Every woman wants to feel stunning on her wedding day. Even if the wedding is right around the corner, it's not too late for an upcoming bride to implement a "wedding ready routine" to look her absolute best! Be sure to take time before your wedding and pamper yourself (set the planning aside) and do the following:
Clean and Whiten Your Teeth
This is perhaps one of the simplest ways to look your best for your wedding. With the help of a dentist, you can get a radiant smile through in-office whitening, tray whitening, or whitening strips. Nutley Family Dentistry describes in-office whitening as “ideal if you want immediate results. The whole process takes about an hour, taking little time out of busy lives….The result is dramatically whiter teeth that will last for years.” Tray whitening is also achieved with the help of a dentist; it is a gradual, at-home treatment performed by filling customized trays with a whitening gel that sit in your mouth for a specified time each day for a set treatment period. The third option is whitening strips, which are available from a dentist or from local stores; they are applied once a day for a set time, and gradually whiten surface stains on the teeth. No matter which method of whitening you choose, you should definitely get a dental cleaning within a week of your wedding to ensure that your smile is fresh and clean for photographs.
Begin A Skincare Routine
Even though you will likely wear lots of makeup on your wedding day, your skin is the foundation beneath that makeup, and you should take great care of it—especially if you want to avoid breakouts. Begin a skincare routine each morning and each night as far in advance of your wedding as possible in order to ensure the best results. A standard at-home skincare routine recommended by dermatologists includes a daily cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and sunscreen, with weekly a exfoliation and facial. Apply products in the correct order for maximum effects. The kinds of products that you choose should depend on your skin type (meaning whether your skin is sensitive, dry, oily, or a combination of these). Beyond at-home solutions to skincare concerns, consider getting a spa facial that targets more specific needs such as acne or redness. However, this comes with a warning: do not experiment with new skin treatments very close to your wedding day. You do not want to risk a bad reaction.
Get Hair Treatments
Hair treatments are a fun way to prepare for the wedding. Conditioning treatments keep your hair protected, fresh, and healthy. For damaged hair, there are oil treatments that will help restore elasticity to your hair. If you don’t like the idea of putting chemicals of harsh treatments in your hair, there are many natural, at-home solutions for treating hair.
Avoid using shampoos or conditioners with parabens, sulfates, and silicones; parabens cause cancer, sulfates are extremely drying to the hair, and silicones are plastics that can only be removed from your hair by sulfates. In addition to treating your hair to nice products, you should also treat your hair to frequent trims to keep it looking in tip-top shape. Stay away from as many hair-damaging activities as possible. This means putting down the blow dryer and the flat iron, as well as avoiding the pool and any harsh bleaching treatments. If you plan on coloring or highlighting your hair, you should definitely trust that process to an experienced professional stylist. A stylist will be able to give you the best advice on how to take care of your hair depending on your individualized needs.
Exercise
Feeling stressed before the wedding? Want to get more toned before your honeymoon? Exercise is your answer! Exercise assists with physical, emotional, and mental health. The Harvard School of Public Health found that “Healthy adults should get a minimum of 2-1/2 hours per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or a minimum of 1-1/4 hours per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or a combination of the two.” Giving your body the exercise it needs will reduce stress, ease your mind, and maintain your body’s physical needs. If you’re anxious about fitting perfectly into your dress, create an exercise routine that includes cardio as well as muscle-toning exercises. For cardio, think dancing, running, biking, climbing, or jogging; for toning, think weight lifting, planks, sit-ups, push-ups, pilates, or ellipticals.
Eat Healthy
This is one of the most important things you can do for yourself before your wedding. Many brides are tempted to starve themselves in the weeks before their wedding in order to look their best, but this is a sure-fire way to crash your metabolism and damage your body. Other brides will stress-eat unhealthy foods or comfort foods as a way of coping with the stress of wedding preparation. Neither strategy is good for your health. Instead, treat yourself to flavorful, delicious meals that include nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, proteins and more. When you do, you will feel your energy increase; you will find it easier to lose weight or maintain the weight that you want; your skin will have fewer breakouts; and you will feel increased confidence and inner-strength.
All brides deserve to look and feel beautiful on their special day. Just a few small changes can make you feel positive, healthy, and stunning for your upcoming summer wedding!