From Proposal to Wedding Day: looking and feeling beautiful on your wedding day

Looking beautiful on your wedding day is expected by all. So we sweat and strain and spend money on trying to look the best. And rightly so, even though it is only one day, it is truly the symbolic beginning of your future life to come. It is every bride’s privilege to look her best and feel her best. Here’s few tips on how to look your best and feel relaxed and ready on your big day.

Don’t wait till the week of your wedding. Beauty takes time and you should start as soon as possible. Visit a dermatologist and talk to him/her about your beauty regime, ways to improve your complexion and certain beauty treatments (botox, chemical peel, laser treatments). And don’t just focus on your face. Remember that your back, chest and arms will be exposed too.

Start your exercise regiment at least 2-3 months before your wedding date. Try different activities, so you don’t get bored easily. Exercise groups for brides-to-be are great because they put you in touch with other people that are trying to accomplish similar goals. I personally swear by rock climbing or bouldering to get toned arms, back and overall good shape. But jogging, bicycling or weight lifting are great too. Try a new technique, something that will keep you interested and excited and keep you coming back. My new favorite is AntiGravity Yoga, where you use hammocks suspended in the air to achieve the ultimate stretch and health benefits.

Take a look at your diet. Planning a wedding is stressful and we turn to bad habits of eating junk food and sweets. I am a self-proclaimed sweets addict and I’ve seen and felt the difference of eating sugar vs. eating healthy. They wreak havoc on your skin, gut and overall health. Try to eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables in all different colors (this will give you a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals). Try to only eat foods that are not packaged, processed foods are the culprit of bad health.

Find a make up artist that suits your personality. If you like edgy and fashion forward look for make artists that do runway shows and magazine shoots in addition to their wedding looks. Try a few different looks, one that you are used to, but also something more daring and different. And try to get your make up trial on the same day as your engagement photo session. This way you can see how your new make up will photograph with professional equipment. Even great makeup will look bad in your phone camera shot, so make sure you at least use good equipment to document your make up session.

Months in advance is also the best time to experiment with your hair cut and color, so you have enough time to grow your hair out or color it again. Once you find your wedding hair style, discuss it with your hair artist and ask what’s the best hair length for it and when should you get your hair cut/colored before the wedding.

Sleep, sleep and sleep some more. Sleep is the best beauty tool and no amount of concealer will help with your tired eyes. So try to get as much as you can now, because the last few nights before the wedding will be almost definitely sleepless.

Meditate, do yoga, relax, breath. Do things that calm and slow you down, so you can store that calm for the stress filled days to come.

Spend time with your fiancé. Never again will you be in this position of absolute bliss and utter excitement. Cherish that time and try to focus on each other. Wedding stress has a way of creeping into a couple’s life. Don’t loose sense of what is really happening here, aside of the flowers, table linens, favors, etc.

Don’t sweat the small stuff, rain or shine –don’t let the things that are out of your control get the better of you. Get a statement making umbrella and embrace the rain!

In my next blog I will talk in more detail about wedding hair and make up. In the meantime – happy wedding planning!