Want That Bridal Glow? Here's How To Get Your Skin Wedding Ready

We all want that blushing bride glow. After all, the photos will live on our walls and mantles for decades to come. Obviously, glowing skin isn’t the most important part of the day – celebrating your new marriage and making a commitment to your husband in front of your loved ones is what it’s all about. 

All that said, it’s normal to want to appear your best for your big day. With the help of some of my professional estie besties, I compiled an engagement timeline for how to achieve your healthiest skin yet. Here are some ways to get that blushing bride glow.

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As Soon As You Get Engaged 

Soak it in! Being engaged is an exciting time. It doesn’t last forever, so set your intention on enjoying it every step of the way. This is the perfect time to shift your mindset and focus on what an engagement period truly is: a time to plan your life with the man you love and commit to him unconditionally. Setting your sights on laying the groundwork for a healthy marriage instead of having the perfect wedding day will lead to less stress throughout the planning process.   

Start prioritizing your overall health. You’ve probably heard it before, but it’s worth repeating: Your skin is your body’s largest organ and is a reflection of your body’s overall health. According to esthetician Ellie Esford at Willoway Spa and Wellness, your skin knows its purpose and how to function properly. All it needs from you is to nourish it and take care of it. 

The easiest way to do this (and, some would argue, one of the most effective ways) is to be mindful of what you eat. Limit items that you know are inflammatory – specifically anything with seed oils, processed foods loaded with sugar, and alcohol. 

Get on a skincare routine that you can stick with. Good quality skincare that promotes your skin’s natural functions is going to take your skin farther than facials alone ever will. Consult an esthetician so she can get you on a personalized regimen. Consistency is key for skincare, and usually the act of taking care of your skin every day – even if it’s just a small handful of products –  is more effective than sporadically using a bunch of different formulas. 

Focusing on laying the groundwork for a healthy marriage rather than the perfect wedding day will lead to less stress throughout the planning process.

5-6 Months Before Your Wedding

Start getting monthly facials up to the big day. Every esthetician I spoke with stressed the importance of regular facials. Find a skincare professional you connect with and make consistent monthly appointments with her. She’ll encourage you to stick with your skincare routine and can give you recommendations if any new skin concerns pop up before the wedding. Bonus: Your skin will be glowing for those engagement pictures!

Interested in chemical peels? Start now. Rachel Tribuzio, esthetician and owner of Malie Therapeutic, says this is the time to start those chemical peels. If you’re doing a series, your skin needs enough time to rest in between sessions. Start five to six months before your wedding date to ensure proper spacing. 

3-4 Months Before Your Wedding

Find activities that relax you. Stress levels might be rising as the wedding date approaches. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the details of the big day, so take some time to center yourself and remain present. Finding ways to unwind is key, both for your mental state and for the sake of your skin. Yoga, walks, or a hot bath (especially with a soothing bath oil like Dr. Haushka’s Moor Lavender Calming Bath Essence) can take your mind off your wedding to-do list and give you a much needed break. 

Even sipping a cup of tea can work wonders for reducing stress. Sitting down with a nourishing cup of hot tea is the perfect way to hit pause on your day. Pique’s Hibiscus Beauty Elixir is an herbal tea that supports skin health and is loaded with antioxidants.   

And don’t skip your monthly facial appointments! Side note: A truly good facial relaxes you as it nourishes your skin, so it’s like a twofer. 

Keep up with your healthy skin habits. Staying on course with your daily skincare routine is super important during this time, especially since this is typically when the wedding festivities begin. Showers and bachelorette parties might have you drinking more than usual and eating richer foods. Remember to enjoy these parties – you’re usually only engaged once, after all! But also be aware of how getting out of your routine can affect your skin. Instead of limiting yourself during your wedding celebrations, focus on nourishing your body properly outside these events. 

Every esthetician I spoke with stressed the importance of regular facials.

Drink water! Put your Stanley cup to good use! Since your normal diet might be a little out of whack due to parties and festivities, make sure you drink enough water to flush everything out and keep your skin hydrated and fresh. 

2 Months Before Your Wedding

Focus on exfoliation. According to professional esthetician Katherine Huston of Malie Therapeutic, getting in the habit of buffing away dry, dead skin will leave your skin bright and clear for the big day. Mad Hippie MicroDermabrasion gives you instant results (personally, it’s one of my top five skincare products ever), and Alpyn Beauty’s Wild Huckleberry 8-Acid Polishing Peel is another customer favorite; 95% of users said their skin looked brighter and had a more youthful glow after just one use. 

Try any “new” treatments you’re interested in. At this point, your skin is looking dewy and glowing already. You’ve had several facials since getting engaged, you’ve been avoiding inflammatory foods, drinking a ton of water, and finding ways to combat stress. But if you’re still thinking of trying a more powerful treatment before the wedding (like a Hydrafacial, Geneo treatment, etc.), this is the time to do a test run. Waiting until immediately before the wedding to try out a new treatment could be stressful – you never know for sure how your skin will react. And if you’re a bride with an open back dress, now is the time to test out a back facial too! 

The Wedding Week 

Get those “big ticket” treatments. Remember those more powerful facials you tested out a couple months ago? Now is the time to schedule them again. Getting a Hydrafacial, Geneo treatment, or even just a more in-depth classic facial can be the final push to get your skin wedding-ready. 

Dermaplaning will ensure a smoother, more even makeup application for the wedding day.

Dermaplane and then hydrate! Gently sloughing away the top layer of your skin will ensure a smoother, more even makeup application for the wedding day. Just be sure not to skimp on the moisturizer afterwards (and drink water!). 

The Wedding Day

The big day has finally arrived! You’re probably experiencing a wave of emotions, so the last thing on your mind is a long, extensive skincare plan. Instead, keep it simple. Stick with your normal routine that you’ve developed with your skincare professional. If you want to do a little something extra, this is the perfect time to use facial tools: 

• Gua sha: Ideal for depuffing your skin, sculpting facial muscles, and relieving tension in your face. This stone from Primally Pure is made of Bian, which has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries because of its therapeutic and medical properties. 

• Aceology Ice Globes: Great for circulation and waking up tired skin. Upward movements provide a lifting effect, and downward strokes stimulate lymph drainage. 

• Facial dry brushing: Physically exfoliates and detoxes your skin. It also reduces the appearance of milia (those little white cysts) and blackheads. This brush from Primally Pure feels super soft and luxurious.           

Closing Thoughts

Remember: The purpose of your engagement period is to start shifting your mindset from “me” to “we.” Your man already loves you, and while planning a beautiful wedding is fun and special, the strength of your marriage won’t depend on your wedding day going off without a hitch. Instead of focusing on perfect airbrushed skin, focus on the life you’re about to build together. And ironically, when you’re less stressed about your skin, it tends to become its brightest and clearest. Isn’t life funny that way?

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