If you’re engaged and happily planning your wedding, it’s important to take some time for yourself as the big day approaches. Sometimes, with all of the joyful chaos of planning your nuptials, you may feel too busy to nurture yourself. By setting aside time for certain beauty rituals and making these little pleasures a habit, you’ll be your most beautiful and alluring as you walk down the aisle.

To help you get gorgeous before your wedding, Best for Bride has compiled a quick guide to some excellent skin care and hair care routines that will help you to look great in any of our fashionable wedding dresses. These tips and tricks are the product of years of experience; we are a closely-knit team of wedding experts, and we are proud to support our valued brides-to-be as they prepare to make important lifetime commitments with their partners.

Here are some things to think about as you prepare to dazzle your friends, family, and groom-to-be on your wedding day…

Skin Care

Three or four months before your big day, consider concentrating on your skin care routine. Starting early is the best way to get good results from skin care products, such as anti-aging serums, skin-brightening moisturizers, anti-acne potions, and soothing eye creams.

Most products take at least eight weeks to make a visible difference in your skin, so choose the right products for your skin type and then use them religiously. Trusted brands don’t have to cost a fortune. For example, Neutrogena makes an excellent anti-wrinkle cream that won’t bust your budget, and its retinol formula really does smooth out fine lines and reveal fresher, younger-looking skin.

If you enjoy getting facials from a trained beauty technician, plan to have at least one per month before your wedding. However, you should shy away from extractions or peels right before your ceremony and reception, as these types of facials may leave your skin temporarily reddened or inflamed.

Wearing sunscreen is very important, even you plan to sport a tanned, healthy glow at your wedding. It’s better to find a good bronzer to dust on your face on the big day; wear protection of at least SPF15 at all other times. Choose a product that protects you from UVA and UVB rays. Avoid products with parabens.

Keep your makeup minimal a couple of weeks before your wedding, to give your skin a chance to breathe as much as possible. Drink plenty of water – add a little fresh lemon juice, as this is known to benefit the skin. If you have problem skin, take flax-seed oil, zinc, and vitamins A, C and E. Don’t overdo it with supplements. Always follow the directions to the letter, and stop taking them if they don’t agree with you. You can always find theie vital oils, minerals and vitamins in food, if you prefer to avoid taking dietary supplements.

Hair Care

If you’re happy with your hair before you wedding, don’t change anything. It’s much better to keep the same length, style, cut and color so that you feel comfortable and “like yourself” as you marry. However, if you have problem hair, it may be time to tackle the issue in the months preceding your wedding. This is a good time to spend more on highlights, color, low-lights, conditioning treatments, cuts, and so on. It’s not necessarily a good time to get creative, but it’s a great time to put yourself in the hands of experienced, professional stylists and colorists who really know what they are doing.

Expertly cut hair will always look better than a budget ‘do. Ask your stylist to recommend the right products for you – usually, it’s better to stick with your natural texture (i.e. stop straightening and ironing your hair) during the weeks before your wedding, as it gives your tresses a chance to recover. Of course, you should wear your hair in whatever style that pleases you most on the big day.

Biotin is one supplement that is linked with thicker, shinier hair; vitamin E is also a good choice. If you don’t want to take supplements, you should be able to find products with these ingredients, such as biotin shampoos. If your hair is dry, condition with an olive oil treatment once a week. Warm the oil for 30 seconds in the microwave, apply to your hair, and then wash out five minutes later. This easy treatment is a wonderful way to tame fine, frizzy hair.

Get More Wedding Advice from Best for Bride

At Best for Bride, we offer beauty advice, and we also offer a host of practical wedding-related advice to brides-to-be. Whether you’re looking for wedding dresses in Toronto, wedding cakes, plus size wedding dresses, or wedding favours, we will be able to give you the guidance – and the products and services – that you really need.

Our exclusive bricks-and-mortar boutiques in Toronto, Barrie and Mississauga offer dazzling wedding gowns from the very best designers, plus wedding dress alterations, and most of our styles are very affordable. We even offer financing and wedding dress rentals to help brides-to-be who are on tight budgets. Our online bridal store carries a dizzying array of bridal gowns, wedding invitations, mother of the bride dresses, and cheap bridesmaids dresses.

Don’t put yourself in the hands of amateurs at this special and important time; instead, work with our seasoned, caring team of bridal specialists. Contact us today for more information.