How to get 'wedding ready’

Skin - Let's start with skincare, after all, 'beauty is skin-deep'!  I always encourage my brides to have a facial, as a hydrated skin looks wonderful under make-up, and it is also a way for brides to 'take time out' and relax for a while.  When selecting a therapist for your facials, be sure to ask around.  Women tend to be very honest when they retell their pampering salon stories, so ask a friend how her last experience was at the spa. 

Your skin type and the facial choice will determine exactly when and how often you need to have your facials done.

While you are at the spa, try and stay for a massage.  A full-body Swedish massage may be just what a bride needs to unwind and rid her last-minute stress about the dreaded seating plan.

Hair - With hairstyling being such an intricate part of your bridal look (gone are the days of hiding under an oversized veil!), colouring your hair near your wedding day can become a daunting and stressful decision to make.  Changing your hairdresser in the months leading up to the wedding is not a good idea.  It is always best to stick to your usual stylist who knows your hair type and what your likes and dislikes are regarding colour, cut, etc. 

Once you have set a wedding date, chat to your hairdresser on your next visit to the salon.  You will need to discuss hair maintenance, colouring and cut, and if the hairdresser is doing your hairstyling on the wedding day, you will need to organize a trial as well.  Try and book all your appointments well in advance, as both your diary and the diary of the salon can fill up faster than you realize. Do not change your hair colour drastically for your wedding, even if you have the utmost confidence in your hairdresser.  Always remember that if you change your hair colour, it will affect your skin tone (possibly even enhance redness in the skin tone!), make-up colour choices and wedding dress colour choice – all in all, it is a big (and expensive!) decision to make.  Most stylists recommend colouring your hair at least a week before your wedding day, so that the colour has time to 'settle'.

Nails – The French Manicure is still the signature look for brides.  It is classic and 'the famous white stripe' won't date when you look at your wedding photos 10 years down the line.  If you are growing your nails for the big day, be sure to take extra care of them.  Wear gloves when you wash the dishes and do not lie for hours in a bath, as the water will make your nails brittle and cause them to split. 

A wonderful invention is the 'gel overlay'.  This gel is painted onto your existing nail, no matter what length your natural nail is.  If you find that your nails are 'just too short' or you broke a nail, the nail technician can add extensions onto the ends of your nails and suddenly you will have moved up from 'sporty length' in little over an hour.  Gel nails also have amazing shine and dimension, which photographs well for the classic 'wedding bands' photo with the bride and groom's hand. 

If you have your nails done, book your appointment well in advance, as the timing of the appointment may negatively affect the shine of your nails if you book your appointment too early.  Always keep an 'emergency nail kit' on you in the run-up to the big day, as a snagged nail can tear very quickly and you will then end up with one short nail amongst all the others that you painstakingly nurtured for weeks.

Please let me know if you have any other questions regarding wedding beauty that you would like me to answer.  You can send an email to info@weddingsbynicolette.co.za and I will be sure to respond with some 'words of beauty wisdom'!

Happy pampering!

Nicolette
Weddings By Nicolette