The ultimate bridal beauty prep plan

Times

21 hours ago

There are a lot of things to consider before your wedding, not least how you would like to look when you tie the knot — and in the wedding photos that will be hanging about for years to come. But if you indulge in a few of the following treatments in the lead-up to your wedding it's pretty certain you'll be even more glowing and gorgeous than normal. These are also useful treatments for everyone in the bride's environs, whether that be the mother of the bride, the maid of honour or even a wedding guest who wants to look particularly captivating for the crush they haven't seen in years.
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Lymphatic drainage massage is a helpful way to combat puffiness, bloating and inflammation. Operating out of the cult beauty destination French Pharmacy, off Marylebone High Street, Rebecca Trévalinet offers traditional Brazilian lymphatic drainage massages. She also offers a unique technique, the Méthode Trévalinet, which she created with her mother, Emmanuelle, also a lymphatic drainage specialist. Both methods use firm sweeping and pumping motions to help stimulate your lymphatic system and tackle fluid build-up in areas like ankles and the stomach. The Méthode Trévalinet combines this technique with elements inspired by traditional Chinese medicine and acupressure for added benefit.
You can now also buy a chic dry brush designed by Trévalinet and Altesse Studio so you can keep up your lymph-draining practices between sessions.
Recommended treatment For best results a course of five consecutive weekly sessions, with the final session one day before the wedding. Effects can last up to 48 hours, although frequent visits can extend the length of these, Trévalinet says
Renata França massage from £150, Méthode Trévalinet from £180; to book email [e-mail]
LPG Endermologie is a body-sculpting technique using a machine fitted with rollers that glide over the skin in a sort of mechanical massage. The rollers grab and release and feel like suction, while the gliding motions are aided by the full-body leotard that clients wear, so that it massages without pinching the skin. This treatment has multiple functions, among them aiding in muscle toning and relaxation as well as settings that are designed specifically to tackle cellulite. It can also support your body's lymphatic flow, helping to drain areas with excess fluid retention. The machine has various settings, though most have medium to firm pressure. For many the tightening and toning results can be seen after only one session. A 2009 study for US's National Institutes for Health found that LPG treatments 'showed a significant circumference loss at every measured body site' in those who used it. The machine also has a setting for the face that uses small plastic prongs to create the same massaging effect, though this has a much lighter feel than the body technique.
Dr Galyna Selezneva has been one of London's most in-demand beauty specialists for over 20 years. This year Selezneva opened an outpost at the Lanesborough hotel, where, alongside her colleague Justyna Bartosiewicz, she offers LPG sessions alongside a host of other aesthetics treatments. Selezneva's clinic is also home to the latest machine from LPG — the Infinity, which has been fitted with an additional roller as well as more precise settings to produce even quicker sculpting results.
Recommended treatment 10 sessions 1-2 times per week, beginning 3 months before your wedding
60-minute treatment, £300; lanesboroughclubandspa.com
A session of Thermage FLX delivers patented radiofrequency energy and heat to the skin to help tackle crepiness and cellulite. The machine apparently works by heating the skin so that the water molecules separates from the existing collagen in the epidermis. This helps to encourage contraction, which can lead to skin tightening. This is an FDA-approved noninvasive treatment that should lead to gradually improvements over the course of six months, according to Montrose Clinics in Belgravia. The best part is there is little to no downtime, and you only need to visit once a year for the best results.
Recommended treatment 3-4 months before the wedding for most visible results
Treatment begins at £1,800; montroseclinics.com
A functional medicine practitioner with over 13 years of experience, Lelani Loubser is the person to see if you're serious about getting your nutrition in order ahead of your wedding. She's based at the HVN in Belgravia, where, as live streamed birdsong from the New Forest plays around you, you can learn from her about the best ways to support your body's health through food and lifestyle, rather than succumb to crash dieting fads. Loubser is a qualified nutritional therapist and naturopath with a special interest in women's health, and because of this her advice goes far beyond just 'eating less and working out more'. Instead she works with her clients to address root causes like gut issues using natural methods, with the aim that by the time your wedding rolls around you'll not only look great but feel great too.
Recommended treatment At least 3 months before wedding
Baseline four-week wellness programme, £999; the-hvn.com
No one wants tense muscles on their big day, and one of the best ways to tackle them is to work with your fascia. These are the network of connective tissues that surround and hold bones and muscles in place. Those who know how to work with fascia say they are able to help address years of chronic muscle aches and tension through fascial release. Practitioners say posture can also be improved via such work as injuries and a history of bad posture can cause fascia to adapt to the wrong positioning in your body and create longer-term restriction. Deodata Semionovaite offers fascial release during her Body Re-Alignment treatment at Rebase Recovery in Marylebone. The treatment feels like a deep tissue massage, but using fascial release and acupressure points to alleviate muscle tension. She reckons this technique can also release trauma that has been stored in the body and can have a positive effect on your nervous system overall. Her massages not only tackle muscle tightness, but may also be a useful tool to manage some of the intense emotions that big events like weddings can bring up in your body.
While Semionovaite also offers lymphatic drainage treatments, she says, 'I believe real transformation, the kind that brings out true radiance, comes from working through the body's fascia and addressing stored emotions. Brides often describe feeling not only physically lighter, but more confident and aligned, inside and out, after the treatment.'
Recommended treatment 3–6 sessions, ideally starting 1–3 months before the wedding
60-minute session £195; rebaserecovery.com
