Top 10 Bridal Beauty Tips

Today, Mr. Spoiled Pretty and I celebrate our third wedding anniversary. With our recent move and all of the craziness that's going on in our lives right now, we almost forgot. But after remembering, we booked reservations at Supper, an excellent restaurant in our new 'hood.

This year is particularly special, because we celebrate the occasion with our son. Though Westley isn't scheduled to make his grand entrance until August, he'll enjoy a delicious dinner.

In honor of my nuptials, I'm taking this opportunity to pass along some beauty knowledge to brides-to-be. Back in 2007, I stressed myself out something awful trying to make sure my makeup was perfection; I wish someone wiser had taken me under her wing and saved me some major frustration. So I'm hoping that this post will serve that purpose and help a new generation of brides vow to be beautiful on their wedding day.

Here are my top 10 tips:

1. Don't get too trendy with your makeup or hairstyle. You want to look like a knockout on your wedding day, but you should still look like you. Years from now, you don't want to look at your wedding photos and think, “Who is that?”

2. If you're planning a pre-wedding facial or similar treatment, make sure you schedule it at least a week before. The last thing you need to deal with is an allergic reaction or an extraction-happy esthetician that leaves your face a marked up mess days/hours before your nuptials.

3. If you can, hire someone to do your hair and makeup on your wedding day. I'm not doubting your abilities…you might be the second coming of Kevyn Aucoin, but having someone to help means that you'll have one (or two) less things to worry about on the day of. And it needn't cost a fortune, either. You don;t need to hire a celebrity makeup artist to look like supermodel. Find a local beauty school and ask if any of the students are available for special events. Or go to the mall and get a makeover at your favorite makeup counter. If the salesperson does a good job, ask him/her if she makes house calls. My longtime friend/mane man, Erik, did my hair at my parents' house…and then attended our wedding as a guest.

4. Whether you're paying someone to do your hair/makeup or you’re a DIY kind of bride, always do a trial run. And take photos – from different angles and in different lighting. You might love the reflection in the mirror, but the pictures might tell a different story. And better for you to figure out what works (and what doesn't) in the months/weeks leading up to your big day – when you actually have time and the means to fix problems.

5. Don't rush to remove your veil. If you decide to wear a veil on your wedding day, wear it for the entire day - from your walk down the aisle until the end of the reception. A veil is that one element that transforms you from a woman in a white dress into a bride. Looking back at my wedding photos, I wish I hadn't been in such a rush to take off my veil and show off my hair. I much prefer the photos of me wearing the veil; they have a much more romantic quality.

6. Invest in some waterproof mascara, even if you're not the emotional type. At some point, someone is going to make you cry and you'll be happy you dodged a Tammy Faye Baker bullet.

7. If your hair has behavioral issues, I would recommend not washing your hair on your wedding day. Freshly shampooed hair doesn't hold a style as well as second day hair. And if your hair has a serious case of ADD, invest in a can of Elnett.

8. If your skin is on the oily side and you're afraid of looking shiny in photos, make sure to have blot papers handy on your wedding day. Powder does cut down on shine, but it can also get cakey-looking and settle into lines. Blotting papers are a better bet. Or you can do like I do and just grab a bunch of Starbucks brown napkins next time you get a Frappuccino; those suckers work better than most blotting papers I've used – and when Starbucks charges you $4-5 for some coffee, milk and sugar, they owe you some damn napkins. So take a handful and put 'em in your purse.

9. Invest in good makeup primers to keep makeup from sliding off of your face. I'm partial to Laura Mercier Foundation Primer and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.

10. I wore Giorgio Armani Silk Lipstick topped with Armani Lip Shimmer on my wedding day (click here to find out what else I wore). I asked one of my bridesmaids to hold my gloss for me - but when I needed it for a mid-reception touch-up, she didn't know where it was. To this day, she still insists that I lost it. Um, as if! I would never misplace a brand new Armani lip gloss. Anyway...I digress. Though this was a minor snafu, I'm often reminded of my mistake when I look at my photos. My lips are almost the same color as my face, so in some of the pictures, my mouth kind of just disappears. It still irks me to this day. So do yourself a favor and use a lip stain (like CoverGirl Outlast Lipstains) before applying lipstick and/or lip gloss. And don't ask your flighty friends to hold nuthin'.