Most brides want to look beautiful for their wedding day. It’s about looking your best for both your beloved and all of your guests—not to mention everyone who will see the photos. Let’s face it: for the majority of weddings, there are quite a lot of eyes on the bride and groom, so obviously it’s important to look as beautiful as possible.
For this reason, many brides start planning beauty treatments of all kinds leading up to their wedding day. You may start to consider things that have never crossed your mind before, like those wild-sounding med spa treatments.
So how do you know which wedding week beauty treatments are necessary, and which ones should be skipped?
Let’s take a look.
Do: Get Customized Facials
A facial (especially a new specialized type such as Hydrafacial) is a wonderful way to cleanse your skin, relax, and feel amazing. Some brides even get a facial the morning of their wedding to look extra radiant and glowing, but we recommend having this done the day before, just in case of any redness. Facials will ensure that your skin looks its best.
Don’t: Color Your Hair
At least, don’t color your hair the week of your wedding. Why? Because you can’t always tell exactly how the color may oxidize, or how it will look with your current skin. If you want to freshen your color, request your colorist to simply add a clear gloss onto your hair. Doing so will make your hair look shiny, healthy, and vitalized.
Do: Get A Mani/Pedi
If there was ever a time to indulge in a manicure and pedicure, your wedding week is it! Not only will it relax you, your hands and feet will look beautiful. The ideal time to go is the day before your wedding, unless your ceremony is set for the evening. If this is the case, you can have your mani/pedi done in the daytime.
Don’t: Try A New Workout
Stick to your familiar routine, at least until after your honeymoon. Trying a new exercise routine could result in pinched nerves, pulled muscles, aching tendons, or general soreness that you absolutely do not want to deal with the week of your wedding. Any new routines should be started at least a month before your wedding—not the week before.
Do: Get A Hair And Makeup Trial
Don’t wait until your wedding day to experiment with your hair and makeup. It will give you peace of mind to know exactly what your makeup, hair, veil, and/or hair accessory will look like, and how they will work together. Your wedding day is not the time for surprises and troubleshooting. Make sure you have this done in advance.
Don’t: Get A Spray Tan
We get it. Plenty of brides want to look tan for their big day. After all, you don’t want to blend into the wedding dress, right? Spray tanning is tempting because it’s affordable and fast—however, many brides have made this mistake. There’s a huge chance that the color won’t match your skin tone or that it will be uneven, and you’ll look “off” for your wedding day. If you must get a fake tan, do it a few weeks before your wedding, and go to a specialist who can apply tanning solution expertly for you.
Do: Consider Body Hair
Some brides don’t mind going au natural with their body hair, but if being smooth and groomed is important to you, think about having a waxing treatment and eyebrow shaping the week of your wedding. If you decide to do this, schedule it a full week before the big day, just in case of any skin irritation. A few days will give your skin a chance to settle down if this happens.
Don’t: Get A Drastic Haircut
Especially if you’ve already had your hair trial, do not get a look-altering haircut. Your hair should remain the same length and style that it was when you visited your stylist for the hair test run. It’s also important to consider that a major hair change will alter how you looked in your wedding dress when you tried it on. With new hair, something might look “off” with the neckline of the dress, your wedding jewelry, or your veil. Wait until the honeymoon.
Do: Visit Your Dental Specialist
Are your teeth looking a little dull? If they need a little whitening, it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment the week of your wedding to ensure your smile is at its brightest. When it comes to wedding beauty, this is a small-but-powerful tip.
Don’t: Do A Cleanse
Yes, you want to look skinny for your big day. But a week before the wedding is not the time to juice or cleanse. You’ll need your energy, and you don’t want to be “hangry” and snapping at everyone around you. Not eating properly could add to your stress levels and could result in unneeded arguments and undernourishment. The week before your wedding, drink lots of water, eat well-balanced meals, focus on fruits and veggies, and don’t skip meals.
Do: Wear SPF Every Day
This is possibly the most important wedding beauty tip, since brides tend to make this mistake often. For those with fair skin: even if it’s overcast outside, protect yourself. Apply enough SPF, and try to stay out of the sun in general. You don’t want to look burned (or be in pain) on your wedding day.
Don’t: Get A Chemical Peel
And don’t get microdermabrasion, either. These types of treatments are designed to work over time, not within a week, and they require plenty of recovery time to allow the skin to repair itself and heal.
Do: Get Your Beauty Sleep
The wedding week will be hectic. Be sure you’re getting at least eight hours of sleep each night to keep yourself not only feeling healthy, but also to make sure you look well-rested and fresh. Too little sleep can result in dull skin, tired eyes, poor posture, and an overall defeated appearance.
Don’t: Change Your Skin Care Products
The week of your wedding is not the time to try out new skin care products. They could irritate your skin or cause acne eruptions, making you feel less than lovely for your ceremony. Instead, either stick with what you know your skin can handle, or try out new products well in advance of your wedding for trial and error. This includes everything from moisturizers to masks to scrubs.
As mentioned before, weddings tend to make brides want to run out and try a bunch of new beauty treatments. There’s nothing wrong with this at all, as long as you don’t wait to try them the week of your wedding. During your wedding planning and scheduling, make sure to make the right decisions when it comes to what wedding beauty treatments you decide to get.