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If you have read my blog posts from when I first started the 28 Days “Before My Nails & I Showed Up for Our Wedding” and on the days after our wedding, you know that I am a natural bride. I love wearing beauty products that I can feel good about, and that are great quality. My husband and I were married at the lovely Barnagam Mountain Golf Course and Covered Bridge, so I wanted to make sure my natural manicure (while I was covering my wedding tresses in a veil) and gel nail polish matched the environment. I love classic beige or pink nail polish so I wanted to make a choice that was easy and subdued and matched the venue. Then the natural gel nail polish from the Boston Store looked great and was just what I was looking for!

With my Banyan Tree Bridal Extravaganza Wedding gown, my Bride ‘N Pine Men’s Army-Navy Satin Ribbon necklace and my Harper’s Bride and Groom Onyx Ring from Father and Son Jewelers, I picked out nail polish that complemented the delicate “Indian wedding” theme of my gown. The plus side of having a natural look is that you are not precluded from going the elaborate route with nail polish as you would with nail polish that has complex effects. I looked at about four or five gel nail polishes, all of which looked great, but in the end, what seemed like the best choice was a light pink gel polish that did not require a base coat.

At a place where I had seen lots of nail designs, I asked an employee if they had a good gel nail polish in pink. She brought out to me the Banyan Tree Shellac Pink Gel (in “Pearl”, “Coral” and “White Gold”) and asked if I wanted it or a little sample, as a lot of people did. I took a sample, bought it and it seemed to be a perfect match to the colors and theme of my wedding!

I’m so pleased with the results, as my nails now look natural, which I did not have with my own nail polish! You can still do all of the fancy things, but gel nail polish is also nice. I don’t have to worry about it being smudged, and I can be as detailed or subtle as I want to be! It was a big step for me to go natural and I’m pleased that it has become a staple!

Another thing I picked out when I went to get my dress and veil, was that the logo on my glove at the neckline was inspired by a pair of gloves I had seen at a reception the day before. I was stunned when I saw the fabric, as they were some beautiful but quite old gloves.

If you have looked through my wedding photos from last year, you will see some “bridesmaid” nails in which I used pale pink nail polish. I saw some other brides who were doing bridesmaids’ nails and asked one of the staff if they had any left. They brought out this gorgeous nail polish and I found it to be a nice way to give my bridesmaids nails a quick yet elegant manicure! I got to see it used on a bride who did them on her bridesmaids and it turned out so beautifully that I thought I’d share it here. You can buy it on Amazon.

Any other beauty products you would like to see me share?

The Banyan Tree Shellac Pink Gel (in “Pearl”, “Coral” and “White Gold”) is on sale on its own website and was $16.99, but on its special offer page it’s $14.99 for 1.5oz – a deal!! It also comes in a beautiful set of blue/black and white for $32.99!! You can see it in action on the side of my nails in this picture! This will certainly be on my list of next time – it is everything that I have been looking for in my manicures! You can get more details on this item from their website.

We all know how important and how nervous we get during the process of planning our wedding, so it’s only natural that when the wedding is approaching we get even more nervous.

There is this irrational fear in our mind that says something bad will happen to our wedding nail art if we don’t prepare it with all the care and perfection. Well, we have to bear with that. But even then, our wedding day nails will be the main center of attention at the wedding.

You need to look for the right manicure effects and to make sure that you can create any design or pattern without any problems. You should also focus on your hand and nail condition and know exactly how you want to look on your wedding day.

1. Choose the right designs.

The very first thing that you need to do before you start creating your wedding day manicure is to choose the right design. You need to take some photos of you and your bridesmaids, and also take photos of your feet. Maybe you already have a wedding inspiration Pinterest board? But if not, you need to set that up, because at the end of the day, you need to consider your looks in every single angle. Even though you probably won’t wear a bare foot in a wedding ceremony, your feet will be on the main center of attention during the wedding, so you want to be absolutely perfect in that regard.

After that, you should look at several weddings and various design trends you see on other people’s nails. And of course look through weddings and event related designs on the internet and all the relevant websites.

Finally, remember that your nail design has to have 3 features – it has to be beautiful, original, and it should also be unique, but at the same time should not be silly or random. If your design has multiple lines and it reminds you of something funny, it probably won’t work for you. Don’t go for unnecessary lines, just make your design perfectly perfect and unique.

2. Experiment

Even if you have prepared some amazing design, make sure that you tried it out a few times to make sure that it is perfectly crafted for you. Just nail that design and make sure it looks perfect, and that you like it. You may change your mind, of course, so you need to keep experimenting until you find the perfect look. You can even try some different effects on your wedding day, like using glitter, matte effect, etc.

3. Buy at least 2 or 3 different textures.

You probably know that the use of decorative top coats is a must for perfect wedding manicure. It gives the manicure that final sparkle and the depth of color you’re looking for. But do you know that the top coat isn’t even the most important element for the nails, but texture and variety are? You need to use different textures and tones, because they are equally important for the final look. You want your hand and your wedding manicure to look amazing and you don’t want to leave anything for the wedding photographer to make it perfect, so make sure you have enough patterns and textures to go around!

4. Know your nails and that there is nothing to worry about.

It doesn’t matter if you have the best wedding manicure ever – you will have perfect hands only if your nails are in a perfect shape. If you have a nail problem like onychosia, you need to stop procrastinating and have it treated as soon as possible. If you want to have the most beautiful hands on your wedding day, treat your hands with the utmost respect.

So, if you are always scratching your nails and are somehow experiencing some nerve problems, then you need to pay for the best possible professional help to treat your nail problems before they start to ruin your wedding manicure. Don’t put it off any longer, if you have damaged your nails you will have nothing but trouble and your manicure will look horrible. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve seen great manicures ruined because of poor nail care.

Finally, do you have sensitive hands? Don’t worry. Make sure that you are getting professional pedicures and dry skin treatments. Your hands can feel perfect on the day, and it will feel like you’re on a cruise. Of course, your hands need to be in a nice state – dry, clean, and moisturized, and then simply perfected with top quality nail treatments.

5. Get manicure the day before your wedding.

The final part of your preparation should be taking manicure the day before the wedding. To get the look you want on your wedding day, you need to make sure that you get a manicure that will last for a long time, including the entire honeymoon – like acrylics. They have the same color and the same look, but they will last for 14-21 days and if you wear them like that they won’t smudge and chip, and they are very easy to apply. Acrylics can be the perfect wedding manicure choice.

These were the top tips for a perfect wedding day manicure. Now you’re ready for your wedding! Don’t forget to take a few photos, make a checklist, write everything down, and then enjoy the wedding.