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 Gritty Pretty‘s very own creative director Morgan Tait Timberlake (née Tait), who was married to her longtime partner Steve Timberlake by none other than our founder and editor-in-chief, Eleanor Pendleton, at Ataahua Garden Venue in New Zealand earlier this year.

From the undone yet sophisticated hair, to her divine gown designed by Australian couture label Pallas Couture, trust us—you’ll immediately want to save these images on your Pinterest (or hit ‘follow’ on Morgan’s wedding board).

MY WEDDING-SKIN PREP…

“I already go to semi-regular facials with friend and skin therapist Jocelyn Petroni, so we sat down and created a regimen which included both in-salon treatments and an at-home routine. The team at Jocelyn Petroni booked me in for a Heart Chakra facial every six weeks, and starting from eight weeks out from the wedding, we started a combination of peels and Omnilux light therapy treatments.

I saw the biggest difference in my skin when I started cleansing twice morning and night – big game changer! I also made sure to exfoliate at home twice a week, and sleep with a hydrating oil once a week instead of my nightly moisturiser.

I was really nervous about flying over to New Zealand because my skin reacts badly when I fly, so the second I was on the flight, I took off my makeup with Bioderma and applied a thick moisturiser. The night before the big day, I also did a face mask with my girlfriends over a wine (or two).”

MY SKINCARE REGIME…

“My skin really needs active ingredients to look its best—I find that it doesn’t really react to anything too natural. The Ultraceuticals range, which I discovered through Gritty Pretty, works really well for my skin type — I swear by it!

For morning and night my routine was quite similar. First, I double cleansed with the Ultraceuticals MD Brightening Foaming Cleanser and then apply my serum—for the day, it was the Ultraceuticals MD Ultra Brightening Serum, and at night, I would apply the Ultimate A Refining Serum.

At both morning and night I would follow with the Ultraceuticals Ultra Rich Moisturiser Cream. For eye cream, I loved the Sodashi Samadara Eye Creme and when I would run out of it, I used the Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Creme, which Gritty Pretty’s Eleanor Pendleton swears by due to its light-reflecting pigments.”

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I WOULD CHANGE…

“If I could do it all over, I would definitely try to drink more water and less alcohol. I was aiming to stick to this goal, but I was travelling right before the wedding and it definitely went out the window, despite best intentions!

In terms of the wedding itself, I would be more organised from the very start. Unfortunately, I left a few things to the last minute because I was so focussed on work, which made the final planning very stressful when it didn’t need to be! So, I’d definitely advise to start planning earlier rather than later—you can never be too organised.”

MY WEDDING INSPIRATION…

“I wanted to keep our wedding really classic and clean—lots of whites, perspex and greenery. With our venue being in New Zealand, it was already so incredibly lush and green I didn’t want to take away from it too much.

For me, I found that Pinterest, was the best place for wedding inspiration. My board is overloaded with white, black and green!”

MY MAKEUP ARTIST…

“My makeup artist Olivia Wildley was highly recommended by two of my good friends Kat Moses and Jamie Ridge. Olivia was divine, she knew that I wanted to have more fun with my makeup but I didn’t want a ‘cakey’ finish.

We did really natural coverage on my skin with a mix of Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier products, then going in a little heavier on the eye. Who doesn’t love a brown smokey eye? I only touched up twice during the night with Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder and my all-time favourite highlighter, the CHANEL Baume Essentiel in Transparent.”

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MY HAIR STYLIST…

“Gosh, I was actually so unorganised for my hair. I knew that I wanted a low bun, but I was struggling to find the right ‘low, non-bridal bun’ on reference on Pinterest. Luckily, I found it the night before my wedding from a street style image from Paris Fashion Week and Mary brought it to life.

I wanted it to feel like I myself had pulled it back, just like I would on a normal day at work. For me, the final hairstyle had the right balance of a wavy texture, but still keeping the structure of the bun without any flyaways.”

MY LIPSTICK…

“I went with Cherish by MAC Cosmetics. My all-time favourite shade is Velvet Teddy, but I wanted to wear a shade I don’t normally wear day-to-day. Cherish was slightly pinker, and went really well with the luminous dewy skin that Olivia created.

I also gave all of my bridesmaids and my mum the same shade of lipstick and lipliner so they too could touch up during the day.”

MY FRAGRANCE…

“I’m pretty fussy with my fragrances—I love a more masculine scent over anything than floral. For me, fragrance evokes memories, so taking on board the recommendation of Gritty Pretty’s beauty director, I decided to wear a scent I’ve never worn before and was unique to our wedding day. I instantly knew that I wanted to wear Fucking Fabulous by Tom Ford. My husband Steve usually wears Dior Sauvage, but he too chose a special scent for the day, which was John Varvatos Dark Rebel Rider.”

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BRIDAL BEAUTY ROUTINES