Bridal Beauty: Natalie Ferrari Of The Parlour Room On Her Wedding Day Beauty Prep

A wedding is the perfect excuse to splurge on your skin, but we get that it can be overwhelming. There are a lot of treatments and not a lot of time. That’s why Gritty Pretty introduced Bridal Beauty, a section dedicated to word-of-mouth bridal beauty tips from those in the know.

In this edition, we’re taking you behind the pre-wedding beauty routine of Natalie Papadopoulos—now known by her married name, Natalie Ferrari—who is the founder of Sydney beauty heaven The Parlour Room.

Natalie Ferrari wed her now husband, Andrea Ferrari, on March 27, 2021 at Vaucluse House in a Galia Lahav wedding gown. The party continued at Catalina Restaurant for the reception. “We were supposed to be married in Italy at La Foce villa in Tuscany as my partner is Italian, so we wanted to bring some of that luxe Mediterranean feel to the Sydney harbour,” explains Ferrari. “We wanted everything to feel very relaxed, unstaged, as if it was pulled directly from the gardens.”

As if Ferrari wasn’t already total #skingoals in terms of wedding beauty, she also told Gritty Pretty that she only had nine weeks to prepare her skin for her wedding! “We had to cancel our wedding in Italy twice, so it felt like I didn’t have a date to work towards. We only decided to get married in January which left me nine weeks to prepare properly for the big day, however some things I had started on a lot earlier.”

Here, she breaks down exactly what she did to get ready for her wedding day.

“I have always used skincare to look after my skin, however in the three months leading up to the wedding I definitely had a lot more treatments each week. Once a month I would have a Fire and Ice facial at Self By The Parlour Room, every fortnight I had a Signature Facial and every week I had an Omnilux facial. The week leading up to the wedding I booked a day with my bridal party and my mum to have massages, body scrubs and facials. My skincare regimen has always been pretty consistent so I didn’t change a lot with this, I was afraid to change too much in the short time beforehand as sometimes my skin can react to new products.”

“I was really strict in moisturising my skin twice a day leading up to the wedding and regularly exfoliating. I knew I would want to have a spray tan for the day to give me that subtle glow so I wanted to make sure my skin was the perfect base for this. Since opening Self last July one of my favourite treatments is the Vanilla Body Bliss. I love how soft my skin feels afterwards and I find the scrub process leaves me feeling so energetic and fresh afterwards. I had this once a month in the 3 months leading up to the wedding. I am pretty time poor however I really made it a priority before the wedding to take this time for me.”

“I see Tarryn at Mob Hair for my cut and colour. A few years ago I went from dark hair to blonde and it was a really big process. I cut my hair very short 2 year ago so I really wanted to grow it for the wedding, and I cannot tell you how much it did grow. I don’t know what kind of magic Tarryn has but I was able to continue to lighten up my hair and have it grow, whilst feeling incredibly healthy. I have been using the range of Olaplex products and find they have worked wonders on my hair.”

“On the day I had my dear friend Raymond Robinson style my hair. The brief was ‘as if I styled my hair and then ran through the fields of Tuscany so it was undone’ which he really nailed. LOL! I don’t really wear my hair up so I knew I wanted to have it out so I could feel like me.”

“I’ve previously struggled with chronic pain in my SIJ [sacroiliac joint] and hip, so for the last two years I have worked with Stacey and the girls at Fluidform Pilates to build up my strength. I just love it there so much, it’s my me- time and makes me feel strong, filled with energy and relaxed, all at the same time. I saw such a difference in the three months leading up to the wedding where I started to go four times a week and walked everyday, my entire shape changed.”

“On the weekend before the wedding I had my eyebrows styled and tinted, my lashes tinted and my waxing done. On the Monday I had a spa day at Self By The Parlour Room with my mum and bridesmaids where I had the Fire and Ice facial, a massage and the Vanilla Body Bliss. My tan was Techno Tan in Caramel and I had this two days prior to the wedding as I like it to settle in. The Thursday I had my nails done and on the Friday I had an Omnilux facial.”

“We woke up and did the Bridal Glow workout by The Pilate Class, followed by a walk down in Rushcutters Bay with a coffee to just get grounded and start the day right. Afterwards we came back, showered and moisturised and then the beauty prep began with hair and makeup. This took a few hours but we allowed this so we could relax and enjoy the process.”