There’s nothing we love more than a blushing bride as she makes her way down the aisle. But there’s a lot that goes into a flawless bridal glow. And to achieve the glow of your dreams, you’ll need to be thinking about your wedding beauty timeline from the time you get engaged.
From skin care to hair care – and even dental care – there’s so much to think about. So we’ve compiled the ultimate wedding beauty prep guide that will have you chanelling the bridal looks of your favourite celebs in no time.
Your wedding day glow awaits.
Your wedding beauty timeline…
12-18 months
Prepare a regular skin treatment program
Now is the time to make a booking with a dermatologist or facialist. A skin professional will pull together a tailored skin treatment plan for you, including treatments such as chemical peels, microneedling and medical-grade facials.
Look into dental treatments
If you’ve been looking for an excuse to perfect your smile, there is none better than your wedding day! And if you can’t bear the thought of having braces, there are plenty of ‘invisible’ teeth-straightening treatments, such as Invisalign, on the market. Each Invisalign program is individually tailored using clear aligners to gradually move your teeth into position. You can take the trays out to eat and drink, and the average treatment takes 12 to 14 months, so start early and you’ll have plenty of time to perfect your teeth before the big day!
Read more Invisalign reviews
Explore your hair options
Thinking about trying a new hairstyle or hair colour? Experimenting at least a year out from your wedding will ensure that you have time to get used to your new ‘do. And if you decide it’s not for you, there’s also plenty of time to grow it out.
8-10 months
Experiment with skin care to find your perfect fit
With so many different brands and products available, nailing down a solid skin care regimen can be a bit of a task. And for those with sensitive skin or acne-prone skin, finding the right product that doesn’t make you break out can be even more of a challenge. Give yourself enough time to trial and test different products that work for your skin. Our tip? Look for hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid to plump and nourish your skin.
Sutti Hyaluronic Serum ‘The Hydration Hero’, $48 at Sutti Skin
Start a regular fitness program
Keeping your fitness up will help you stay in shape for your big day, but also benefit your mental wellbeing. Planning a wedding can be a stressful time, so opting for a few gym or pilates sessions each week will actually help you to relax and unwind.
Add beauty supplements to your daily diet
Perfect your skin from the inside out with the help of beauty supplements such as collagen to your wedding beauty timeline. There are plenty of hard-working beauty supplements out there that are packed with essential vitamins and minerals to strengthen your nails, add shine to your hair and leave your skin looking hydrated, plumped and glowing. The Dr. Lewinn’s Marine Collagen Peptide+ Inner Beauty Powder does all three!
$49.99 at Chemist Warehouse
6 months
Solidify your skin care regimen
By now, your skin essentials will be sorted and you’ll have a comfortable skin care routine tailored to your skin type. Of course there’ll be the odd breakout along the way, but with a good spot treatment on hand, it’ll be gone in no time.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (+) Anti-Acne Moisturiser, $27.16 at Adore Beauty
Trial injectables
Thinking about dabbling in anti-wrinkle injections? Give them a go six months out from your wedding so you and your cosmetic nurse can decide on the right amount and exactly which areas you want to target. If you realise it’s not for you, you’ll have ample time to let it fade.
3 months
Book your hair and makeup trials
It’s time to put all that Pinterest beauty inspo to the test! Hair and makeup trials for your wedding are a great way to experiment with which tones and styles suit you best. Having everything pre-planned with your makeup artist and hair stylist will also speed up the beauty process on the actual day.
Swap wine for water
Time to put the rosé away (well, mostly) and up your water intake. Alcohol can dehydrate your skin, causing dryness, fine lines and diminishing your glow. The same goes for caffeine, so it’s best to keep the coffees to a minimum as well.
2 months
Find your wedding day scent
Fragrance holds a lot more meaning than first meets, well, the nose. A scent can bring back a flood of memories, so you’ll want to put a bit of thought into your wedding day perfume. We recommend heading into a store to spritz and smell fragrances in person, and you can book a personalised consultation at MECCA to make the experience extra special.
Byredo Slow Dance, $327 at MECCA
Test out your tan
Want to look like a bronzed goddess walking down the aisle? Book yourself in for a spray tan trial to ensure you have the perfect shade to make your dress pop.
Get your teeth whitened
Polish and brighten your pearly whites with a teeth whitening treatment. You’ll likely need a few sessions, so the earlier you start, the better. And why not treat your ‘maids to a spa day in the name of bonding and tackle tans and teeth whitening in one go?! And for any last-minute brides (ahem, guilty), there are plenty of DIY options that will brighten your smile in minutes. Our top pick? The Revlon Intense White With Added Botanicals – Instant Whitening Pen ($9 at Coles).
At-home LED treatments
For low-effort at-home facial treatments that deliver serious results, look no further than an LED mask. LED technology tackles everything from acne to fine lines, dullness and pigmentation. You’ll need to use your mask four to five times per week for the best results — but you can do it whilst binging your favourite show or scrolling your Pinterest for more wedding inspo…
CurrentBody Skin LED mask, $515 at CurrentBody
The month of…
Get your brows done
Bridal beauty calls for beautiful, fluffy brows. And the best way to acheive those is with the help of a qualified brow technician, who will shape and prep your brows for the big day. We love brow lamination for the best, longest-wearing brow results.
