Some good advice...
Recent Long Island brides share their first-hand experiences – the good, the bad and the ungainly – to help you avoid wedding day woes and garner more wows, instead.
DON’T get your hair and make-up done at a salon if you can avoid it. Have your stylist and make-up artist come to you. Deborah LoSardo of North Babylon was forced to negotiate the trip from the salon back to her home in the pouring rain. With her veil flapping in the wind, she pulled up to her house to see her mother weeping at the window. And even if the weather cooperates, time may not be on your side. “It was rush, rush, rush and no fun at all,” she says.
DO go for a trial makeup consultation a few weeks before your wedding. “When I got home from the salon,” says Mary Ellen Mato of Levittown, “my fiancée looked at me and was horrified. I don't wear that much makeup to begin with and I guess it was a little too much for him. He said I didn’t look like myself.” Mato suggests having a friend with you for the actual wedding day makeup application to bring an objective eye.
DON’T go for a massage right before your wedding day.“ A massage can leave you sore, release toxins and make you dehydrated,” says Jennifer Pizzariella of Farmingdale. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t aim for a few pre-nup stress-reducers. Pizzariella’s wedding eve relaxation routine was a 20-minute yoga session and a nice, quiet bath. “It’s good alone time before you’re about to see every important person in your and your fiancé’s lives.”
DO lose weight slowly, if that’s your goal, by eating healthy and working out. And if you’re going strapless, newlywed Lynn Blumenfeld of East Hampton recommends tricep toning for “anyone suffering from ’Aunt Mabel’s wave’ – the flabby stuff below your arms.”
DON’T assume anything is free. Karen Milne of Malverne found an extra charge on her photography bill for powder-applying services. So put a bridesmaid or family member in charge of touch-ups when it comes to picture taking time.
DO consider some kind of teeth whitening system, either whitening strips or professional treatment. You want to make sure your smile showcases a set of pearly whites. “I definitely recommend some sort of teeth whiting system,” says Jessica Iraci of Patchogue, “because I’ve seen brides with really nasty teeth and it ruins the pictures.”
DON’T lose weight after your last fitting or your dress won’t fit quite right. “This actually happened to me unintentionally,” says Pizzariella. From all the energy and stress, I lost about five pounds the week before my wedding. My dress was a bit big up top.”
DO tap into the talents of your inner circle. Jennifer Forte Cuomo of Mineola asked a friend who custom designs jewelry to create a necklace for the big day. The result? A twisted necklace of Swarovski crystals and pearls that was a perfect complement to her veil of crystals, seed pearls and rhinestones. “It was a really special touch,” says Cuomo. And one final DO – do wear water-proof mascara to protect yourself against those tears of joy.
DON'T take tanning lightly, cautions Robyn Levy of Long Beach, who had a bad experience with this. She says self-tanning left streaks, tanning salons left her burned and going natural left lines, “A huge problem since strapless dresses are a popular style now.”
DO be yourself. Mato says her fiancée loves her hair down and curly, so that’s how she wore it. “I didn’t want to wear it up in a twist or other up-do because that’s not me. I felt so comfortable with all my decisions and I think that showed throughout the day. I had the biggest smile on my face from when I said ’I do’ to when I put my head on the pillow that night. It was a great day!”
