Reviews

From USA TODAY: "...A deliciously funny yet practical diet book....Covers all the bases from how to pick out a wedding dress to suit a bride's figure to how to calculate a healthy weight for her height. It also outlines how to set up a kitchen for cooking healthy foods and recommends cookbooks and other resources."

From the New York DAILY NEWS: "The premise sounds ridiculous. But, fortunately, this book is full of sane advice from a humorous and humane registered dietitian and a co-author with an upbeat, motivational attitude. The anecdotes are all up-to-the-minute - even Sophie Rhys-Jones prenuptial regimen is included (it involved seaweed wraps) - and the authors offer tips that extend beyond crash diets. To wit: how to choose a dress that minimizes figure flaws; how to pose for photos; how to set up a 'slim kitchen'."

From THE BALTIMORE SUN and THE L.A. TIMES: "Mom's wedding dress is a size 6. You're a 12. Short of calling in a magician, is there any hope of wearing her dress down the aisle? Yes, according to Robyn Flipse and Jacqueline Shannon. The[ir] book is no magic bullet--the weight loss plans inside advocate a balanced diet and exercise. But the book also includes helpful tips on managing wedding-related stress, handling potentially disastrous pre-wedding eating events and finding the right wedding dress for your figure."

From THE BOOK REPORT (the in-house newsletter that goes to all Barnes & Noble employees): "'A wedding diet,' one former bride told us, 'is like a regular diet with an execution date added.' The addition of an immovable deadline does indeed increase anxiety and the time spent fretting before mirrors, but Robyn Flipse and Jacqueline Shannon assure brides-to-be that they need not worry quite that much. Their advice is quite sensible: For instance, they spend pages talking about coping with pre-wedding stress, and reflect more than once on the cathartic potential of exercise. Comfortingly, they mention that you'll be approaching the altar in a wedding gown, not a bikini, and they emphasize that people want to see you in your best light. 'Love,' as Louisa May Alcott noted, 'is a great beautifier.' Flipse and Shannon suggest conferring early with your gown boutique about flattering--and strategically timed--alterations. Their advice about diet is well-targeted and precise. Reading it, one couldn't help but wish that certain male members of the wedding party might not benefit from its gentle strictures. Svelte and bright-eyed advice."

From THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS: "You may have heard that 2000 is going to be a huge year for weddings. And so, apparently, have Robyn Flipse and Jacqueline Shannon, the opportunity-spotting authors of a new diet book aimed at brides-to be. Title: The Wedding Dress Diet (Main Street Books/Doubleday, $14).

'Prospective brides are the third-largest group of people (after athletes and pregnant women) concerned about their weight,' write the authors in the book's introduction. (Models and ballerinas may be more obsessed, there just aren't as many of them.)

The diet itself involves signing a weight-loss contract, enlisting supporters and then counting and charting every calorie taken in (preferably in the form of carbohydrates) or worked off. ('Don't forget how aerobically beneficial lots of sex can be!') Additional topics range from gowns for various figure types to 'setting up a slim kitchen' and 'charting your weight on every anniversary.'

As for qualifications, Ms. Flipse is a registered dietitian and nutrition counselor. Ms. Shannon is a freelance journalist and author of Sexy at Any Size."

From THE RICHMOND PUBLIC LIBRARY: "As if there's not enough stress for the bride-to-be, there's a new wedding guide that focuses on food, figures and fashion. It's called THE WEDDING DRESS DIET by Robyn Flipse and Jacqueline Shannon. Every bride wants to look beautifuland thin on her wedding day, or so the magazines tell us. Sometimes the panic of fitting into a size 7 wedding dress when you've got a size 9 body hits you a year before the wedding. Sometimes the lightbulb goes over your head just months before the big day. Flipse and Shannon come to the rescue with a sensible and well rounded (just a figure of speech...) weight loss plan that's suitable for all body types. It combines not only the obvious nutritional tips but also an exercise plan and advice on how to reduce stress. There are charts, logs and lists for everthing, so if you're not the type that likes noting every last detail of your food intake and exercise output, then you might want to check out a more general wedding guide. This one covers a lot of territory and offers a ton of useful information - the kinds of things that most brides won't have the time to think of."

From Amazon.com "Bursting with information, inspiration, and advice, The Wedding Dress Diet is the next must-have for every bride's trousseau.

An upcoming wedding is the ultimate weight-loss motivator. But many brides-to-be resort to fad diets and end up disappointed with the results--either they don't lose the weight, or their health and energy are lost along with it.

Finally, in The Wedding Dress Diet, Robyn Flipse and Jacqueline Shannon describe a sensible weight-loss plan that readers with one year, six months, or three months to go before the big day can follow, so they can look good and feel terrific when they say "I do." Combining good nutrition, exercise, and stress-reduction techniques, the book helps frantic fiancées cope with the frenzy of fittings, showers, and shopping dates. Not only does it outline an effective eating and exercise program geared to the date of the ceremony; it also provides everything from bridal registry ideas for outfitting a slim kitchen to tips on choosing the most flattering dress, no matter your weight.

Diet books come and go, but The Wedding Dress Diet is the one that every bride--and many bridesmaids and mothers-of-the-bride, too--will want to own.

Reader Reviews
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How to make yours a more-perfect union
Reviewer: Wayne Carlson from San Diego, California February 24, 2000.

Authors Robyn Flipse and Jacqueline Shannon have written a book that's loaded with great information for brides-to-be and others interested in shedding some pounds on a deadline in a sensible way. I bought "The Wedding Dress Diet" for a bride-to-be who wanted to "lose exactly 18 pounds to get down to my fighting weight of 112." She read the book, loved it, and reported yesterday she was right on schedule to attain her goal. Now, here's the surprise: before giving my friend her gift, I read it myself. I started flipping some pages in the bookstore to get a sampling, and soon got hooked. When I got home, I read the whole darn thing. It's brilliantly organized, very well written and liberally sprinkled with humor. The nutritional and exercise tips and the advice on reducing stress can be used by men as well as women -- whether or not they're headed for the altar. Here's a handful of rice tossed in the direction of Flipse and Shannon.