Mental health
The #1 thing to think about for your wedding is your mental health. Wedding planning is a very stressful time, so it’s important to practice some self-care whenever possible when leading up to your wedding day!
A good way to help ease any anxiety that you may have is to start developing some sort of routine for each day. Start off each morning with some prayer, meditation, or journaling — whichever one works best for you! This can help you start off each day on the right foot and get you in the right mindset. We recommend starting to do this about 8-12 months before your wedding, so that you can really get in a good routine of doing it!
Physical health also has a huge toll on your mental health. We are not telling you to work out to lose weight before your wedding day. That is your personal decision — do what makes you feel your best! However, incorporating some sort of fitness routine into your day-to-day life really helps with stress and anxiety and will just help you feel better on a daily basis. There are a number of ways to do this, including:
- Daily walk
- Yoga class
- Dance class
- Spin class
- And more!
Oral hygiene
Oral hygiene is something that most of us already think about day-to-day, but sometimes it can fall to the back burner! It’s probably also not something that is at the front of your mind when you are thinking about your day-of beauty timeline.
You’ll be smiling a lot on your wedding day, so you want your smile to look its best! If you have any major concerns about your oral hygiene, consult with your dentist many months before your wedding to address those.
In general, be sure to brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss every day!
While whitening your teeth isn’t necessary, it is something that some brides prefer to do. If you’re going to do this, consult with your dentist about a professional teeth whitening system. This can require a few different visits to them, so be sure to do this months ahead of time! There are also some safe options for at-home teeth whitening that you could try out, like Crest Whitestrips. Always consult with your dentist first.
Nail care
When it comes to your nails, you’ll want to start thinking about them as early as possible, especially if you have any nail issues. If you have brittle, weak nails, if they are short, if you bite them, etc… then you will want to start some sort of routine to get them healthy. It might even be worth it to see a dermatologist to see if you have any deficiencies that are worth noting when it comes to nail growth. If you are going to do this, we recommend seeing one at least 8 months before the wedding.
Otherwise, about 8 months or more before the wedding, start using some sort of cuticle oil or strengthening serum for your nails.
Once you hit the 6 to 8 month mark, you’ll want to start thinking about your nails for the wedding day. What colors or designs are you thinking about? Are you wanting to go for natural nails, acrylics, dip, or press-ons? You may want to start thinking about the nail salon that you want to use, and talk to them to discuss the best options for your nails.
When it comes to getting your nails done, we recommend finalizing your decision on the colors/design about 1-2 months before the wedding. You should actually get your nails done about 1 or 2 ays before the wedding — you don’t want to risk them breaking or chipping beforehand!
Hair care
Taking care of your hair can start at least a year before the wedding day, depending on your wants and needs.
If you are wanting to do anything drastic to your hair before the wedding, such as a major color change, do it early. This way, if you don’t like it, there will be time to grow it out or change it without damaging your hair.
You’ll also want to start consulting with your hair stylist now to see what you need to do to get your hair to where you want it to be for your wedding. If you’re trying to grow it out, they’ll be able to recommend the right products for you, as well as get you on a schedule for when to come in for trims. Too many brides just let their hair grow out and very shortly before the wedding day to try and do damage control on all of the split ends, etc. that has been done to your hair. It’s a much better idea to get regular trims to keep your hair healthy and growing!
As for your hair style for the wedding day, we recommend starting any trials about 6 months before the wedding. This will give you time to find the perfect hairstyle for your wedding day, whether you need to find a new stylist or change up your hair to get your desired style. Once you have your hair stylist chosen, be sure that they know how many girls will be getting their hair done on the wedding day, and how much time they’ll need for each one. You’ll need to know this when you’re planning out your day-of timeline!
Body hair
If you’re considering any waxing or laser hair removals, you’ll want to start thinking about it about a year before the wedding. We know that this seems like a lot of time, but it’s crucial, especially if you’re used to shaving your body hair!
Waxing requires your hair to get on a consistent schedule, so starting it a year ahead of time gives it time to do that. The same goes for laser hair removal — you will need several sessions to figure out how your sessions need to be spaced out.
Body care
When it comes to exfoliating, moisturizing, and more… the earlier you start, the better! This way, you can figure out if you have any adverse reactions to any products and you’ll really be able to get into a good routine.
Skin care
Skin care is crucial to looking your best on your wedding day. And skin care isn’t something that you can start at the last minute and expect results… a routine has to be perfect ahead of time!
If you’re wanting to see a dermatologist about skin concerns, we recommend doing so about a year before the wedding. This can help them figure out any major concerns and figure out a path to get them corrected. Any professional skin treatments, especially ones for acne, typically take months to start producing results… which is why it’s best to start early!
Even if you aren’t planning to see a dermatologist or get any professional skin treatments, you will want to start perfecting your skincare routine early. If you know that you have dry skin, you’ll want to find the perfect routine that helps hydrate and plump your skin. If you have oily skin, you’ll want to find products that help combat that and figure out what works and what doesnt.
If you have a skincare routine that already works for you — great! No need to change something that already works. However, if you have issues that you’re looking to remedy, the earlier you start, the better.
When it comes to any major skin treatments, like harsh exfoliation, chemical peels, etc. — do not do them too close to the wedding! You don’t want to risk an adverse reaction, which could always happen, no matter how many times you’ve had it done before!
Tanning
Finally, are you looking to have a fake tan for the wedding? We don’t recommend baking in the sun or a tanning booth, because there are just too many risks and safe alternatives out there.
If you are looking to get a professional spray tan, we recommend finding someone to do it months ahead of time, and having a trial run. This way, you can figure out the right shade that you want to go to, and you can figure out how early to get it done for the wedding day.
The same goes for self-tanner at home! Start months ahead of time to figure out the methods that work for you, products that work with your skin, and the shade that you want to be. If you’re brand new to tanning, we recommend starting with a tanning mousse. And don’t forget tanning drops for your face so that it matches your body!
We hope that these tips helped you out, even if just a little bit. When it comes down to it, you should feel like your best self on your wedding day! Do the beauty regimens that you want to do, and skip the ones that you don’t… it’s completely up to you!