By Rachel Jefferies

While the last ringing bells of spring release Utah State students into four months of freedom, they invite the chiming of wedding bells for many brides-to-be.

Every bride aims to look her best for the big day, but looking your best involves not only outside touches of the dress, hairstyle and make-up. Preparing for the most memorable day of your life requires an internal revamping above all else.

"Everybody, these days, is prone to stress," says Luke Sutton, president of Serenity Health, on the World of Brides and Babies Web site. "We need to find ways to reduce stress in our daily lives."

Many brides-to-be work and attend school, with little extra time for planning a wedding. While making arrangements can get stressful, it's vital to not lose sight of the importance of maintaining a healthy body and mind.

Most stress is a result of everyday responsibilities and obligations, according to World of Brides and Babies. Physical and mental pressures "are constantly putting a strain on our bodies," and while it is not always obvious to us, these "daily tensions can cause minor illnesses such as insomnia, backaches, skin disorders or headaches, and can also contribute to potentially life threatening diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease and a variety of other serious illnesses."

Many organizations, such as the National Mental Health Association, Serenity Health and various wedding Web sites offer tips for reducing stress.

Common sense tells us that exercise and a healthy diet are important, but many take for granted that they are great ways to reduce stress. Finding the time to exercise is hard when planning a wedding, however, and many find that their exercise routines are decreased.

"Decreasing your usual weekly fitness regimen is fine, but don't completely forgo it," says the Workouts For You Web site. "Try to fit in even just 20 minutes three times per week, and don't feel limited to traditional workouts."

Workouts For You suggests enrolling in a dance class with your fiance or working out together for motivation and accountability.

Building muscle is important, says Dietetics and Nutrition specialist Anjali Mukerjee on WeddingSutra.com. "Muscle...is the engine that burns calories (and fat), and it also helps maintain metabolic rate. Muscle will also tone the physique under the fat, and even if you don't lose fat, it's possible that your appearance will change...Start abdominal exercise." She suggests weight lifting two to three times per week.

Mukerjee warns against the dangers of fad diets.

"They will rob you of essential nutrients and leave you craving for all the wrong things," she says. "Follow a low-fat, low-calorie diet that focuses on: vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low-fat dairy products."

Safe and healthy weight loss shouldn't include more than two pounds per week, says Tammy and Lyssie Lakatos on the Buff Brides Web site.

Unhealthy, fad diets may allow more weight loss than that, says Workouts For You, but "those extra pounds probably won't make you look a whole lot better...because if you lose that much weight in such a short period of time...you just lose water and muscle weight primarily - not fat!"

"You'd be better off losing (weight) in a healthy way that includes increasing muscle mass and decreasing fat," Workouts says. "This type of weight loss will actually improve your appearance. Plus, with drastic...loss, you are putting yourself at risk for illnesses, not to mention making yourself look sickly."

After getting involved in a relationship, women tend to eat more, treating themselves to larger portion sizes that better match their significant other, says the Lakatos.

A good diet consists of lots of fresh fruits, fruit juices, salads and green vegetables, Mukerjee says. You should start each day with at least four glasses of water to detoxify your system, drinking a total of at least eight to 10 glasses per day.

"Breakfast should be your biggest meal, followed by a lighter lunch. Dinner should be the lightest meal," Mukerjee says. "Eat your dinner early, not later than 9 p.m."

She says you should try to eat more fiber-rich foods, like salads, and stay away from fatty and fried foods, like cheese, pastries, chocolates and cold drinks.

"Stay away from pre-made salads such as tuna and macaroni salad," says the Lakatos. "The mayonnaise cranks up the fat content."

Stress may also trigger cravings, but you shouldn't deny yourself of them completely. Allow small portions of your favorite foods occasionally.

Mukerjee says when "you really crave a high-calorie food, eat a small amount and forget about it, instead of resisting until you give in and gorge on it."

Staying healthy doesn't involve just the physical.Combating wedding stress also means taking time for yourself and prioritizing.

"Just pamper yourself," said Leanne Johnson, a married USU senior in interior design. "Make a day out of it."

Johnson said going to a day spa, getting a massage or manicure, even just having someone else do your hair are great ways to reduce stress before the big day. Wedding Planning Web sites suggest "dating your fiance." Focus on your relationship without discussing wedding plans by going to dinner or doing other activities you enjoy together.

Short, occasional breaks to sit quietly and calm your mind are important, says World of Brides and Babies. Don't forget to stay in touch with family and friends, who are needed to share feelings with. But while family and friends are important, remember that it's your day and "you must be the one who is satisfied with the wedding planning decisions," says the Affordable Wedding Invitations Web site. "One of your greatest challenges will be your feelings of wanting to satisfy everyone...ultimately go with what is in your heart."

"The wedding day is all about the bride," said Kaye Stice, a Provo resident with a bride-to-be daughter. "You never see a picture of the groom standing there in his tux."

Stice said she has to continually tell her daughter that others' opinions count, but the most important one is her own.

Use others to delegate tasks, not to make decisions for you. With the time pressures facing you, recruit friends and family for the legwork.

"My key to being stress free was making all the basic decisions early and letting others make all the little decisions," said Tiffany Hanks, a newlywed in her junior year at USU. "Once the wedding got closer, I just didn't care."

Hanks said once she made the most important decisions, she made everyone else decide the smaller details, such as table settings and arranging the reception.

Brianna Hansen, a USU senior, has been married for two months. She only had three weeks to plan her wedding before leaving for a three-month practicum in Romania.

"I went with my fiance and my mom and made all the major arrangements before I left," she said. "I could either choose to be stressed or not to be. I couldn't be stressed."

With time restraints like these, brides-to-be have to be selective. Affordable Wedding Invitations says to "try to only get three or four competitive quotes for each item on your wedding plan lists" and save the stress of trying to get quotes from everyone.

The list of simple, effective de-stressers is endless and can include anything, like getting a dental job, creating a wedding binder, or setting your alarm to music, but perhaps one of the most important rules to remember when planning a stress-free wedding is to be realistic.

"The little things that might go wrong won't matter," says Affordable Wedding Invitations. "Setting expectations that are too high will create stress and lead to frustration, and then more stress."

So when the bells of the end of another semester sound and the wedding bells begin, remember that, more than the dress, hair and make-up, it's the internal grooming that will make you a more beautiful bride.

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