#BuroBrides: The ultimate wedding beauty timeline — how to prep for the big day by the month

Once you officially start planning your big day, you’re going to come to the sober realisation that there just isn’t enough time in the world.

Venues, dresses, cakes, dates, flowers, decorations, guest lists and beauty prep? In the midst of all of the overwhelming bridal stress, you’re guaranteed to forget a few details.

To make sure that no beauty stone goes unturned, we’ve put together a beauty checklist to get you looking positively bridal for your big day.

• Save the date: So, it may not be the final date you settle on (that’s up to your venue of choice and circumstance), but having at least a vague idea of when you’d like to tie the knot will help the planning process along.
• Book a wedding planner: It may be a year away but there is a lot to do. To alleviate a bit of the stress, offload some of the heavy lifting to a professional wedding planner—you’ll thank us later!
• Set the venue: If you’re wondering what this is doing in the beauty checklist, we guarantee that knowing where you’re having your wedding is imperative to your big day beauty look. You’ll have to know your venue to make sure your face is well-prepped for the occasion. Plus, flights and hotels are cheaper when booked in advance (if you’re planning a destination wedding).
• Save up: Weddings are expensive. Enough said.
• Think about your theme: If you’re dreaming of a fairytale themed wedding, it’s best not to kill the romantic vibes with a super edgy punk look. Deciding on a theme will keep everything cohesive.
• Research your dream dress (and jewellery): Like with the theme, knowing (at least roughly) what your dress silhouette and type of jewellery are will make your wedding planning a tad easier.
• Book hair and makeup*: If you’re getting married on a popular date, or are gunning for a particularly popular hair stylist or makeup artist, keep in mind that you will have a lot of competition for appointments. Book their slots ASAP. *This only applies if you’re super keen and have a very clear picture of what you want

• Put together your beauty moodboard: Now that you’ve locked your venue and theme down along with a rough idea of your wedding dress, have a think about your whole beauty ~lewk~. Create a moodboard, look at everything the royal family has ever done that you’d like to emulate, research some stylists that you think could make you feel your best and book yourself in for some consultation appointments! You’ll have a lot of other things on your plate so think of this as your ‘relaxation time’ activity.
• Eyelash extension trials: If you’re thinking of getting them done for the wedding, make sure you give them a trial run before so you know that you definitely like the results and so that you can find a studio that you trust.

• Book your bridal hairstylist and makeup artist: So, you’ve been around and tried a few stylists on for size, and you’ve found The One—Do. Not. Let. Them. Go. As your fiancé cuffed you, cuff your beauty squad too.
• Book your pre-wedding haircut and colour: Try to book for an appointment slot two weeks before your big day—this way if your hair colour and cut isn’t up to par with your expectations, you have a little leeway to fix it.
• Book your pre-wedding facial: Start booking your facial appointment date a month before the wedding. This may seem a little too pre-emptive, but this will mean that your skin looks its best in time for the wedding. Even a gentle facial can cause your skin to break out, thus doing it a month ahead gives your skin time to heal.

• Whiten your teeth: This one isn’t necessary, but should you want a particularly bright smile for your wedding day, now is the time to do it.
• Go for your facial: Also, definitely avoid using any new beauty products or trying out new treatments too close to the date—you want to avoid any surprise allergic reactions.

• Get your cut and colour: Two weeks is the sweet spot; your hair doesn’t grow out enough that your roots show on your big day, but if the haircut goes wrong, you have time to fix it. Remember: use your regular stylist (who you value and trust) to avoid unmitigated hair disasters.
• Score a bangin’ set of brows: Doing your brows two weeks before means that you have time to grow them out a little if they turn out botched. If they, however, turn out as planned, you can easily touch them up as and when. Again, use your regular brow stylist to avoid unwanted (and unfixable) surprises.
• Put your Emergency Bridal Beauty Kit together: Things can go wrong at any point, so it’s important to have a contingency plan.

• Prep your nails: This way, they won’t grow out before the big day and the chances of them breaking or chipping are lower as they are still fresh.
• Get waxed (if you want to): If you’d like to be smooth as a Barbie doll, this is the time to get waxed.
• Put your lashes on: Hopefully, you’ve given your eyelash extensions or lifts a go before and are returning to your regular salon. This is the right time to get them done to make sure they’re full and fluttery in time for your big day!

• Get your hair and Makeup done: It’s all coming together.
• Breathe: Remember that nothing is ever set in stone—don’t freak out if something doesn’t turn out according to plan. Go with the motions and don’t forget to enjoy your own wedding.
• Get Hitched!