Once upon a time, your spouse was your FAVORITE person on Earth. His or her every thought, word and deed captivated you … so much so that you pledged your undying devotion to each other “until death do us part.”

Flash forward a few years (and perhaps a few kids) later and suddenly your spouse doesn’t rock your world quite the way he or she used to. Sure, you love your partner. You even like your partner. You just find yourself going days (weeks, months) without feeling any real connection and it gets harder and harder to recognize what made you fall in love with this person in the first place.

You’re taking your mate for granted … and perhaps he or she is doing the same to you. Are you doomed to a ho-hum marriage for the rest of your life? Is the magic between you gone forever?

I reached out to a few respected relationship experts to find out if daily adoration of our forever mates is even possible.

And, good news: It turns out, looking at your spouse with love-dazzled eyes again isn’t as hard as people think … no matter how many years you’ve been together. All that’s needed is some simple, consistent effort and a sincere willingness to choose your spouse anew each and every day.

Here are four simple yet powerful ways to feel captivated by your spouse again:

1. Begin by choosing YOURSELF.
When you feel out of sorts with yourself, you tend to transfer that feeling of discontent onto your partner (usually by finding fault with his or her every move). “Relationships often reflect the deepest part of ourselves,” says dating and relationship coach Clayton Olson. “Whether or not you choose your partner usually reflects how truly you choose yourself. Self-love is a requirement to true love. Accepting and loving yourself, just the way that you are, allows freedom to love and accept your partner without trying to change them.”

So, today (and every day) be a little kinder to yourself. Start focusing on things you like about yourself (versus nit-picking yourself constantly). Then share some of that accepting warmth with your partner.

(Clayton Olson is a coach extraordinaire. Visit ClaytonOlsonCoaching.com for a FREE straightforward guide on creating a relationship that enlivens and inspires you into the best version of yourself.)

See more: 50 Love Quotes That Express Exactly What ‘I Love You’ Really Means

2. Take time (without fail) to focus just on each other … even just for a few minutes.
“In the beginning of a relationship, we focus a lot of time learning everything we can about each other,” says marriage coach and counselor Lesli Doares. But quickly ‘life’ takes over and our spouse gets bumped to the back burner as other tasks and priorities take precedence. Show your partner he or she is still what matters most to you by making a ritual of spending focused time with each other, even briefly.

“Taking at least twenty minutes per day to deeply focus on your partner (and their day) makes them feel so important and like you really do still care,” says Doares. “So, put your phone down, turn the TV off, back away from the laptop and look your partner in the eye while you talk to each other or hug for a few powerful minutes. Those brief respites of loving focus will help keep you both feeling charged and deeply connected the rest of the day.”

(Lesli Doares is a Marriage Coach and Counselor at Foundations Coaching NC. Contact her for information on how coaching can help you create the marriage of your dreams. )

See more: 15 Couples With Matching Tattoos: Cute OR Creepy?

3. Touch your partner without needing it to always turn sexual.
We’ve all heard how important frequent sex is in marriage. But unless your partner still feels truly chosen by you, the quality of your sex life will likely decline quickly. Personal relationship coach Lewis Brown Griggs recommends letting “less sexuality win any time a non-interest in sex is sensed or requested.”

Instead of rejecting or snubbing your partner in those moments, show your partner that you happily choose him or her, even when sex isn’t happening. Treat your partner with tender care and sweet affection at those times. Griggs says, you’ll “notice an enormous mutual benefit not only from being more tender and sensually connected, but often a more loving and intimate sexuality emerges from that tolerance of sex sometimes not being desired.”

(Lewis Brown Griggs is a Personal Relationship Coach in San Francisco. You can learn more about him and ask for a free coaching session via his Lewis Brown Griggs Personal Coaching page on Facebook.)

