This post was created in partnership with Skin Pharm. All opinions are my own and thank you for supporting me as I support local businesses in Atlanta! All wedding photos are by @mintforeverphotography.
We just got our wedding pictures back and I am so so excited! One of my favorite parts about getting married was looking and feeling my best. There’s something so exciting about doing allllll the self-care with an amazing excuse of having 150 of your closest friends and family come to see you…with pictures that will last forever to boot.
There’s a little bit of pressure associated with wedding prep these days (if I got one more question about my plan for my wedding diet..), but I chose to make wedding beauty prep fun. Focusing on looking my best was the perfect stress relief for wedding planning and the best boost for my self esteem. Plus, a lot of what I did turned into long term regimes that I will continue with. Y’all know I love to share local Atlanta businesses & I truly believe in supporting local in our community- especially when I get to work with women! Read on for all the amazing people at the local and women-owned businesses I worked with to look my best on the big day.
“Wedding Beauty Wednesday”
The Wednesday before the wedding was my big “beauty day”. I scheduled all my last-minute appointments for that single day before the wedding, followed by a massage and spray tan on Thursday morning. Three days before was the perfect amount of time, giving me Thursday to relax and Friday to focus on my rehearsal dinner and hanging out with friends and family!
On Wednesday I did the works- a full foil, mani/pedi with my mom and friends, and last but not last, my final appointment with Kathyrn at Skin Pharm. Prepping for the wedding was kind of like prepping for the prom, on steroids. As someone who was a diehard fan of any early 2000 teen makeover movie, my wedding felt like my “Princess Diaries” moment. My wedding Wednesday was my big reveal (minus the spray tan!).
Skin- the Most Important Pre Wedding Prep
My skin was my #1 focus for the wedding. I have always had difficult skin- I had bad breakouts as a teenager, greasy skin through college, and now in my 20s it has become drier, sensitive (everything, even being slightly stressed or frangence gives me a big, blotchy rash these days), with the occasional spot and the new appearance of fine lines. I had this huge fear of waking up the week before my wedding and being puffy, breaking out, and looking exhausted for the big day.
The best thing I did for myself for the wedding was go to Kathyrn Seeger at SkinPharm in Buckhead. She set me up with new skincare products, facials, and we made a long-term plan for my skin success leading up to the wedding date. Between my new skincare and all of the treatments I got there, I knew there was no way I was going to look puffy, tired, or have angry breakout skin.
I went to Kathryn ~ every month consistently leading up to the wedding, and can’t believe the difference in my skin texture, face shape, and appearance. In the past year and a half, she has made my skin clear, smooth, contoured, and completely set up to age gracefully with the introduction of better skincare like retinol and SPF. I can’t even believe how confident I am without makeup now- it’s unbelievable! See above for my before & after photos!
Are you a new bride? Kathryn is giving 10% off brides-to-be right now! Just give her my name (there’s no referral $ or anything for me- Kathryn was just feeling super generous!).
My Skin Pharm Treatment Schedule
Here’s my schedule the months before my wedding (10/15). You can read about all the treatments on Skin Pharm’s website here.
- 6/7: gold infusion + dysport to upper face
- 8/19: gold infusion + undereye filler + lip filler
- 9/23: dysport to upper face + jawline filler to chin/chin shadows
- 10/12: pre wedding gold infusion
Gold Infusion
The Gold Infusion was hands down the favorite treatment that I got at Skin Pharm. I was glowing after- I couldn’t believe my eyes! This facial is specifically made to make you glow before a big event- and it stimulates collagen production, refines skin texture, tightens pores and hydrates skin.
I got it almost every time I went to Kathryn, just because I loved how it made me look! It’s suitable for all skin types and colors, including thin and sensitive (great news for my sensitive skin).
Dysport
Dysport was my ‘request’ when I went to see Kathryn because I could tell my forehead wrinkles were starting to return after years of getting them treated- I actually used to get Botox in college for my migraines which eliminated them, so having them return bothered me even more than usual. I have vivid memories of botox being super painful (probably partially because I was getting it for migraines) but Kathyrn made it soo easy! Plus, I didn’t have any scarring or bruising which was a big issue for me in the past.
Filler
Filler was something I wasn’t too sure about (I tend to be a ‘less is more’ maintenance kind of girl) but I am now officially a believer. I had my lips, under eyes, and chin done and for the first time in my life I am no longer self conscious about my dark circles and I am just in awe of my jaw line. Plus, my lipstick looked so good on the big day! This was that ‘something extra’ for me that made a huge difference for me in my photos and gave me that big ‘after’ effect that I was looking for with my wedding!
Other Beauty Wedding Prep
Workout Routine
I didn’t try to lose weight for the wedding, but I did try to tone up, especially with my arms. Most of my workout routine was focused on stress management, rather than weight loss, which was the perfect approach for me. I workout at Rukus Cycling on the Beltline and the classes were the perfect way to get out my pent up stress after a long day.
Hair
I chose to grow out my hair for the wedding, and honestly it was my biggest regret. I love my current long bob- the post honeymoon chop was cathartic!- and wish I had just gone with it for the big day, especially since my hair was up! Oh well, it looked good on the day of.
I get my current color from The Blonde Brigade in Little 5 Points and even my hairstylist on the wedding day couldn’t believe how good my foil looked. I had my final color the Wednesday before the wedding and my hair looked amazing on the day and through the honeymoon. Now I go every few eight weeks to touch up roots like usual (and continue to get it trimmed, yay!).
Nails
I’m a gel mani girlie all the way and go every two weeks- so I went with my favorite, a gel French mani, for the wedding. I did a classic French manicure for my hands & red toes (OPI Cajun Shrimp) for my feet since no one would see them! I go to Midtown at Bellagio Nails, which was perfect because it was right near our hotel for the wedding. My nails lasted all through the honeymoon and I liked going with something timelessfor such a classic wedding.
Spray Tan
I got my spray tan at Raw Bronzing Studio in Inman Park and they did a fantastic job! It’s actually right near Rukus by the Beltline, so it was super easy to get to. I did a spray tan trial right before my makeup trail (timed the same days apart as the real day would be) and it was so nice to get a true feeling of how everything would turn out. The spray tan lasted all through the honeymoon and was super even, because it’s hand sprayed at Raw, which makes a huge difference in quality.