Top 10 Tips for a Perfect Wedding Tan

You’ve planned every detail of your wedding day and you'll look back at your wedding day pictures for decades to come, so make sure you look like you. Here are our top 10 tips for the perfect wedding spray tan.

1. Book a trial! Why? Because no two tans are alike. What looks great on one person (or celebrity) may not be right for you. Professional tanning solutions are now so advanced that you can tailor your tan to not only match your skin tone, but your dress and hair colour too! If you're having a makeup trial, book your trial tan for the same time, so your makeup foundation can be matched to your tanned skin. Book your spray tan a month or so before your wedding and get the perfect tan for your special day. Invite your bridesmaids and make a party of it!

Green based tanning solutions are great for brides

2. Prepare your skin For best results, spend the week prior to your wedding moisturising your body using an oil-free moisturiser. The day before your spray tan, exfoliate with an oil-free body scrub and remove unwanted body hair by shaving or waxing. If you prefer waxing over shaving, do so 72 hours prior. While exfoliating, pay special attention to the knees, elbows, hands, feet and heels (synthetic exfoliating gloves will give you the best results). The better condition your skin is in, the better the tanning solution will absorb and the more flawless your tan will look. And PLEASE do not go in the sun and sunbathe right before your tan. It heats up your skin and the tan wont take to hot skin.

Prep your skin well for the flawless wedding tan

3. Paint your nails first You should definitely get your nails painted before you do your spray tan. The manicurist will be exfoliating your feet and legs, which could lighten or stirp the colour. Make sure your spray tan technician wipes your nails after your tan to protect your manicure and pedicure.

Have your mani and pedi done prior to your spray tan

4. Don’t get a tan, ask for a glow Never, ever be tempted to get a dark tan for your wedding day! Dark tans do not look good with beautiful white wedding dresses. For weddings, lighter is better, you really can't lighten it up too much before the big day. Make sure you ask your spray tan technician to give you a colour that has a golden glow. We suggest Colour Me Bronze green base 10% tanning solution for best results. Your guests will be making comments on how radiant and healthy you look, not how great your fake tan is.

Bridal tan by Honey Glow Mobile Spray Tanning

5. Lock in a date! Tanning solutions often take up to 24 hours to fully develop, so the best time to tan is two days prior to your wedding day. If you know the date, lock it in with your spray tan technician now so you don’t miss out. Also, if you happen to need any repairs to your tan, this will give you enough time.

6. Take photos of your trial tan After your trial, take a photo of yourself with your tan, and your dress on. This way you will see what your skin will look like in your wedding photos. If you have a ‘bad’ spray tan, you will be forever reminded of it, and it can be very difficult and costly to repair in photo shop. Tip: Take another photograph with your partner. If he/she has a much different skin tone to you, they may want to consider a tan also, or you may want to 'tone down' your colour.

Take a photo of yourself after your trial tan

7. Tan with your bridesmaids If you and your bridesmaids are all tanning for the wedding, why not book a tan party and tan at the same time! Although the tanning solution will look slightly different on each person, the colour will look consistent in photographs. Discounts apply to group bookings, so you can save money and have fun at the same time!

8. After your tan Avoid exercise, sport and activities that cause you to sweat or to get wet. Wear loose, dark clothing and don’t wear tight clothing, socks are a bra (these can cause marks on your skin before and after your tan). After tan sleepwear (such as the Bronzie and Tan Tee pictured below) are now available for purchase for people who like to sleep in their tan.

Tan Tee and Bronzie now available from Honey Glow

9. Pick the right tan technician for you! Do some research, find an experienced spray tan technician and ask family and friends for a referral. Check out their portfolio of work and if this is your first time getting a spray tan, we highly recommend doing a trial first. Unlike hair and makeup, you cannot just wash a spray tan off as it will be on your skin for 7 or more days.

10. Extending your tan during your honeymoon Gradual tanning moisturisers are a great way to extend your tan and keep it looking great on your honeymoon. Most brands have a tan extender in the same colour, so it’s best to use an extender in the same brand to keep the colour constant.