We've all made mistakes in the past concerning our hair or make-up and look back at old photos, a smirk of embarrassment playing on our faces. However, embarrassment is the last thing you want to feel when you stroll down memory lane of your big day.
Overall, I've found that there a four major things that you should never – I repeat – never do one week before your wedding. Believe me. I speak from personal experience and this site even confirms some.
- Dying your hair a drastically different color. Yes, so it was about a week before my wedding when I decided to turn my then blonde hair really, really blonde. Who am I kidding? I pretty much bleached my hair. It just wasn't natural, and being your natural self on your wedding day is truly when you're the most beautiful. Long story short, plan any major color or even style changes well in advance so that you have time to make adjustments, if needed.
Using a tanning bed or getting a spray-on tan. Okay, so after I bleached out my hair, my already pale skin looked completely pasty. Like many other brides, I opted to get some quick color by having a spray-on tan. I could write a book about that experience, and maybe I will someday when the scars are healed. Let's just say that I got some color, all right. I got so much color that the nice lady that did my pedicure tried to use a dremel to help smooth out the orange lines on my feet that formed from the bad tan application. Ouch!
Getting dermabrasion or a chemical skin peel. Luckily, my mind hadn't completely left me before my wedding, and I didn't do either of these procedures. However, I did know one unfortunate soul who had dermabrasion for the first time a little more than a week before her big day, and her face looked like a bruised strawberry. If you've had this type of procedure done many times, by all means go for it. Just keep in mind that skin, especially when nerves and hormones are crazy, can react in unpredictable ways sometimes.
Going on a starvation diet. Eating right, exercising, and getting plenty of sleep is all wonderful to maintain before your wedding and as a life goal in general. Starving yourself or trying out a fad diet before your wedding will only drain you of much-needed energy and, let's face it, probably make you one cranky bride-to-be. If you really feel that you need to shed a few pounds before your wedding, start a healthy routine of exercise and eating well at least six months beforehand.
If you avoid these four no-no's before your wedding, then at least you've decreased your chances of having photos where your hair is bright red, your skin is burnt-orange, and your face is a scabby mess. Let's hope, anyway!
What's in a name?
Dress of the day: Anastasia by Maggie Sottero
Unusual wedding cakes from Dragons and Daffodils
