What could possibly be more exciting than planning for a wedding?
Whether it’s your own or someone else’s, a wedding calls for maximum effort in looking your best! Maybe that involves losing a few pounds, growing your hair, toning up or something else entirely.
Having been involved in many weddings over the years with my work, I’ve gained a lot of insight and experience as to what timescales work well in preparing for a wedding.
Like everything else around weddings, there’s an optimum time to set for getting prepared. In this blog, I’ll share some handy tips and a suggested schedule to help you prepare for the big day.
Here’s some of the areas I’ll cover:
Hands – have you any idea how many photographs there will be of your hands?
If you’re the bride, there’s the rings, signing the register, the toasts, cutting the cake… and that’s just the traditional ones. Add in a few posed ones of the bride and groom and there’s going to be a whole lot more. The last thing you’ll want is bitten, damaged nails or rough, dry hands. Given that nails take 3 – 4 months to grow out, we need to allow some time and create a plan.
Feet – how many times have you seen that cracked sore looking heels in slingbacks? It’s not a good look and it’s so easy to fix! But we do need some time if we’re going to smooth that skin properly. Toenails like horns? Painful callouses and hard skin are certainly going to impact upon your enjoyment of the day and possibly curtail your activities on the dancefloor. Start early with regular pedicures to ensure your feet look great and you feel comfortable all day. Oh, and you can choose which shoes you fancy rather than opting for ones you think might be easiest to wear all day.
Face – there will be cameras everywhere. No-one is safe at a wedding now and pictures will be on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok before you look around. You’ll want to make sure it’s a flattering picture especially when you’ve no option to add a filter!
Regardless of your age, most people have slight insecurities about their skin. Perhaps blemishes, pigmentation marks, fine lines or dark circles annoy you? Maybe it’s a dull complexion or a very vibrant complexion that bother’s you? For more mature guests, parents, grandparents, it might be loss of muscle tone, deeper lines and wrinkles and lack of definition of the facial contours that age you older than you are?
Again, these issues can’t be fixed overnight, but there’s a lot we can do to improve things with the correct planning and timescales. There are many places that promise a “quick, instant fix”, but we’re not one of them. Your skin is the body’s largest organ and its main function is to protect the body from harm; moisture loss, bacteria, the environment, pollution, temperature changes. Many aggressive facial treatments compromise the integrity of the skin, impairing it’s protective function which leaves your complexion susceptible to breakouts, moisture loss and premature ageing. Think carefully before trying something that promises quick results.
We prefer a more holistic, natural approach to skincare and start by strengthening the skin’s moisture barrier so that improved skin health results in smoother, younger, healthier looking skin.
Facial hair – I’m talking to the ladies here. If there’s one thing we really don’t want, it’s stray lip or chin hairs catching the light (or the photographer’s camera!) when we’re at a wedding! Or anywhere else for that matter! Removing facial hair permanently is an option, but not overnight. It takes time, but for the confidence you enjoy afterwards, it’s definitely worth exploring.
An eyebrow tidy can literally knock years off as it lifts the face and frames the eyes. Team that with a lash lift and/or tint and wow! What a difference it makes. Tinting and lifting both require patch testing to ensure no allergic reaction, so again, plan ahead if this is something you might like to try.
Make-up – this can totally transform your appearance and your confidence. Having professionally applied make-up means no touching up; you’ll look amazing all day and it will show up beautifully in your photographs without you appearing to be overdone. A good make-up artist is worth investing in for the most important day of your life and most will travel to your home on the morning of the wedding. Although I no longer offer this service, I’m happy to recommend excellent therapists who do.
Body hair – smooth skin just feels so nice and there’s no better feeling than silky smooth skin after you’ve been waxed! If you’re the bride, plan this as close to the wedding as possible and it’ll do for your honeymoon too. If you’ve never had waxing before, I probably wouldn’t recommend leaving it until the day before the wedding to try it, but it’s a great way to deal with hairs for a few weeks at a time. Imagine, no dark underarm hairs above your beautiful wedding dress. Wear whatever strapless creation you like with confidence!
Only thing here is that some medication can make your skin sensitive and unsuitable for waxing, so be sure to check before booking.
Tanning – everybody feels better when the sun is shining and having a tan is just like that. You feel slimmer and healthier when you have that sun kissed golden glow. There’s several ways to do this:
- Apply fake tan yourself – great if you’ve done it before and you know what you’re doing. Don’t leave this option to the week of the wedding! Start practicing months beforehand.
- Go for a spray tan – much quicker and easier, but again don’t leave it until the last minute. You might not like it and it’s not coming off quickly! There is also the possibility that a small amount of fake tan rubs off onto your outfit. I’m thinking specifically wedding dress here, so be sure to check with a white top before the big day.
- Sunbed or sunshine – everything in moderation. A gradual gentle tan looks amazing, but don’t leave it to the last minute. It’s much safer to introduce UV to the skin in small amounts over a longer period of time that to blast yourself and risk burning.
Your mind – preparing for a wedding is stressful and it’s easy to let everything overwhelm you. Take a moment to think about what a wedding is. It’s a marriage of two people who love each other and pledge to spend the rest of their lives together, creating a safe, nurturing environment for themselves and any future children. It’s creating a haven where they can come together and find rest in each other.
It’s the wedding that’s stressful and that’s not the most important part! The marriage is.
If stress relief is required, there are some fabulous treatments to help ground and refocus your mind. Indian head massage, CBD massage, Ear candling – all help to promote sleep and reduce anxiety. A regular relaxation session can work wonders and just help you to keep on top of things.
In summary, here’s a suggested timetable when you’re preparing for a wedding.
Up to a year before the wedding
- Electrolysis – think about removing any facial hair
- Facials – is your skin healthy or does it need attention
- Body – do you need to tone up or lose some weight
- Book your make-up artist & hairdresser
6 months before the wedding
- Facials – start a regular regime
- Feet – do your feet need attention
- Body – keep working on that bod!
3 months before the wedding
- Make-up – your skin looks good – have a make-up trial
- Hands – start thinking about your nails and skin
- Feet – feet should be looking better, book monthly pedicures now
- Eyes – try tinting, lifting and brow tidy to see how you like it
- Tanning – start thinking about this now
- Stress – do you need to relax? Get a few massages booked now.
- Waxing – give it a go if you haven’t already
1 month before the wedding
- Have a facial
- Have a manicure
- Have a pedicure
- Have a massage
The week of the wedding
2 – 5 days before the wedding
- Have a facial
- Lash lift & tint and/or Eyebrow tint & tidy
- Manicure with gel polish
- Pedicure with any polish
- A massage – if you need one!
- Waxing and or electrolysis
- Tanning treatment
The day before the wedding
- Manicure with regular polish
- Eyebrow tidy (if required)
Day of the wedding – Make-up and a glass of Champagne! You’ve earned it!
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you’ve found this helpful.
If you are getting married soon, then Congratulations and I hope you have a wonderful day and a truly blessed marriage.