Did you ever journal when you were a kid? I remember I had a pink little diary with a lock. But to be honest I haven’t picked up a pen and wrote down my thoughts since then. It wasn’t until I came upon Simple Diary, by TASCHEN that I was seriously reconsidering journaling again. The mole-skin diary comes in six vibrant colours with a ribbon bookmark. Unlike your standard date, lined paper styled journal, artist and writer Philipp Keel developed Simple Diary as a response to having too much information without meaning surround him. The actual pages are probably unlike any diary pages you’ve ever seen. Cute questions, fill in the blanks and inspiring quotes, make up each daily entry. If you’re totally overwhelmed with your wedding planning, try this way of journaling to bring back some sanity to your day-to-day life. Keel has celeb fans too including Cameron Diaz, Beyoncé, Dustin Hoffman, and Steven Spielberg.

A sample page from Simple Diary

When the summer hits I usually make a dash for the lightest read I can get my hands on, fly through it and search for another. Although my list was minimal this season I thought I’d offer up a couple of options to get you through the Thanksgiving weekend (when you’re stuffed with turkey and can’t move off the couch or need a break from family time).

Lauren Weisberger, author of the ridiculously successful best-selling novel turned Golden-Globe-winning movie, The Devil Wears Prada, took a bite out of her life for a third time in Chasing Harry Winston. It hit shelves this past May and made its way onto my beach-reads list. Those of you en route to the aisle may not necessarily relate to the three leading ladies, but at least you can get pleasure out of the fact that it’s not you in their place! Take Emmy, whose long-term boyfriend left her for his personal trainer; Leigh, who’s having doubts about marrying her dream guy; and Adriana, a super-gorgeous Brazilian whose mother can’t stop warning her to find a man and settle down before she loses her looks.

Clearly, this book will not answer any of your life’s problems, but I was entertained by the ladies’ boy troubles, plus there are some relatable moments between the three. If you want to feel good about not needing to chase any Harry, Tiffany or Cartier, give this book a try.

Next on my list is from the woman who has a knack for developing female characters women love. Besides that, two of her books have turned into hit television shows and one was so successful it became a blockbuster movie. It’s the real Carrie Bradshaw, Candace Bushnell, and she’s back with One Fifth Avenue. It’s all about the women who reside at this exclusive Manhattan residence and their plans to marry for love, er, OK, money.

Between the pumpkin pie slices and brisk afternoon walks burning off those second helpings, I’ll be hooked on my new romantic read this weekend. Planning on reading either? Read one and loved it? Hated it? Have a suggestion for me? I’d love to hear from you!

Just mix 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil with 1/3 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of table sugar together— voila an instant natural nourishing scrub!  If the mixture is too runny you can add more sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until you get a nice consistency. Add a soothing smell to your scrub with a drop of essential oil such as lavender (which is calming) or orange extract (which is refreshing).
—Sara Duck

Is it just me, or is time going REALLY fast these days? It’s Monday, then it’s Friday. Then it’s back to Monday again. Weekends are precious, especially summer ones and especially when you’re planning a wedding! But taking time to relax and smell the roses is paramount—nobody else can do it for you. Lately it’s been busy times for me, and I need to amp it down starting tonight. How am I going to relax? By doing some of my favourite things!

• Tonight: dins at favourite Italian resto and a movie with my guy.

• Saturday: sleep in, read papers, manicure/pedicure, my favourite salad for lunch, magazine reading and book reading (current read— Simon Doonan’s Eccentric Glamour), Japanese for dinner, then watching my new obsession Flight of the Conchords.

• Sunday: up early to prep for Father’s Day brunch, host brunch, relax after brunch, have dinner with the P’s and hang out with Daddy dearest.

This weekend plan pretty much covers all the angles of a relaxing, low-stress time for me—time with my fam, good food, films, spa, magazines and books. Do you know what you need to chill it down and go back to the Zen zone? In the words of Ferris Bueller: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in while, you could miss it.” Slow down, enjoy the ride and have a fabulous weekend.

Relax before the big day with their soothing body treatments or let one of their makeup artists work their magic with eco-friendly products. For more information, go to aveda.com.
—Aubrey Akalehiywot

The website even has an air travel calculator to help you choose the most earth-friendly flight and a detailed outline of how each destination is making a difference in today’s world.
—Amy LeBlanc

As stressed Canadians who live large and fast, I don’t think there has ever been a more important time to jump on the wellness bandwagon. And you my friends, are no doubt, just that extra little bit stressed with a wedding lurking in your future. I know I’ve advocated spa therapy to you many times before, but I’m here to do it again as I just went to another great one this past weekend; one focused not just on relaxing but on getting you in the well zone.

Oasis Wellness Centre and Spa in Toronto opened about six months ago (the original location is in Calgary) and it is truly one of the most Zen zones I’ve ever been to. Measuring in at a whopping 23,000 square feet, Oasis has 36 treatment rooms, an expansive manicure and pedicure area, plus several areas geared just for lounging and relaxing, which is great because you can arrive as early as you want for your appointment and stay for hours afterwards to chill and soak up the calming scene. Rhonda, my massage therapist, gave me one of the best massages of my life! She spent a good amount of time reviewing my health history to gage my current mental and physical state. She went to work, targeting all the areas we determined I was carrying my stress and quite frankly by the end of the 60-minute treatment, I felt born anew. One other thing that really impressed me at Oasis was my therapist asking if I consulted with a naturopathic doctor (I do), which is all part and parcel of their commitment to wellness. Are you doing all you can to keep yourself well? I encourage you to take at least five minutes and review what’s going on in your life and how you can bring better balance to it. Booking a trip to somewhere like Oasis is a good place to start!

Have you ever done a serious spa stay? If not, I recommend you find a couple of days in your wedding planning schedule and a few dollars in the budget to do one, either solo, or with your mister or a close friend— it’s an indulgence you won’t regret.

I recently just did this with my friend Laura and we emerged two incredibly soothed souls. Though our offices are just 10 minutes from each other, we are both very busy women who unbelievably never seem to find an hour or two to have lunch or dinner together. We needed to seriously catch up and tune out, so we packed a bag and headed to glorious Ste. Anne’s Country Inn & Spa in Grafton for an overnighter. We turned off our phones, didn’t dare check email and surrendered ourselves completely to pampering and restoration. We ate (and ate and ate!) Ste. Anne’s scrumptious and uber-healthy spa cuisine, swam, lounged, lingered and of course were scrubbed and rubbed within an inch of our lives. At the end of our brief (but heavenly) 26-hour stay, it honestly felt like we had been away for at least two or three days—we have vowed to make this a yearly pilgrimage. Across Canada, there are so many great destination spas, I’m sure there’s one close to your home you can check into for a night. Do it and I guarantee you will emerge a relaxed and refreshed bride-to-be and you’ll also probably vow to make your spa sojourn an annual event just like Laura and I did. To find a spa near you, check out leadingspasofcanada.com.