Start experimenting with your hair after you select your gown and a good three months before the event. When doing a consultation with a stylist (if you're having your hair done at a salon), bring the hair accessories or veil you're considering, and "always, always bring pictures that will inspire the look you want to achieve," says Grmolyes. (Here are a few bridal hair ideas to inspire you.) During your consultation, "make sure that you are comfortable with the hairstylist as well as the hairstyle. You don't want something that is not you. You want something that will make you feel like yourself and will look great in pictures," she says. And just like with your makeup, it's a good idea to take pictures of your style from all angles so you can see how it photographs.
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Six Weeks Before Your Wedding: Trim Your Hair
"A bride should cut her hair about a month and a half before the wedding," says Grmolyes. This will ensure "all the dead ends are off of the hair, and they have a fresh clean cut," she says. She also warns not to experiment with a new drastic haircut before your wedding. If it turns out badly you won't have enough time to grow your hair out before the wedding, so in this case it's best to play it safe.
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One Month Before Your Wedding: In-Office Procedures
If you decide to get facial injections, do it at least a month before your wedding to prevent bruising or potential bad placement (you don't want a droopy eyelid in your wedding pics). And "remember, it doesn't work overnight," says Evans. It takes between three days and up to two weeks for it to kick in. If you do bruise easily, allow at least six weeks to make sure everything has settled down and your muscles have had time to respond to the treatment. "You want to look natural and show your true emotions on the big day," says Evans.
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One Month Before Your Wedding: Whiten Teeth
Looking to brighten those pearly whites? Get your teeth professionally whitened two to three weeks before your wedding for best results, according to Gloub-Evans. However, if you're planning to do at-home whitening, start five weeks to a month before. Should the at-home results disappoint you, you can still get a pro whitening treatment done a week or two before the big day. "Touchups should be done a week before the wedding, giving the pores in the teeth enough time to close (this takes 48 hours) so the bride can enjoy whatever food or beverage (dark or light) that she wants at her rehearsal dinner and wedding reception," says Gloub-Evans.
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Two Weeks Before Your Wedding: Get a Facial
"Don't panic right before the wedding and decide to get an overly aggressive cosmetic procedure," says Evans. For one, if you've been following your dermatologist's advice, your skin should already be in good shape. And two, your skin could react to new treatments (think red, blotchy, broken-out, not pretty). Schedule treatments for at least two weeks beforehand, though you can do a basic at-home facial mask one week before. She also recommends getting an extra exfoliating treatment a month to two weeks before the big day to make skin really glow. And if -- horror of horrors -- you wake up with a gigantic zit a day or two before your big day, swing by your dermatologist's office for a cortisone injection to deflate it in a hurry.
It seems the second that princess-cut diamond (or funky sapphire) is slipped on your finger you're expected to launch into full-force bridal mode. Well-meaning friends and family ask you about the date, venue, and, of course, the dress. To say it's overwhelming would be a huge understatement.
While we can't help with Aunt Myrna's pestering, we can do something to lighten your load and make the planning process a bit easier. How? We can tell you exactly what beauty treatments you'll need (and when you should schedule them) so that you look amazing on your big day.
We covered all the bases by getting beauty tips from cosmetic dentist Jeff Golub-Evans, DDS, dermatologist Susan Evans, MD, celeb makeup artist Joanna Schlip and hairstylist Ange Grmolyes. These experts told us exactly when to do all your beauty prep, from facials to pedicures. Mark these dates on your calendar, show up to the appointments, and you'll be able to tell your well-meaning (if a little overbearing) future mother-in-law that you've got everything covered.
