For this week’s bridal blog post we are talking with Stephanie Walkiewicz about skin care routine and what steps to take to get that happy, glowing skin for your wedding day. She gives us the inside scoop to her favorite tips and tricks for glowing skin and how to better understand your skin type. She reminds us that the healthy glow we all are looking for takes time, love and care. I am so excited for you to learn from Stephanie and start your skincare journey today!
Meet Stephanie
Hi! I’m Stephanie Walkiewicz and I’m a traveling bridal makeup specialist and advanced licensed esthetician based in Strongsville, Ohio. (That’s near Cleveland, for you out of towners!) A big thank you to Ana for letting me come on here and share my love for brides and their skin! I’m passionate about helping women feel like the best version of themselves. It’s so easy for us to compare ourselves to one another, but instead let’s direct that energy toward showing ourselves love, acceptance and care. I hope by the end of this post you feel ready to dive into a plan to be glowing and radiant by your big day!
Healthy, Glowing Skin takes Time!
My first and most important piece of advice is to START EARLY. If you have big skin goals, months are needed, not weeks! If your budget and schedule allow you to work with a professional, I suggest you do so. Many people misdiagnose their skin type or condition and treat it in a way that actually harms it. If possible, start working with an esthetician a year in advance. You can work together to come up with a plan that will address your skin concerns with a combination of professional treatments and a homecare routine.
Treatments AND a routine? Isn’t it my esthetician’s job to make my skin look great!? Sorry friend! Just like your trainer they can’t do your workouts for you, your skincare professional can’t get you glowing without your help.
An example of a starter routine would be cleansing and moisturizing twice a day and wearing a SPF of at least 30. This is a great first step and if you can manage to do this faithfully, you should be proud of yourself! Add an exfoliant 2-3 times a week if you have the cleanser, moisturizer and SPF down to a routine. Other products that can be added for specific benefits are antioxidant serums, acne products and toners. Whatever you do, it’s important that you do it consistently. Sticking to a minimal routine will give you better results than throwing on a fancy serum a couple times a week when you remember.
Stephanie’s Top Tips to getting that Wedding Day Glow
There are many professional treatments that can help you get your best skin ever. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Facials: Good basic treatment to start with! Most estheticians include a consultation with their facial, so it’s a good way to get started. It also will typically include extractions (yuck but necessary) and a relaxing massage!
- Peels: A chemical peel is a powerful way to address acne, scarring, dark spots, aging and more. I prefer a series of gentle peels to minimize downtime.
- LED Light Therapy: LED can do everything from stimulate collagen production, reduce inflammation, kill acne bacteria, reduce pigmentation and give a healthy glow. It’s often added onto another treatment.
- Checking Your Diet: There are many food products known to aggravate acne, such as dairy, shellfish, peanut butter, and soy just to name a few. You’ll also want to make sure you’re getting lots of antioxidants for a healthy glow! My favorite ones are leafy greens, dark berries and sweet potatoes. Real food is best, but a supplement can be used as well.
Remember, the best version of YOUR skin is different than the best version of someone else’s skin! Glass skin isn’t real, breakouts happen to everyone and every human has visible pores. Be kind to yourself, start early and take consistently outstanding care of yourself! You’re going to be beautiful!
** Special offer for YOU: Schedule a free consultation, in person or virtual! (Normal fee is $50) To schedule, please contact me HERE and state that you saw the special offer from this featured blog post with Ana Maria Photography. **
Thank you Stephanie for sharing these tips!! You sure know that we will all be implementing this and sharing this with all future brides! If you are needing a local makeup artist or tips for glowing skin, head here to connect with Stephanie!
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January 11, 2021
This week we are continuing the bridal series with Nicole of Sirpilla Soirees, talking about the importance of wedding planners. Nicole walks us through her personal experience and how she helps brides feel confident for their big day! This is a post to save! Nicole and her team has a surprise for you!
Meet Nicole and her team
At Sirpilla Soirees our mission is to make the planning of your best day ever uniquely beautiful, stress free, joyful, and collaborative. My name is Nicole and I am a certified wedding planner based in Canton, Ohio! My love for wedding planning come from one of my favorite movies, ‘The Wedding Planner.’ From the first time I saw it, I knew I was meant’ to help brides plan their big day!
