At DeVenir Bridal in Millburn (973-984-1159; www.devenirbridal.com), owner Gillian Moritz has started a new six-week program to give the bride the celebrity VIP treatment to achieve her best look for the wedding day. “The bride comes to us three months before the wedding,” says Moritz. “And we get her started with our group of experts. We send her to a dentist for tooth whitening—and we have had some brides invest in veneers and Invisalign as their own add-on to the package—and we send her to a personal trainer for six weeks of workouts, nutrition, and progress monitoring. We also provide skincare advice and products to get her skin glowing.”

Consider it getting the canvas ready for the artwork. As the bride works with her team of experts, DeVenir brings her in for trial hairstyle and makeup applications to find her best wedding-day look. “We also offer brides the new hot trends in brow sculpting and hair extensions, and we set up her appointment for wedding day makeup application, nails, and hairstyle.” As the pampered bride during those hectic six weeks before the wedding, this well-being and beauty program has proven to keep stress at bay and make that wedding day dream of radiance come true.

Many beauty salons offer pre-wedding beauty packages, but it’s these extra programs that make a bride feel special. Most women visit salons on a regular basis, but as The Bride, they want the full package. Their wedding day look depends on it.

“Most brides are so busy during the months before the wedding that they forget to take care of themselves,” says Lori Dunn, owner of Model Bride in Chatham (www.modelbride.com). “So we encourage them to come in as early as possible and start all the skincare and beauty processes that remove their anxiety,” says Dunn. “We spend two hours with the bride, interviewing her to see what she likes, what her wedding is like, how she wants to look. We start very naturally with the makeup and then slowly build to a more dramatic look to see what she’s comfortable with. When we reach the perfect look, we take pictures and notes so that we can duplicate it on the wedding day.” One big trend is hair extensions, and many brides want to practice with false eyelashes, as well as take home the skincare products to get used to them and maximize their effect during the months before the wedding. “What makes us unique is that we have veils, headpieces, and accessories right here in the salon, so we can try out the best design pieces to go with her chosen hairstyle,” says Dunn.

Clearly, the old-world advice of going to the beauty salon a few weeks in advance is outdated, since more brides want the special care of a team of experts in order to look stunning on the wedding day…as well as for all of those pre-wedding parties, showers, and the rehearsal dinner. What they learn they take with them on the honeymoon and onward into a very beautiful future.