WEDDING DAY BEAUTY PREP
Whether you have a strict beauty routine already in place or you’re less focused on following a specific regimen, Hara Carragher has organised the ultimate wedding day beauty prep timeline to help guide every bride-to-be and avoid any last minute fiascos.
Wedding bells are ringing and the countdown has begun. It’s now time to pencil in those beauty appointments leading up to the big day. With thoughts preoccupied with seating charts and venue bookings, it’s easy to forget about taking the time out to care for your own wellbeing. Here, Melbourne Wedding & Bride outlines a beauty checklist to ensure you don’t miss out on scheduling in any appointments leading up to the big day.
Wedding day beauty prep – 9 MONTHS BEFORE…
Wedding Workout Plan
First off, and with months to go before the big day, start thinking about whether you want to work on your body at all, and if so, what you’d like to achieve finding the perfect exercise regimen. There are a vast number of options depending on how much or little you enjoy exercising. Whether you enjoy it or not, it’s important to remember that on a holistic level, it’s an important factor to feeling fit and healthy. It’s also a major outlet for you to de-stress – especially in those months leading up to the big day.
Exercise Tips:
Option 1: Hire a trainer. Splurge and hire a personal trainer who knows exactly what works best for you. The pro to choosing this option is that a trainer will know your timeframe and work out a regime based off of that. A trainer will go through ab exercises, core body strength workouts or a weight training program. This is great if you want to do an all-round workout or to focus on toning up a specific area.
Option 2: DIY. When browsing the internet you’ll find pages of pre-wedding workout exercise tips, but if you’re dedicated to creating your own bridal boot camp then YouTube is the best. There are numerous do-it-yourself video clips that go through the exact workout steps for toning up or losing weight.
Option 3: Take a class. Joining a dance class or yoga class to tone up is perfect when you’re feeling less motivated about the idea of exercising. This option gives you the leeway to invite some of your bridesmaids along, which will motivate you to go more often.
Option 4: Healthy Eating. Seeing a dietician will provide dietary solutions in order to navigate healthy eating goals. It’s also a good way to get tips on foods that are rich in anti-inflammatory properties, such as salmon and leafy greens, and ways to maintain a balanced lifestyle.
Wedding Laser Hair Removal
Another beauty treatment to consider early on is laser hair removal, which many brides opt for. Laser technology destroys hair follicles thereby eliminating unwanted hair and providing a permanent and lasting result. If you decide that you want long-lasting hair removal to create smooth underarms for your strapless dress, then it’s best to plan ahead. Each treatment is spaced out five to six weeks apart, which means laser treatment takes a significant chunk of time before you see drastic results. For permanent results, book your first appointment around now.
Beauty Tips: Most skin and laser clinics offer free consultations and treatment packages, which makes it easy to weigh up if this is the right treatment for you.
Wedding day beauty prep – 6 MONTHS BEFORE…
Wedding-ready Skin
Your wedding day is your time to shine; though the same doesn’t necessarily go for your skin. An appointment with a dermatologist will provide you with a daily skincare routine formulated to suit you. A dermatologist will give you advice on any skin issues such as frustrating blemishes and if necessary, suggest remedies to help balance out your complexion and hormones. At this stage it’s also a good idea to tentatively book in any facial appointments for the upcoming months.
Although a dermatologist will provide advice on skin conditions and treatments, it’s also beneficial to book a consultation afterwards with a beautician to organise an appropriate skincare regimen in the lead-up to big day. Common beauty therapy treatments include deep cleansing, exfoliating facials such as microdermabrasion to ensure healthy, clear skin.
Beauty Tip: Although a skincare regimen is beneficial, it’s also a good idea to start taking note to drink eight glasses of water each day to ensure healthy, hydrated skin. Hydrating your skin will rid it of toxins and replenish the skin tissue, increasing its elasticity and enhancing your complexion.
Wedding day beauty prep – 4–5 MONTHS BEFORE…
Wedding Hair and Make-up Trials
It’s now time to book your glamour team and start experimenting with the look you’d like to exude. Before making any dramatic changes, try testing out styles, colours and cuts using apps and websites that will give you a visual impression. Ask the makeup artist and hairdresser who you’ve chosen for the day to try out at least two looks that you’re considering. Once you’ve decided on a hair and makeup that suits you, it’s important to book your stylist and makeup artist now to make sure you don’t run the risk of conflicting schedules.
Beauty Tip: Before settling on a hairstyle, make sure you’ve picked out your dress or have an idea of the neckline. This might influence your choice of hairstyles, as specific hairdos will suit specific dress cuts better than others.
Wedding day beauty prep – 1–2 MONTHS BEFORE…
Touch-ups
Your beautifying regimen should consist primarily of minor tweaks and touch ups. You’ve now hopefully found the perfect hair colour and style, so to make sure your hair maintains its healthy appearance, give it one last trim. A moisturising hair mask is also beneficial and will have deep conditioning benefits. With natural ingredients you can make your own DIY hair mask and find different recipes online to create soft and silky hair. Another touch up ritual to follow is a hydrating face mask and peel, moisturising daily and exfoliating once a week to rejuvenate skin cells.
