There’s a lot that goes into event planning. Whether you’re recently engaged, an anticipating college grad, or you’re just excited to present your best self to the world, it’s easy to forget that our skincare and beauty routines can greatly affect how we look and feel when all eyes (and cameras) are on us.
As Morgantown’s favorite medical spa, Willow Med Spa has years of experience helping men and women across West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland get ready to make big memories.
Below we’ll discuss our 4 biggest tips and suggestions for building your wedding beauty timeline, including which treatments to get, how soon to start, and even a sample event prep plan.
The 4 Most Important Ways to Prepare for a Big Event from Your Aesthetician
1. Define your goals in advance—and start early.
You can’t get lip fillers two weeks before your wedding or special occasion. Certain treatments need time to heal and produce the results you’re looking for. For example, a HALO™️ Laser treatment works by triggering your body’s natural collagen-induction process, which can sometimes take multiple treatments over the course of several months for results to fully realize. (HALO™️ Laser is typically popular with mothers of the bride, but in order to be ready for the big day, you should start your treatment series 2 to 3 months early.)
The earlier you can start thinking about your goals and how you want to FEEL for your event, the sooner we can begin building your treatment plan and implementing a skin care regimen to help you get there.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING RESULTS OVER TIME
The best results we see come from those clients who come in routinely, doing “little bits” of treatments at a time. The end result can still be incredibly transformative, but it is a gradual process that builds results with a variety of treatments over time, allowing your skin to heal in a natural and healthy way
Furthermore, we will be careful to craft your event preparation timeline to ensure that you have time to heal and show off your peak results exactly when you want them. After all, you don’t want to have any signs of bruising, discomfort, or peeling on your big day! You’ll see this illustrated in our pre-wedding beauty plan below.
2. Define your budget.
Going into your initial consultation without an idea of how much you can spend may leave you feeling a bit overwhelmed and unsure of where to start. To give our clients an idea of how to budget for their treatments, we publish our pricing online.
You should also decide whether you would like to incorporate your medical aesthetics budget into your overall wedding budget, or if you would like to consider it a separate expense. After all, skin care is an investment; after you start receiving treatments and seeing results, you’re definitely going to want to keep the routine going long after the wedding and honeymoon!
3. Ask a lot of questions.
In order for your medical aesthetician to properly build your wedding beauty timeline, it’s important to have an initial consultation first, rather than jumping ahead to treatment. (Hint: That’s not to say that you can’t get treated the same day! )
Using a skincare analysis program called VISIA, we will assess the health, quality, and age of your skin. From there, we will discuss your goals and plan ahead for the coming weeks and months to help you achieve the most picture-perfect results within your timeline and budget.
In addition to preparing your budget, you should also think about any questions you might have beforehand. Common questions we get in consultations include: How many treatments do I need? Should I have my bridesmaids come in, too? (Spoiler alert: the answer is 1,000 times yes!) Can I get treated before my bachelorette party or bridal shower? What is the best time of year to get these treatments done? How can I maximize the results of my med spa treatments at home? I’ve read about a specific treatment… Am I a candidate?
We take the time to answer all of these questions and more, so you leave our office feeling confident about reaching your goals and looking gorgeous on your special day
4. Trust your provider.
Trusting your provider to not only deliver high-quality treatments, but build your wedding beauty timeline is essential in achieving the results you’re looking for.
They should have an expert knowledge of the treatments that will work the best to address your concerns. But beyond that, they should have a deep understanding of how multiple types of treatments can work together—and the timeline in which all of these treatments need to happen to leave you positively glowing ✨
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT AESTHETICIAN FOR YOUR NEEDS
There are a few things you should look for when it comes to finding the right aesthetician to help you prepare for your event.
- Technology. Does the med spa have the proper and most up-to-date equipment to treat your concerns in the least amount of time? Some older laser technologies can take up to 8 to 10 treatments to realize results, while new technology has allowed us to achieve those same results in as little as 1 to 3 treatments.
- Credentials. What licensing, education, and certifications does your aesthetician hold? In the aesthetics field, it’s very important to have trained professionals that know how to safely and properly handle the technology they’re using.
- Experience. Not only should your aesthetician be credentialed; they should be highly experienced in the nuanced and artful techniques of 2021. You don’t want anything to go wrong before your big event, so you should be looking for a provider that has performed not just tens, but hundreds (if not thousands) of the treatments you’re seeking.
- Listening Skills. None of what we just touched on really matters unless your provider has the ability to take their knowledge and capabilities and apply them to your wedding beauty timeline. You should always feel respected and heard at every appointment, and you should never leave a medical spa with unanswered questions!
A Quick Note About Med Spa Treatment Results
Before we move onto the types of med spa treatments to get before your wedding, it’s important to note that our ultimate goal with every client, especially before a big event, is not to change their appearance.
