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I’ve never been married, but I was practically handcuffed to my sister during the six months leading up to her wedding. As her maid of honor and ceremony officiant, I happily joined in on every cake tasting, dress tailoring, and makeup trial for moral and sometimes even physical support (in photos you can see the whites of her knuckles from how tightly she held onto my arm). Because of this, I do feel as though I was granted an intimate look into the intense pressure placed on brides for everything, and I mean everything, to be nothing short of perfect on that special day.
This obligation extends beyond the traditional wedding tropes like finding the elusive, fits-like-a-glove dress and breathtaking venue—a lot of it centers around looking your best. There’s a widely adopted belief that on your wedding day, you are to show up as the most radiant and elegant version of yourself. These pressures explain why so many brides panic during their planning of their wedding skin prep; it’s also why early on in aesthetician school, we were taught that brides-to-be are our most reliable customers.
All this to say, the first and perhaps most crucial step in prepping skin pre-wedding is managing your expectations. It is, of course, completely valid to want to feel beautiful and confident on your wedding day, but your skin will always have texture and pores. Accepting that, first and foremost, will make creating an efficacious and realistic skin-care plan a whole lot easier.
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So as opposed to binge-purchasing every product in sight, take some time to evaluate what exactly you want out of your skin care. Setting specific goals for yourself—whether that’s reducing acne, increasing collagen or elastin, or simply hydrating the skin—will ultimately allow you to create a routine that makes sense for you and puts you on track toward an attainable skin-care plan for your wedding day.
Keeping track of the timeline leading up to your wedding is also a crucial aspect of creating a pre-wedding skin-care plan. You want the benefits of all your products and treatments, while making sure none of the possible negative side effects pop up on the big day. To help get on track and better understand how certain treatments work, we spoke to experts, some of whom have worked with celebrities in preparation for their wedding day, about what products and treatments they recommend, as well as the best times to start and stop using certain skin-care products.
Six to 12 Months in Advance
According to Dr. Ranella Hirsch, a board-certified dermatologist based in Boston, if you’re hoping to try out injectables like Botox or a filler ahead of your wedding, the best thing to do is grant yourself as much time as possible. “In an ideal world, I would have people come in as early as a year before their wedding to create a plan—that way, we can discuss what you’d like to achieve and work together to ensure that you will have the best results on the day,” says Hirsch. She explains that giving yourself more time will also allow for more careful allocating of funds and open up the possibilities to more types of treatments. “Ultimately, more time equals way more options for you, not only just in terms of procedures, but, importantly, in terms of downtime and cost,” she adds. But, of course, not all weddings are planned a year out. In these cases, Hirsch recommends coming in at least six months in advance for an initial consult and injectable treatments. “While my general rule of thumb is the more time the better, six months is a decent amount of time for your dermatologist to get a grasp on your expectations and also see how your skin responds to the treatment,” she explains.
Six Months Before the Wedding
Jumping into laser treatments to reduce acne scarring without fixing the root of the problem—the acne itself—is probably not the best use of your budget. If there is still active acne, it’s best to start off by working with your dermatologist to create a plan to keep your blemishes at bay. A tried-and-true way to treat acne, rough or congested skin, and hyperpigmentation issues is by applying retinoids, a vitamin-A derivative that, when used topically, increases cell turnover and makes way for fresh, new cells to reach the surface of your skin.
And retinoids aren’t just for oily, acne-prone skin types either—they have the ability to increase skin’s production of collagen, which helps smooth out wrinkles and fine lines, making them an excellent option for drier and more mature skin types as well.
Despite their reputation as one of the most efficacious skin-care ingredients on the market, retinoids are not without caveats. They are a marathon, not a sprint, and you shouldn’t expect to see great results overnight or, frankly, even within the first week. As your skin adjusts to the treatment and undergoes what’s called its retinization period, Hirsch says that it’s normal to experience flaking, dry skin, and purging during the first month or so of retinoids. “If you’re working with a dermatologist closely and they’re holding your hand through the process, you can start a prescription or over-the-counter retinoid about six months prior to your wedding day—a doctor will work with you to adjust your dosage and application method as your skin gets used to the treatment in order to minimize negative side effects and ensure that you’re getting the benefits of the retinoid on your wedding day,” she explains.
If regular facials are something you are planning to integrate into your pre-wedding skin-care routine, you should start looking for an aesthetician about six months in advance. “Texture is one of the main things people want to fix before a wedding,” says New York–based aesthetician Sofie Pavitt. “With six months of working together, aestheticians can really get to know your skin, perform multiple treatments, and help resurface and smooth your complexion. But it becomes more difficult as we approach the two- to three-month mark.” Facial menus can range from acne extraction, microcurrent for lifting and sculpting, LED therapy, and so much more. Before booking your first treatment, it’s important to research your potential aesthetician and ensure that they specialize in an area that aligns with your skin goals. Depending on your budget and the severity of skin concerns, you can then work together to create a facial schedule in advance of your wedding—for some, this could be frequent biweekly facials, and for others, it might be occasional treatments every couple of months.
