Decoding the Pre-Wedding Beauty Timeline

Calendar photo via Shutterstock

When it comes to planning a wedding, everyone tells you how far out to pick your dress, your cake, your location. But what about your beauty treatments?

A facial too close to the day could mean blemishes. Schedule one too far away, and you might not see the benefits. Conundrum.

We asked Boston beauty expert Nichole Brennan how to stick to a schedule. As the owner of Newbury Street’s SkinDeep Med Spa, she’s a powerhouse of bridal beauty know-how, from fine-line-deleting injectables to a full-on chemical peel that will rock your skin’s world. Here’s her beauty timeline fit for a bride.

Three months before: If you’re thinking about Botox or other fillers, Brennan recommends scheduling your first treatment now, so there’s enough time for any touchups. Remember: Botox takes a few days to kick in and usually lasts a few months. You can also begin a package of laser hair removal, photo facials, or chemical peels, depending on the problem you’re trying to correct. Most of these can be done every month, with the exception of laser hair removal (every six weeks), so you’ll be able to get at least three treatments in before your big day.

One month before: Continue with any laser hair removal packages and do any Botox or filler touchups you might need. This is also the time to get your teeth professionally whitened.

Two weeks before: To give your hair time to find its natural groove, get your hair colored and trimmed a couple weeks prior to the wedding. Hair you don’t want (read: your eyebrows) should also be waxed, threaded, or shaped at the two-week mark.

One week before: Brides could get their first spray tan around this mark, since Brennan warns that it’s not a good idea to do laser hair removal or photo facials when the skin has any sort of a tan, even a fake. Also put a gentle hydrating facial into your appointment book to plump up your skin and refresh away any planning stress.

Three days before: Brides should do their final laser facial treatment now, since this will really brighten up the complexion. Warning: If you’re doing photo facials, don’t do the last treatment this close to the wedding day because brown spots can often become darker before they become lighter.

Two days before: Slough off any dead skin that’s dulling your complexion off with a microdermabrasion. If you’re getting a final spray tan, do it afterward when the skin has been exfoliated. The extra time before the wedding will allow the tan to fade in and look more natural. Also go in for a relaxing bridal mani-pedi.

Day before: Tweeze any stray eyebrow hairs now to avoid redness at your wedding. Hydrate. Get some sleep. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.

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