See more: Love & Relationships

4. Thank your partner for something every single day.
It’s so easy to take your partner for granted, but the truth is — he or she doesn’t HAVE TO do anything for you. So make a point to more frequently recognize the kindness and effort your spouse pours in your direction. “We often miss opportunities to thank our spouse or partner,” says licensed professional counselor Elizabeth Casey. “We don’t have to wait until our spouse moves heaven and earth to say ‘thank you;’ there are small moments every day when you can make your partner feel appreciated. Say ‘thank you’ for taking the garbage out, for making sure laundry is folded, and all the little things that make a big difference in your life!”

(Elizabeth Casey is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice and a Chaplain. You can follow her on Facebook or visit her website at EVCCounseling.net.)

Look, the day you married your partner you promised to look at him or her with love … forever.

The best way to make good on that promise — (remember, you did say “I do!”) — and keep your marriage vibrant for a lifetime is to happily show your partner you still chose him or her today! Watch your marriage light up with love and fun when you start treating your spouse like your sweetheart again.

This article originally appeared on YourTango.

Newly engaged? Congrats! One of the first and most important steps in the wedding planning process is picking out the perfect venue for you and your fiancé. For brides-to-be leaning towards a hotel wedding venue, we turned to Mark Anderson, catering manager of the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, to fill us in on the seven things all couples should know about hosting their nuptials at a hotel. Read on for his insider intel!

1. Convenience is key.
The biggest perk of having your nuptials at a hotel is convenience for both you and your guests. “Hotels are custom designed for wedding celebrations,” says Anderson. “The experience is turn-key from the arrival at valet, to beautiful ballrooms, and of course, a gorgeous bridal suite. Your out-of-town guests can simply walk to the celebration rather than sitting on shuttle busses.”

2. Hotel venues offer an unmatched wow factor.
“As the Pretty Woman hotel, we offer spectacular locations for photography and impressive spaces for wedding celebrations,” Anderson says of the Beverly Wilshire hotel. “It can save thousands. Or, a wedding couple can save a significant amount of money if a ballroom is already gorgeous and doesn’t require décor to dress it up.”

3. You’ll save big money on décor and rentals.
If your dream hotel wedding venue is a little outside of your price range, don’t let that scare you away. You might actually be saving a serious chunk of change on décor items and rentals. “A quality hotel will supply many of the items you might otherwise have to rent,” Anderson explains. “Tables, chairs, linens, china, dance floor, votive candles, etc. are all provided and this could save you thousands.”

See More: Check Out Some of Our Favorite Southern California Wedding Venues on Our Local Vendors Page

4. Have your guest list ready before you inquire.
Before you and your betrothed start checking out different hotel wedding sites, take some time to write up your guest list first. Knowing exactly how many guests you will need to accommodate before you start looking around will save you a lot of time and energy.

5. Choose your date, then the hotel venue.
Anderson recommends setting your wedding date first and then checking in with your favorite vendors to ensure they are all available on that date. Only then should you move forward with signing a contract with your hotel wedding venue. The earlier you book the better chance you have in snagging your dream date. Six months to a year is best. “Generally, you will put about 20% down at the time you contract and then a second deposit closer to your wedding date,” Anderson explains. Bonus tip: Paying for the wedding with a credit card enrolled in a rewards program will later help cover your honeymoon expenses.

6. Use the hotel’s catering team as a planning resource.
Even if you have your own team of wedding planners and vendors, don’t forget to turn to the hotel’s catering team for their recommendations. “Your catering sales person is a wonderful resource of information on both wedding trends and the best vendors in the city,” says Anderson. “Vendors or wedding partners can make or break the big day.”

7. Ask for competitive rates for your out-of-town guests.
Another wonderful perk about having your nuptials at a hotel is that they can often offer competitive rates for your guests that are driving or flying in for the celebration.

Now that you know what to expect from your hotel wedding venue, look at some of our favorite Southern California hotels on our Local Vendors page!

