There's no denying there's a lot of pressure when it comes to getting married, and wanting to look 'perfect' in your white wedding dress.
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If you're heading down the aisle, you might be thinking of getting a tan before your big day; whether it's a spray tan, a manual tan, or even a DIY tan, we interviewed celebrity tanner extraordinaire Amanda Harrington about what her top tips are for the ultimate bridal day tan. "Every wedding I work on is a total pleasure… There's so much love and happiness and I could happily spend every weekend with a different bride, it really is amazing," she told us.
Handy tips for the perfect wedding day tan like Poppy Delevingne
Amanda started her career as a makeup and body artist, sculpting and transforming bodies by painting and contouring on film sets and editorial shoots. After 15 years of tanning experience and executing over 10,000 tans she decided to launch her own tanning empire.
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Scroll down to get all the best dos and don'ts of your wedding day tan…
DO have a trial run
"Always have a trial run. Never book a tanning treatment without giving it a go a month or so prior, you don’t want to wake up on the morning of the wedding to see the tan has gone orange!"
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DON'T tan the day before your wedding
"Have the tan 2-3 days before the wedding rather than the day before. Opt for a tanning treatment that isn’t done by spray gun as the product just sits on the top of the skin here with increases the chance of it transferring. This will allow the colour to settle down a little and look more like a natural glow."
DON'T try and persuade your other half to get a tan just to match yours
"A little glow never hurt anybody! Male or female. Saying that, I would never suggest a groom gets a tan purely to match up with the bride, you have to feel the best on your wedding day, and if that is with or without a tan for the groom, he should do what makes him feel the best."
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DO prep for your tan like an absolute pro
"Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! Perfect your canvas before you apply any colour as it will make your tan look more alive and not so flat. Remove any unwanted hair 24 hours before you tan and exfoliate 24-12 hours before."
Amanda Harrington: "Your brush is your friend here – don’t be scared."
DON'T DIY if you don't have to
"I would heavily suggest steering away from DIY tans before your wedding. You want to feel your absolute best on your wedding day, so I would put your trust into someone who is trained and knows what they’re doing."
DON’T be afraid of a brush technique tan
"Your brush is your friend here – don’t be scared. It’s your streak free saviour. With a brush you can get the tan into any nook and cranny. It blends the tan into the skin and it’s the best thing I’ve ever invented. I worked on film sets for many years and I always wanted to highlight and enhance the natural beauty of skin – not make it orange.
"You will have zero streaks with a brush. And the real plus point – you can contour a face and body with a brush. Why would you be scared of that? Another golden rule - if you can’t tone it 'tan it'. And if anyone offers you a spray tan or a mitt glove tan run a mile. It’s a streaky disaster for elbows and hands. Spray tans gave me asthma – the minute there’s an airgun I run for the hills. It’s bad news."
DO have a trial run with a test tan
"I’d say a month before just so you can see how it fades. Alternatively, trialling it before your hen do is a good way to ensure you have a glow for all things wedding!"
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DON'T panic over your hands - just pay extra attention
"Getting a streak-free finish on the hands is notoriously tricky. It was one of the many reasons why I introduced brushes into the 3 Step-Tanning Method, that and it just makes the whole finish all over look completely flawless."
Amanda Harrington London Body Set, £80, Amanda Harrington London
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DO be realistic with your natural colour
"[Some brides] go too dark for their natural skin tone which won’t compliment their dress the way it normally would."
DON'T feel nervous about getting naked in front of your tanner
"It’s all about personality here. I have to remember to think about my tone, my pitch, talking to them about the tan but also their life and getting to know them like a friend. I always start on the lower body so you don’t have face to face contact for a while, this makes them feel a lot more relaxed around you."
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DO think of timing when you're booking your pre-wedding tan
"The best time to book in for a tan is between 6pm – 8pm. This allows a couple of hours for your skin to lose that tacky sensation which a lot of sunless tans can give you."
DON'T forget your flip flops
"Flip flops are great, anything tight around the foot will cause patchiness on the ankle which is a tricky area anyway! Loose, dark clothing is the best for straight after you have applied fake tan, nothing that sticks to the skin."
DO remember: Everyone has the same concerns
"Brides-to-be don’t want the tan to look orange or unnatural. I tell them to use an Amanda Harrington London Face or Body Set! There is nothing orange about our tan, and it looks so wonderfully natural."
DON'T panic if you have a tanning failure
"It depends what the failure is! If they have some streaking, I would tell them to get a Glycolic face pad and gently go over the problem area, then 10 minutes later buff in a little bit more of the colour and it should even out the patchiness. If they are unhappy with the all over colour, I would tell them to get into the bath straight away and soak that skin. Then gently exfoliate and this should lift the top layer and soften the colour."
The DOs and DONTS of tanning your face
DO your waxing at least 24 Hours before tanning
"It’s crucial that you wax at least 24 hours prior to any sunless tanning – to ensure the skin has had time to calm and resumed normal pH levels. Skin redness calms down within that time frame."
DON’T use an acid straight after tanning
"Acid based products will lift DHA (the primary tanning ingredient) off the skin if you use it straight after tanning. Ideally, use any acid products beforehand. I love recommending my glycolic acid body scrub before you tan. It lifts the dead skin cells from the body preparing it.
"Also, never use retinol in conjunction with self tan – use it at least two days before."
DO tint your brows before you tan your face
"You need to be careful with some tanning brands when it comes to hairlines and brows. I spent years developing my brush technique and making sure you could literally sculpt the skin and hair areas almost like blusher. So you’re in control.
"The simple truth is ANY hairline you need to be careful with. The brush allows you to avoid the brow entirely so no more orange brows."
Amanda Harrington London Tonal Tan Drops (available in three skintones), £26, Amanda Harrington London
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DO tan TWO DAYS before an event day
"I always tan on a Thursday night if I have something on a Saturday. The reason being, I like the tan to develop a little and settle into the skin properly. You want your tan to look part of you.
"This time period gives you breathing space before an event too if you need to do a top up in any area. With two days you have the ultimate professional finish tan."
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