Melissa Rycroft is the cover girl of the first issue of Shape Bride, on newsstands today. It's designed to help brides prep for the big day.
Rycroft doesn't need to get ready - she tied the knot with Tye Strickland in December in an ocean-side wedding on Isla Mujeres, Mexico. "I still can't believe it," she says. "This past year, my life has been a fairy tale!"
Her tip for brides-to-be: Relax. "My philosophy was that I was going to eat the food, dance to the music, and spend time with my husband—and not let little things like centerpieces or napkins stress me out. Even if my cake had shown up black and my flowers were all dead, my wedding still would have been perfect to me."
For her, confidence equals sexiness. "I'm not Megan Fox sexy, but I'm girl-next-door sexy—and I know Tye finds that very attractive. Everyone needs to find their own meaning of the word—and flaunt it!"
You might have last seen Rycroft on Dancing With The Stars, when she says she was in the best shape of her life. "At one point I looked at my abs and I could count them! But that's not my natural body, and I knew I couldn't keep working out at that intensity."
And after the show, Melissa completely stopped exercising. "I needed to step away from it, because I didn't want to lose the joy of working out. After a month, I started to miss it and I felt ready to start again."She now runs two or three miles four to six days a week, and strength-trains at home.
To avoid fatty foods, she says she and Tye only eat out "once a week—either on Friday or Saturday—and I cook on most other days," Melissa says. "When I really want something like chicken fingers and french fries, I just have a kids meal," she says. "It's enough to satisfy my craving."