At Willow Med Spa, we have what we call a “midwest aesthetic.” In other words, we want you to look like yourself. Rather than changing your appearance or making you look like someone else, our goal is for you to feel youthful, rejuvenated, and refreshed. Our results are natural and subtle, so you won’t have to worry about looking like you “got work done.”
The Willow Med Spa Wedding Beauty Timeline: The Best Med Spa Treatments to Get Before Your Wedding or Other Special Occasion
The best bridal beauty plan combines a number of treatments and regimens to address all of your unique concerns within your timeline and budget. While most of our clients do not need everything in the below timeline, it’s important to understand how these treatments can co-exist together in one cohesive bridal beauty plan!
College grads: don’t forget, this “wedding” beauty timeline applies to you, too! Simply let your Willow provider know your timeline and goals to help us build the best aesthetic event prep timeline for your graduation ceremony or party.
✅ Skincare
Your bridal skincare routine starts at home. We’ll make sure you have everything you need to maintain your results in between appointments. After all, you don’t only brush your teeth once every 6 months at the dentist! The same is true for taking care of your skin.
- What it treats: skincare cleansing, maintenance, and healing
- Start: As soon as possible
- Finish: Continue after the wedding and beyond!
✅ SkinTyte
We’ve found many of our clients put in the hard work to lose weight before their wedding. However, some then struggle with the loose or sagging skin that remains after the weight is gone. SkinTyte uses a laser to heat the collagen deep underneath the surface of the skin, causing it to contract. This tightens the skin from below. This simple but gradual process helps some clients look years younger!
- What it treats: loose or sagging skin on the face, neck, arms, and abdomen
- How many you need: 4 to 6, each spaced 3 to 4 weeks apart
- Start: 10 months before
- Finish: 4 months before
Pro-Tip: Do unto your neck the same which you do to your face. Don’t skip this part of your skincare routine—especially for skin tightening—and let your neck give away your skin’s true age!
✅ CoolSculpting
While most people focus on their skincare routine before their wedding, it’s also important to keep in mind any of your body contouring goals! CoolSculpting is one of the best ways to smooth out any small pockets of fat you may have. You may even decide after a CoolSculpting series that you no longer need shapewear to smooth out the silhouette of your dress! This is especially popular with women who said yes to a strapless or backless dress; and for men who want to make sure their tailored suits and tuxedos help them look trim and fit!
- What it treats: Pockets of fat in the arms, back, abdomen, thighs, and buttocks
- How many you need: 1 to 3, with 60 days in between sessions
- Start: 6 months before
- Finish: 2 months before
✅ Halo Laser
If you’re looking to be truly ✨ glowing ✨ on your big day, the Halo laser is about to become your new best friend. Widely considered to be the best laser facial in the country, Halo uses two different wavelengths of energy to deliver rejuvenating, tightening results to both the outer and deeper layers of the skin.
- What it treats: acne scars, enlarged pores, fine lines & wrinkles
- How many you need: 1 to 3, each spaced 3 weeks apart
- Start: 2 to 3 months before
- Finish: 2 weeks before
✅ BBL Photofacial
While some think a BBL Photofacial is “laser rejuvenation,” BBL actually uses the power of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) to deliver energy into the skin. As this is one of our most popular treatments and produces beautiful results that have actually shown anti-aging gene expression; it’s no wonder it’s so popular among brides and grooms, college grads, and bridesmaids alike!
- What it treats: sun damage (red & brown spots), freckles, active acne
- How many you need: 4 to 6, each spaced 4 to 6 weeks apart
- Start: 1 year before
- Finish: 2 weeks before
✅ Botox
If you have expression lines that appear when you smile, frown, squint, or move your eyebrows, Botox is for you! Unlike what media outlets would have you believe, Botox allows you to maintain your natural, gorgeous facial expressions while simultaneously preventing the creation of wrinkles. Preventative Botox is popular for men and women as young as college age to help fight their skin’s natural aging process and prevent permanent wrinkles from forming. Honestly, the earlier you start, the less wrinkles you’ll have to worry about later.
- What it treats: crow’s feet, marionette lines, and forehead lines
- How many you need: every 6-8 months as needed (measured in “units”, which vary based on wrinkle length and depth)
- Start: 1 year+
- Finish: 2 weeks before
✅ Dermal Fillers
Hands down THE most popular med spa treatment in Morgantown is dermal fillers. Popular among college-age clients and older clients, dermal fillers can help contour, lift, and shape your face and lips to subtly enhance your natural features. They’re also incredibly effective at eliminating fine lines and wrinkles so your skin is completely smooth for pictures and makeup application! We carry a variety of different filler brands to help customize and tailor your injections to your specific skin type, age, and aesthetic goals.
