We’re at about six weeks and counting, which is when all those timelines say you need to start kicking your beauty regime into high gear. I’m not what you’d call adept at plotting out an extensive skincare regime, but I wanted my skin to really shine the day of our wedding, so I made an effort to talk to some people and figure out what I needed to do vs. what I could do.

The first thing I needed to figure out was a spray tan. I’m definitely one of those people who feel prettier with a bit of a tan, but I wasn’t about to hit the tanning beds. I’ve had a number of spray tans here in Minneapolis—I easily recommend Glow for those of you getting married in the Twin Cities—but because I’ll be heading home to Wisconsin about five days before the wedding, I needed to find a place in Green Bay that could provide me with that  sun-kissed look I desired. That’s easier said than done. I started trying out places whenever I was home for a few days. My first attempt, over Thanksgiving, resulted in a dirty looking tan that left me an ashy orange color . . . not exactly blissful bride material. The second place I tried over Christmas made my feet look like I was an oompa loompa. Seriously, it was embarrassing. My most recent venture has been the closest possibility . . . but it’s still not quite right. The color was so light after I showered, you really couldn’t even tell I had a tan. I’m going back there on my next venture home, and I’m hoping they can get the color a little darker. The reason I’m sharing this all with you is because I had no idea how long it would take to try to find a place that would work, and I want to emphasize to anyone contemplating a tan to try it out, months in advance.

My next attempt at getting my skin I Do ready was to meet with an esthetician and get a few facials before the big day. I headed over to The Metropolitan in Edina and met with Amy Chapman . . .  AKA the miracle worker. Chapman listened as I told her my routine and explained my concern with developing a regime that was so extensive I would never keep it up. She gave me a very relaxing facial and sent me home with two products: a cleanser and a vitamin C serum, and my skin has never looked better. I have two more facials scheduled before the big day (the last one is about ten days out), and I’m confident that Amy will have my skin looking as good as it can get before July 28.

A lot of weddings that I’ve been in recently, the hair and makeup teams recommend day-of lash extensions. I’ve always liked the resulting look, but by the end of the night I typically have pulled half of them out. (What can I say? I’m can’t help but pick.) I thought I would try something a little more permanent, so I’ve been testing out a few lash places in the Twin Cities. Before our engagement pictures I headed over to Extrados to give their synthetic lashes a try. They definitely made my eyes pop, but in order to keep the look of the lashes, you need to get a fill every few weeks, and that was not something that was in my budget or that I had time for. I’m heading back this week for another round of lashes, this time silk from Jett Makeup, to see if I like the look. I figure if I need to get these replenished before the wedding, it will only be one or two appointments . . . and if I don’t like the look, I can let them grow out before the wedding and there will be no problem. Again . . . time is of the essence.

The last little component of all this beauty prep is my hair. I’m not blessed with what you’d call thick hair, so I’ve been working with my guy at Denny Kemp to find a way to make my hair look as healthy and thick as possible. He gave me an at-home conditioning kit that I put on my hair once a week for about 10 minutes. Essentially it’s just a regular conditioner that I comb into my hair and leave on for awhile in the shower. I can’t say the results have been amazing, but I haven’t been great about keeping to a schedule. It’s something I plan to work on over the next few weeks.

What am I missing? Brides, do you have any other advice for tricks of the trade you’ve picked up? Please share them with us on our Facebook page or below! Thanks, and happy planning!