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Wedding Tips from NYC “IT” Girl Dani Stahl
Barre3 West Village client Dani Stahl is a lifelong New Yorker, Style Director at Nylon magazine, and creator of her own custom shoes made alongside Christian Louboutin for her wedding this past spring. In other words, she’s the kind of “it” girl who would seem totally untouchable—if she weren’t so amazingly, refreshingly down-to-earth.
When it came to wedding planning, Dani not only put together a gorgeous and magical black-tie affair, but she managed to pull it off in just six months! We had so much fun chatting with her about why barre3 is the perfect pre-wedding body-shaper, how to choose the best dress, and how her husband, Dave, helped her learn to let go of stress and enjoy the moment. Check out our conversation below.
barre3: Every bride wants to be in great shape for her wedding. What advice would you give for finding your ideal workout and—most important—sticking to it?
Dani: Consistency is key—you have to find something you’re going to want to do a lot, or you won’t stick with it. My goal was to do barre3 four to five times a week. The beauty of barre3 is that it doesn’t deplete you like other types of exercise, so you really can do it every day. I even did it the day before my wedding.
I also go to spin class and do gym workouts, but I always tell people, if you want to fit in a dress, do a barre3 class every day for a week. It’s a total-body workout, and it targets those little muscles you didn’t know you had that shape your body. And it gives you the kind of body I’m drawn to—long, muscular but lean, and healthy.
b3: What overall advice would you give to brides-to-be when it comes to getting in shape for their weddings?
Dani: Do what you can to feel good on your wedding day, but don’t kill yourself over it. I travel a lot for work, and a few weeks before my wedding I was in Paris for fashion shows. I ate my way through every dinner in Paris, and I didn’t work out once while I was there. And the week before the wedding my now husband and I took our parents to a fancy dinner to thank them, and I let myself enjoy it completely. If someone wants to host a dinner for you, go. If someone throws you a party, enjoy it. I just looked at the landscape of the last few weeks before my wedding and planned my workouts accordingly.
b3: You believe strongly in the edict, “fashion is fun.” How can brides take this to heart during their weddings?
Dani: Your dress has to be your favorite dress ever—but you have to be able to have a good time in it. If you want poofy, go for it; if you want tight, wear it, but if you can’t lift your arms, what’s the point? People look their best when they’re comfortable.
I didn’t do the typical “try on dresses” thing. In my job I work with designers, and I saw my dress a long time ago. I always wanted a Valentino dress, and I loved this one, and that was kind of it. I put it on for my mom and danced around to make sure it would work for me.
b3: Do the same rules apply to wedding shoes?
Dani: You have to have shoes you can dance in! I made mine with Christian Louboutin. They were white with giant pink bows on the back.
b3: It’s easy for brides to stress over every last detail—the invitations, the food, the flowers, the music, the seating arrangements. How did you handle all the planning pressure?
Dani: Some things came really easily, like the song I walked down the aisle to. It’s called Opus 23. I heard it once in barre3 class, and I liked it. Then I heard it again and I loved it, and I played it for Dave, and he thought it was really pretty.
But I definitely was obsessed with other things that I didn’t think were perfect along the way—not in a bridezilla way, I just wanted everything to be great. When the invitations went out, there was a computer glitch and all the zip codes got messed up. Every invitation went out wrong. Half came back, half never got there. I just hated that it looked sloppy, and I obsessed over it.
Finally, Dave said to me, “It is what it is. We’re going to get married in two weeks. Let’s just enjoy it.” I had the best time EVER once I learned to let it go. It was the perfect mindset to go into the whole wedding weekend.
The day really is about you, and everyone is there to support you and not judge you. You don’t get that time back. I’m so grateful that I found the space to finally listen. None of that noise matters. Let yourself enjoy your process.
b3: Any advice for day-of wedding prep?
Dani: I wanted to be at home. I didn’t have bridesmaids, but I had a handful of close girlfriends over the day of the wedding and we got a bunch of kale, quinoa, chicken salads. You need to eat so you can be calm and have energy. Having a good, healthy lunch with fat, fiber, and protein is a must.
b3: As someone in the fashion industry, you must have had fun packing for your honeymoon! Do you have any advice for other brides?
Dani: Packing became an obsession for me. I loved it! For our honeymoon we spent two weeks in Bali and Thailand, and I spent the six months before planning my outfits for every day of the trip. But I happen to love doing that. There’s another version of a honeymoon where you pack two swimsuits and a cover-up, and you’re great.
b3: Any final advice for brides-to-be?
Dani: If budget allows, get a photo booth! We had one, and it was my favorite thing from the wedding. People had so much fun with it. I want to frame all the photos individually and line my stairwell with them. Also, create a hashtag for your wedding. That way anyone who posts pictures on social media can use the same hashtag and you’ll be able to find them all in one place.
Brides and brides-to-be, do you have any words of wisdom to share? Tell us in the comments below.
