Upkeep's Beauty Guide For Brides

You’ve sent out the invitations, started shopping for a dress, and at least half of your conversations revolve around floral arrangements, catering, and honeymoon plans. You’re getting married, and you can’t wait for the big day!

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And then, after looking at photographer portfolios, you realize that pictures of you and your beloved from this day are going to be pictures you treasure forever. You want to look like your best possible self! As if you didn’t have enough to think about already, now you’re wondering: how soon before my wedding can I get laser hair removal? Or Botox? Is three days before too late to get my eyebrows waxed? What if I get the wrong kind of facial before and end up looking sunburned?!

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Don’t worry, we’re here to help! In this blog we’re explaining when to get beauty treatments done before your wedding day, so that you can plan ahead and avoid common mistakes. 

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8 Months Before: Laser Hair Removal

Laser hair removal treatment sessions have to be spaced out every 4-6 weeks, and several sessions are required for best results. So if laser hair removal is something you’re wanting to do for your wedding or honeymoon ;) get started early!

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6 Months Before: Start a Facial Regimen

While we recommend getting a facial closer to the big day (more on that later), it’s a good idea to start getting monthly facials six months before the wedding. An advanced facial like the Hydrafacial is great for improving many common skin care problems like dullness, uneven skin tone, breakouts, dryness, etc. Taking extra care of your skin several months out means your skin is likely to look its best on the big day.

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3 months before: chemical peel/microneedling

Chemical peels or microneedling treatments like Morpheus8 give you a revitalized glowing look that lasts for months. The downside is that these treatments initially can leave your skin red and irritated, and microneedling treatments sometimes require multiple sessions. Get treatments like Morpheus8 done in advance to give your skin plenty of time to recover. 

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6-8 Weeks Before: Fillers

While you can technically get fillers a little closer to the date (like a month), we say to go earlier. Filler injections can cause swelling sometimes. By the big day, all the swelling should be over with if you do it well enough in advance.

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1 Month Before: Neuromodulators (like Botox and Dysport) 

Botox doesn’t give instant results–and occasionally in the first month after injection, there can be a little wonkiness in the first 10-15 days post treatment. Getting Botox about a month ahead of the big day will allow the treatment to settle. 

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Two Weeks Before–Waxing and Eyebrow Plucking

Of all the beauty treatments out there, we feel like waxing is the one we’ve heard the most horror stories about (You’ve probably heard some, too). If you don’t usually get your eyebrows or body hair waxed, we say just skip it altogether. It’s not worth the risk that you’ll end up with a result you don’t like and then you have to wait for the hair to grow out again–a particular issue when it comes to eyebrows. Waxing can go wrong for a variety of reasons, and can leave you with scabs in a worst case scenario. Once again, erring on the side of caution and giving your skin time to heal means you won’t have to worry about unsightly scabs on your brow bone–or about eyebrows that are too thin!

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One Week Before–Adjust Your Skincare Routine

At this point, it’s a good idea to avoid active ingredients that can cause sensitivity. This is especially true if your wedding takes place outdoors. Pause your use of retinoids and chemical exfoliants for about a week beforehand, unless directed otherwise by your dermatologist. This way, you won’t be left with a bad sunburn (most brides opt out of SPF on their wedding day because of camera flashback, and retinoids and AHAs cause increased photosensitivity). If you know your skin is sensitive or tends to respond negatively to stress, plan for it and choose soothing ingredients like ceramides, squalane, or niacinamide. Don’t try anything new that could be potentially irritating.

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3 Days Before: Hydrafacial 

Hydrafacials will give you an instant glow that lasts for several days after treatment. Sometimes though it can cause a little bit of redness, especially if you’ve had extractions. So it’s good to give yourself a couple of days to let any residual redness calm down. When it’s this close to the wedding, you’ve earned some time to relax, so take the opportunity to pamper yourself!

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Two Days Before: Manicure and Pedicure

You want to get a mani-pedi close enough to the big day to prevent chipping. Gel is best for longevity but it’s up to you. And again, weddings are stressful–give yourself a chance to read some magazines and zone out in the salon. 

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Once the big day arrives, all you’ll have left to do is look great, get married, and celebrate with your loved ones. You’ve got this, beautiful bride!

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