Four Months Before the Wedding
If your primary concern is eradicating sun spots or hyperpigmentation before your wedding—whether that be on your face or body—speak with your dermatologist about the possibility of laser treatments. According to Hirsch, laser treatments work by sending pulses of highly concentrated light to the affected area—they penetrate the skin and heat up and destroy the hyperpigmentation. This results in the hyperpigmentation spot turning into a scab, flaking off, and revealing brighter and more even-toned skin underneath. “Depending on how severe the scarring is, I will generally do about three or four laser treatments before the wedding day in order to see optimal results,” says Hirsch. Because of this, she recommends coming in for a laser consultation about four to six months in advance of your wedding. This gives you enough time to assess how your skin reacts to the treatments—and gauge how long the downtime will be for your particular skin type—while also having the flexibility to tweak the treatments as needed.
Three Months Before the Wedding
Acids such as AHAs and BHAs are generally not as effective at rebuilding collagen in the skin as retinoids are, but they are capable of providing fantastic results when it comes to hyperpigmentation, dullness, acne, or textural issues. Not all acids are created equal—their strength can range between 1 and 20% in over-the-counter products and they can come in many different cosmetic formulas (cleansers, toners, serums, and exfoliating pads, among others). Consider a gentle, yet exfoliating toner like the coveted Biologique Recherche P50W, which also helps balance the skin’s pH. Or, you could opt for Tata Harper’s Resurfacing Serum which utilizes vitamin C, AHAs, and BHAs to impart glowing skin. Otherwise, masks and peels by Dr. Dennis Gross or Paula’s Choice could be for you.
In order to integrate an acid into your at-home skin-care routine while also ensuring that the percentage is right for your skin, it’s recommended to start with low- to medium-strength products (around 1 to 10 percent in AHAs and .5-1 percent BHAs ) and then increasing only if necessary. If you experience any kind of irritation, redness, or flakiness after you begin using the product, it’s likely that the formula is too strong for your skin and you should stop using it. Dermatologists and aestheticians are also wonderful resources for analyzing your skin in person and helping you find the right percentage formula for your unique skin type. Three months from your wedding date is an ideal window of time for you to begin using a new acid product and assess how your skin is responding without fear of irritation on your wedding day.
One Month Before the Wedding
Every person’s timeline is unique to their skin type and dermatologist’s advice, but generally speaking, your final Botox appointment should be done no less than one month prior to your wedding day. That way, the treatment will have settled into your skin, while still giving a little bit of time to heal in the event that swelling or bruising occurs.
During the final weeks leading up to your wedding day, you should avoid trying any new products or treatments in order to avoid an irritation or flare-up. “The last thing you need a few weeks before your wedding is a bad reaction to something new you tried. So just keep using things that work for you—now isn’t the time to change it up,” explains Pavitt.
One Week Before the Wedding
One week before your wedding is an ideal time to receive your final facial. Pavitt says that the last treatment should focus on keeping the skin hydrated and healthy and avoid any kind of extractions or peels that might possibly leave the skin red or irritated. “Oxygen therapy and hydrating serums as well as ultrasound modality to decrease puffiness are great treatments to ensure your skin looks beautiful and glowy a week from the day,” says Pavitt.
In order to avoid any possible skin irritation on the day of your wedding, some dermatologists and aestheticians may recommend that you stop using exfoliators or retinoids about a week prior to your wedding. “Acids and retinoids can trigger flakiness, dry patches, and irritation. Just to be safe, holding off the week before is an easy way to avoid a crisis the day of your wedding,” says Pavitt. Instead she suggests opting for hydrating and calming serums, essences, or toners to soothe and quench the skin.
Day Before the Wedding
According to Daniel Martin, the celebrity makeup artist responsible for Meghan Markle’s jaw-dropping nuptial glow, the day before your wedding, your skin care should focus on delivering layers of hydration and soothing ingredients to your complexion. Martin explains that the ideal base for wedding makeup is calm, moisturized, and firm skin, that way the makeup artist can focus more on enhancing your natural glow rather than concealing or correcting. “Look for products that provide deep hydration such as hyaluronic acid or ingredients that support your skin’s natural barrier—I always recommend Tatcha’s Overnight Repair Cream to calm and plump the skin,” he says. Otherwise, SkinCeuticals’s Trip Lipid Restore is moisturizing, yet gentle on skin. Perhaps a hyaluronic acid serum or hydrating face mist could also be helpful supplements.
Day of the Wedding
Martin explains that his approach to bridal skin care and makeup is similar to how he prepares celebrities for the red carpet. Your makeup should photograph well, last long, and require minimal touch-ups. Because of this, Martin recommends preparing the skin with water-based skin care rather than oil- or silicone-heavy products. Water-based formulas provide a lightweight, nongreasy feel while still deeply quenching the skin and locking down the pigment of your foundation. “They are also less likely to pill or separate your makeup, so you can apply layers of product on top without interruption,” says Martin. That being said, center your wedding skin prep on water-based moisturizers by Tatcha and Neutrogena, Belif’s hydration-boosting eye cream, or La Roche-Posay’s mist to quench thirsty skin.
