Every bride wants to look and feel their best on this special day. The day of the wedding flies by so fast, it’s hard to believe that so much time and energy went into arranging it. That’s why it’s also important to enjoy the process of planning and preparing for the wedding. From selecting the venue, the menu, and photographer, right down to choosing your dress, shoes, hair style, skin routine and make-up. Those memories are often as wonderful as the ones of the wedding day itself.
One of my fondest memories during the months that preceded our wedding were the beauty treatments that my Mum organized for me. They were non-negotiable. I was working long hours and traveling quite a bit at the time, and I guess I looked a little too bedraggled for my Mother’s liking. “No one wants to see a tired bride”, she said as she sent me off to the first of the late Friday afternoon facials that I had every two weeks during the months leading up to the wedding.
A week before the wedding my Mum took things a step further, booking me into a reflexology session. Well, this was tortuous. I can’t stand people touching my feet, so the session lasted precisely one minute. But I appreciated the sentiment and ended up having a lovely leg massage instead.
I swear the regular facials made the world of a difference. Not only did my skin feel fantastically soothed, nourished and cleansed, but my body and mind did too. I was able to really, really relax during these sessions. I was so grateful to my Mum for taking the initiative of arranging them for me.
In most respects of my beauty regimen I was a very do-it-yourself bride. I groomed my own fingernails and toenails instead of having them professionally done. I also shaped and dyed my own brows and did my own make-up. I had a hair appointment on the day of the wedding, only to come home, take a shower and start all over again because I didn’t like the way the hair stylist set my hair. Although I was close to tears, my Mum thought this was hilarious and a very typical reaction. She knew her daughter all too well.
As I look back on how I prepared for my own wedding 16 years ago, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I’m sure my nails, brows and make-up would have looked better if I had them done professionally. But I really don’t enjoy the feeling of others fussing over me in that way, so completing these routines myself suited me just fine.
The weddings we experienced in March and April got me thinking about my own. The way you prepare yourself for the big day is such a personal choice. Some enjoy manicures, pedicures, spa treatments, and the help of a make-up artist, whereas others prefer to go about things in a different way. But I think there is one important beauty tip that is universal: Do what you can to feel rested and relaxed during your wedding preparations and on the big day itself. That way you can look your best, feel your best, and enjoy every moment to the fullest.
How you achieve this goal depends on you. Perhaps it means getting in an extra session of yoga per week and having “alone time” on Saturday nights. Maybe you need to get nine hours of sleep on weekend nights. Or extra spa treatments and a healthier eating plan. Perhaps it means a daily session of meditation, getting stuck into a book, or watching your favourite TV series. Whatever works for you, I believe it will make a world of difference if you start doing it a few months ahead of the big day.
I’d love to invite all past brides to share their beauty tips for the brides to be in the comments section. I’m sure that our brides to be will find your suggestions both helpful and calming. And if you’re a bride to be with a wedding in the near future, feel free share your current beauty tips and how you intend to look your best on your wedding day.
