Bridal Boot Camp If you’ve got the drive and determination to drop a dress size before your wedding day, a bridal boot camp could be just the ticket for you…
 Love, sweat and tears - it’s all in days work for today’s body conscious bride. With most of you trying to plan a wedding, work a full time job and squeeze in some socialising, there just aren’t enough hours in the week to for gym time. Or that’s the excuse anyway! The problem is that we all want a trim, toned body, but few of us have the time or inclination to spend hours slogging it out in the gym over a course of months to get the desired result. The solution has come to us from America and is taking off in a huge way at a park near you. Get ready for boot camp girls!
CULLODEN ESTATE & SPA, Holywood, Co. Down
Inside the Spa is wonderfully luxurious but what appealed to us about this particular programme was that it wasn’t all about the pain, there were pampering treats included too! We opted to try out the three-month programme, which includes three spa treatments and three personal training sessions.
At this bridal bootcamp you can tailor your package to suit your needs. A first meeting with the personal trainer, gives you the opportunity to talk about what you want to get out of the programme – whether that is toning up, shedding a few pounds or generally improving your health and fitness. When we met, we also talked about my eating habits and then devised a plan to help me achieve my goals.
As well as meeting with the trainer, I also met with a therapist to decide on my course of treatments going forward. A lot of brides book in for courses of facials or body treatments in the lead up to their wedding so this package was perfect in that within the fee you receive three free treatments. After a hard month working out in the gym, I found that it was great to have something nice to look forward to at the end of every four weeks.
It is this personal attention which makes this bridal bootcamp different from going to a regular gym. Whether you opt for the one-month or three-month package, your plan will be tailored to fit your requirements. As every brides needs are different, this is obviously a huge plus.
 Location: Culloden Estate & Spa, Holywood, Co. Down
Commitment level:
Package one: 3-month membership, 3 spa treatments and 3 personal training sessions.
Package two: 1-month membership, 1 spa treatment, 4 personal training sessions.
Cost: Package one, £375; Package two, £199
Contact: www.hastingshotels.com tel: 028 9042 1066
BOOTCAMPIRELAND.COM
Bootcamp Ireland is all about getting fit the military way using military style techniques and real military personnel. The classes combine ‘get down and gimme 20’ training with motivating circuits, exercises, running and games.
The training program runs over an eight-week period, giving you 16 one-hour classes, with an additional bonus of eight extra classes on Saturdays.
 You’ll train with a group off like-minded men and women all with various fitness levels of fitness and classes follow an ‘at your own pace’ policy, but you can be sure that the Bootcamp team will push you to your limits.
Location: 7 sites across Dublin inc. Muckross Park, Phoenix Park & Bushy Park
Commitment level: Two evenings a week with an additional bonus class on Saturdays for the die hards and for those who may have missed a class
Cost: €150 for an eight-week session (up to 24 classes in total)
Contact: www.bootcampireland.com, tel: 086 3836020
THINKFITBOOTCAMP
Ireland’s first residential boot camp ThinkFit Boot Camp offers a great alternative for brides-to-be who simply don’t have the time to commit to weekly classes over a lengthy period. A full session lasts one week, but there are also three-day courses available. Run by coach Karl Henry the programme is designed to deliver an intense, physically challenging and mentally inspiring week to help you lose those extra pounds
Set in the idyllic Wicklow Hills, programmes run from Sunday - Saturday. You’ll have your own en-suite room and you’ll eat a balanced meal programme specially designed to optimise weight loss and help you lose up to 10lbs. Over the course of the week your body will be pushed through a combination of hikes, cardio workouts and fitness training, with daily yoga, Pilates or massage to help ease those aches and pains.
Location: Kippure Estate, Wicklow Mountains
Commitment level: A 6-day fitness programme. Weekend courses are also available.
Cost: €1,250 pp sharing or €1,650 for your own room. Price: includes accommodation, meals, fitness assessment, workouts, coaching, yoga, massage.
Contact: www.thinkbootcamp.com, tel: 01 678 7845
BODYFITBOOTCAMP.IE
Fitness instructor Ken Buckley is the brain and body behind Bodyfit Boot Camp, a circuit based class created to deliver an intensive blast of exercises and training in a short space of time. A variety of resistance techniques are used in each class, causing you to burn fat for up to six hours after training. The result is a more metabolically active body (i.e. one that burns calories faster) and the technique is proven to be more effective than aerobic training alone. Training is at your own pace and it’s not all hard word – the instructors use various games to keep you moving, running, chasing and having fun.
Location: Venues in Tallaght, Leixlip and Naas
Commitment level: 6 Week course, 2 sessions per week
Cost: € 110 for 6 weeks, 12 classes
Contact: www.bodyfitbootcamp.ie tel; 0872434506
BE-FIT & WEIGHT LOSS BOOT CAMP, Jackson’s Hotel
Loss those extra inches at Jackson’s Hotel’s unique B-Fit Boot Camp. This six-day weight loss programme is for women only and promises participants a new figure and an unforgettable week in the hills of Donegal. This dedicated weight loss programme, is designed to help you loose weight immediately and kick start a healthy, holistic lifestyle. Don’t expect walk in the park with, the six-day schedule runs from 7:00am to 9:00pm daily and incorporates a range of outdoor and inside work suitable for all ages and fitness levels.
Boot camp guests stay at the hotel on a bed, breakfast and dinner basis. Meals are carefully planned to be healthy and nutritious and if it all gets too much for you, you can enjoy a steam or sauna in the new health suite.
Location: Jackson’s Hotel, Ballybofey, Donegal
Commitment level: Six days 7am – 9pm
Cost: €1,100 pp sharing or €1,300 for a single room.
Price include BB& D
Contact: www.jacksons-hotel.ie,
tel: 00353 (0) 749131021
BOOT CAMP AT GALGORM RESORT & SPA
Run over a series of three or five nights, boot campers stay in a log cabin by the river and participate in daily training programmes designed to aid weight loss and improve fitness. Each day you’ll be up with the birds at 6 am and it’s non-stop action until 5pm with a mixture of gym workouts, exercise classes, stretching and flex, nutritional classes and theory. By the end of the day you’ll be ready to collapse, but at least you have a scrumptious, albeit healthy dinner to look forward too. And if it all gets to much you can enjoy a glassy of bubbly in the award-winning Bollinger Garden, just make sure you have a clear head for the morning after.
 Location: Galgorm Resort & Spa, Ballymena
Commitment level: Two or five night programme
Cost: £500 for a two-night weekend programme. £950 for a five-night programme. Price includes accommodation in a log cabin (own room) breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack box.
Contact: www.galgorm.com tel: 028 2588 1001
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Beauty 
I posted 4 photos on Facebook in the album "Bridal inspiration from Cannes...." 