Barre3 West Village client Dani Stahl is a lifelong New Yorker, Style Director at Nylon magazine, and creator of her own custom shoes made alongside Christian Louboutin for her wedding this past spring. In other words, she’s the kind of “it” girl who would seem totally untouchable—if she weren’t so amazingly, refreshingly down-to-earth.
When it came to wedding planning, Dani not only put together a gorgeous and magical black-tie affair, but she managed to pull it off in just six months! We had so much fun chatting with her about why barre3 is the perfect pre-wedding body-shaper, how to choose the best dress, and how her husband, Dave, helped her learn to let go of stress and enjoy the moment. Check out our conversation below.
barre3: Every bride wants to be in great shape for her wedding. What advice would you give for finding your ideal workout and—most important—sticking to it?
Dani: Consistency is key—you have to find something you’re going to want to do a lot, or you won’t stick with it. My goal was to do barre3 four to five times a week. The beauty of barre3 is that it doesn’t deplete you like other types of exercise, so you really can do it every day. I even did it the day before my wedding.
I also go to spin class and do gym workouts, but I always tell people, if you want to fit in a dress, do a barre3 class every day for a week. It’s a total-body workout, and it targets those little muscles you didn’t know you had that shape your body. And it gives you the kind of body I’m drawn to—long, muscular but lean, and healthy.
b3: What overall advice would you give to brides-to-be when it comes to getting in shape for their weddings?
Dani: Do what you can to feel good on your wedding day, but don’t kill yourself over it. I travel a lot for work, and a few weeks before my wedding I was in Paris for fashion shows. I ate my way through every dinner in Paris, and I didn’t work out once while I was there. And the week before the wedding my now husband and I took our parents to a fancy dinner to thank them, and I let myself enjoy it completely. If someone wants to host a dinner for you, go. If someone throws you a party, enjoy it. I just looked at the landscape of the last few weeks before my wedding and planned my workouts accordingly.
b3: You believe strongly in the edict, “fashion is fun.” How can brides take this to heart during their weddings?
Dani: Your dress has to be your favorite dress ever—but you have to be able to have a good time in it. If you want poofy, go for it; if you want tight, wear it, but if you can’t lift your arms, what’s the point? People look their best when they’re comfortable.
I didn’t do the typical “try on dresses” thing. In my job I work with designers, and I saw my dress a long time ago. I always wanted a Valentino dress, and I loved this one, and that was kind of it. I put it on for my mom and danced around to make sure it would work for me.
b3: Do the same rules apply to wedding shoes?
Dani: You have to have shoes you can dance in! I made mine with Christian Louboutin. They were white with giant pink bows on the back.
b3: It’s easy for brides to stress over every last detail—the invitations, the food, the flowers, the music, the seating arrangements. How did you handle all the planning pressure?
Dani: Some things came really easily, like the song I walked down the aisle to. It’s called Opus 23. I heard it once in barre3 class, and I liked it. Then I heard it again and I loved it, and I played it for Dave, and he thought it was really pretty.
But I definitely was obsessed with other things that I didn’t think were perfect along the way—not in a bridezilla way, I just wanted everything to be great. When the invitations went out, there was a computer glitch and all the zip codes got messed up. Every invitation went out wrong. Half came back, half never got there. I just hated that it looked sloppy, and I obsessed over it.
Finally, Dave said to me, “It is what it is. We’re going to get married in two weeks. Let’s just enjoy it.” I had the best time EVER once I learned to let it go. It was the perfect mindset to go into the whole wedding weekend.
The day really is about you, and everyone is there to support you and not judge you. You don’t get that time back. I’m so grateful that I found the space to finally listen. None of that noise matters. Let yourself enjoy your process.
b3: Any advice for day-of wedding prep?
Dani: I wanted to be at home. I didn’t have bridesmaids, but I had a handful of close girlfriends over the day of the wedding and we got a bunch of kale, quinoa, chicken salads. You need to eat so you can be calm and have energy. Having a good, healthy lunch with fat, fiber, and protein is a must.
b3: As someone in the fashion industry, you must have had fun packing for your honeymoon! Do you have any advice for other brides?
Dani: Packing became an obsession for me. I loved it! For our honeymoon we spent two weeks in Bali and Thailand, and I spent the six months before planning my outfits for every day of the trip. But I happen to love doing that. There’s another version of a honeymoon where you pack two swimsuits and a cover-up, and you’re great.
b3: Any final advice for brides-to-be?
Dani: If budget allows, get a photo booth! We had one, and it was my favorite thing from the wedding. People had so much fun with it. I want to frame all the photos individually and line my stairwell with them. Also, create a hashtag for your wedding. That way anyone who posts pictures on social media can use the same hashtag and you’ll be able to find them all in one place.
Brides and brides-to-be, do you have any words of wisdom to share? Tell us in the comments below.