- What it treats: contouring cheekbones, shaping & volumizing lips, smoothing wrinkles
- How many you need: every 4-6 months as needed (measured in “cc”’s, which vary based on volume needed)
- Start: 4 to 6 months before
- Finish: 2 weeks before
✅ Custom Facials & Chemical Peels
If you’re looking for a facial that’s a little less intense than a laser but with deeper effects than an aesthetician facial, Willow Med Spa offers both custom facials and chemical peels! These techniques are designed specifically for your skin tone, skin type, and concerns to ensure a proper exfoliation process and overall rejuvenating experience.
- What it treats: dry & dead skin, acne, dullness, skin texture, sun damage
- How many you need: 4 to 6 depending on your needs, each spaced 2 to 4 weeks apart
- Start:
Once you have improved your skin on a deeper level, it’s time to bring it back up to the surface to get your skin picture perfect before your wedding day!
✨ Brow Lamination & Tinting
If you’re not ready to commit to microblading, or just want to try something new, brow lamination can take your natural brows to a whole new level!
- What it treats: gaps in eyebrows, thinning brow hair
- How many you need: 1
- Finish: Up to 2 weeks before
✅ Haircut & Trim
We’re quite sure that your wedding hair and makeup timeline is a big question mark. How soon should you get a haircut before your wedding? The answer? It depends. Are you trying out a new style? We don’t recommend doing this up to 6 months before a big event. However, if you’re just looking for a trim or touch up, you’ll want to do this between 1 week and up to 4 days before your wedding.
- What it treats: split ends, layers, style
- How many you need: Varies depending on your hair growth & texture
- Start: 1 month before
- Finish: 4 to 7 days before
✅ HydraFacial MD
Considered by many to be the best facial to get before a wedding, HydraFacial MD is great for bridesmaids, brides, and mothers of the bride looking for that extra glow on the big day. It’s a three-step process that makes it PERFECT for clearing out dirt and debris from the skin and replacing it with hydrating and nourishing serums.
- What it treats: dull skin, acne, dirt & debris, enlarged pores
- How many you need: 1 or more as needed
- Start: As needed
- Finish: 2 to 3 days before
✅ OxyGeneo Facial
If you’re looking for a quick treatment with big results, the OxyGeneo Facial is about to be your new favorite. This process actually involves three treatments in one, which consists of exfoliation, cleansing, and “oxygenation” of the skin (bringing more oxygen closer to the surface of the skin). This can help instantly brighten and smooth your complexion with little to no downtime.
- What it treats: dullness, pigmentation irregularities, age spots, enlarged pores
- How many you need: 1 or more as needed
- Start: As needed
- Finish: 2 days before
✅ Eyelash Extensions
Eyelash extensions are super popular among brides, bridesmaids, and mothers who want to bring some additional attention to their already beautiful eyes. This treatment is quick and easy, but helps your eyes really pop on the big day!
- What it treats: thin or sparse eyelashes
- How many you need: 1 treatment with touch-ups every 3-4 weeks
- Start: 1 month before
- Finish: 1 to 2 days before
✅ DiamondGlow
At Willow Med Spa, we call the DiamondGlow the best pre-wedding facial. It’s targeted enough to resurface the skin and unclog pores but gentle enough to do up to one day before your wedding or special occasion! Our clients feel positively radiant and relaxed after a DiamondGlow facial, making it a great pre-wedding facial to get with your bridesmaids. Using this same technology, we can also treat keratosis pilaris—the dry patches and tiny bumps found on the arms, thighs, and cheeks.
- What it treats: acne, clogged pores, keratosis pilaris
- How many you need: 1+ as needed
- Finish: 1 day before
✅ DermaSweep & Dermaplaning
Our DermaSweep technique helps exfoliate the surface of the skin to remove dead skin cells, dirt, and debris. Along with dermaplaning to remove fine hairs or “peach fuzz,” these treatments are great add-ons to any facial and will help smooth the surface of the skin for smaller pores and reduced texture. This will make for a better makeup application and a more glowing and radiant complexion!
- What it treats: uneven skin texture, dry skin, large pores; peach fuzz
- How many you need: 1+ as needed
- Finish: 1 day before
Meet Willow Med Spa: Your Wedding Beauty Gurus
Our treatments are cutting edge and backed by the latest innovations and research. All of our providers are exceptionally well-trained and the best in the business. And we are committed to client satisfaction and stand behind all of our work.
Comprising Morgantown’s premier medical spa, the team at Willow Med Spa is trusted by men and women of all ages across the region to provide the most high quality treatments and deliver amazing results.
If you’re ready to get prepping, schedule a consultation with our staff to get matched with the right aesthetician for your needs. You can also use our Virtual Consultation Tool to discover which treatments may work best to address your concerns before your upcoming event.
