The Ultimate Bridal Beauty Timeline

Congratulations! You’re engaged, set a date, booked a venue, and hired a wedding planner. Now what to do to prepare yourself, inside and out, to manage stress and be picture perfect on your wedding day. I highly recommend making a beauty plan to lay out your to-dos along the way! These are just suggestions based on advice from other brides or things that I did myself to prepare! This is in no way a must-do list. It is quite extensive and detailed. Mix, match, and add to this list based on your timeline, goals, and budget!

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For a printable version of this infographic, click here.

9-12 Months

• Set a beauty budget. Just like everything-else wedding related, make a budget item for how much you commit to spending on your wedding beauty prep. Include treatments, skincare products, makeup, etc.
• Make beauty and fitness goals. Write out what you want to accomplish prior to your wedding day. Want to have glowing skin? Drink a galloon of water a day? Write it down.
• Take beauty vitamins. Longer, fuller hair isn’t going to happen over night. Start taking beauty vitamins at least 9 months out to see results. Need recommendations? Check out this guide.
• Make an appointment with a skincare professional. Now is the time to invest in skincare and be dedicated to a specific skincare regimen. Starting a skincare regimen 9-12 months in advance will help address any problem areas! Go ahead and make an emergency appointment a couple of days before your wedding just in case you have a skin emergency. (If you’re in middle Tennessee, go see my dear friend, Courtney Allen! She’s amazing!)
• Use cuticle oil everyday. Everyone wants to see the rock, and there will be more focus on your hands in the coming months than ever before so make sure you are caring for any dry cuticles.
• Start laser hair removal. If you want to remove any pesky body hair before you big day (and honeymoon), start early! It will take multiple session for the lasers to fully remove an area of hair.
• Use a humidifier every night. Humidifiers add moisture to the air and more importantly for your wedding day, your skin!
• Lay off your brows. Brows take time to grow and shape. Start seeing a professional on a regular basis to perfect your arch before the big day. I’m a big fan of brow tinting if microblading isn’t in the budget.
• Dermaplane every 4-6 weeks. Dermaplaning is a gently way to remove the top layers of dead skin, exfoliate, and remove peach fuzz. Benefits include smoother skin, reduction in the appearance of fine lines, and better penetration of skin products. There’s no pain or downtime, and results are instant! I use a tinkle razor to touch up between appointments.
• Find a sustainable exercise and nutrition plan. We all want to feel and look snatched to the gods on our wedding day, but crashing dieting isn’t the shortcut to get there. Find a workout that you enjoy and ask some of your bridesmaids (or groom) to join you! Nourish your body with clean, nutrient rich foods and allow yourself to indulge and celebrate the most exciting time of your life. Before starting any exercise or nutrition plan, consult a physician!
• Journal in 5 Minute Journal. Tensions are beyond high during the wedding planning process. I love starting everyday with gratitude and reflecting on my day every evening to keep the most important things in perspective. I can’t wait to look back on my journal for years and relive the good, bad, and ugly of the wedding planning process.

5-6 Months

• Dry brush 3x per week before shower. Dry brushing is great for exfoliating dry skin and improving circulation. I will be hitting the 5-6 month mark in the dead of winter so it’s important for me to exfoliate my skin!
• Cut down shampoos to 1-2x per week. Over shampooing removes the natural oils from the scalp that keep your hair healthy, moisturized and shiny. Plus, less shampooing extends the time between your coloring appointments. With extensions, I’ve trained my hair to 1x/week wash. Here is a helpful article for training your hair.
• Focus on targeted exercises. For me, I had a sleeveless dress so I wanted to focus on my arms feeling and looking strong on my wedding day. I started seeing a personal trainer one a week 6 months out and focused on toning my upper body.
• See a dentist for a teeth cleaning. Keep your pearly whites beautiful and in-check for all of your upcoming pictures and celebrations.
• Book out hair appointments leading up to your wedding day. The last thing you need is a hair emergency or scheduling conflicts with your stylist weeks leading up to your wedding.
• Book emergency appointments for the week of your wedding. No one wants a beauty emergency the week of their wedding, but be prepared by making an emergency wedding week appointment with your stylist, dermatologist, dentist, primary care physician, and maybe even your therapist. Make sure and let them know at booking the purpose of the appointment and don’t forget to cancel if you don’t need it during wedding week.

