Your wedding day will likely be the biggest day of your life. I remember in the run up to my own wedding I was stressing out about what I should do and when, so I thought today I’d put together a few tips about getting yourself wedding ready before your own big day.
A year before
Around a year before the day itself was when I began to look for make up artists and hairstylists. Artists and stylists will often be booked up to a year in advance for weddings that fall in popular months. Take a look through examples of the person’s work on their website – you can see mine here. Have a look at their social channels too.
If you get booked in early enough it will give you ample time to have a trial and get to know your chosen artist or stylist before the big day.
6 months before
Around 6 months before the date I’d recommend booking in for a trial with your make up artist or hair stylist.
This will give you the opportunity to discuss the exact look you want to go for, bring along plenty of pictures and have a general chit chat.
It will also leave you feeling at ease and knowing exactly what to expect before your wedding day. I personally take notes about every product I use on brides at the trial – what you liked and didn’t like so the process can be as smooth as possible on the day.
3-4 months before
Around 3 months before I’d start getting serious about my skincare. Whether you research yourself or talk to a dermatologist start thinking about the products that might compliment your skin type.
I have really oily skin so I was researching into the different types of chemical exfoliant treatments that would help to clear my congested skin. Once I decided upon a treatment I tried to stick to a daily and nightly routine to ensure the best results.
I also thought about my eyebrows and their shape, as for years previously I had plucked them into almost extinction. In the March before my July wedding I decided to get some semi-permanent make up on them to ensure they had a nice flattering shape. I did a lot of research into the brow artist before I carried out the treatment, looking at reviews, before and after pictures and more.
I started drinking water at a much higher volume too, aiming for about 2 litres per day to try and help my skin be as glowy as possible.
the week before
The week before the wedding is when the nerves really start to kick in!
I would avoid using any products you haven’t used before, be it make up or skincare to ensure that you don’t react to anything.
I kept an eagle eye on my skin, checking for any brewing spots (I still to this day suffer from hormonal spots and they always pop up when you least expect them!) If I saw anything brewing I would attempt to stop it in its tracks. I personally would use a topical “on-spot” treatment, or I also swear by “zit stickers” which are little patches you place over any spots which help to calm them down and take the nastiness out.
Finally I’d recommend as much sleep as possible (which is easier said than done when stressing about things!), but the more sleep you get the more rested you will look and the better your make up will look.
The most important thing is to enjoy your big day though! For everything else there is always concealer.