It’s July, one of the hottest months of the year no matter what you are doing—and also one of the hottest months for weddings! Summer weddings are very popular for a reason: it means that wearing a dress helps you stay cool while it’s hot outside and it means less risk of rain on your wedding day, making for awesome photos of your big day!
We know you want to look good on the day of your wedding—that goes for you if you’re the bride or one of her bridesmaids reading this. However, just because you have to look good doesn’t mean you should sacrifice your safety! Sun care is especially important this month, usually for outdoor weddings but even for indoor ones in the summer too—it can get stuffy and hot very easily indoors as well! With all this in mind, here are some handy sun care tips for your bridesmaids and the bride of the wedding.
Wear sunscreen
“What about my makeup?!” your mind may be screaming when you read this sub-headline—and for good reason. As handy as sunscreen is, it can feel very greasy to the touch and the last thing you want when you’re outside is to sweat it off and have to wipe off your makeup in the process! That’s why most women usually consider ditching the sunscreen…but, ladies, this is a very dangerous thing to do. For one, revoking the sunscreen means getting an unwanted tan on your body—the more bare skin that’s exposed, the redder the burns get! And let’s not forget to mention burns themselves. They hurt, and if left untreated your skin can develop melanoma (skin cancer) from the harmful UV rays. No thanks!
So, as unpleasant as it may feel, wear sunscreen. You can ask your makeup and hair assistant(s) at the wedding or ask for help to apply sunscreen from one of the members of your bridal party to get coverage on parts of your body you can’t reach (your back and shoulders are great examples, and they need that sunscreen for sure!). Pack it along with you in your emergency kit in case you need to reapply sunscreen as well as makeup (
check out our previous post for more details on the kit in question!).
A few other ways you can protect your face? Try wearing a foundation or even lipstick containing SPF (they’re hard to find, but they exist). Several beauty products arrive in the store this time of year for just that reason.
Consider wearing hats
If you’re getting married at the beach this summer, sun hats can not only protect you but also make you and your ladies look fabulous! Add a flower, ribbon, or other accessory to the hat that perhaps matches the colours of your bridesmaids’ dresses (or it matches the bridesmaid in question). Pair off the hats with some sandals for easy beach access, and maybe even add this season’s hottest nail polish colours to your toes and fingers to finish off the look for wedding photos.
Match your bridesmaid dresses with bathing suits
This tip is more for destination weddings, such as Mexico or Hawaii, but it’s still a valuable tip for brides and bridesmaids! The last thing you may want to find the day of the wedding is that you’ve developed an obvious burn or tan line on your body after wearing a bathing suit with straps. These and dress straps can really cause these to show up the most! If your dress is strapless, find a strapless bathing suit; if the dress has straps, then wear a bathing suit with straps that your dress can cover up. Simple as that.
If you’re concerned about your bridesmaid dresses looking exactly the same because of this tip…don’t be. Variety in bridesmaid dresses can actually make your wedding photos all the more memorable!
Accessorize with sunglasses
In addition to hats, sunglasses can help accessorize your dress and add a sense of coolness to wedding photos (in more ways than just one!). This is a great opportunity for your ladies to add a sense of flair and personality to their bridesmaid dresses too (so long as they don’t stand out compared to the bride! That’s a big no-no for weddings in general).
If you do choose either the hat or sunglasses as your summer accessory to stay cool during the wedding, either make sure everyone in the bridal party has one to wear, or not at all—it really doesn’t look good when only a few have them on, and then no one else does.
Stick to the shade
This may sound impossible depending on your location. Regardless, the sun doesn’t always shine in certain places! Try to stay under awnings and covered areas such as gazebos as often as possible.
Trees are our friends when it comes to staying cool outside, too. Even if it’s under a single palm tree, sticking to the shade as often as possible if you have to be outside for the wedding is better than being exposed for long periods of time. This will keep your sunscreen lasting and hopefully provide some relief from the heat (again, this depends on a few things such as the venue and the weather).
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
We can’t say this enough! Summer heat alone can make even the most beautiful bride look wilted once she walks down the aisle, especially if she doesn’t get enough water to drink. And yes, we mean water. Beverages such as coffee, pop, and alcohol can all cause dehydration. Alcohol in particular is dangerous to consume on hot days where there’s little to no shade available. It can make you feel dizzy and nauseous in addition to drunker than usual (we’re talking potential blackout drunk—that’s not a state you or the bride should be in before the reception and after party).
So, ladies, hydrate with water on the wedding day! Look out for each other and have some spare water bottles on hand. Make sure everyone including the bride and yourself isn’t getting thirsty.
Wear a cool wedding/bridesmaid dress
We’re talking cool in more ways than just style! Your wedding dress (if you’re the bride) or bridesmaid dress (if you’re a bridesmaid) should be very easy to move around in as well as made from cool, stretchy materials. This can ensure that even if you start sweating buckets while outdoors, the heat will be a result of the sun and temperature and not what you’re wearing.
That’s one reason why we love offering
convertible wrap dresses to brides and bridesmaids. If the wedding is outdoors, the materials our dresses are made of are usually very easy to move around in plus they’re made of bamboo spandex among other flexible materials, allowing your skin to breathe even when the temperatures are sky high.
With these tips on your side, we can guarantee your outdoor wedding will be a spectacular day! Let those wedding bells ring, have fun in the sun, and most importantly stay safe!
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