The Ultimate Pre-Wedding Skin Care Routine | Cult Beauty (2025)

Last updated: 12/07/2024

Your special day is on the horizon and planning is well under way. You’ve found the perfect dress, your Pinterest is full of bridal hair and make up ideas, now all that’s left to do is ensure your skin is looking it’s very best for walking down the aisle.

Don’t know where to start? No worries, Cult Beauty has your complexion covered as we sit down with three industry experts to ensure you have all the best bridal skin care tips and tricks for your wedding day… Don't worry, you can thank us after your nuptials.

MEET THE EXPERTS

• Lucy Goff, the founder of LYMA
• Daniel Isaacs,Chief Product Officer and Founding Partner of Medik8
• Luke Henderson, Global Trainer for Sunday Riley

WHEN SHOULD YOU START YOUR PRE-WEDDING SKIN CARE PREP

“The earlier the better,” says Daniel. The ideal time to begin your wedding skin prep isn’t in the days or even weeks leading up to the big day. Oh no, it starts from up to six months prior. “Before any big event, you should avoid anything that attacks or inflames the skin,” adds Lucy. With time being a key factor of bridal skin care, any new formulas or tools being used not only need time to get working, but also to allow your complexion to acclimatise.

But if you’re already past the six-month countdown, don’t worry. “Skin care tools, such as The LYMA Laser, are ideal for bridal skin in the run up to the wedding day because there’s zero risk of damage. Using The LYMA Laser daily, ideally no less than three months before the big day, enables it to switch on the maximum number of cells, which in turn exponentially increases collagen production and empowers profound skin transformation. If you want to address established skin concerns – like fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation, sagging and scarring – the laser will do all that, given time and daily dedication,” explains Lucy.

WHAT PRE-WEDDING SKIN PREP SHOULD YOU CARRY OUT

LOOK AFTER YOUR GUT

We get it… prioritising gut health in the lead up to your wedding can be tricky – what with all the celebrating and overindulging during food tastings – but it’s important to remember that glowing skin starts with (you guessed it) your gut. Including pre and probiotic supplements into your diet helps to bring balance to your skin and boost a lit-from-within glow.

TREAT YOURSELF TO REGULAR FACIALS

“Everyone wants to be glowing on their big day and flawless skin is built through consistency over the preceding months (not a last-minute facial that causes a breakout). The best pre-wedding skin preparation would be to enjoy regular facials with a trusted skin expert and building on those results in-between appointments with the LYMA Laser,” says Lucy. “The LYMA Laser uses cold low-level laser technology that supercharges the energy centres of skin cells to increase collagen production, fade out pigmentation and banish wrinkles and dark circles,” Lucy adds. What’s more, this treasured tool can be used up until you walk down the aisle. Unlike thermal lasers, which typically surface blemishes before banishing them, the LYMA Laser comforts your complexion and acts as a brightening treatment, creating the ideal canvas for your wedding make up application. “It can be used anywhere, whether that’s while hand tying party favours or pouring over a complex seating chart. With no damage, zero heat and absolutely no downtime, the LYMA Laser is the ideal skin tech treatment for brides making their skin just one less thing to worry about,” states Lucy.

CLEANSE TWICE A DAY

Cleansers melt away the day’s dirt, make up and impurities to help prevent clogged pores, breakouts and blemishes. It’s important to cleanse both morning and evening so that you can prepare your skin for the products that will follow. As well as removing the daily debris in the evening, it's surprising how much bacteria builds on the skin while you snooze. With that in mind, face washing with a cleansing balm, gel or oil come sunrise is just as important.

INTRODUCE ACTIVES TO YOUR ROUTINE

“At Sunday Riley we believe in the power of three: AHA, retinol (or retinal) and vitamin C. These ingredients will prep the skin, improve fine lines and wrinkles, decrease redness, protect the skin from external stressors and create a healthy, dewy glow. What’s not to love?” says Luke.

AHAS

Introducing AHAs into your pre-wedding skin care prep helps to target pigmentation and acne, and keep blemishes at bay. To integrate the acid into your at-home routine, it’s essential to consider the strength you are using. Start with low-to-medium strength products (by this we mean formulas that include 1 to 10 percent AHAs) and then increase when needed. If you experience any kind of irritation, redness or flakiness after you begin using the product, it’s likely that the formula is too strong for your skin type and therefore you should stop using it. Three months from your wedding date is the best window of time for you to begin using a new AHA formula and assess how your skin is responding without fear of irritation on your big day. 

RETINAL & RETINOL

If tackling signs of ageing is a priority, introduce retinol or retinal into your regime and “allow for a minimum six-week phase-in period before the wedding to help your skin build up a tolerance, especially if you’re new to using retinal,” explains Daniel. As experts in vitamin A, Medik8 advises following the brand’s unique ladder of five progressive strengths for visible results that continue to improve over time. “It’s best to start low and go slow, climbing the retinal ladder for maximum benefits,” advises Daniel.

And, contrary to popular belief, there’s no need to stop using retinal in the lead up to your nuptials – if you phase in the component. Daniels recommended to “never skip applying SPF, as retinal can make your skin more sensitive to sun exposure. And if you’re undergoing professional treatments like pre-wedding peels that might sensitise your skin, we would recommend consulting a professional for expert guidance on combining treatments with retinal use.”

VITAMIN C

“If you haven’t already, we highly recommend adding in a vitamin C serum to your routine,” explains Luke. “Vitamin C, particularly THD Ascorbate, which features in Sunday Riley’s CEO range, has long term anti-redness effects, smooths fine lines and visually improves firmness.” He adds: “In the short term, vitamin C refines pores and reinforces your skin barrier for a skin smoothing glow. We recommend a three-step vitamin C routine of CEO Serum, CEO Glow and either CEO Afterglow or CEO Cream to ensure a dewy complexion and radiant skin on your big day.”

WHAT SKIN CARE ROUTINE SHOULD YOU CARRY OUT ON YOUR WEDDING DAY

For the brides that don’t have to endure a 4am start, Lucy suggests “giving yourself a mini facial for that newlywed glow. Simply spray six pumps of the LYMA Oxygen Mist to the face followed by six pumps of the LYMA Oxygen Glide, to flood skin with active stabilised oxygen. In slow, meditative movements, gently massage the LYMA Laser all over the face in upwards strokes as this will help lift the skin and carve out your contours. After 30 minutes you will look and feel like you've had an oxygen facial, safe in the knowledge that it won't affect your skin since you’ve been using the same technology for the past three months.”

And for those early risers, Luke recommends “sticking to a basic but hydrating routine to ensure your make up goes on smoothly without creasing or caking. Avoid using too many products pre make up application, but always apply sunscreen to protect your skin throughout the day. Let your sunscreen fully absorb before applying cosmetics, so that it doesn’t smudge while blending or buffing.”

So, there you have it, now, you have everything you need to prime your skin for the big day, it's time to get all the prep underway.