3 Months

• Hair & makeup trial. Test out a couple of hairstyles and makeup looks with multiple artists (if necessary). Bring any hair accessories you would like to use, including veil. If you plan on getting a spray tan for your wedding day, get a spray tan 1-2 days before your makeup trial so the makeup artist can use the same shade and complement your glow.
• Makeup audit. If there are particular products, especially lip color, that the makeup artist used, make sure you get that color for your wedding day touch-ups. (I wore a mix of Salt Lyfe by Tarte and Twig by Mac on my wedding day.)
• Microblading. If you choose to get microblading, it’s best to get the process done 3 months out to ensure time for healing and touch-ups prior to wedding festivities.
• Get (or give yourself) a manicure every 3-4 weeks. There will be close-up photos of your rings and hands on your wedding day. Make sure to give your digits some love!
• Eyelash Extensions. If you’ve never had eyelash extensions before, I suggest getting them for the first time at least twelve weeks out to make sure you like them and don’t have a negative reaction.

2 Months

• Pick out a nail color. Find a color that complements your complexion, dress, and color scheme. Wear that color to a dress fitting so you can see how it looks with your wedding dress. Also consider what nail color you would like the bridesmaids’ to wear as well.
• Cut down or eliminate alcohol consumption. My fiancè and I cut out alcohol two months out to ensure we were feeling our best mentally and physically. (I also read Quit Like a Woman during this time, and it completely changed my perspective on alcohol.)
• Get in 30 minutes of cardio everyday. Take a walk with a friend, run with your dog or fiancè, and burn off extra stress. This is the time to push your fitness routine to the next level!
• HYDRATE! Shoot for a gallon of water a day to keep your skin and body hydrated.

1 Month

• Teeth Whitening. I swear by the at-home whitener, Opalescence Go Whitening Trays!
• Botox. If you’re getting botox before your big day, give it a week to 10 days to kick in and allow time for any touch ups.

2 Weeks

• Visit dentist for teeth cleaning. Make sure your pearly whites are ready!
• Hair trim and color. Get a MINOR trim and color touch up. Color looks the best a little lived in and settled. If you’re worried about any root growth, schedule a hair touch up for one week instead of two weeks.

1 Week

• Get a gentle facial. Look for something hydrating and relaxing. Don’t try a new treatment or a new location. I got a VERY gentle chemical peel (Skin Medica Iluminize Peel) two days before my wedding day to make my skin glow.
• Brow grooming. Get brows threaded, waxed, tweezed, or whatever method you prefer. (Watch out for wax if you’re on retinol.) Do NOT try out a new method in case you have any type of reaction. I highly recommend a brow tint too. If you’re in Nashville, I get a luxe brow shape and dark tint at Poppy & Monroe.
• Avoid any foods that cause bloating. If there are particular foods that disagree with you, make sure and avoid those foods during your wedding week.
• Eyelash extension fill. Get a fill and give your lashes time to settle.

2-3 Days

• Manicure/Pedicure Consider gel or dip if you will be leaving for your honeymoon right after the ceremony so you don’t have to worry about any touchups.
• Get a massage. If you get the chance to get away for an hour to relax and reflect before the wedding weekend begins, I highly recommend it! I got a massage three days out, and it really helped me relax and reflect on the wedding planning process and set my intentions for the weekend ahead.
• Spray Tan The ideal time for getting a spray tan is two days before the main event because it gives the spray tan time to settle, fade, and look the most natural. If planning a mani/pedi, get it BEFORE your spray tan so you don’t have a weird tan line on your legs from soaking in the water. Rinse your spray tan after 8 hours!

1 Day

• Avoid too much alcohol. The last thing you want on your wedding day is to not fill 100 percent from a night of too many drinks after the rehearsal dinner! Wear a Bytox patch to avoid any inkling of a hangover on your wedding day!
• HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE! Drink as much water as possible. Your wedding day will be a loooong day, and you want your skin and body as hydrated as possible.
• Pack an emergency beauty kit. Ask your wedding planner or MOH to keep a couple of beauty items handy if you need to touch-up throughout the day. Throw a granola bar in there too in case you get hungry!
• Sleep. With the nerves and excitement of the next day, it is so difficult to get a full night’s sleep. I slept a total of four hours and was running on adrenaline on my wedding day.

WEDDING DAY

Celebrate and have the best day of your life!

Former brides – what did you do to get ready for your big day? Brides-to-be – what are you doing to prepare for your big day? Leave me a comment below, and let me know!