Pre-wedding beauty tips from a facialist and a nutritionist

For those planning on tying the knot, there are many things to consider pre-wedding – the dress (see our alternative bridal wear suggestions), the wedding rings, the wedding table decor, the accessories. But there is also you, whether bride or groom, and how you want to look and feel on the big day. Crash diets aren’t healthy or sustainable, and last-minute skincare treatments will have less effective results in comparison with a protracted, pre-wedding regime.  

With this in mind, to help you plan ahead and feel as healthy and glowing as you can on the big day and beyond, we asked acclaimed London facialist Teresa Tarmey and New York nutritionist Rachelle Robinett to give their tips on what pre-wedding treatments to try and routines to practice in the months, weeks, and days leading up to the event.

Six months before the wedding 

Skincare by Teresa Tarmey

• I love to see a client six months pre-wedding to see if they have any problems like acne, scarring, rosacea, etc. Skin takes time in terms of results; there’s no quick fix with a one-off facial.
• I recommend getting a treatment that starts by clearing any congestion and marks on the skin, such as sunspots and broken capillaries. This can take around six sessions to really get the best results, so we usually recommend going once per month for six months. 

Nutrition by Rachelle Robinett 

• Hone in on the essentials: nutrition, exercise, and sleep. Consider cutting down (or out!) alcohol and caffeine. Aim to increase fruit and vegetables in fresh, frozen, or whatever form is accessible to you, and replace processed foods with real, whole, healthy options. Fewer packages, more produce! For a deeper dive, consider going gluten-free, or (my favourite) replacing all forms of flour (yes, even GF) with unprocessed alternatives. For carb fixes, aim for the ‘slow carbs’ and high fibre, which you can find in yams and sweet potatoes, squashes, plantains, and the like.
• Commit to a regular exercise routine (ideally one that you love!) and establish some support for sticking with it. Coaches, apps, or calendar rewrites are helpful. Make sure to balance strength training with cardio, and recovery days too.
• Sync your circadian rhythm. Sleep is one of the greatest ways to lose weight, support our bodies’ natural cleanse and recovery mechanisms, and offset any extra stress that pre-wedding planning may be causing. Making it regular, enough, and a part of your schedule that’s locked in six months ahead of the event ensures that your other efforts will be more successful, and you won’t be scrambling to get good sleep in the final days before saying ‘I do’.
• Consider adding some blood-sugar balance or sugar-craving-curbing herbs to your routine to fuel the fire. I also love endurance supports (rhodiola and cordyceps), and sleep supplements (magnesium, tryptophan, GABA and sedative herbs (like hops and valerian) for obvious reasons.

Two weeks before the wedding

Skincare by Teresa Tarmey 

• If you have very few skin problems at all, I’d suggest one facial a month before the wedding to check the skin and fix minor problems. 
• If you plan on getting a facial the day before or on the day of the wedding, it's important to test how your skin will react in advance. I recommend testing out the facial [two weeks pre-wedding] so you can see how the skin will react well ahead of time. 

Nutrition by Rachelle Robinett

• Double your hydration! Half your body weight in ounces of water per day is what I recommend to clients. But adding an extra quart, and some electrolytes too, will guarantee well-hydrated skin, and overall fluid balance in the body.
• And double down on the great practices you’ve established in the last six months: skip refined sugars and processed food, which is also a great way to avoid excess salt. Increase fibre (30 grams a day or more is the goal) to keep things moving. Hold steady; I find that by this time, anything we do is icing on the cake. Which is exactly what we want! 
• Nervine herbs (herbs for the nervous system) are great at this stage (think lavender and milky oat, passionflower and skullcap) as well as amino acids like L-theanine for calm without sedation. I also like diuretics that are nourishing rather than depleting (dandelion leaf, alfalfa, nettle leaf).

The day before the wedding 

Skincare by Teresa Tarmey

• On the day before or the day of the wedding, we’d do what I call ‘a pre-red carpet’. This is a lactic acid treatment to brighten the skin, radio frequency to sculpt and tighten, LED to brighten, and massage to drain any puffiness and sculpt. I recommend trying a similar regime to get the best results. 

Nutrition by Rachelle Robinett

• Keep your chill pills close by, and smile!

INFORMATION

teresatarmey.com; ursupernatural.com