Happy weight is not just a myth. In a recent study, 62 percent of people said they gained an average of 14 pounds after starting a committed relationship. What’s more? Studies show the happier a person is in a relationship, the more likely they are to gain weight. While feeling happy, confident and in love is fantastic for emotional health, it can quickly derail fitness goals.

But not all the stats are bad. While two-thirds of the couples surveyed said they put on weight together, couples who join forces to stay healthy are more successful than those who go it alone.

Here are some common happy weight culprits and ideas for how to avoid them:

Stop Lingering and Start Moving
To make a good date last longer, we’ll often order dessert or have one more drink at the bar before parting ways. Consider some lower calorie ways to prolong your time together. Grab a coffee to go and go for a walk. Make your walk spontaneous by playing a game of “heads or tails.” Flip a coin to decide if you turn left or right, head into a bookstore or go to the park.

Another way to make healthier food choices together is to take walks around your local farmers’ market or grocery store and pick up an array of ingredients that tempt you both. Once you are back in the kitchen, experiment with ways to prepare the food you bought. Cooking can be just as romantic — and sometimes sexy — as eating together.

Avoid Each Other’s Bad Habits
Food is an important part of most modern-day relationships. Studies have found that couples spend a great deal of their time together staying in and watching TV, eating in or eating out. This can wreak havoc on your waistline.

Women are more susceptible than men to picking up poor eating habits from their partners. Many women see eating as a way of connecting with their significant other. The most common problem is portion size (He orders a huge burger with the fries and still can down two beers while you’re struggling). One study found women admitted to eating the same amount as their partner, yet women burn 26 percent fewer calories than men.

The best way to break this trend is to practice more diligent portion control. When eating out, ask for an empty plate and serve yourself an acceptable portion instead of cleaning the plate you are handed. If you and your guy are snacking, don’t just grab from the bag. Make yourself a serving and stop eating once the serving is gone.

If you are at his place and all he typically has to eat are chips and leftover pizza, throw a bag of nuts or a piece of fruit in your purse to ensure you have healthier options. Who knows? Maybe some of these healthy eating habits will rub off on him.

Get Creative with Your Plans
As your relationship progresses, it’s easy to get stuck in a dating rut. You meet every Friday after work at the neighborhood pub and have your favorite take-out joint bookmarked on Seamless. But mixing it up on your date nights can get your heart pumping in more ways than one.

Get out and enjoy the outdoors with your partner. Introduce your love to your favorite hiking trail or bike route. Try a new activity like kayaking, paddle boarding, parkour or mountain climbing. If the weather is lousy or you are looking for something active to do after sunset, take a dance class or even play ping-pong. Believe it or not, a beginner can burn between 200 and 350 calories playing an hour of ping-pong!

Do you get more dinner party invitations than you can keep track of? Spending time with the important people in your significant other’s life can be an opportunity for group fitness. Planning a bowling night or a day of paintball allows you both to spend quality time with friends while keeping your body moving.

Follow Your Passion
After a long day, it’s very easy to plop down on the couch together and binge watch House of Cards. Make the extra effort to walk past the couch and straight into the bedroom. According to WebMD, you can burn up to two calories a minute French kissing. When you take things to the next level, men can burn 100 calories and women can burn 69 calories by having sex for 25 minutes.

Become Sweathearts
Sure, it’s much harder to get out of bed for your 6 a.m. spin when you’ve got an adorable guy laying next to you. Why not get each other motivated and take a class together? Try kickboxing, yoga, SurfSet, bootcamp, boxing or CrossFit.

See more: 25 Boutique Fitness Studios for Your Wedding Workout

If you are concerned that your sweaty appearance while working out will be a turn off, don’t be. Exercise gets your blood pumping and endorphins flowing, which are natural aphrodisiacs. Sweating together actually heightens arousal and intimacy.

ClassPass is a monthly membership that connects you to more than 8,000 of the best fitness studios worldwide. Have you been thinking about trying it? Start now on the Base Plan and get five classes for your first month for only $19.

