When it comes to planning a wedding, nailing down the perfect dress and theme can be all-important at the start. And while the dress and theme do inform your makeup and hair style choices, you actually need to start thinking about your skincare timeline months in advance of your wedding if you want that clear, radiant glow. The sooner you can start researching the treatments you want, and booking the (often multiple!) appointments in your diary the better.
With eyebrow shaping and skin resurfacing to teeth whitening, laser hair removal, and so many more treatments like these needing a course of visits, your diary will soon fill up. Needless to say these treatments don't come cheap. So find a budget that suits your goals, and start in advance to spread the cost. To make sure you have time to squeeze in as much as you want to do, here's a wedding skincare timeline starting at 12-18 months out from the big day to help. If you don't have that much time, then jump to the spot in the timeline that works for you to see what's achievable within your time frame.
18 Months Before - Start Planning & Booking
Having the luxury of 12 to 18 months before the wedding gives you the time to space out different treatments and therapies. If you have a bridal planner diary, make a list of everything you want to get done and research how long you need to get results you want. Laser hair, redness and pigmentation removal, for example, may need several sessions to complete. Work this into a schedule for any other treatment you want to do and make sure there's no conflict between therapies which can't be carried out at the same time.
The simplest way to do this is to make contact with every salon, spa or clinic you will be working with. Remember that patch tests and consultations are required for just about everything, and this adds extra time to every treatment. With weddings in full flow again every wedding-related beauty business is working incredibly hard, so book early and make your plan.
12 Months Before - Get Your Skincare Sorted
If you have a full 12 months before saying 'I do', work towards getting the best skin of your life with a great skincare regimen. At the consultation stage for things like laser for redness and skin rejuvenation, or even with a beauty clinic if you intend to have facials closer to the wedding date, ask questions about your skin type (dry, oily, ageing) and the products and ingredients you should be using to improve health, clarity, and radiance.
Powerful ingredients like retinol, niacinamide, vitamin C, or glycolic acid can help you get the most glowing skin, so you have some skincare shopping to do. Of course, a clinic or salon can guide you to create a great morning and evening routine that will gradually give you brighter, smoother, and healthy-looking skin. To further enhance how your skin, nails, and hair look on your big day, a beauty supplement will deliver great results, but must be taken for more than three months.
6 Months To Go - Start Treatments
Your wedding day may still feel like it's ages away, but in terms of your beauty timeline, this is when the real countdown starts in terms of skincare treatments. If you've booked in for treatments that tackle hyperpigmentation, red vein removal or more, these will probably start in the last six months. These treatments may require three sessions and they usually happen a month apart, so to realise the full results, and get clearer skin, it might take three to four months.
Get all the advice you can on post-procedure care from your clinic or salon and follow it. For many brides, a great skincare regimen and clear skin are as far as they want to go, for others, they will be considering injectables like Botox and facial fillers. For those, now is the time to have a consultation and get dates booked. Now is also a good time to sit with your hair stylist and make a plan for scheduling your hair colour sessions so that you have the freshest colour possible for your big day. Ask for at-home haircare recommendations for maintenance. For example, maybe you need a clarifying shampoo or a protein-rich conditioner.
3 Months Out - Time For Treats
Everything should be moving along smoothly by the three-month mark. Your skincare regimen should be revealing radiant skin at this point, and any in-clinic sessions should have delivered the results. To treat yourself and get an update on progress, now is the time to book a facial or two. Laser treatments and the like are great for deeper skin issues, but facials work best on surface situations such as congestion and texture.
A facial can help with proper exfoliation to avoid breakouts, boost hydration, and extractions will keep pores clear. Chat with your facialist about your routine and how it's going. Maybe there's something you want to improve or get more advice on. Having an hour to yourself for a quick treat is also a nice distraction from this busy time, at this stage, the wedding preparations will be going at full speed!
1 Month To Go - Teeth & Top-Ups
The last month before exchanging rings will be a busy one. If you're booked in for injectables these will be happening in the coming weeks. Treatments like Botox can take up to 9 days to show the full results, and fillers can cause a little swelling or bruising for a couple of days, so these are better done at the start of the month for the skin to settle down.
It's also time to get brighten your smile if that's what you want to do. With professional whitening, your dentist will have fitted you with mouth trays to use with gel that whitens in one or two sessions. If you're planning an at-home treatment, teeth whitening strips are the best option. Not all whiten, some simply remove stains, so choose a kit with hydrogen peroxide in the strips. Most are a 14-day treatment plan, wearing the strips on the upper and lower teeth for 30-60 mins. To maximise results, start this programme in week two of the last month, so it's finished as you hit your final week before the wedding.
1 Week To Go - Hair, Nails & Sleep
Every wedding is different and this might be a crazy or calm seven days, but it'll likely involve a hair colouring and/or cutting session. It might also include a final facial for extraction, hydration and radiance. This can be topped up at home with a hydrating mask every other night. What your skincare shouldn't include is anything that goes beyond what your skin needs at this stage of the wedding timeline.
By now, your skin should be glowing, smooth and looking incredibly healthy. In these final days, it's a good idea to leave retinol and acids to one side and focus entirely on plumping and moisturising the skin. Cliched as it might sound, it's important to relax and sleep properly in these last few days. Stress and a poor night's rest don't help skin health. If necessary use a silk eye mask, earplugs, or a sleep-enhancing pillow mist to get good quality sleep. See our list of the Best Sleep Scents and Sleep Aids for Brides to help. Nerves might be at an all-time high ahead, so if you need it, an essential oil rollerball can be used on wrists and temples to provide an instantly calming effect!
Want to start planning your makeup and hair looks? Read our list of 18 Things Every Bride Should Know About Bridal Beauty and check out the best Makeup Artists and Hair Stylists!
