When you become engaged, what are the first things you start planning? Your dress, the location, the wedding venue, how many guests, the food… When are you supposed to starting thinking about your hair or your makeup? A Perfect Face Day Spa in West Ocean City encourages all brides to take a few minutes out of the hectic and crazy wedding planning process and relax.

There’s nothing that chases away anxiety like a short message, having your hair played with, or having someone show you how to make your eyes ‘really pop’ with new eye shadow. At A Perfect Face Day Spa, Carol Withers and her crew of talented beauty professionals can assist any bride with beauty decisions for her big day.

Withers, who was chosen as a leading woman during the 2011 Women Leaders campaign presented by The Dispatch, based on  business, philanthropy, health, and local involvement, the A Perfect Face owner was one of 45 women selected all year. When it comes to bridal parties, you can tell that Withers cares about the women that come in to get dolled up and really wants to see them leave her salon feeling upbeat and relaxed.

A Perfect Face recommends that brides book their hair and makeup appointments 2 – 3 months prior to their ceremony date. If getting wed during the busy months (May, June, September, or October), brides are encouraged to reserve a date even further in advance. Upon booking an appointment, a bride can sign a contract that reserves their day, keeps track of services needed, allows the staff to plan in advance, and verifies a set price. A Perfect Face has designed a number of packages that combine a selection of treatments for a special spa experience.

Roughly four weeks prior to the big day, the entire bridal party is welcome to come to the salon and participate in a trial run. Since they’ve been doing hair and makeup for 27 years, Withers and her staff want to make sure everything really is perfect; the trial run prepares everyone involved in the beautification process to know exactly what to expect before the day of the ceremony. Everyone in the bridal party should bring in photos, magazine clippings, pull up a Pinterest photos on their iPhone and show them to their stylists. The bride should bring her veil.

On the day of, the Perfect Face staff wants to completely pamper a bride and her friends from head to toe. A Perfect Face asks that all bridal parties arrive 15-20 minutes before their appointments to properly insure that everyone on the contracted schedule has arrived.

“Whenever a bride or bridal party comes in, we always recommend that they wear a button down shirt – just so no one messes up their hair when they’re trying to pull a shirt over their head when changing later,” offered Withers as a tip.

“Our hair designers like to do up-dos. Recently, the styles brides really like are all more modern or really romantic. Bridal trends change all the time. Brides have been bringing in photos of Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.”

Soft, natural hair styles, like those of Swift and Underwood, are the most flattering and comfortable way for brides to wear their hair. As long as you are using good products and finishing with a firm hold hair spray a soft up do is a great option. Products will help make it last through hot weather, wind, and a long night of dancing.

Don’t rely completely on hair products, though. Try to avoid washing your hair the morning of coming in to get your hair done. The natural oils in hair help set a hairstyle. Hair will stick better, with less hairspray, if the oils haven’t been recently washed out. Being seaside, the humidity can naturally destroy a set hairstyle. Hair that hasn’t been washed the morning of a hair appointment will already have been exposed to natural elements and won’t frizz up when getting married outside on the beach.

Hair designers can do so much with an up-do. The options are endless. The hair designers at A Perfect Face can weave stands of pearls into a hair do or style it to make it appear more natural and whimsical. Feathers, rhinestones, fascinators, anything can be added – it just all depends on what a bride really wants.

At A Perfect Face, brides may bring a bottle of champagne or wine, bagels, sandwiches; anything that will make them more comfortable to the salon. The staff will set up a small table and chairs in their parlor so bridal parties can enjoy their time at the spa together. The salon can accommodate six or seven people at one time. Three or four girls can be in the hair and makeup room, for a total of 12 girls at one time. All bridal guests will leave the spa with a special little gift – a goodie bag filled with a few samples of trusted products.

Bare Escentual products, marketed as pure natural mineral makeup from the Earth, are used at A Perfect Face. All Bare Escentual products are free of preservatives, talc, oil, fragrance, and other potential skin irritants. Withers spoke fondly of this brand of makeup saying that it provides adjustable, weightless coverage that will last all day long. During facials, the salon uses Eminence Skin Care products.

Don’t forget about your nails, they’re important, too. Wedding guests will be looking at your left hand, and the new diamond that will now call your ring finger home, all day long. French manicures, and even pedicures, are the most popular wedding looks on the shore. Shellac, the gel nail color that dries instantly and doesn’t chip or peel easily is a safe bet. No need to worry about bumping the wet polish or chipping on the day of. Your polish will even last into the honeymoon!

The seven hair designers are all professionally certified hair specialists, many of which are also certified by Redken, along with each and every make-up artist, all licensed estheticians, who will make any bridal party feel beautiful and any bride extremely excited about the way she looks on her wedding day.

“We hope that every bride has the best experience possible while they are at A Perfect Face,” said Withers.

A Perfect Face Day Spa is located at 12638 Ocean Gateway Village in West Ocean City, MD. For more information, visit their website or check out their Facebook page.

*Photos from Ask Cynthia blog.

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