If you could sum up Indian weddings in one word, it would be lively. These colorful, multi-day and multi-ceremony affairs are vibrant, fun, lavish, exuberant, and abundant — all things which also just happen to describe the traditional dresses Indian brides don on their big day: saris and lehengas. A quick lesson for those unfamiliar with these beautiful outfits — a sari consists of two pieces with a top and cloth wrapped around as a pleated skirt; a lehenga is three pieces consisting of a top, skirt, and shawl. Rife with dazzling embellishments and ornate details, these gowns come in bountiful options, perfect for a bride looking to wear a dress that reflects both her personality and wedding theme. Whether you’re an Indian bride yourself or marrying into an Indian family, these real wedding saris and lehengas will have you shopping for yours in no time.

The sun meets the stars in this striking lehenga. A fiery orange-red skirt and midnight navy top, both trimmed in decorative gold detail, embody the dazzling heavens above.

With turquoise and hot pink hues, this lehenga is all about the brights, making it a perfect choice for the playful bride. Elaborate embellishments and intricate details are weaved into the fabric for a beautiful design.

This bride goes against the grain by opting for white over color; a perfect compromise between the traditional white wedding dress and glamorous Indian wedding garb. Gold embroidery adds a dash of refined extravagance while bringing in a cultural touch.

These orange saris are the true burst of sunshine on the beach. We love how the bride’s sari stands out among the bridesmaids with a richer thick fabric and detailed pattern of yellow-gold and red.

This sumptuous red lehenga is a romantic showstopper. A pop of color like this is sure to be a vision on the bold bride looking to turn some heads. Sumptuous gold brocade rounds out the gown’s grand look, making any bride wearing it feel like royalty.

See More: How to Plan a Multicultural Wedding: The Indian Mehndi Party

Inviting guests to join you at an exotic location to celebrate your wedding? Then you already know your timeline and planning is a little (or a lot) different than for a traditional wedding. While a standard save the date may not include more than your wedding date, the venue, and the URL of your wedding website, if guests will be pulling out their passports or joining you for a few days instead of just a night or two, there are a few more things you’ll want to tell them in advance. Here’s what our experts think you should include in your destination wedding save the dates.

The first thing to remember is timing. While a regular wedding’s invitation goes out eight weeks before the wedding and save the dates go out around four months in advance, a destination wedding invitation should go out at least 12 weeks in advance. And those save the dates? Plan on sending them a minimum of six months in advance, and up to eight months before the Big Day. This will give your guests plenty of time to compare flight options, make arrangements at work, and plan an extended trip before or after your wedding if they so desire.

Now come the details. Instead of a simple postcard, consider sending out a packet so you have room for additional information, and treat your save the date as more of a pre-invitation than just a notice that you’re having a wedding. You should have a general timeline for the weekend’s events, from the welcome party and brunch to any group activities you’ve planned, and should have already secured a room block at your hotel so guests can figure out which days to take off and reserve their hotel room.

Still figuring out what other activities you’d like to include? Ask your guests! Whether it’s in your save the date or on your wedding website, provide a few options and ask guests to pick what they’d be interested in participating in so you can plan accordingly.

Planning something particularly intimate or really remote? Ask guests to RSVP as part of your save the date, and use the invitation as more of a formality later on.

And of course, be sure to provide all of the information on your wedding website, too! If you’re pressed for space, keep your save the date basic, and let guests know to head to your site for all of the travel specifics and a schedule of the weekend.

See more: 3 Times You Should Call in a Travel Pro to Help Plan Your Destination Wedding

The father of the bride’s wedding toast is likely one you’ve been excited to give for a very long time. Now that the moment is growing closer and closer, it’s important to sit down and write a speech that not only you’re proud of, but that your daughter will remember for a lifetime. So, to get you started, here are eight must-know tips for writing that sure-to-be epic father of the bride speech.

