The majority of brides want to get in shape and lose weight before their wedding day.  According to a Fitness magazine survey, 1 in 3 brides purposely buy a dress that doesn’t fit them - buying a dress too small (and hoping that they’ll fit into it by their wedding day) or buying a dress too big for them.

When shopping for a wedding dress, you can tell the salesperson that you are thinking of/planning to lose "X" amount of weight by your wedding, but don’t order your dress to fit that size.  Order a dress that matches your current measurements.  No matter what size you order, you will have to have alterations and it’s much easier to take a dress in if you lose weight, than let it out.

Here are some expert fitness tips from the editors of Fitness magazine to help you get in shape for the big day:

1. Consider your back-side. You may be worried about your abs, but guess what all those guests you invited are going to be looking at? That’s right, your back. To get it looking super-sexy by the big day, try these three easy moves.
   
   
2. Arm yourself. No matter what dress you choose, chances are you’re going to be showing off your guns. Focus on toning your biceps, triceps and shoulders with this workout.
   

3. Boost your calorie burn! The only way to shed those few extra pounds is to up your cardio. If you find yourself coming up with a hundred excuses at the end of the day as to why you should be working on wedding stuff and not working out, plan on getting your cardio fill in the a.m. Set your alarm 1-hour before you usually get up five days a week, and to keep things interesting (aka - not boring) mix it up—take a kickboxing class one morning and go for a run the next. Here are a few other ways to get creative with your cardio and blast major calories.
   
   
4. Take care of yourself. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the planning and forget about what you really need for an amazing wedding— feel-good energy! Take a yoga or Pilates class once a week. Not only will it help take your mind off of everything else, but it will also help tone your arms, core and legs. Plus, less stress means a tighter tummy! The stress hormone cortisol often causes unnecessary bloating in the middle, and who needs that on their big day?!
   
   
5. Save time! If the clock is ticking and you’re still worried about fitting into your dress— incorporate total body exercises into your routine that target everything from head-to-toe. Try doing biceps curls with lunges, shoulder presses with squats and triceps dips on a BOSU ball (for added instability- to help work your core). For cardio, do intervals that get your heart rate up, blast major calories and help tone at the same time. Try this routine for fast results in just 4 weeks.