestion. To avoid reaching for the artificially-sweetened stuff, consider having natural options instead such as frozen fruits such as grapes, berries or bananas.

3.) BEST: TROPICAL FRUITS

Tropical fruits are not only sweet and tasty but they keep you hydrated all throughout the day as well. Your body should get enough fluids or you would be left feeling lethargic. This does not mean you can only get hydrated from water alone however as fruits and vegetables are natural hydrators seeing as they are sixty to ninety-five percent water. Consider snacking on tropical fruits such as melons, papaya, and mangoes which are all good for you as they help regulate your body’s balance of fluids and provide you with enough potassium as well.

WORST: DIET SODAS

It can be hard to wean ourselves off soda and to compromise, we tend to go for a “healthier” option known as diet sodas. Newsflash: It is still not healthy. Although diet sodas considerably have lesser sugar than regular sodas, this does not connote that they are the healthier alternative. In essence, only water would keep you properly hydrated and healthy at the same time. These fizzy drinks would also cause your stomach to expand and make you feel bloated which would probably make it harder for you to fit into your wedding dress. Instead of sipping on these fizzy drinks, try a refreshing glass of water with cucumber slices or a lemon wedge to keep you cool and hydrated throughout the day.