A Simple, Effective Pre-Wedding Skincare Routine

A lesson we’ve learned from our time in Japan is that the process of preparing for momentous occasions—such as a wedding—should be valued just as highly as the celebration itself. To help you pave a beautiful path to the next big moment in your life, we’re sharing our tips to reveal a glowing complexion in time for your big day.

There are three kinds of people at every wedding: Those actually getting married, those gathered together to observe or facilitate that marriage, and photographers. Knowing this, it’s natural—even practical—for those in attendance to want to look their best. But unlike a lipstick color, good skincare isn’t a choice that can be left until the day of the ceremony. And none of the people at a wedding are exempt from this choice—except maybe photographers.

Good news: Pre-wedding skincare is not difficult. All it requires is a little planning, depending on who you are. 

Wedding Skincare For Brides, Grooms, And Nearly Weds

Everybody wants to look their best on at their own wedding. It’s also worth considering the fact that, unless you are a professional model or world-famous celebrity, your wedding day will probably be the most photographed event of your lifetime. Think of the pictures. Then let’s talk about your skin. 

In this specific context, proper skincare should be viewed as more than basic human vanity, but a part of an overall balanced wedding preparation. And a surprisingly easy part, too! You can plan, schedule, and begin your pre-wedding skincare routine by the time you finish reading this section. 

Let’s begin with the hardest part. After this, it’s smooth-skin sailing.

1. Schedule your facials. Some wedding guides only recommend getting a facial anywhere between one month to 48 hours before the day of the wedding, which certainly isn’t likely to cause problems, and may even make you look better on the day itself. But it may be wiser to start planning out your facials six months in advance, and planning for multiple treatments. (At least three, no more than six, as skin takes about a month to renew itself.) There are all sorts of treatments that can provide wedding-day skincare benefits, from lifting skin to improving tone, but they vary by skin type, and you won’t know which one is right for you until you find someone who does. 

2. Add retinol to your routine. Retinols and retinol alternatives are some of your skincare best friends when devising your wedding skincare routine. Retinols help skin repair and restore itself. If you aren’t already using one, it might be a wise idea to start now. Find something that you like enough to use frequently and that won’t be too harsh on your face. Tatcha’s Silk Serum is a retinol alternative made with a blend of natural ingredients rich in amino acids, and it’s gentle enough to use twice daily. Just don’t forget sunscreen in the morning!

3. No more new skincare products. There are some skincare products, like retinol, that will help your skin look and feel better continually over time. With formulas like this, you may want to proceed with caution. Some dermatologists estimate that it takes between three and four months to fully gauge the effectiveness of one’s own applications. In theory, you could change things up pre-wedding, but the risk may outweigh the reward. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, consistency is one of the best ingredients for good skin. You’ll have all sorts of time to try new masks and serums on your honeymoon.

Wedding Skincare Timeline

Use this timeline of wedding skincare preparations to ensure you wake up glowing on the day itself.  

6 Months Before The Wedding

See your dermatologist. If you see a dermatologist—and if you care about your skin, you absolutely should—it’s a good idea to let them know you’re getting serious about your wedding skincare. Together you can discuss your product regimen, as well as any current skin issues. Your dermatologist’s feedback will be very important in how you devise your plan of action.

Start your facials. A guide in Refinery29 suggests that your friends have the best aesthetician recommendations, but a look at a local newspaper or magazine can help point you in the right direction. Your initial treatments will probably be focused on skin maintenance, cleansing, and hydration. Don’t worry yet about special treatments—those will come! 

3 Months Before The Wedding

Add a peel to your treatments. Now that you and your facialist have a good working rhythm—maybe after two sessions together—you may want to inquire about a targeted treatment, like a peel, that can help renew your skin more dramatically.

See your dermatologist again. After a few months of facials, your dermatologist can help audit your skincare progress. 

Stop trying new skincare. We said it before, but it’s worth saying again: No new skincare. All it takes is one potentially irritating product to cause new skin issues to crop up—something you simply do not have time for. 

1 Month Before The Wedding

Let some light and/or air in. Peels and lasers are over! For your last facial treatments, ask your aesthetician about calming treatments, like LED therapy, that can help lower skincare inflammation and even reduce redness. Oxygentating treatments, in which oxygen is supplied directly to the skin, are also known for making skin look instantly camera-ready.

Start sculpting. Microcurrent treatments, which can be performed by your local aesthetician or facialist, use electromagnetic currents to almost imperceptibly work out the muscles of your face. (It kind of tickles!) The lifting effects of microcurrent are beloved by brides-to-be, and since there’s no downtime, this sort of treatment can be done a week or days before your wedding.

Ditch retinol a night or two before your wedding. It’s work has been done, and may want to discontinue using any product that could potentially make your skin more sensitive. Stick to your simplest skincare routines—you’re almost there!

Day-Of Skincare Kit

The last thing you’re going to want to think about on your wedding day is your skin, which is why you’ve done all of the planning months in advance. If you want to make sure you’re covered, ask a guest or member of the wedding party to stash a few extra things on their person, just in case. Let’s take a brief walk down the skincare aisle.

1. A glowy skincare set. As a bridal party gift, or for the beauty-loving bride, We recently collaborated with Brilliant Earth on two wedding day skincare sets. The Clarifying Ritual treats pores and oily skin, while the Dewy Ritual provides all-over moisture. Each ritual includes an exquisite pair of Akoya pearl earrings from Brilliant Earth—a little “something new.”

2. Under eye cream. Wedding celebrations can mean late nights and early mornings. To counteract eye puffiness—and as a base for the eye makeup that is to be loaded on afterwards—it’s useful to have a good under eye cream on hand. Something like the Luminous Deep Hydrating Firming Eye Serum is a perfect choice for its combination of ingredients like puffiness-reducing caffeine and light-reflecting 24-karat gold.

3. Face mist. The Luminous Dewy Skin Mist is designed to hydrate skin and refresh makeup with just a few spritzes. Stash one in your bag for touch-ups between the ceremony and photos, or cocktails and speeches. (The 12 mL size can fit in the littlest of clutches, too!)

4. Blotting papers. For centuries in Japan, geishas have used abaca papers to wick oil from their skin without disturbing their makeup or dehydrating their skin. This paper inspired Tatcha’s Aburatorigami blotting papers, which can do for 21st century brides what they did for geisha. Whenever you see a photographer approaching, grab a sheet for a quick blot. And don’t forget to smile.