Spray tans are one of those love em or leave em type of things. I personally love them, and here’s why. I feel that a nice little spray tan can go so far for helping you to look beautiful in photos. I love beautiful skin at any tone, but something about a spray tan against a white or cream dress just looks absolutely beautiful. However, there are some things to keep in mind. I definitely recommend you want to try it out ahead of time and try a couple of different people, because not all spray tans are created equal. There’s different application techniques, and also a lot of spray tan artists have custom formulas that are like their proprietary blend. So I highly recommend trying a couple out. Finding your person. I recommend for the week of the wedding, getting that spray tan three days in advance. I think that’s the perfect amount of time to have it still looking fresh, but not so fresh that it’s getting on everything. And on that note, you will need to be prepared that it still will rub off on your dress regardless of when you get it. So if that’s a deal breaker for you, then you won’t want to get a spray tan. Another thing that can be kind of a controversial topic is whether or not to have your face spray tanned. I’m in the camp of, yes, please have your face spray tanned and actually do an extra coat. Our face has lots of oils, and typically we wash it more often or more vigorously so the spray tan can fade faster. And as a makeup artist, it makes my job so much easier if you have that spray tan on the face and the body, because then it matches. Some spray tan artists don’t spray the face, and what it does is it creates more work for us as makeup artists, because then we’re having to really level up your foundation to match your body. Another benefit of being spray tanned is that your teeth look wider. Just saying. Lastly, here’s a little bonus for getting your spray tan is it can even out your tan lines from summer. So if you have a highly skilled spray tan artist, yes, they are capable of evening this out, which makes all the difference in your photos.

It’s hard pass on spray tans. I’m Megan Hansen. I’m the owner and lead photographer at Onyx and Opal Creative Co. Listen, I know we all love a good, healthy glow, right? Most of us feel pretty good with a little extra color in our skin. However, I have seen spray tans gone wrong too many times that it’s not worth the risk. To me. Nobody wants to be the bride. The bridesmaid who looks like an Oompa Loompa when photos come back, right? And sometimes tans are warm, right? It’s what we call warm tones. It’s more orangey yellowy. That’s just how it is. Sometimes when we pair that with certain colors, like blues, the colors just look a little off. Now, of course, not all sprayed hands are created equal. So if you insist, please trial it out beforehand. Like months beforehand. Try some different ones. Go home, take some photos, and see how those tones are looking. You still want it to look natural. You don’t want to look orange on your wedding day.

So personally, it’s a no for me, dog. But here’s the thing I get people like to be tan sometimes. So what I will say is, if you’re going to do it, go to a professional spray tanning person and not into a spray tanning booth. You are more likely to get a color that you will enjoy from a real human being. Also, if you’re going to do it, remember that the tone of your tan will often be the undertone. I mean, will be different than what your regular skin is. So you want to make sure that when you go into your bridal preview appointment, you are the same color so that you have a real idea of what you’ll look like on the day of. What I’m saying is, if you’re going to get a spray tan for the wedding day, get a spray tan for the bridal preview.