1. Keep it Short
Though you’ve been waiting for this day to come for many years, try to keep your toast short and sweet. There may be a lot you want to say, and if that’s the case, consider writing some of those heartfelt sentiments down beforehand and giving it to your daughter in a card for her to read privately on her wedding morning.

2. Don’t Be Too Embarrassing
Skip the stories that may make your daughter cringe or those memories that she wishes you would just forget already. Remember, the speech is a toast and not a roast.

3. Skip Ex-BF Mentions
If you have an urge to call out how terrible some of her ex-boyfriends were in the past, skip that little tidbit and keep it to yourself. There’s never any good that can come from name-dropping old lovers at your daughter’s wedding.

4. Don’t Push for Laughs
Often times, you’ll get laughs when you’re not trying hard for them. Don’t feel like you have to color your toast with joke like after joke line — it may come off as forced.

5. Make Eye Contact
Attempt to memorize your speech. If that’s getting a little too difficult to do in such a short amount of time, be sure to practice it enough beforehand so that you can make eye contact with the couple and the other guests.

6. Include the Other Half
While you have so much to say about the bride, remember to mention and acknowledge her other new spouse, too.

7. Give Thanks
Since you’re the guy with the mic, don’t forget to thank the guests for coming to the wedding and the parents of the groom for anything and everything that they did. Also give a nice little shout out to your own spouse, and thank her for helping you raise such a wonderful daughter.

8. Add Some Parting Wisdom
Whether it’s a piece of marriage advice or just your most heartfelt wishes for the couple’s future together, pepper in some sage wisdom for the happy couple.

See More: 3 Things Every Father of the Bride Should Do at His Daughter’s Wedding

Jen Glantz is a “Professional Bridesmaid” and the founder of Bridesmaid for Hire. She’s the author of All My Friends Are Engaged and frequently wears old bridesmaid dresses to the grocery store and on first dates.

First comes love, then comes marriages, then comes the baby… Well, you know how this thing goes. Congratulations are in order for actor Eddie Redmayne and his wife Hannah Bagshawe, for they just welcomed their first child into the world and we have no doubt that she’s a cutie. Yup, that’s right — Redmayne and Bagshawe are now the proud parents of a little girl! What a picture-perfect first Father’s Day for Redmayne!

Last December, the British couple celebrated their first wedding anniversary with the happiest of news: A source close to the pair spilled the beans to The Sun that Redmayne and Bagshawe were expecting their first child. “Eddie and Hannah are delighted and extremely excited,” the source revealed. “They don’t want to find out the sex of the baby, but are happy to tell close friends and family they’re expecting.” Well, we know that their baby is a little girl and we couldn’t be happier for the new parents!

The U.K. newspaper The Times announced that The Theory of Everything star’s bride gave birth to their first daughter on Wednesday, June 15, who they decided to name — wait for it… — Iris May Redmayne. Pretty, classic, and just so gosh darn adorable — we’re loving the name!

Back in 2014, Redmayne and Bagshawe wed in a hush-hush ceremony at the luxe Babington House in Somerset, England, full of romantic candlelight and winter wonderland snow. “It’s been extraordinary,” Redmayne previously told People magazine of his relationship with his beautiful wife. “She is an absolute saint and it’s a ride for both of us. It’s wonderful doing it with someone you love because you also have a second eye on it all.”

Sounds like it’s been a whirlwind romance for these two and we can’t wait to watch this next amazing step unfold!

See More: Uh Oh! Eddie Redmayne Lost His Wedding Band

Wedding planning is stressful — sometimes so stressful, in fact, that it can lead happily-in-love couples to argue over the happiest days of their lives. Here, three women share the biggest wedding-related fights they had, plus how they solved them.

1. Fighting over whether children are allowed at the reception

As Anna explains, “We have lots of nieces and nephews and all of them were in the wedding ceremony, but I wanted to have an adults-only reception. The idea was this: the kids would be in the wedding, and then when it was time for the reception, which was a formal sit-down dinner, the kids would go to an adjacent room and have their own kid-friendly dinner. The room was set-up as a playroom with toys and crafts and everything a kid would want, and it was staffed by a bunch of nannies.”

