How To Follow Post Pandemic Bridal Beauty

In 1945 world war two finally ended. One of my grandmothers was married in the wedding boom that followed. She had one choice of ring (it was literally the last one in stock in Adelaide) and her wedding dress was made for her. Her mother arranged the wedding breakfast and that was the extent of her wedding preparations.

Things have changed considerably in the years since that day. Over time weddings in Australia have gotten bigger, featuring a larger party on the day and more detailed planning. Generally these days, the planning of a wedding takes a couple of years.
We are now experiencing the post covid-19 wedding boom, and we may also be experiencing a return to wedding simplicity, at least in the way that brides are wanting to be styled on their wedding day. The current trend is for natural beauty.

At the height of the covid-19 pandemic a lot of people across the world were in extended lock down and unable to get to the hair dresser. In these places a lot of the brides to be have decided to keep the length that their hair gained and have their hair styled in long natural waves for their wedding days.

And celebrity makeup artist Victor Henau, (harpers bazaar link) notes that brides are wanting lighter make up and a healthy glow from within, rather than traditional heavier make up.

There is an interesting difference between this modern simplicity and the simplicity of my grandmother’s wedding. The simplicity of her wedding was a product of the social time. There had not been time or energy to plan a large wedding. The focus was on the simple ceremony and moving on with life.

On the other hand our current return to simplicity is the result of a lot of thought and planning. Many couples have had longer than usual to consider what they want on their wedding day, so this preference for natural waves, natural eye brows and soft glowy natural make up is a well thought out conscious choice.

Henau comments “We spent a year and a half not only learning about who we are and what we want, but also learning a lot about the way we treat ourselves and our bodies.”

One of the big post lock down trends that I think is excellent is the emphasis on preparing skin to be naturally beautiful on the big day. When I was younger it seemed to me that it was clearasil for pimples and thick cream for wrinkles. Now we have ahas for skin resurfacing, vit c and retinol for cell turnover, bha s to help with clogged pores and so on. There is a state of the art solution for every skin problem and at a variety of price points.

If you want to improve your skin I recommend getting expert advice. Companies like Paula’s Choice and Software have good products, a good price point and they will recommend a regime for you, and there are companies such as Milie Organics who are making state of the art skin care right here in Tasmania.

A few months before my wedding I saw a skin expert. From my teens to my twenties I had had oily acne prone skin with black heads. I used the recommended products. My skin was perfect on my wedding day. I had nice skin for the first time since puberty. And it has been good ever since as I have continued to use a good skin care regime.

What is fantastic about emphasising skin care is it makes it easy for you to look naturally beautiful both on your wedding day and for years afterwards. And it builds fantastic confidence to have healthy glowing skin.

This is what ideal wedding preparation gives – the bride looks fantastic on the big day, but she has also gained skills that she will have for the rest of her life.
Good bridal preparation involves looking at skin care; at the colours that naturally flatter your skin tone (which you can then wear for the rest of your life); it includes considering who you are on the inside; and what you want to say about yourself with your clothes.

Planning your bridal look is about creating the story that you want to tell at your wedding. It must be centred in who you are and what you want to share with the world. It involves knowing yourself and what you like and how you like to treat and take care of your body. Doing these things will make you look and feel fabulous every time, both as a Bride and for the rest of your life.