The 12 things your beauty squad wish you would avoid ahead of your wedding day

With the big day fast approaching, it’s only natural that you want to look your best for the wedding pictures.

While the week before your nuptials is the perfect time to take care of any last-minute details – from final dress fittings to finessing the table settings – it is not, however, the time to start experimenting with new beauty products or treatments.

According to our panel of experts, you should start your bridal beauty prep six months before the wedding to ensure your skin looks lit from within, your makeup looks natural not naked and your hair is precisely the length and colour you envisioned.

Ahead, our experts reveal exactly what you shouldn’t do right before your wedding to ensure your day goes off without a hitch.

It's tempting to sign up for a course of laser treatments and peels to banish dullness, fine lines, acne scars and hyperpigmentation ahead of your wedding. But, as ever, the timing is crucial.

Generally-speaking, lasers work by firing a highly concentrated beam of light onto affected areas of skin. This light is converted into heat and with some devices (ablative lasers that remove the upper layer of skin), the skin scabs over before flaking off.

Likewise, peels and alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) such as glycolic acid resurface the skin to reveal brighter skin underneath. Depending on their strength, a certain amount of down time may be required. "As these treatments may have side effects such as redness and scaling, you definitely don’t want undergo a peel or laser treatment a week before the big day," says Dr Petra Kjellman, head of the Stockholm branch of Diagnostiskt Centrum Hud — the biggest dermatology centre in Sweden.

For this reason, she recommends booking in for a consultation about four to six months ahead of your wedding. This will give both you and your dermatologist or aesthetician time to assess how your skin reacts and what the ideal treatment plan should be. "It also usually takes a while before results are visible," Dr Kjellman notes.

The week before your wedding is the ideal time for your final facial, though. "Make hydration the primary focus, but you can also have a very light peel – one that you have tested and tolerated well before – to enhance the glow," Dr Kjellman adds.

Makeup artist William Värnild, who created the wedding look for Princess Sofia of Sweden in 2015, concurs, adding "healthy skin, that is in its absolute best condition, will result in perfect makeup on the wedding day."

"As a general rule, avoid experimenting too much with your wedding look," says renowned hairstylist Cim Mahony, who is a regular fixture backstage at Copenhagen Fashion Week. "Chances are, you will feel alienated from your wedding photos if you stray too far from who you are on normal days."

It's also worth remembering that hair colour can be unpredictable, so there's no telling whether a new shade will oxidise or whether it will complement your skin tone. "Stick to your regular colourist and don't be tempted to 'upgrade' for the big day," adds Mahony. "Starting a new relationship requires time and a few appointments to adjust – not what you want right before your wedding day."

For Mahony, "enhancement" is what you should be aiming for. "Hair is more manageable to style a few days post-colour so leave at least a week for gloss, colour or highlights," he says.

You could have a clear gloss on the eve of your wedding to refresh the hue and add shine, "however, I would only do this if the hair is damaged and the cuticle needs to be sealed," he adds. 

When it comes to choosing your wedding hairstyle, the same advice stands. "Don’t overdo it – retain your personality and also a sense of ease to move, dance and have fun," says Mahony.

When you have chosen your dress, "have a discussion with your hair stylist about the wedding day look and have regular trims to keep the hair in good shape," Mahony notes. Avoid any dramatic hair cuts, though, which may change the texture of your hair or no longer work with your veil or the neckline of your dress. "Then do a trial run a week before the wedding."

Ultimately, Mahony is a firm believer that "the hair shouldn't be the star of the show. Once it's done, it should feel natural enough for the bride not to think about it." 

High-shine, silky smooth strands no doubt top the wishlist for those prone to frizz in humid climates, especially if you're having a summer wedding or jetting abroad for beach nuptials.

However, Mahony warns agains getting any Keratin or smoothing treatments a week before your wedding. "The hair will be difficult to style as most smoothing treatments leave it lank and impenetrable [in the immediate aftermath]," he explains.

According to Värnild, the most common mistakes brides-to-be make is to "put makeup on as if it was a regular day at work or to do party makeup for their wedding day. Wedding makeup is significantly different from a regular makeup routine – it requires thorough preparation and your makeup should be adapted to create harmony between the hair and dress."

