Conditioning for a Beautiful Bride

Your wedding photographs will show you on your happiest day looking at your absolute peak. You don’t get any better than this, so think about maximising your impact both on camera and more importantly on your new husband.

Take a good long look at yourself - what needs improving? Stand in front of the mirror and make a list. Talk to your mum, sister, brother, your closest friends and your partner about what looks good (although partners are usually are too scared to be honest with you!). Think back in time and ask questions - did I look better with that hairstyle? Which clothes do I look best in? Think about when you and your partner met for the very first time. Did you look better then or do you look at your best now? What does he love about your image?

Hair

Does your present style suit you? Does your current colour accentuate your features? Is your hair in peak condition? Think about how long you have between now and the wedding day, is there time to make any length changes? Think about extensions if you want instant longer hair; consult a hairdresser to consider the best preparation that you can make. Start using treatments to encourage growth, thickness, and above all healthy hair.

Face

Do you look well? If you look tired, spotty, or stressed, consider taking a course of multivitamins; these can take up to 3 months before you can notice any improvement.

Look at your moisturiser, is it fulfilling your skins needs? Do some research into all the various brands that promise improvement, talk to friends, visit beauty counters to get samples. It can take quite a while finding the perfect product for your skin. The sooner you use the product best suited to you, the better you will look.           

Facial Hair

Does it need removing, or bleaching? Start to take care of this problem, now.  Regular treatments really do reduce the problem and will ensure that on the day, you won’t get an angry skin reaction. 

Eyebrows

Are they well shaped, or have you over-plucked them? Do you need to grow them back into a more natural shape? Surprisingly the ones you grew up with are usually the most balanced shape for your face, and often just need a little tidying up.

Eyes

Do you wear glasses? Glasses and wedding dresses are not ideal, but, how sad it would be to walk up the aisle and not be able to see everyone clearly. Have you considered contact lenses? It is far better to get used to wearing lenses well before the wedding.  Not only will you be more physically comfortable; you will also get used to the way you feel psychologically about not hiding behind glasses.

Have a chat with your optician -  you can even opt for one eye to read with, and one eye to see into the distance!

Teeth

Are your teeth in great condition? When was the last time you visited the dentist?

Start to use one of the many brightening toothpastes that are on the market today; it will help give you the whitest smile. Many people look uncomfortable in front of a camera, when they smile because of poor teeth. How sad, why not just accept it and deal with it instead! 

Chin

Are there two?! Chin-firming exercises are effective if practiced often enough, but can take quite a few weeks before there is any noticeable difference.

Moving on to your Body

Take a long look at yourself wearing underwear; are you happy and confident with your size? Check your weight; too much or too little? A sensible eating regime will help your overall look whatever your size. A balanced diet will make your skin glow, your hair glossy, and your nails flawless. It will also help eliminate all the toxins that build up when you abuse your system with convenience foods and booze.  Start drinking water: a glass in the morning, a glass when you get home.  Get into the habit of carrying a bottle with you to drink during the day. It is said that we should drink at least 8 glasses a day -  but by saying that, most of us feel that it is an unlikely goal and don’t drink any!  At least by doubling up what you drink already it will help improve your health and is attainable.  Don’t go mad though. Lifestyle improvements have to be made in bite-sized pieces - like the elephant you could not eat one all at once! Don’t consider huge changes in your appearance: remember that your partner loves you the way you are: in asking to seal your relationship by marriage, it is you as you are; in asking to marry you, it you as you are now that captured his heart. Many brides have become such slaves to losing weight that it drives their loved one into the arms of one less neurotic! Think of the girl that was loved for her cute button nose, and then had surgery to change it! We all love something quirky about each other; imagine if he straightened his lopsided grin? Simply enhancing your look by improving your health is all that is required, so that you are a truly glowing bride.

Don’t go changing, just look beautiful! 

Skin

Making your skin bloom does not happen overnight, it depends not only on what you put in your body but also what you apply to it. Look at your beauty regime: are you using skin products that suit your skin type? Getting into the habit of moisturising all over can really improve skin texture.  There are even body products that can help to contour your body, the massage effect of applying cream will effectively disperse trapped toxins and break up the fatty tissue that causes cellulite. Taking the time and effort to look after your skin reinforces your own positive attitude to maintain it, because you feel so much better.  When you see improvement it will spur you on to keep improving. It will also discourage you snacking on chocolate and crisps and encourage you to keep up your fluid intake.

Body Hair

Your legs and armpits are not the only hairy places that need to be kept neat and tidy. Indulge in an assessment of your most intimate parts and decide if a trim would keep things fresher and more beguiling. You could have it all waxed into a heart shape or even a landing strip (ha-ha) or go for complete removal a la Brazilian. Whatever you chose - be it something a bit different or merely enhanced with hair conditioner - if you have given the whole area a pamper, you will feel and look far sexier.

Hands

Are your nails healthy and nicely shaped, or are they bitten and ragged? Using hand cream regularly now will encourage healthy nails and soft hands.  A nail strengthener will take a few weeks before you see any change. Allow at least six weeks to level out uneven nails. Remember your hands will be on show far more now than ever before: as soon as you wear an engagement ring or wedding ring, everyone wants to look at it! Your hands will never again receive as much attention! Make sure that they look and feel the part.

Feet

A wry smile, I know, but your feet are just as important as every other part, there is nothing more unsexy than dry cracked heels and hard pads. Remember your feet are often viewed from a different angle to the one that you see!! Feet do not become beautiful overnight, a few weeks of gentle pumicing, and use of moisturiser will give you soft and pretty feet, especially if you grow your toenails into a neat polished square shape.

Start looking after your feet now and they will not let you down.

Posture

The way that you stand can make all the difference to how your clothes hang! If you spend six months walking tall, and holding your stomach in with your shoulders back, your muscles will take the form as a natural stance and you will look leaner, taller and better proportioned.

Wrapping It Up

I hope that this will make you consider all the little bits of your body that you neglect. In the fast world that we live in, it is all too easy to focus on one part of the body to be your “image champion” and everything else can get forgotten. Your wedding - and honeymoon, even if it’s just one night - deserves to be special, so be a goddess and the rest will be history!