Sounds more than reasonable, right? But, says Anna, “my husband’s family is very close knit and totally kid-obsessed, and everyone got really pissed off that I didn’t want to have the kids running around the reception while people were trying to eat dinner. My then-fiance and I got in this huge fight, and I ended up sobbing in my car and telling him that I wish we’d just eloped.”

It all ended well, however. “My husband is a smart man, and he knows that a happy wife means a happy life, so he caved to my wishes and stood up to his family. In the end, it worked out fine; the kids were much happier in the kids area, their parents enjoyed having some time to themselves, and I got my adults-only reception dinner.”

See More: 8 Fights Every Couple Has During Wedding Planning

2. Fighting over whether to elope or host a full-on wedding

Says Jane, “I’ve been married before, so when my boyfriend popped the question, I didn’t get excited at the thought of wedding planning like most fist-time brides do. Instead, I thought of all the things I felt that I’d wasted money on before, and told my boyfriend we should just elope and save the dough. He didn’t like that very much.”

As she continues, “I had to realize that just because this was my second wedding didn’t mean I should deny my boyfriend his first. So we compromised: We opted for a small ceremony and reception, and we left out some expensive details. We’re not going to worry about printing menu cards for every seat, we aren’t going to give out favors our guests would just throw out, and we are opting for candles instead of floral centerpieces. And we’re both pretty happy. ”

3. Fighting over their partner’s involvement in wedding planning

As Sarah says, “I don’t know if it was the stress of all the planning or what, but I remember exploding on my fiancé when he gave me a very non-committal response about which invitation suite we should pick. The fact that he didn’t have an opinion really angered me. It wasn’t like I expected him to care about the invitations — I get why he wouldn’t — but I felt like I had done so much myself, and this was another thing I would have to choose alone without his help.”

She says, “When I finally calmed down, I was able to explain why I felt like I had too much responsibility, and he jumped right in. No, he never did care about those kind of details — but he did handle our entire music list, he gathered our guests’ addresses, and did a million other tedious tasks that made me feel relieved.”

Kym Johnson is pirouetting into wedding planning. The Dancing with the Stars pro has been engaged to her former dance partner, Shark Tank‘s Robert Herjavec since February and like any excited bride-to-be, has been occupying herself with the big day details ever since! (Between endless rehearsals, learning intense choreography, and dancing on live TV, of course… Phew, this is one busy bride!) First, we caught Johnson looking for some bridal inspiration in an issue of BRIDES magazine. And her social media pages were previously flooding with potential big day ideas. Now, Johnson is busy deciding on one of our favorite wedding details of all — the dress! While — like any other bride-to-be will tell you — there are seemingly endless styles out there to choose from, Johnson already knows what kind wedding dress she definitely doesn’t want to rock come the big day.

When the Shark Tank star first slipped that engagement sparkler on the finger of the dancing pro, we were already envisioning Johnson donning a wedding dress as sparkly as a disco ball for the big day — much like the flirty frocks she rocks on the DWTS dance floor. So we were shocked to discover that Johnson plans to go in an entirely different direction when it comes to her wedding day wear.

“A lot of [the dresses] I tried on I felt like I was putting a Dancing With the Stars dress on I’d worn before,” Johnson told Us Weekly of her hunt for the perfect dress. “I’m used to wearing slinky sort of lace things, a lot of beading on Dancing With the Stars, so I wanted to stay clear of that.” Looks like Johnson will be hanging up her go-to glitter come the big day. Surprising, right? We totally thought she’d be a beaded ball gown type of bride!

Instead, Johnson revealed that her wedding gown will be “just very simple, actually,” and her vision is so clear, she’s actually lending a hand in the design process. “It’s been a really fun process [to help design the dress],” Johnson shared. “A lot of designers will look at me like, ‘What?’ But I’m used to doing it for the show!” Sounds like the woman has got it all under control!

