Your ultimate pre-wedding skincare guide

There are so many exciting elements of a wedding to plan. The venue, the flowers, the dress...but the one thing many people seem to forget about, or leave until the last minute, is thinking about a skincare routine. Having the perfect no-makeup makeup look is made so much easier with the right skincare prep. Plus, there is nothing that boosts your confidence quite like waking up with a glowing complexion. We chatted to Dr Saras Sundrum, cosmetic physician at Dr Saras & Co to learn about the ideal wedding skincare timeline, what treatments to try and what products to use.
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How long before the wedding should I be thinking about my skincare routine and what are the first steps?
If you have the luxury of time, Dr Sundrum recommends looking at overhauling or ramping up your skincare routine up to 12 months before your big day. The first steps to take include “regular exercise, even if it’s a walk every day. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, eat a well-balanced diet, drink lots of water and use sun protection everyday,” she says. Because no matter how many facials you might book, the real work starts from the inside out. Dr Sundrum also recommends considering Pilates once or twice a week in the lead up to improve posture.
What comes next?
“The treatments [my brides-to-be] swear by,” says Dr Sundrum include “a few treatments of the Hydrofacial a month apart, before the wedding. This allows the skin to be thoroughly cleaned out and actives such as vitamin A to be infused.” This works to combat common problems such as acne, redness or brown spots, she explains. “Additionally, the skin will be well hydrated and will be pumped out, helping fine lines.” Another treatment Dr Sundrum recommends is Picosure laser, “this will ensure the texture of the skin is perfect. It [also] helps with softening wrinkles and fine lines, toning and tightening skin, reducing the size of pores and helping reduce the appearance of scarring.”
What can I do at home?
Leave issues such as helping acne or scarring to the experts. When it comes to your at-home skincare routine, your main focus should be hydrating and brightening. Enlist the help of a hyaluronic acid serum and rich night cream in the evening and a vitamin C serum and sunscreen in the morning. bh loves: Medik8 Hydr8 B5 (find it at adorebeauty.com.au), Indeed Labs Hydraluron Serum, La Mer Creme de la Mer (if you’re going to splurge, pre-wedding is the time), Ole Henriksen Truth Serum (find it at sephora.com.au) and Elizabeth Arden PREVAGE® City Smart + DNA Enzyme Complex + Anti‐Pollution + Antioxidants with Sunscreen Hydrating Shield.
What should I not be doing?
The main thing to avoid is changing products or routine too much, especially in the month prior. “Whether it be skincare, haircare or makeup, as allergies and hypersensitivities can occur and ruin your wedding day,” says Dr Sundrum. “I would also recommend not having any last minute injectables or laser treatments.”
Dr Sundrum notes, while all the above will definitely contribute to the ideal pre-wedding glow, her best skincare tip is to include plenty of vegetables and fruit in your diet, drink plenty of water and get enough sleep. “We all know these things but these simple rituals will make sure the bride looks healthy, radiant, confident and happy.”
What should I do the morning of?
Having already done most of the hard work in the lead up, the morning of your wedding day should be pretty relaxed skincare wise. Consider popping on a reliable, hydrating face mask first thing to plump and prepare the skin for makeup application. bh recommends: Skin Republic Hyaluronic Acid & Collagen Face Sheet Mask. The rest can be left to your makeup artist.
For information on the treatments mentioned head to drsaraandco.com.au
Do you have any pre-wedding or special occassion skincare tips?
Have you tried any of the products mentioned above?
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54 Member Comments
One whole year of prep? I find that so crazy but of course makes sooo much sense if youre starting to look after your insides. The inside of our body with exercise food and water takes time to show and definitely need a lot of time if we're to make it a lifestyle. Love the skincare product recommendations thanks so much :)
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There is such great make-up and skincare available today that it would be hard to get wedding skin/makeup wrong. So really just keeping skin hydrated and clear and feeling calm and happy on the big day is all I can say!
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My thoughts are: prep as much as I can, and for everything else there is soft focus light!
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Stick to what you know works, not a good idea to experiment with skincare before your wedding
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Ellie Goulding looked stunning! I loved her hair and dress
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Learned my lesson not to experiment with new skincare or use high acid stuff before important events. yup, got messed up skin instead of fabulous. So just need to do what I do when my skin looks just good.
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Well this is 20 years too late for me. But I've always looked after my skin. I don't recall doing anything special prior to the big day.
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Ive always looked after my skin, I did have a few facials starting about 6 months out, just to try and help my skin a little bit more.
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Do you recommend any particular facials that youve had that really worked for you? Was completely interested when I saw your comment :)
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I’ve always looked after my skin. I’d never do anything different to it before something big, eg my wedding day, in case I had a reaction. I try to eat well and drink lots of water.
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Luckily my skin didn't break out before my wedding. I remember doing lots of walking in the lead up to the big day.
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My skincare was almost non existent before marriage. I remember only using soap to wash my face and a few DIY face masks .
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Some great advice for Brides, I think anyone could use the Skincare Products to make their Skin glow.
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The advice of getting enough sleep, eating a well-balanced diet, drinking lots of water etc is not just applicable to brides.
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Anytime is a good time to start looking after skin. Not just before wedding.
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Meghan does have beautiful skin.
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In my opinion, you should treat your skin as if preparing for a big day, 365 days a year. This includes a good diet.
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Well congrats to Meghan and Harry - parents now!
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A gorgeous name they chose for their son!
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I haven’t yet set a date for my wedding, but I’m already prepping. Mainly with inside our beauty prep. I’ve been using beauty chef collagen liquid and it’s made such a difference. It’s taken a month but I can see the results already
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When I saw your comment I was super interested because my sisters got hers coming up and am curious to know what sort of skincare prep you've had? Any facials or anything?
:)
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Hi :) congrats to your sister!! I’ve actually been doing all my own skincare prep from home. I share a lot about it on my Instagram, as some of the products aren’t on beauty heaven so I can’t post links for you. But I love ASAP skincare and also aspect. So I’ve been using “active ingredients” like vitamin c in the morning and AHA products at night. If she isn’t already, I highly recommend adding Alpha H liquid gold once a week it’s amazing.
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Thank you so much :) Congrats to you on getting married!!!
And thank you so much for the awesome advice, definitely will be checking all of the suggestions out. Appreciate the help <3
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I guess it depends on your skin type as well.
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