Värnild also points out the importance of creating a timeless wedding look, rather than buying into trends, so that when you look back at your wedding pictures your makeup never looks dated.

Start thinking about your look one or two months before the big day when you have chosen the style for your dress and hair. "If you're having your makeup done professionally, email your makeup artist a clear picture of yourself and some pictures of looks you like for inspiration," says Värnild. "You may choose, for example, to pick out shades from your bridal bouquet for your makeup."

Above all, avoid suddenly tanning as this will change both your skin tone and the matching colour palette for your foundation.

Sometimes brides panic at the last minute that they are wearing either too much or too little makeup – and then make radical changes.

That's why it's important to do makeup trials one or two months before your wedding day "so you are confident with your look and all the products that will be used on the day itself, whether you or a professional are doing the makeup," Värnild notes. "If you feel safe and happy with your wedding look, avoid changing it as you don't know how the skin will react to new products.
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Ultimately, your makeup should look picture-perfect all day and require minimal touch-ups.

"Regardless of the season, invest in a primer that keeps your foundation and eyeshadow in place," Värnild says. "Also apply waterproof mascara and eyeliner as you don't want risk any smudges or streaks if you shed a tear or two during the ceremony. A good setting spray will keep the other products in place."

It may not be the first thing that springs to mind, but it's crucial to take into account where you plan to have your wedding photographs taken.

"Let your makeup artist know if you are going to be photographed indoors or outdoors as this is an important piece of the puzzle to consider," Värnild notes. "Different products perform better in different types of light."

For example, avoid foundation that contains SPF if indoors, as these can cause a ghostly bounce-back with flash photography.

Skin thrives on a consistent skincare routine so introducing new products at the last minute may result in irritation or breakouts. "You never know how you will react to new products," says Dr Kjellman. "They can be extremely gentle, all your friends may find them excellent but you can always have an adverse reaction. The last thing you want on your wedding day is a rash."

Start trialling one or two new products a few months ahead of the wedding. "That way, you not only benefit from the results if all is well but you also have time to treat any skin issues if you don't tolerate them," she notes.

As for actives that you should be leaning on in the lead up to the big day? "Molecules that attract water to the superficial skin layer for a 'plumping' effect and to reduce fine lines," Dr Kjellman explains. "Overall, the most superior ingredient for this, in my opinion, is hyaluronic acid."

Retinol is widely considered a silver bullet for treating sun damage and lacklustre skin, as well as boosting skin's collagen production for softer-looking wrinkles. But its exfoliating properties have a major drawback: In the process of speeding up cell turnover, retinol can also cause dryness, redness, flaking and irritation.

"Retinoids should be started at least three to four months before the wedding in order for you to see visible changes, including reduced lines and firmer skin," Dr Kjellman says. "Any side effects tend to subside after several weeks of treatment, so it's important to introduce retinol early into your regime."

If you're new to retinol, ease yourself in slowly. “It usually takes your skin three to four weeks to get used to retinol," says Dr Kjellman. "At the start, apply your serum or cream just two nights a week before gradually increasing use to every night. However, for some people every other night will be the maximum to avoid any side effects.”

“Ideally book in to have your brows waxed or laminated the week before the wedding,” says Swedish brow expert Thomas McEntee. “This allows enough time for the brows to soften and sit more naturally."

On a practical level, he notes, it is also a precaution in case of a reaction to the chemicals involved, which could leave red marks and sensitivity.

"When it comes to a basic sculpt and tint, it's important to tell your brow artist if you are using retinoid-based products or peels, in which case I recommend booking in a week before the wedding and not using these products for at least three days prior to the appointment,” he adds.

A few jangly nerves are normal in the lead up to a wedding. The problems begin when this turns to prolonged anxiety and the body remains in a constant state of high alert.

"Stress can trigger all kinds of skin problems – both old and new," says Dr Kjellman. "Inflammation that you've suffered with before, such as eczema and rosacea, can recur," because too much of the stress hormone cortisol depletes skin of moisture and weakens the skin barrier.

But high stress levels also ramp up oil production and, in doing so, may trigger acne breakouts in those who last had a spot as a teenager.