Brides appreciate that the activities are always changing in the class, and that they have the support and camaraderie of fellow brides. Leigh Brown, 40, of Glen Ridge wanted to drop a dress size before her wedding coming up this year.

Brown, who was voted most athletic girl in high school, was tired of the monotony of the gym and needed a new challenge. She joined Real Body Bootcamp in Montclair (917-613-9121; realbodybootcamp.com) in September, and saw results in weeks. “Somebody’s pushing you to your limits but making it fun, and you’re getting the best all-around workout I feel I can get,” says Brown. “I was going to the gym six days a week and not seeing the results I have seen in the six weeks I’ve been going to boot camp.”

The other bride in her class, Kay Koch of Jersey City, has lost 80 pounds in the last two years, and joined boot camp in the fall to try to lose the last ten to fifteen pounds before her wedding on April 17. She likes the spirit of group exercise. “We’re all going through the same thing. It’s a great built-in support structure,” she says.

Koch, 25, also finds that taking the class helps with the stress of wedding planning. “Everybody wants to look good in their dress,” she says. “I just feel so much clearer mentally after a good workout. I can focus better.”

Real Body Bootcamp’s owners work with brides to set goals, discuss eating habits, and even accompany them to the supermarket to help them shop healthy. They meet once a week with brides to check in on how well they’re meeting their goals. “We provide the extra coaching a person needs to get through the stresses of being a bride,” says owner Bernadette McLoughlin.

If you prefer to work out on your own, there are bridal programs that let you exercise one-on-one with a trainer. Fitness Consulting in Morristown (973-214-3679; fitnessconsultinginc.com) began offering a twelve-week bridal makeover program a year ago and is launching a Buff Bride contest this year. Though brides work out at home with a trainer, they’ll be competing against each other in areas like total weight loss, percent of body fat loss, and overall conditioning. “We put together an eating plan combined with exercise to help you become the bride of your dreams,” says company president Bill McHugh.