Head to the hair salon
Time to make your hair shine! Book into the salon for a cut, colour touch-up and gloss treatment to help your hair live its best life as you strut down that aisle.
Take a trip to the medi-spa
It can take a week or two for the full effect of anti-wrinkle injections to take effect, so now is the perfect time for any last minute ‘tweakments’ and skin boosters.
The week of…
Strip back the skin care
You’ve likely been using actives such as retinol and AHAs in your nightly routine, but these ingredients can irritate the skin and the last thing you want on your wedding day is a splotchy, dry complexion. Stick to a simple skin care routine (read: cleanser, hydrating serum, moisturiser and SPF) that replenishes your skin. And you can always splash out on a hydrating facial for some ‘stress relief’…
Youth To The People Polypeptide-121 Future Cream, $104 at Sephora
Nail time!
Whether you’re experimenting with nail art or sticking to the old faithful French tip nails, your wedding day nails are an essential part of your overall look. You’ll no doubt be feeling the pre-wedding jitters at this point so treating yourself to a mani-pedi is a great way to simply relax and enjoy the process.
Time to tan
Book your spray tan two or three days before you say ‘I do’. This allows your tan to develop and settle and will leave you with a J-Lo glow for the day of your wedding.
The day before…
Get your beauty sleep
We know it’s hard between the nerves and excitement, but getting a good night’s sleep is the best way to ensure you’ll wake up feeling glowy and refreshed on the morning of your wedding.
Slip Sleep Mask, $55 at Sephora
Don’t forget to hydrate!
Hydration is key to a dewy, bouncy complexion, so make sure you keep up your water intake the day before your wedding.
The day of…
You’ve made it! Keep a bridal beauty kit (including bobby pins, lipstick, perfume, face mist, tissues and double-sided tape) in your clutch for touch-ups and to save yourself from any mishaps.
You’ll likely shed a tear or two, but no doubt your waterproof mascara will save the day.
Main image credit: @bindisueirwin
Are you getting married? Or perhaps you have some beauty advice for brides-to-be?!
PHEW !~!!no wonder so many brides are exhausted by their wedding . Even reading this list makes me feel exhausted. When I got married I had a lovely lady do my makeup and Mum made my dress and I had a lot of fun –
Sounds like you had a beautiful day!
I did and still remember -Happy day with friends and family and every one relaxed
Id love to try that Byredo Slow Dance perfume but its so $$$$
I don’t think you need to “Strip back the skin care” a week before a wedding if you have a skin care routine set up months beforehand. That seems like a weird suggestion to me! Surely a week out you wouldn’t want to change anything and stick to what works for you.
The joys of being female… so much maintenance!
Yeh! There’s such good stuff to do it with in 2022! Lucky brides-to-be!
Phew! I’m glad I’m never going to get married again, it doesn’t look like Terri has made any changes to her look to be Mother of the bride.
No injections for me please
I wish I’d done invisalign before my wedding! I did it much later down the track and love the results.
Mmmh fun lol x
My skin never looked better in the lead up to our wedding. I had regular microdermabrasion.
I didn’t change anything in the lead up to my wedding day and fortunately my skin was fine.
Not getting married but knowing myself I would probably be so stressed about
If you are marrying your soul mate it should be the first of many lovely days so I think you have to make it a happy time and leave stress at the back door
Can they just show up and have fun of a lifetime?
Totally agree Yohanna
interesting , sounds lije a normal beauty routine lol
Crikey it’s a full time job prepping to be be a bride according that article, exhausting
Wow!! I had no idea there was so much planning involved in looking that gorgeous for your big day!
I think you can add too much stress if you are not careful-
Bindi Irwin looked absolutely gorgeous on her Wedding Day, so did her Lovely Mother Terri such a Wonderful Day had by all. For your Wedding Day you should feel like a Princess.
Absolutely. It’s a very special day to remember.
Wow I sure never went to those lengths
I can’t remember i follow these things.
I’d add ‘get your eyelashes tinted’, probably in the month of or even week before
‘Trial injectables’ lol. This is one massive beauty prep, but to each their own I guess.
Noticing an unusual amount of wedding content lately!
wow what a list! I can’t believe I actually did everything on that list ! and planned a wedding and honeymoon. but I didn’t apply any fake tan so no testing on that part.
Very necessary list. I find it hard to believe I completed everything on the list. arranged a wedding, and planned a honeymoon. However, I didn’t apply any artificial tan, so that portion wasn’t tested. wordle game
I agree that treatments must be done months ahead in case there are reactions
Good advice. Don’t want a breakout on the special day.
This timeline doesn’t work if (like me) you get married less than a year after meeting your husband, and only three months after he proposed.
Sounds like a lot of work to me. I got tired just reading it all…LOL.
Lol, never did any of that!
I had 3 months to plan my wedding. I know I splurged on kerastase hair treatments, and got my nails done. I bought a good skincare system. I had my makeup artist come to my parents place where we were all getting ready, and went to the hairdresser on the way there. I can’t imagine going through 12 – 18 months of prep. Exhausting!
So much for new brides to be to think about. Glad I don’t have to worry as am happily married for many years. Not sure lots have 12 – 18 months to plan. Seems a long time.
It makes sense to try out any new products well before the event.
So much hard work!