Whether she’s in a beaded ball gown or simple sheath, we have no doubt that Johnson will be one beautiful bride on her big day!

See More: Spring 2017 Wedding Dress Trends

Your hair and makeup appointments are set for the morning of your wedding. But why stop there? Chicago salons and spas are at your service to ensure you’re plucked and primped as you walk down the aisle. Check out our favorite spots to book your getting-ready services–plus expert advice on how far in advance to schedule your appointment.

Eyebrow Shaping: Channing’s Studio & Spa
The studio caters to a ritzy clientele of celebrities and Gold Coast elite, so you can rest assured your brows are in the right hands. Before Cheryl Renella begins tweezing–she’s opposed to irritating waxing and threading–she’ll look at your face and shape each brow to highlight your features. She’ll also identify “no pluck zones,” which is helpful if you have time to let your brows grow in where they need to.

When to go: If your brows are in serious need of repair, schedule your first appointment two to three months in advance to begin the reshaping process. “The last appointment should be as close to the wedding as possible,” Renella says. “The day before would be ideal.”

Nails: Cowshed at Soho House
The experience at the Soho House’s spa is an intimate one; there are only six mani-pedi chairs. Since you’ll spend your wedding weekend surrounded by throngs of loved ones, revel in the chance to relax with a small group or go completely solo. The Ultimate Cowshed Manicure and Pedicure use Cowshed’s best-in-class products to leave your cuticles clean, skin soft, and nails filed and polished.

When to go: One to two days before the big day to maintain that just-done glossy look.

Facial: The Spa at Trump
The Spa at Trump’s Chicago Diamond Experience Facial offers equal parts relaxation and exfoliation. The former comes courtesy of spending 90 minutes in the zen spa environment and the use of balancing stones designed to help you calm, while the latter is thanks to a triple-exfoliation method that delivers that bridal glow.

When to go: Kendra Rice, spa director at The Spa at Trump, recommends booking an appointment one month before your wedding, another two weeks later, and the final two days before.

See More: Find More Chicago Beauty Services on Our Local Vendor Page

Waxing: Trim
It’s no wonder Trim is a regular destination for brides-to-be: Their services menu includes wedding packages that go beyond your basic bikini wax. One offers eyebrow shaping, a Brazilian wax, and a full leg wax to leave you fuzz free.

When to go: Make an appointment four to six weeks before the big day for a trial run. Then, plan to come back to the Bucktown or Lincoln Park salon two to five days before the wedding. That’s close enough to go time to ensure everything’s smooth while still giving any redness time to calm down.

Spray Tan: Glowout
Airbrushed Golden Girl Tanning at Glowout is the Chicago spot to score a faux tan that doesn’t look faux at all. An expert from the salon will apply the tan by hand and tailor the color to your skin. No need to worry about leaving the salon stinking like chemicals. It’s all odor free here.

When to go: “We suggest a trial a few weeks prior to the wedding so we can ensure the tan photographs and wears exactly how the brides envision it,” says Jennifer Dieas, founder and CEO at Glowout. Then, stop by the salon two days before the wedding for the real thing.

Everything: Spa at JW Chicago
The Spa at JW Chicago’s bridal packages take care of your primping needs in one fell swoop. The Spa-Luxe includes a manicure, pedicure, and hydrating foot exfoliation, plus your choice of a massage or facial. The Prime & Prep package offers a little bit of everything: a 25-minute facial, a soothing eye and lip treatment, polish change, and a massage or Moroccanoil body treatment. No matter what you choose, the spa will welcome you with Champagne to kick off the celebration.

When to go: The day before the wedding, suggests Marie Parodi, spa director at the Spa at JW Chicago. “The light exfoliation and hydrating masque prime the skin, resulting in a fresh and clean canvas–perfect for a flawless makeup application,” Parodi says.

Check out our favorite makeup artists in Chicago by visiting our Local Vendors page!