Wedding Planning and Self Care

Weddings are exciting, fun, emotional, and often stressful for the bride and groom to be. Besides general wedding plans and venue selection, the bride is also under a tremendous amount of pressure to look her absolute best on the wedding day. It can be difficult to find time for selfcare between choosing the perfect dress and hiring a makeup artist, so brides find themselves with breakouts and sometimes even stress related premature aging or weight gain. To avoid this, be sure to take time to relax, including spa days, massages, and meditation, but also to include the right skin care routines and treatments to keep yourself looking young, healthy, and refreshed on your wedding day. These are some tips to maintain a glowing complexion and a low level of stress before your big event.

Face and head massages

After a long work week, getting a massage is a classic method to unwind. While most people think about receiving full body massages, many of us actually carry a good deal of tension and stress in our face, neck, and head, which leads to headaches and sinus pressure. Relaxation and rejuvenation are both possible with face massages, as intense pressure in the facial muscles is released, reducing headaches and overall anxiety. In addition to contouring the face, lymphatic drainage facial massages have been said to make you look more youthful and refreshed, all of which are musts during the wedding.

Using Botox to reduce facial tension

While massages can be helpful for the face and body, Botox is the most popular method of reducing tension and muscle contractions, particularly in the face. Botox relaxes muscles when it is injected, and can be used both medically and cosmetically. Aside from treating headaches, it can also be used to treat TMJ, a condition characterized by constant jaw clenching and grinding of the teeth, both of which are often caused by stress. Botox is typically used as a treatment for chronic migraines, which will only add to the stress you're already under when planning your wedding. Botox relaxes the muscles around the head and neck, which in turn will assist in reducing headaches.

This medication can be injected for aesthetic purposes to reduce forehead wrinkles, frown lines and crow's feet caused by muscle contractions. Additionally, it offers a slimming effect on a person's jaw and lower face if injected into the masseter muscles.

Carbon peels and lasers

A facial can be extremely relaxing and beneficial for your skin, however, not all facials benefit your skin as much as you expect, and are usually more calming and relaxing than rejuvenating or hydrating. A carbon laser peel is a process in which your provider applies a carbon paste to the skin, which absorbs toxins from the pores. A laser is then used to zap off and evaporate the carbon and grime that has been lingering in the pores, rather than just rinsing the paste off, as you would at home. The aim of this treatment is to minimize pores while reducing oiliness. This combination makes the best skin for wedding photos. With acne-prone skin, it can also reduce breakouts.

High intensity laser resurfacing

You may want to consider a non-ablative laser resurfacing treatment two to three months before your wedding to achieve an even and smooth glow and a reduction of texture in the skin. Laser resurfacing stimulates the production of collagen and elastin in your skin by causing controlled damage to the superficial layers. It tightens your skin, shrinks your pores, and reduces wrinkles and fine lines. Before going this route, you should first consult with a board certified physician or dermatologist to make sure you are a candidate for the treatment. Treatments for tightening the skin with lasers can be used on the face, neck, and chest.

Radiofrequency fractional microneedling

A fractional microneedling procedure is similar to laser resurfacing, except that radiofrequency thermal damage is also applied to deeper layers of the skin, thus causing an additional effect. Whether you are suffering from acne scarring, beginning signs of aging, lines, wrinkles, or uneven skin texture, this treatment will encourage collagen production at deeper levels of your dermal layers, resulting in firmer and smoother skin. Impurities and unevenness in the skin's texture and tone will be reduced as a result. You can get 1 - 3 sessions before your wedding for glowing skin and amazing wedding photos.

Meditation and calming breathing exercises

In the event that wedding planning is taking up all of your time, you may be overwhelmed and stressed out. Meditate and do breathing exercises every day for 5 - 10 minutes to significantly decrease your stress levels and become more relaxed. In addition to helping you remain calm even during stressful times, this will help you stabilize your moods, and maybe even aid you in making decisions during such stressful times. Planning a great wedding is as important as having a peaceful mind.

Yoga and movement

Try something relaxing yet more brisk instead of meditating. With Vinyasa Yoga, you can do breathing exercises, move your body, and relax at the same time. This is a great way to get a good sweat in and strengthen your core, both of which will make you look and feel great, and may even help you develop those honeymoon abs.

Dermal filler under the eyes

Although meditation, yoga, and massage can help you rest and improve your quality of sleep, some of us are doomed regardless of how much sleep we get to get dark circles under our eyes. Those who have experienced this might be good candidates for an under eye filler. A wide variety of areas of the face and body can be filled with hyaluronic acid based dermal fillers, including under the eyes. Adding under eye filler to your face will brighten your face, make you appear younger and more alert, and give you an overall more refreshed look by replacing the volume below your eyes.

Cryotherapy

Believe it or not, shocking your body with cold temperatures can have profound effects on your mental, physical, and aesthetic wellbeing. Cryotherapy uses extremely cold temperatures to shock the body in a therapeutic way. A great way to reduce muscle tension, improve the quality of your skin and hair. Anxiety can also be reduced by taking a cold shower every day.

It is also possible to utilize cold temperatures for other purposes, such as eliminating fat permanently. In cryolipolysis, fat cells are frozen and permanently metabolized by the body after being treated with non-invasive medical devices. Medical spas and practices offer this treatment, which can be applied to remove small pockets of stubborn fat throughout your body. Cryolipolysis may be the perfect solution for you if you haven't had a chance to get rid of a double chin or that little belly pooch that you haven't been able to lose using natural means.

As you plan your wedding, it is important not to forget to take care of yourself. You, your health, and your emotional wellbeing should be your major priority. Wedding planning is fun and exciting, but it is a large project that demands a healthy mind. Hence, applying the above tips for stress release and a beauty regimen will not only make your wedding planning easier, but will also make you look and feel better on your wedding day.

Additionally, you should be aware that some of what is on this list may not apply to you or suit you, which is perfectly normal. Finding time for yourself even in stressful times is the key takeaway. If you are planning the perfect wedding, you should also ensure that you will feel relaxed and healthy on the big day. If you don't take care of yourself, you may find yourself stressed and anxious on the day you've been looking forward to, after many stressful months of planning.

Mind and body can be relaxed in many ways. No matter how busy our schedules are, we should never neglect our self-care. You can also learn more about ways to engage in selfcare and organize your life here.