Fake tan for wedding day- opinions/experiences pls!

Book a real holiday! Fake tans can look orange on the photos - we can de-tango you but there's often still quite a difference between the bride and the groom (if only one is wearing fake tan.)

What about something like a tinted moisturiser? (Light coloured one) should give a little bit if colour without the orangness...

I'm quite pale too, but to be honest that's how I was made and I'm proud of my alabaster complexion!

I'd avoid the fake tan generally. Someone I know got a fake tan for a party (not a wedding) and honestly, she looked like she'd been Tangoed in all the photos - the poor girl - not to mention her dress was pretty stained too.

Just avoid it and let your natural beauty shine!

I really don't like the orange fake tans and haven't used them for years. However lol whilst in Boots the other day taking advantage of the No7 3for 2 i saw their gradual light tan and thought i would give it a go as i want a bit of colour on the day. I have to say i am really impressed, some of the reviews are not great but i think it may be down to skin type. I have applied it 3 times now and i have a lovely light brown tan. No streaks and no hideous orange, and showering everyday hasn't rubbed it off. I shall certainly be using it for a couple of weeks before wedding.

It might not suit everyones skin but it has worked perfectly on mine:-)

I'm having a spray tan from someone that's I always use for special occasions. She's never made me streaky and you can wash it off from 1 hour to 5 hours after depending on the colour you want to be. Last year for my 30th I went 3 1/2 hours For my wedding I'll only up to 2 1/2hours

the best thing to do is have a practise run. Maybe for the hen night or a night out to see if you like it or not.

I dont fake tan... Im pale and I love it!

Glad you found a good product though!

I'm pale and wanted a bit of a glow on my wedding day; I had a St Tropez tan (one where they scrub you and apply it by hand). I had it done a couple of days before the wedding and it was a subtle, light golden brown. I don't look remotely orange on the photos - perhaps my photographer was just very good!

I'm pale and happy with it, but I'm planning to wear a short dress and a bit worried about what you might describe as 'corned beef legs'. I've tried those 'barely there' tights and as I'm so clumsy I always put my fingers through them straightaway, so a product with colour is the only option. I just bought the Rimmel Sunshimmer BB cream, which is more like makeup than tan, but I plan to give it a good old test out first!

My wife had a couple of professional spray sessions in the run up to the day which was fine and very subtle. It didn't come off on the dress or look orange, but as I say it was very subtle which is the key I think.

To the early comment of 'book a holiday' are you actually advising sun bathing?

as some one who has lost (young) family member to skin cancer that is in general really bad advice, a holiday glow is such a stupid thing to risk dying for

I would suggest something like tinted moisturizer, its no where near orange (im the whitest person in the world with my Irish complexion and ginger hair and it didnt make me look orange or burnt which most things even Ivory make up do) and more importantly it is SAFE

I used a dove tinted moisture bought from boots but that was a while ago but it does take up to 5 days to develop and you need to apply it every day

I would also like to say though... dont feel you have to and dont be afraid to rock the pasty look, pale skin is gorgeous and white on white look awesome

As someone else has said you can wash spray tans off at an earlier time than recommended and they are then lighter than they are intended. the only fake tans I can use (I am allergic to lots) and St tropex mousse, or the fake bake spray tan. Spray tans also come in different shades, so you could go for a light "sun-kissed" tone, a couple of days before the wedding, that way it won't come off on your dress (I would recommend the weds pm or Thursday am if you are marrying the Saturday etc as any longer and it will start to fade properly and can go blotchy in some areas (mines always my legs lol)

The rimmel shimmer thing someone mentioned is really good for a quick glow but it does wash off so I would worry about that coming off on my dress.

I used to sun-bed, but am really trying to embrace my natural colour nowadays but will probably just have a very light tinted moisturiser on just so I don't fade into the table linens! lol

I would have a test run for a hen party or something similar and good luck!!!

xxx

?

Or, if you don't have £1000 going spare, a bottle of Dove summer glow is about a fiver and usually gives you a lovely natural look (cover your OH in it too)

What Kevin said!!!!

If you go too far, it is very noticeable in the photographs ...

