We are just about halfway through the month of January, and so far, I am sticking to my resolutions! I was weighed at my training session with Bonne Marcus yesterday, and I'm down four pounds since my last weigh-in two weeks ago. Next week, we will take my measurements and see how I am looking there, which I am feeling confident about — my clothes are getting bigger and bigger. How is everyone doing with their own resolutions?

Last week I had a very successful week with my workouts and diet. Here is a recap:

I kept up with the “no starch” diet throughout the week. For breakfast, I ate hard-boiled eggs or just hard-boiled egg whites, snacked on unsalted almonds and fruit when hungry, drank only water and coffee, ate my veggie burgers and vegetables for lunch, and made lots of healthy dinners. We had plenty of grilled chicken and vegetables, split pea soup, and salads. At the beginning of the week, I found myself craving carbs, but by Thursday, I didn’t even want them, which was awesome.

Yesterday, I went food shopping and stocked up on healthy dinners: Mahi Mahi to cook tonight with asparagus and spinach, ground turkey to make turkey meatballs, and some more chicken and tons of vegetables to grill. I didn’t have time to make my own veggie burgers this weekend to eat for lunch, so I bought Boca veggie burgers to test them out. I cooked them on my George Foreman grill last night, then added steamed sugar snap peas and a cut-up apple to complete the lunch. I’ll let you know how I like them next week.

In The Emily Post Institute's latest book, Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette: 6th Edition, Emily's great-great-granddaughters Anna and Lizzie Post tackle modern-day wedding questions that the original etiquette expert never could've dreamed about, from how to use (wisely) use technology, the rules for same-sex weddings, and much more. Here, the fourth generation of Posts tackle your biggest wedding guest problems.

One unadvertised perk of being a university resident hall director — your dormitory can help you pull off a truly memorable proposal!

Photo via Reddit

When Frank Tierney, a resident hall director at the University of Buffalo, popped the question to his girlfriend Katelyn Illingworth in front of his dorm, "Will you marry me?" popped up in the windows of the 10-story building.

"[We] blacked out all the windows with poster board," shared Tierney's friend on Reddit. "Then we traced out letters and poked holes along them, inserting the lights into the holes."

The process took about two weeks of planning for the group of 10 friends who helped pull off the proposal. 

"When he stopped her in the middle of the parking lot, he gave his speech and we all waited for the signal. When he got down on one knee, we turned each floor on in descending order with a person in the stairwell shouting to each floor when to turn their lights on."

Watch the video here!

—Kristen Klein

BG brides, did you tune into the 71st Annual Golden Globes? We curled up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn to scout the evening's most covetable fashion looks and there were some huge hits — 12 Years a Slave's Lupita Nyong'o in a red Calvin Klein cape, Naomi Watts in Tom Ford, and mama-to-be Olivia Wilde's emerald Gucci dress.

But overall, the looks were downright...polarizing. (Jennifer Lawrence, we love you, but those comparisons between your Dior dress and Ariel from The Little Mermaid are spot-on! See a hilarious photo here.)

Thankfully, all of our favorite starlets were on the same page when it came to hair and makeup. Check out the most glamorous beauty looks below and tell us which one you'd most like to wear on your big day!

Margot Robbie
Sign us up for that amazing glow, stat! The Wolf of Wall Street actress's dewy makeup and side-parted bun is perfect for the bride who wants a natural yet photo-ready look on her wedding day. Her makeup artist, Jenn Streicher, applied St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse to create a golden, sun-kissed base.

Photo via Alexandroh on Instagram

Amber Heard
Viewers had strong reactions to Heard's teased-up-to-there bun, but we thought her bronze smoky eye was perfection! Tell us: Would you wear a loose updo on your wedding day?

For anyone who's ever pined after their own Mr. Darcy, you're going to swoon over this proposal story that's two centuries in the making. Bethany Albert was visiting her parents over the holidays in Tacoma, Washington, when she unknowingly found herself starring in a real-life version of Pride and Prejudice! 

The action unfolded on Christmas Eve, when she stepped into her family's home and was seized by her sister, who exclaimed that "Mr. Bingley had returned to Netherfield at last!" The English lit major and Jane Austen fan froze when she realized what was about to unfold: "It took less than ten seconds; another sister was taking pictures and this had my boyfriend written all over it. Also knew that we were going to get engaged at some point, but he still managed to surprise me," the bride-to-be writes on Reddit.

Albert changed into a dress more befitting of the era and was handed a script. She reprised the role of Elizabeth Bennet and acted out pivotal scenes from the novel with her parents (the honorable Mr. and Mrs. Bennet), brother-in-law (Mr. Bingley) and her boyfriend, David Slater (Mr. Darcy), among other relatives. She "just about lost it" but everyone else managed to stay in character for the entire half hour.

Then, the literary heroine and her dashing suitor took a private walk outside, where he reenacted Darcy's second heart-stopping proposal in her neighbor's yard ("my affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me forever").

Check out their adorable photos below!

Q. “I need some easy but healthy lunch ideas. It’s always the meal I have trouble with.” —Jessica W.

A. I am a big fan of eating a balanced meal. This means it includes lean protein (chicken, turkey, low-fat dairy, and beans), carbohydrates (whole grain breads, brown rice, and vegetables), and fat (avocado, olive oil, and nuts). Despite what you’ve heard, eliminating anyone one of them is never recommended. Lots of brides think they have to give up carbohydrates, and it’s just not necessary. Give up the carbs and you may not have enough strength to walk down the aisle!

Photo Credit: Heart Love Weddings via Lover.ly

Enjoy some of my favorite lunch ideas:

1. Turkey burger in ½ a large whole wheat pita pocket with romaine lettuce and tomato slices.

2. Egg white omelet with vegetables and a slice of Ezekiel sesame bread (a bread with no sugar found in the refrigerated section in the supermarket).

3. Mixed green salad with grilled shrimp or chicken. I use balsamic vinegar dressing and sprinkle a little parmesan or feta cheese on top.

4. Turkey chili over a small baked potato or brown rice.

5. Seared Ahi tuna on top of mixed green salad with avocado, water chestnuts, shredded carrots, and sliced almonds with a low-calorie sesame dressing.