In just 30 minutes the Ultraclear laser can tackle everything from scarring and acne to melasma and wrinkles using its cold fibre laser technology. This new-gen laser uses a smaller, more targeted beam, which means distributing less heat than previous lasers and as a result can be less painful and irritating to the skin. Because it uses heat in a more controlled way it's suitable for a large variety of skin types. The laser only penetrates the top 15 per cent of your skin, meaning it is also a treatment with minimal downtime. It has been reported to have low levels of discomfort — Dr David Jack's Harley Street clinic gives it a rating of two out of five in terms of pain. The clinic says the result of the 3DMIRACL laser is a brightened and more even texture for your skin, which can be seen after just one session.
Recommended treatment 1 session 6 weeks before your wedding.
£900 per session; drdavidjack.com
For those who are wary of injectables and would rather stick to treatments that are noninvasive, the LipLase is an option. The treatment aims to bring more fullness to your lips by stimulating your natural collagen through heating the deeper layers of the skin with a laser. This triggers the body's natural healing response and can apparently deliver a plumper appearance. The laser's design means it can do this gently enough not to affect the surface layers of the lip, which should entail little to no downtime. Sessions last 45 minutes and the results are gradual, which can be a helpful guardrail. No one wants duck lips on their wedding day.
Recommended treatment 4 treatments 2-3 weeks apart. Final session at least 2 weeks before wedding
£300 per session; the-hvn.com
Natasha Clancy, the owner of Kichi Studio, offers a menu of targeted treatments that can address everything from redness to acne and wrinkles. Her BabyFace facial is the pre-event treatment of choice for celebrities from Sienna Miller to Lily James. Iris Law has counted it as one of her favourites. According to Clancy, BabyFace was one of the ways she helped to treat Law's acne scarring and strengthen the health of her skin over multiple sessions, though Clancy says you can expect a real glow and more even complexion from just one visit.
The LaseMD Ultra laser creates micro-channels in the skin that allow for better absorption of the custom-made serum, which is applied afterwards and includes blends of retinol, Vitamin C or tranexamic acid depending on your skin's needs. The treatment begins with a numbing cream application and then 20 minutes under an infrared LED light while the numbing kicks in, before the five-minute laser application. The treatment is suitable for all skin types and Clancy says the benefits can last up to eight weeks, so the glow can last you through the honeymoon as well.
Recommended treatment Optimal glow begins at day 10. 1-3 treatments before wedding recommended
£500 per session; kichi.studio
This pre-wedding treatment is recommended by the German dermatologist Dr Barbara Sturm's team as the final prep step before your big day. The 75-minute facial uses Dr Sturm's products, which focus on ingredients that combat inflammation including an enzyme cleanser, balancing toner and glow cream. It also involves the Star Face wand, a noninvasive device that fluctuates between heating and cooling the skin. This process is called 'thermal shock' and, according to the brand, can help with inflammation, blood flow stimulation and can support collagen and elastin production. The result is dewy, hydrated skin that will be a perfect base for your wedding make-up.
Recommended treatment Day before wedding
£375; en.drsturm.com
One of London's top hair specialists, Ricardo Vila Nova deals specifically in hair thickening from his studio on Harrods fifth floor. There the Portuguese trichologist, who has a background in biochemistry, focuses on scalp health in a salon setting, offering a bespoke approach for each of his clients. The process begins with an examination of the client's hair under a microscope, helping Vila Nova to scan the hair for proteins and learn whether the root cause of hair thinning may be hormonal or genetic. A detoxing scalp treatment using products formulated especially for the individual, time under the salon's steamer and its high-powered LTT laser (a more potent LED lamp) are all prescribed, before clients are sent off with a bouncy blowout and a bespoke shampoo and conditioner combination made to help them keep working on their growth from home. Vila Nova says that within four months clients should see the difference, with thicker and healthier hair.
Recommended treatment Minimum 4 months before wedding, 1 treatment per month
Initial hair scan begins at £185; ricardovilanova.com
Finding the perfect cut and colour for your hair on a normal day can feel like a hefty task, let alone the colour and cut that will live on (and on and on) in the photos from the wedding. To help achieve the perfect look, visit George Northwood. He is behind Alexa Chung's famed 'lob' and is a favourite of Poppy Delevingne and Gwyneth Paltrow. Brides can be sure they're in good hands knowing he was the stylist for Meghan Markle's evening hair on her wedding day. Northwood's approach to styling helps to create current, chic looks that also feel timeless. This means you won't have to worry that your haircut for your wedding will look out of date when you look at the photos in ten years' time.
Northwood's eponymous salon is also home to some of London's best colourists. For blonde brides looking for a natural tone, Martha Braintree is the person to see. She uses both foils and balayage to find the perfect shade for each of her clients and, should you so desire, adds these in such a way that they'll look good even as they grow out.
Recommended treatment 1 week
POA, georgenorthwood.com
Nails are an important element of your wedding look. How will you lift your veil, hold your bouquet or receive your wedding ring in a chic manner if your nails are not done with expert precision? For all your wedding manicure needs the person to see is Julia Diogo. Known as @paintedbyjools on Instagram, she has a following of over 88k, and has worked with Chanel, Dior and Soho House among other brands. She is known for her meticulous polish and cuticle work, and has a focus on natural nail health. Diogo uses a range of skin exfoliation and moisturising techniques during her treatments to help keep hands looking healthy and recommends a routine so you can support your hands and nails between manicures with her. She will also use polishes designed to strengthen weakened nails such as Essie's To The Rescue, while nursing damaged nails back to health.
Recommended treatment Weekly, beginning 3 months before wedding, for optimal nail strength
Manicures begin at £250; to book email [e-mail]