What to Eat Before Your Wedding

Discover the foods to pile on your plate, and which ones to avoid.

Get ideas on what to eat before your wedding to ensure you're energized and ready for the day, without bogging yourself down with a big breakfast.

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Photo: Courtesy of Villeroy & Boch

what foods to eat and avoid the night before and morning of your wedding

One piece of advice brides and grooms frequently get is to be sure and find time to eat at the wedding, or at least have the caterers pack away a dinner for after the celebration. But what about before the wedding? Sure, you likely spend months before your nuptials working out and eating right, but for the day before and morning of your celebration there is more to keep in mind than just being hungry. You simultaneously need to be energized and full without feeling bloated. It’s a tricky balance, so we’ve tried to make it easier by sharing which foods you should eat, and which to avoid.

Foods to Eat:
- Salad eases your water retention, as long as you exclude cruciferous vegetables and use a low-sodium dressing. Lemon juice is a great option that prevents bloating.
- Drink lots of water, but not sparkling! You’ll want to avoid carbonation.
- A smoothie is a great option, but we recommend one without dairy and with chia seeds for the omega-3 benefits.
- Eating avocado in the days before your wedding will help your hair and skin, due to the natural vitamins.
- Asparagus can fight bloating, and it also has a high fiber content to keep you full.
- Steel-cut oatmeal for your wedding-day breakfast is a healthy way to get energizing carbs, especially if you embellish it with fresh berries, which are full of antioxidants.
- It will be tempting to indulge at your rehearsal dinner, so try to pick something lean like chicken, tofu, or salmon. Have more salad than pasta!

Foods to Avoid:
- Even though they’re normally a healthy choice, beans, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage are all known to cause bloating.
- Chewing gum will cause you to swallow more air.
- Spicy food and caffeine can stimulate you – to the point that you start sweating more than usual.
- Sugary foods, artificial sweeteners, trans fats, and processed foods are liable to make you feel sluggish on the big day.
- Even if you're not lactose intolerant, cutting back on dairy can help your digestion.
- Foods with lots of sodium cause bloating and can make you dehydrated.
- Limit your alcohol intake both the night before and on day of the wedding in order to keep from feeling puffy. Plus you don’t want a hangover!

Discover five ways to have a radiant glow on your wedding day, and keep your healthy lifestyle up by avoiding the "newlywed 15."

Opening photo by Nadia D. Photography