When we think about planning a wedding, we think about the venue, which dress we might envision wearing – even the food, the music – and the hair and make-up!
While hunting down wedding vendors, getting quotes and making decisions, you also need to be thinking about your wedding lead-time and how to utilise that. Are there long-term steps you should be taking to look and feel as good as you want to? Are there hacks to make the job easier? Like with any ‘job’, the preparation is key – and planning your wedding is no different.
So, whether your wedding is 18 months away, or 6 – there are so many factors to consider in your preparation so that you don’t find yourself looking for fast fixes – or unsafe alternatives for the things we’d like to achieve in time for the wedding day.
Here are 10 of the best ways to prep for your wedding day in 2024:
1. BEST WAYS TO PREP FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY
Start on the skin prep
Once you’re engaged, on average you’ll get around a year to 18 months at least to plan and prepare for your wedding day. At that time, it’s a great idea to visit a skin consultant and begin to book in regular treatments to ensure any skin issues are addressed. This could be LED light treatments to help with pigmentation, skin needling to assist with skin texture, or even hydrating and purifying facials regularly in the lead-up to your wedding to assist with skin clarity.
Keeping up the care at home can help to ensure you get the most out of your treatments, so be sure to ask your skin therapist which products are best for you. Alternate between using a hydrating mask and an exfoliator every few days to keep your skin hydrated and unclogged.
If you’re starting actives such as retinol, be sure to start slowly, applying the product twice a week before slowly working up to more frequent usage. This will give your skin a chance to cope with the active ingredients.
2. BEST WAYS TO PREP FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY
Switch to decent hair products
Amazing hair starts at the foundation, with a great shampoo and conditioner, and weekly treatments. If you have been thinking about changing your hair colour or style, it makes sense to begin the process a number of months out from the wedding, as any lightening will need to be done in stages, and if a haircut is deemed too short, you’ll have adequate time to grow it out.
If you’re prone to dry, frizzy hair and are getting married (or honeymooning!) somewhere hot, it might be worth considering a keratin treatment for your hair to ensure smooth, frizz-free strands for up to 6 months.
3. BEST WAYS TO PREP FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY
Get fitted with your Linea Aligners for a perfect smile
What makes Linea Aligners different?
One of the most important part of any wedding day is undoubtedly the photos. You pour all of this time, and effort – and planning – into your wedding day, and once it’s over, the photos are the only thing that ‘lives on’. For that reason alone, you want to ensure that your smile is as amazing as you imagined. The great thing about Linea Aligners is they’re invisible – which means you can wear them all day long without anyone noticing. This fact alone assists with how quickly you can see results – in fact, the average treatment time for most users is just 6-9 months!
More importantly still, Linea is a safe place to address any concerns with your smile. In fact, every one of the Linea treatments is prescribed, performed and monitored by a licensed Australian dentist.
Why do you need Linea Aligners in the lead-up to your wedding day?
Straightening your teeth or perfecting your smile is something that requires time – and patience! Hence the need to begin thinking about the next steps as soon as you can. For many, the proposal is the important reason needed to kickstart these steps – so once it arrives, and you set the date, your timeframe is set!
The great thing about Linea Aligners is that all patients receive remote treatment tracking via the Linea app, meaning less in person dental visits. Also, 7 day local customer support, with average response times of under an hour, which makes you feel completely supported round the clock.
As an amazing bonus, whitening is also included in every treatment, so Linea patients can have straight, white smiles on their special day. If you need a little more than an aligners, veneers are also available to patients who might not only want to straighten their teeth, but also enhance their shape and colour.
Linea are an Australian brand founded by Australian dentists and they have partner practices in every major city.
Real customer reviews:
“I had Linea aligners for about 9 months and am ecstatic with the results! I was monitored both in person by Dr Lena at Meili Dental Clinic and also by the Linea team on their app. There was always timely communication and the team fit my appointments around my schedule and were so responsive, even on weekends. The Linea team conveniently delivered my aligners by post, and also accommodated additional refinements to make sure I was 100% happy with the results. The service and results have exceeded my expectations, thanks so much!” – Rina
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4. BEST WAYS TO PREP FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY
It’s time to start growing your nails
If you’ve got at least 6 months up your sleeve before your wedding day, you’ve got adequate time to grow and treat your nails with strengthening treatments. It could be a good idea to stay away from acrylics and shellac, which can make nails dry and brittle, at least until just before your wedding.
5. BEST WAYS TO PREP FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY
Let the dry brushing begin
Gwyneth Paltrow swears by it – and for good reason! Dry brushing has been shown to decrease the appearance of cellulite, and improve skin texture and blood circulation. Be sure to brush in upwards strokes, ideally in the shower – but not directly beneath the water. The most popular places to see results with dry brushing are the upper legs and outer thighs.
6. BEST WAYS TO PREP FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY
Grow brows and lashes, grow!
We all know it already – but big brows are in, in, in! No doubt you’re probably growing out your brows anyway (isn’t everyone?!) so it’s important to avoid plucking where possible, and wait until you find a brow technician you trust to shape them properly. If you need a little kickstart, you could always start using a brow/lash growth serum to help along the growth process and leave you in good stead for any potential lash lifts, tints, or brow shaping you may choose to have done!
7. BEST WAYS TO PREP FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY
Trial wedding-ready foundations
There is no occasion more special than your wedding day – so it pays to bring in the big guns if you’re wanting your make-up look to last the entire day and night through!
There are a few foundations that are renowned for being the best of the best for big occasions – but with foundation, one size certainly does not fit all! A great tip is to head to your local Mecca Cosmetica or Sephora, and have them give you a sample of a foundation so you can trial the foundation on your skin, taking note of the coverage, look and feel on your skin, and how long it lasts.
8. BEST WAYS TO PREP FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY
Find a perfume that speaks to you
The great thing about perfume is that it can transport you back to a memory in an instant. Allowing yourself a few months before the big day to find the perfect perfume is key, as you will continuously be transported back to your wedding day whenever you smell it. Head in-store, spray yourself and evaluate how it sits on your skin. Can you smell it a few hours later? Does it smell a little sour? Perhaps it hasn’t mixed well with the PH levels in your skin. Is it too strong? You don’t want people to smell you before they see you.
9. BEST WAYS TO PREP FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY
Practice your fake tan
Now, this is one of the most important decisions you’ll make ahead of your wedding day – which faux tan will you choose, if any! Perhaps you’ll go for a traditional spray tan, in which case it’s important to trial the shade and test how it rubs off on clothes, as well as how it fades.
Likewise if you’re choosing to use a wash-off skin tint, it’s wise to test how they wear on your skin and whether they transfer onto clothes, especially if you’re planning to wear white!
10. BEST WAYS TO PREP FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY
Seek out a wedding hairstyle
Pinterest and instagram are your best friends when it comes to choosing a hair style for your big day. However, depending on what you choose, you may need to seek out hair extensions, or a hairdresser who is able to pull off the style to your liking. What could be most helpful here is a wedding hairstyle trial with a hairdresser to see how the look will last throughout the day and if it can be achieved to your liking on your hair type. Remember, just because it works on an instagram model, doesn’t mean it will look the same on you! Be sure not to leave this decision to the last minute!
