Sharing what I ate on my wedding week (without strict restrictions or diets).

And just like that, the day that we had planned for 2 years has come and gone. We’ve been in Spain for 1 week now and I still can’t stop thinking about our wedding day. It was a dream.

I’ll share more about our day eventually, but today, I’m sharing what I ate the week before our wedding, plus what I ate on the big day. It’s something I was curious to read from others before my wedding, so I thought it would be fun for me to share my experience.

First, it’s true what they say – The day goes by so fast and you do have to plan your meals in advance or you likely won’t eat at all. That’s coming from someone that thinks about food all day most days.

I would also like to note that what I’m sharing today is not meant as advice on what to eat before your wedding. I just ate in a way that made me feel my best. This may be different for you.

So what exactly did I eat on my wedding day and the week leading up to the big day? That’s what I’ll share with you today!

1 Week Before the Wedding:

I did change a few things in my diet the week (or 2 weeks) before my wedding. I didn’t make those changes to look a certain way, but I did have specific goals in mind.

My Goals for the Wedding:

• Feel well and not to have any digestive issues on the big day (indigestion, bloating) – I do have a sensitive gut, especially when stressed.
• Not feel or look bloated in my dress.
• Have the energy to get me through the big day (so no, I didn’t starve myself).

What I Changed in my Diet:

• I limited salt for 1 week leading to the wedding (or especially the few days before). It’s not like I didn’t have salt, but I did limit highly processed foods and didn’t add salt to my food.
• I didn’t eat dairy, gluten or peanuts. Okay, this was entirely for my skin. There’s not exactly science backing this up, but I did this entirely for myself to see what would happen. These foods are often said to worsen acne (from others’ experience, not science), so I thought I’d give it a try, out of curiosity and desperation.
• I limited foods that normally bother my sensitive gut: cruciferous vegetables, sweet potatoes, large amounts of beans or raw vegetables.
• I avoided eating large amounts of food in one sitting. Instead, I ate smaller meals more often.

I didn’t track everything I ate, but here are some of the meals that were heavy on my rotation:

My breakfast every morning: Oatmeal with a generous amount of sunflower seed butter, 1 banana, almond milk and chia seeds.

Snacks (morning and/or afternoon): Fruit, unsalted nuts.

Lunch and dinner:

• Salad with leafy greens, tahini dressing (tahini, vinegar and water), sauteed tempeh (tempeh, balsamic vinegar and spices) and nutritional yeast.
• Eggs with 2 slices of gluten-free bread, a very small amount of vegan margarine and vegetables (mushrooms, green beans, etc.).
• Easy burrito bowl: Brown rice or quinoa, a small amount of black beans or crispy tofu, tomatoes, leafy greens, spices, a small amount of salsa.

Wedding Day:

I had a plan for my wedding day. I was going to eat overnight oats for breakfast and lunch, then have a protein bar (RxBar) as needed and eat dinner after the ceremony when I could. Here’s what I actually ended up eating:

• Breakfast (6:30 am): Overnight oats with 1 banana (I forgot my usual nut butter). Green tea.
• Snack (10:30 am): Rx Bar.
• Lunch: We were so busy taking photos that lunch didn’t happen. Thankfully I was still satisfied from my snack and so busy, I didn’t think about food.
• Snack (5:30 pm): Before the ceremony, I was starving and had another Rx Bar. I’m SO thankful I decided to stuff them in my purse last minute.
• Dinner (7:15 pm): When the ceremony was done and we were waiting for everyone to take their seats in the reception area, we all raided the kitchen for dinner. I didn’t have much time, so my dinner ended up being a few handfuls of berries, carrots and cherry tomatoes.
• Snack (around 9 pm): When the speeches and first dances were done, we did the cake cutting and I was able to sneak in a piece of my banana spiced cake (I made this one for the wedding and it was amazing). I was also finally able to enjoy 1 small glass of champagne and a glass of wine.

As you can see, my meals weren’t very organized and I just ate whenever I had the chance – Even if I did originally have a plan. I was hungry in the afternoon and evening, so I probably should have had more around lunch time, but your wedding day is a busy day. My recommendations for you: Have a good breakfast, then make sure to have many snacks on hand. You may not have the time to sit down and have a good meal once the day starts, but at least try to make it a point to have some good snacks throughout the day. For me, those Rx Bars were a life saver.

Also, I didn’t end up drinking much that night (which of course was the plan), but those 2 small glasses I ended up having would have felt better on a full stomach. So again, eat!

And that’s it!

To learn what I ate the month before the wedding, you can check out this post. I’ll share more of our wedding day soon, along with many more photos.