(I'm so glad a couple of other photographers have said this, I was really worried I'd be the only one! )

Usually a spray tan comes it 3 different shades light(8). Medium(10) and dark12)

i just had a practise for my hen weekend and had a medium, but for the actual wedding I'd only go with a light!!

My my usual spray tan lady has stopped but I'm testing new ones to find someone good before the wedding!!

Really??? Skin cancer issues aside, cost of wedding plus possible cost of honeymoon, who has money for a pre-wedding holiday???

OP, my advice - embrace your paleness. Or go for the bronzing lotions as others have advised x

I use fake tan regularly and plan on having a spray tan for my wedding. I would say have a few practise ones before the wedding to try out the different colours. If you have it a couple of days before the wedding it wont come off on your dress. I use dove summer glow and its fab! Real suttle glow if you dont want to get a spray x

Im another pale gal (and its pasty pale rather than that beautiful alabaster/porcelain skinned pale!) I had my first spray tan for a holiday last month though and I was pretty nervous at coming out like an oompa loompa but it looked amazing! it was a xen-tan one, I had one coating of it instead of the usual two and it looked really natural n golden, not at all orange! proper calafornian glow it was, OH was suitably impressed too (like he kept apologising cus he thought it looked so good, but he didnt want to make my pasty usual self feel bad haha!)

It didnt look a bit orange on just our holiday photos - not sure whether thatd be different under a professional photographers camera? its made me want one for the wedding...just to give that slightly golden/healthy look rather than as someone else put it looking a bit corned-beefy...im also pretty spot prone and felt it hid some of the slight scars/blemishes I had...i think if i did Id get it a couple days before. The only issue I had was when it faded, it did do it a little unevenly - not dreadfully, but you could tell me hands were paler than my arms kind of thing, and the area around my belly button stayed tanned looking for about 9 days where as the rest had faded by then haha! I think I'll talk to our TOG (and my MUA) and see what his opinion is on it with photographs...

but I think you just have to have a test run and see...

I'll be sticking with pale and pasty! I had a light spray tan and hated it, I just felt dirty and wanted to scrub it off!

Oddly, my partner and I are both similar shades of skin - a bit pasty white.

So when we talked about fake-tanning / tanning pre wedding (obvs I was the one who brought this up, being the one about to wear a white dress and not wanting to look too pale against the white) we decided to do the same thing together so that we'd match and not look oddly different in photos.

This is something the TOG mentioned above.

So, if you're pale and looking to fake tan, you do need to consider what your partner's skin tone is, and whether he needs to do the same, or is willing to?!

I have used many a fake tan in my time and many a real tan and many a sunbed (yes yes I know I know to those who read with horror that anyone would do such a thing).

To the person who suggested booking a holiday and then got shot down I will give you some back up! Nothing will beat a real tan - HOWEVER it's just not worth it for the 1 day.

The only decent advice here is try try try.

Get yourself a spray tan booked the day after the day after you have it done put on something white and get someone to take some photos with you and your OH (outside and in). Then look at them and see what you look like.

Once that tan has gone completely (I would leave it 1-2 weeks) do yourself an overnight mouse tan from a decent brand like St Tropez. It's gonna cost you £20 ish for the mouse and the applicator mit but don't go for a cheap one. With this one repeat the photo process only do it the day after the tan.

Finally, once that has all washed off ( again 1-2 weeks) try something akin to Johnson Holiday Skin (although personally would again go for St Tropez gradual tan) and once you feel you have some colour do the photo thing again.

Things to watch out for:

a) not recognising yourself in the photos because you look like you've just come off shift as an extra in TOWIE

b) looking like you've been away for 2 weeks before the wedding without your OH and the two of you now look daft next to each other

Personally - if you are pale and are not used to tanning I would suggest not bothering. A healthy glow can be achieved with some decent make up on the palest of skin.

I am being very controversial and going to use a sunbed. I hate fake tans and I have seen one go wrong for a bride! I am from an era when suntan lotion was never used, so I am weighing up the danger and taking a chance! Don't mean to upset anyone that has endured skin cancer, I just figured that a few weeks on a sunbed taking precautions, will not do too much harm.