Words by Nell Hudson
Last year, after much deliberation and two important dates-clashing-aversions, I finally set the date for my wedding: it would be Saturday July 26th 2025. I wanted a ‘proper summer’ wedding, with the best possible chance of the weather gods smiling upon us. Turns out, divine intervention had other plans. In November, with some surprise but mostly a lot of happiness, I discovered I was pregnant. Max (my now husband) and I showed up at our first antenatal appointment full of nerves, squeezing hands as the midwife calculated how many weeks gone I was.
‘So you’re due date is….’ She said, squinting at her computer, ‘Saturday the 26th of July!’ We had to laugh. Well, there went the plans for that version of the wedding.
In the end, it all turned out to be a blessing, and we decided on a much smaller, family-only affair than the original celebrations we had planned. Some things, we realised, are negotiable, no matter how ‘big’ they may seem: the date, the number of guests, the location. But there was one thing I was not going to surrender my dreams of, no matter how intimate and low-key the day would be: my skin. As a bride, is there anything more fundamental than simply wanting your face to look its absolute best for this one sacred day?
Had I not been pregnant, I would have followed a routine that has served me in the past for big events, such as red carpets or photo shoots: a little Botox and some kind of laser facial. However, as a first-time mum I was completely clueless about which treatments I could and couldn’t do, as well which products were safe to use whilst still being effective. The bad news for expecting mothers is that you can’t have any injectables, and you must kiss goodbye to all Retinoids for the duration. The good news is that there are alternative ways to look your best, and for how to accomplish this I went to see Dr Catherine Denning, at the genius advice of TWE’s own Kendra Leaver-Rylah.
Dr Catherine greeted me with such warmth and understanding. As a mother herself, she completely understood the brief and filled me with the first thing I needed ahead of the ‘big day’: confidence. From the moment we met I felt utterly at ease, assured that I was in the safest and most expert hands. After a comprehensive interview about my skin type and current routine, Dr Catherine created a plan for me that involved an entirely new skin regime (yippee, new products to try), as well as setting up an appointment with her co-practitioner, Elise Hamill, for a pregnancy-safe treatment. One of the most refreshing things about both Dr Catherine and Elise was their human, unjudgmental and no-nonsense shared attitude to skincare. For example, Dr Catherine told me she wasn’t especially religious about cleansers, as they only have brief contact with the face, and if I had one that worked for me it didn’t matter the price tag. Similarly, Elise opened up about her own skin journey. It has to be said that both women have completely gorgeous complexions, too!
Within a week, Dr Catherine had sent me a parcel containing all my new products and I began the simple routine she prescribed right away. Most notably, she introduced me to Azelaic acid for my Rosacea, which has helped enormously. With this consistent new skincare plan, I began to notice a difference within a fortnight. My face was starting to look brighter and more hydrated, with much less dullness and discoloration.
At my appointment with Elise, we discussed the two safest treatment options we could do whilst I was pregnant: a laser facial – which I had tried before, or micro-needling – which I hadn’t. With a month to go before the wedding, I figured go big or go home, and decided to try micro-needling for the first time. As a rookie, I was quite anxious about both the pain of the procedure as well as the downtime (I have super sensitive skin that likes to go red and stay there). All my fears were calmed by Elise’s incredibly professional touch. During the treatment itself, I felt some tingling and heat but zero pain. To minimise recovery time, Elise used healing laser light therapy, and even gave me a deeply relaxing hand massage during this part of the process, as I told her I could sometimes get claustrophobic when my eyes are covered.
The micro-needling results were terrific and it’s definitely something I would do again: I was left dewy, rejuvenated and more even-toned for weeks.
Come the day itself, I felt wonderful. Even my make-up artist, who I had seen once before for a practice run a few months previously, noticed a real difference and told me how much better the make-up was sitting on my skin now.
There are so many factors that go into dressing oneself up into our own ideal of what makes the ‘perfect’ bride. Ultimately, I knew that whatever I wore and however I did my hair were temporary and adjustable, but the very skin on my face was something I desperately wanted to be optimal on my wedding day, so that, even if I’d worn no make-up, I could feel confident and beautiful. Dr Catherine and Elise more than delivered in helping me achieve this goal, and all in a completely pregnancy-safe way. Without Botox or injectables, I managed to have glowing, clear and radiant wedding day skin.
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