Should You Get Lash Extensions Before Your Wedding?

If you’ve been wanting to try eyelash extensions, there’s no better time than before your wedding to test out this popular beauty trend. There’s a lot of pressure to look your best on your wedding day, but also for the events leading up to it. Think engagement photos, wedding showers, the bachelorette party, and so on. Eyelash extensions could be the key to making you feel put-together and picture-perfect for all of these events, without a lot of effort on your part. They make your lashes look longer, fuller, and darker, and they pair perfectly with beautiful wedding day makeup looks.

Eyelash extensions can be game-changing for your beauty routine, but before you click “buy” on the Groupon you found, it’s important to discuss the potential side effects that come with any beauty treatment. Eyelash extensions aren’t right for everyone, and they do require a lot of upkeep. Consider the caveats and do your research on both salons and services before committing to eyelash extensions for your wedding day.

Why You Should Consider Getting Eyelash Extensions for Your Wedding

Low Day-to-Day Maintenance

Lash extensions are great for the gal-on-the-go because, aside from routine appointments, they are fairly low maintenance. If you’re going from event to event, traveling, working, and planning a wedding, you’ll love the ease that lash extensions bring to your glam routine. Sure, forgoing a swipe of mascara and an eyelash curler doesn’t seem like it will make a huge impact on your morning, but you underestimate the influence that thick, lush lashes have on your appearance. You’ll feel more put-together from the moment you wake up, so you may choose to do without makeup altogether for a natural look that is still polished.

Photo-Ready

It’s no secret that long, dark, curled lashes make your eyes look bigger and brighter. And your wedding day is definitely a day where big, bright eyes will come in handy. Even if you choose to go with a natural wedding day makeup look, your eyes will stand out more in photos, you’ll look more awake (even if you hardly slept the night before), and you’ll catch your soon-to-be spouse’s eyes from a mile away or, more likely, the top of the aisle. If you’re likely to get teary-eyed on the big day, that alone is reason enough to invest in lash extensions so you can avoid any fatal black streaks running down your perfectly airbrushed face. With eyelash extensions, you won’t need mascara (wild, we know), so you don’t have to worry about it going anywhere.

Honeymoon Happy

While eyelash extensions will look great on your actual wedding day, they’ll last well into your honeymoon. This means that you can wake up feeling bright and beautiful, thanks to your full lashes, fresh tan, and newlywed bliss, of course. Ensure your lashes last as long as possible by avoiding any oily products, such as cleansers or sunscreen, around your eyes so that you can come home from your honeymoon with great looking lashes, too.

Tailored to You

Your lash technician can adjust the length, curl, and color of your extensions to either match or enhance your natural lashes so that you can choose the right vibe to go with your bridal beauty look. You can also decide between a half set, which is the most natural-looking, a full set, for a va-va-voom look, or somewhere in between. This is one way that classic lash extensions and volume lash extensions differ.

If you decide to get lash extensions for your wedding, just be sure to try them a few months in advance, ideally at least 12 weeks out, so that you have time to see if you like the way they look and feel. This also allows you to plan out future appointments, so you can get a fresh fill right before your wedding day.

What to Know Before You Go

Upkeep

Lash extensions don’t last forever. As with all hair, your lashes grow and fall out over time, and your lash extensions will, too. But, because each individual lash falls out at a different time, you will begin to notice gaps or patches where extensions have fallen out. When this happens you need to go back to your lash stylist for a fill. This appointment is usually quicker and less expensive than your initial appointment, but still requires time and money. For optimal looking lashes, you may need a fill every six weeks at minimum and every two weeks at most, depending on the type of lashes you choose. It’s important to keep timing in mind when scheduling your eyelash fill appointments as part of your pre-wedding beauty plan.

Unless you’re really just curious, you shouldn’t get eyelash extensions only once, or just for your wedding. From the moment the first few lashes fall out, you won’t love the uneven or choppy way your lashes look, and it can take weeks for the rest of your lashes to catch up. You’ll be left with lashes worse-off than before and wish for your natural fringe back.

Expense

The initial investment in lash extensions can be substantial, especially if you’re opting for an extremely full set, want the highest quality product, and/or need a natural formula. Top tier service comes at top tier costs, and when you’re dealing with something so close to your eyes, you don’t want to mess around. If you can’t afford a professional eyelash technician, it might not be worth the risk to visit a novice, less expensive beautician. With all that could go wrong, you really want someone who knows what they are doing—especially when your wedding is only months or days away.

Allergies

So, what could go wrong, you ask? Well, for starters, you could have an allergic reaction to the adhesive used on your lash line, or the extensions themselves. We probably don’t have to tell you that there can be a lot of chemicals in products meant to last, but for every bad option, there is a safe option, too. Figure out what you may be allergic to or simply react negatively to and do your research to learn about what real or synthetic ingredients the professional that you’re going to uses, and if they offer alternatives that will suit you better. Some salons even offer patch testing to make sure that you respond positively to the glue they use. This way, you can avoid a poor experience or, worse, a bad reaction just days before your wedding. Reading reviews is another great way to weed out the best from the rest, but remember to take everyone’s personal experience with a grain of salt.

Lash Fallout

Similar to hair extensions, the real lash that your extension is attached to can become weak and damaged due to the extra weight and adhesive of the classic lash or volume lash extensions. If you don’t take proper care of your lashes, using a strengthening oil consistently before you get extensions, you could experience major fallout. If you’re left with sparse, short lashes for your wedding day, you won’t be a happy camper. So, be sure to do everything your technician recommends to keep your lashes in tip-top shape.

No Mascara for You

It is recommended, on most lash extensions, that you don’t use mascara. The good news is that your lashes will be full, dark, and long, so you really won’t need it. The bad news is that if you opt for a more natural pair, you’ll feel naked when you wear any other eye makeup or want a smokier look for a special event or a date night out. To be honest, if mascara is one of those beauty products you can’t seem to live without, this is one of the most painful parts of lash extensions. Of course, you can break the rules and wear a coat or two from time to time, but every time you do, you shorten the life of your extensions. You can also shorten the life of your extensions by simply using makeup remover to take off the rest of your eye makeup, as it slowly dilutes the adhesive.

It’s important to consider this annoying side effect since you’ll likely want your lashes to be big and bold on your wedding day, especially if you’re considering a bold wedding day makeup look. If it doesn’t bother you on a daily basis, you can time your lash fill for right before the big day and go for a fuller-than-typical look so that your lashes will be at their best.

The Alternatives

A Lash Lift

A lash lift is another popular lash treatment that offers instant results. Instead of adding false extensions to your lashes, a lash lift lifts your natural lashes. The effect makes your lashes look longer and curled all the time. A lift lasts about 6 weeks, so there is upkeep involved if you love it. But, if you don’t, there’s no harm done to your natural fringe. This option is also more affordable than lash extensions since you won’t be paying for the extension part.

False Eyelashes

False eyelashes are tried and true, and they’ll help you achieve the lash look you’re going for on your wedding day in the same manner as lash extensions. However, false lashes also have their own drawbacks. They can be tough to adhere to your lash line, and they can irritate eyes and make them itchy or watery. Plus, they come off when the day is done, so you don’t get to wake up with lashes that look just as good on your honeymoon as they did the day before. However, false eyelashes are a great fall-back option if you try eyelash extensions and hate them, or you simply don’t think that they’re right for you.