The Cannons Photography 
Your Wedding Day with Nicole
What if I told you that planning your dream wedding doesn’t have to be as overwhelming and stress-inducing as you probably think it is? The road to your wedding day should be something you look forward to, not something you dread! Here are a few ways I personally help my brides through the full wedding experience.
- Wedding planning checklist: With each bride, I walk them through the full wedding day and what details to focus on. My personal checklist will help you stay on track and take the stress away.
- Vendor meetings: This is one of my favorite parts of my experience. I love going to the meetings with my brides and offer them my personal perspective and professional touch. I will walk through the full experience, I mean it.
- Wedding day setup and teardown: My team and I will take care of all the details on the day of your wedding. From the ceremony and reception space, we got it covered. All you have to worry about is celebrating with your family and friends.
At the end of the day, I will serve as a mediator between you and the vendors, a confidant to talk about anything everything wedding, and help make your vision come to life. The rewarding feeling of knowing I helped give my couples a perfect, unforgettable day of celebrating their new life together is incomparable. I love celebrating my couples and reminding them that this is an exciting season and should be fun! Below is a link to the mini planning guide to help you out!
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November 20, 2020
When it comes to wedding planning, most brides let their wedding hair plans fall at the end of the list. Throughout the stress of details and booking vendors, your body is not only taking the toll, but your hair is! Why is it so important to take the time to care for your hair during wedding planning? Healthy Wedding hair is one detail that will help elevate your images and lead to you having that “wedding glow” on your wedding day! Who doesn’t want that extra shine and bounce, and confidence on their wedding day!
I am so excited to bring back the wedding planning series with an amazing list of vendors. For the first week back, we are talking with Shelby Hance, an independent hair stylist at Brush Studios. She shares all her hair tips for brides and how to get that timeless bridal look. This is a jam packed blog post and I am so excited for all of you to learn from Shelby and the secrets of healthy wedding hair!
Meet Shelby and her bridal hair experience
Hi there brides! My name is Shelby Hance. I am an Independent hair stylist at Brush Hair Studio in Fairlawn, Ohio. Along with working in the salon, I also enjoy traveling throughout Northeast Ohio for wedding parties, and styled photo shoots. What I love most about my job is making women look and feel their natural, beautiful self.
My bridal hair experience always begins with a Bridal Agreement. This allows me to receive full details of their vision and what they are wanting for their wedding day.
Alongside the bridal agreement, one other thing I love about doing weddings is going on-site. I love seeing the beautiful venue and celebrating with the bridal party. On site bridal services truly allow the bride to feel so much more at ease, and more comfortable throughout their day.
Photography by Tori Maloney 
Photography by Tori Maloney
How to get that Healthy Wedding Day Hair and Timeless Bridal Look
The key to a timeless bridal look is happy healthy hair! I canʼt stress this enough. Here are a few things you can do to get your hair wedding day ready:
- Regular trims to upkeep split ends
- Be sure to know what bridal style you prefer incase your cut requires layers
- Plan hair color goals appropriately to line up with your wedding date. Allow for multiple sessions to get you to your desired hair-color. (This is crucial to maintain healthy hair!)
- Use scrunchies or loose hair bands to prevent breakage, and sleep on a silk pillowcase. This helps prevent knots while sleeping. (Coil Hair ties are the best and I highly recommend them!)
Finding the Perfect Hair Stylist for Your Wedding Day
What is the perfect hair without the perfect stylist? Where to begin? First I advise you to ask your personal stylist first. This ensures that they know your style preferences, personality, and not to mention the relationship that is already established. In case your stylist does not do weddings, Instagram and The Knot are two great resources! You can always search through hashtags or places, and youʼll get to see stylists work right from your phone.
After finding a few stylists you like, I highly recommend booking a trial appointment. This will give you the opportunity to see if their personality and performance is a good fit for you! Lastly, the power of referral is huge! If you’ve been in a bridal party in the past or know someone who just got married, take note of who they worked with. Connections really do matter in the world of weddings, so always be on the lookout!
Thank you Shelby for sharing these tips!! You sure know that we will all be implementing this and sharing this with all future brides! If you are needing a local hair stylist for your wedding day, you can learn more about Shelby here.
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