Teeth Whitening
A bright smile on the day isn’t difficult to attain with in-surgery whitening or an at-home DIY alternative. In-surgery laser teeth whitening can be booked at a dental clinic and usually lasts a year. This will whiten teeth six to 12 shades lighter and can be followed with applying an at-home teeth whitening kit to maintain that white glow closer to the date.
Alternatively you can choose to just use an at-home teeth whitening kit. Your dentist can make an impression of your teeth to create a mouthguard in order to continue the treatment at home. It can be applied around an hour daily and take two to four weeks to lighten teeth to a desired shade. This will get rid of any discolouration and stains that may have developed over time.
Beauty Tips: Teeth whitening can cause sensitivity due to bleaching products. It’s a good idea to begin the whitening process now to avoid having sensitive teeth on the day.
Wedding day beauty prep – 1–2 WEEKS BEFORE…
In these last weeks the larger details of the wedding planning should be in motion and it’s time to dedicate your time to pampering – ensuring that you feel fantastic from the inside out.
Gentle Facial
A gentle facial before the day will provide a healthy glow and be a calming treatment in this last stage before your wedding. Gentle facials include those formulated for sensitive skin and soothing facials that contain natural products. There are also oxygen facials which will deliver concentrated oxygen molecules to the skin and eliminate acne-causing bacteria to diminish pores. These types of facials will be gentle, hydrating and formulated to reduce redness on the skin.
Beauty Tip: It’s important to book a gentle facial that won’t cause any aggravation to your skin. Speak to your beauty therapist and let them know how long until the big day, as this will help to ensure you find the right facial treatment.
Revive Hair Colour
An appointment with your hairdresser at this time will allow you to freshen up and add richness to your hair colour.
Beauty Tip: If you’ve found any hair accessories since your initial consultation with your hairdresser, bring it to your appointment. This is the perfect chance to show your hairdresser and discuss how you might like to incorporate it.
Eyebrow Shaping
It’s now time to shape those eyebrows and make sure they’re groomed to perfection. Whether you prefer to pluck, wax or thread, a professional shaping is the key to framing your face. It’s important to book with someone you can trust to work with your brows. An appointment should be scheduled in at least a week before to allow the skin around the brows to calm in the lead-up to the day.
Beauty Tip: It’s important to remember to be specific in discussing what kind of brows you want. If you don’t have an eyebrow specialist that you regularly go to, it’s a good idea to look up a list online of who does the best brows in the area.
Wax Appointment
It you haven’t opted for laser hair removal, book in a waxing appointment around a week before the day. Waxing is also an alternative to shaving – ditching the razor means less beauty maintenance on your honeymoon and lasting smooth skin. Instead, book a waxing appointment to ensure smooth skin and allow some time to ensure no skin irritation occurs close to the date. A wax removes hair from the root and is ideal for keeping your skin smooth for up to two weeks.
Beauty Tip: Try waxing closer to the one week mark to ensure soft silky skin on the day and into the honeymoon.
Wedding day beauty prep – 3 DAYS BEFORE…
Things should all be falling into place by now and it should be nearly time to slow down before the big day. While maintaining a routine is good practice, it’s better to not exhaust yourself with vigorous exercise. Keep drinking plenty of water and stick to any healthy eating plan that you’ve been following. It’s also important to make sure you keep moisturising to keep skin hydrated.
Spray Tan
The last thing you want is to have a spray tan the night before your wedding and be left with fake tan smudges on your dress. This is why it’s better to schedule in a spray tan at least 24 hours prior to the big day. Although the option of applying fake tan yourself is there, it’s a risk and could become patchy. It’s best instead to book in with a therapist who will use quality spray tan and match your skin tone to ensure it is a natural shade for you.
Beauty Tip: In order to get that sun kissed look, ask your beauty therapist to apply a golden glow tan, which will appear more natural and will create a radiant and healthy look.
Wedding day beauty prep – 1 DAY BEFORE…
Today will be full of last-minute preparation, but try to spend some time making sure your body and mind are feeling as renewed and energised as possible.
Fresh Mani and Pedi
The day before the wedding is the best time to get a manicure and pedicure. If you do your nails on the day, you may risk waiting for them to dry and running behind. Although most brides choose a French manicure, there are many different hues to choose from.
Beauty Tip: Search on Pinterest to find different and interesting nail polish designs that other brides have used. Brides often use their nail polish as their ‘something blue’.
Body and Mind
Continue to drink plenty of water, wash your hair to make it feel soft and voluminous and try to arrange a yoga class to reduce any built up stress. It’s also a good idea to wear minimal makeup today, which will prevent clogged pores and unwanted blemishes appearing. After the day is over, the most important thing to do is to get plenty of beauty sleep.
WEDDING DAY!
Smile, it’s your big day! Now is the time to be thankful that you planned all your appointments in advance. You can now feel confident knowing that your choice of hairstyle and makeup for the day is exactly how you envisioned. Try to start the day