Last night I had the pleasure of attending the first of four bridal bootcamp classes at bridal boutique L’Atelier Couture. Forty brides-to-be, their bridesmaids, and friends of L’Atelier gathered in the elegantly sparse North Loop location to take a modified class by a crew of teachers from Pure Barre. Pure Barre is a nationally recognized ballet-inspired workout that is geared toward women and it is meant to elongate the muscles by working each muscle group to fatigue. The studio, which has been open for about six months, is located in St. Louis Park.

(Full disclosure: I love Pure Barre. In fact, I may go so far to say I’m obsessed with it. I did it every day before my wedding for nearly a month and was thrilled with the results so much so that I’m in the process of becoming a teacher in my non-existant fee time. That being said, the reason I love it is because I see results . . . aka the wedding arms. )

But, back to the bootcamp. Brides and their friends had the opportunity to sign up for a four-week session for $40, put on by L’Atelier, Bella Bridesmaid, and the sponsoring workout groups. (A huge deal considering the cost of most drop-in classes is roughly $20.) The first week, as I mentioned, was Pure Barre; the remaining weeks will be Moksha Yoga, Awaken Pilates, and Ivy Spa Club, offering brides a true range of workouts so that they may find the one that they most enjoy, should they pursue it further as their big day nears.

Though registration is closed, this is not the first time the forward-thinking boutique decided to throw together such an event for its brides, and it probably won’t be the last. The first was earlier this year when I got my butt kicked right along side L’Atelier sales associates to another barre-inspired workout. And this time, the energy, the logistics, the turnout, and the intensity were even better. I’ll admit, trying to perform a ballet-inspired workout that is normally done at the barre was no easy feat, but bootcamp-goers really seemed to get into each movement with gusto (and everyone noted that if it was hard on the floor of a boutique, they could only imagine how difficult it will be in the studio). Throughout the hour-long event, you could see the legs and arms of many shaking (a true sign that the muscles were changing), and by the end, most seemed energized and eager for next week.

Props to L’Atelier for, once again, thinking outside the box and offering its brides more than just a standout dress-shopping experience. I’ve said it before about this talented (and I’d be willing to guess sore from last night) team, and I’ll say it again: I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.