The first time I got a professional facial, it was a birthday present from my mom. Not that she was telling me I needed one. Rather, she finally gave in to my constant pleading that my teenage skin (which was luckily relatively blemish-free for a teen that only used Neutrogena face wash) absolutely needed it. I felt like such an adult that day when I went into the spa, slipped on a cozy robe, and zoned out to ambient music as a professional got to work. For years, that first experience continued to frame my view of facials: they were an expensive luxury meant only for special occasions. While I definitely stepped up my skincare game as I moved through my 20s and early 30s with a multi-step routine and prescription-strength retinol, I never really bought into getting consistent facials.
Then, I got engaged and had my Brooklyn wedding on the horizon. As someone who has written many articles over the years about pre-wedding beauty prep, I decided I should practice what I had been preaching and create a treatment plan months out from the celebration. A friend introduced me to Elizabeth Grace Hand, the founder and lead esthetician of Stalle Studios, and I knew who I was going to be in a relationship with for the next year. Her philosophy for me was simple: “Bridal skin responds best to consistency, not intensity.” My sensitive skin was prone to redness, an occasional hormonal breakout, dehydration in the winter months, and forming fine lines from my early years of sun exposure growing up in California. While I wasn’t in dire need of a skincare overhaul, I also wasn’t at a level where I could comfortably go to a social event without any makeup on. That meant I would take a trip to Elizabeth’s immaculately designed, Scandinavian-inspired Soho studio every four weeks for the next 12 months to slowly take my skin to the glowy aisle-ready level of my dreams.
Each visit was far from that first spa experience from my youth. From the moment I stepped out of the elevator to the pristine space, I would give Elizabeth or one of her wonderful aestheticians Casey and Emma a hug, and immediately start diving into conversation. Instantly, the chaos of hustling over from Brooklyn would melt away as the sounds of Lana Del Rey would wash over me. (Her Spotify radio playlist was always on repeat—Elizabeth says she has been trying to manifest her as a client.) After a quick peek out the window to see if their hot (often shirtless) neighbor across the street was hanging out around his apartment, I would slip beneath the silky bedding of the treatment table and wait for a knock.
The next hour, I would talk as much as I would in a therapy session while my face was slathered with serums, creams, and masks. The girls at the studio knew every detail of my wedding planning process, and I knew about all their partners, hometowns, and skin care routines. Elizabeth even got pregnant and gave birth during that year, so we always had plenty to talk about. When the session ended, I would get another hug from everyone there and leave with their signature “angel baby face” glow.
While I was busy chatting away, the talented team was working their way through their 12-month plan to get me wedding-ready. My skin experienced a rotation of gentle enzymes, lactic, and mandelic acid peels, micro-infusion treatments for hydration, LED therapy for calming inflammation and supporting collagen, lymphatic drainage and sculpting massages, sono and iontophoresis to enhance product penetration, deep hydration and barrier repair support with CO2 Lift Pro and Alginate Masks, and microcurrent therapy for lifting. It may have seemed like a lot to get my complexion looking its best, but it truly made a noticeable impact. I gave them my full trust and always said, “Just do your thing.” Halfway through the year, the team even did a trial facial for me, which would test out how quickly my skin would respond exfoliation, sculpting, and circulation work for maximum glow and recovery.
My skin was already reaching the best level of tone and hydration I had seen in years. Unfortunately, my static fine lines that have set in a little more comfortably in my 30s weren’t necessarily going anywhere. So when I got the invite from Dr. Ellen Marmur of Marmur Medical to test out her LED light therapy device and receive a treatment of Xeomin—an additive-free alternative to Botox—I decided to go for it. I had yet to dive into neuromodulators—both due to the cost and my proclivity to passing out from needles—but a special occasion like my wedding seemed like a good time to test them out. I consulted with Elizabeth as well, who told me that almost all of her clients over the age of 30 used injectables to reach their skincare goals. She even mentioned how excited she was to get it again after giving birth, so I felt I had the official co-sign to go for it.
I’ll never forget that first appointment. It was around six months before the wedding, so I would be able to test out the effects and time another dose ahead of the ceremony. Dr. Marmur talked me through the process and how to thoughtfully disperse everything to feel natural and still let me have expression on my big day. She even offered to have my wife join me to get her own pre-wedding dose and have me test out a BBL laser for redness from keratosis pilaris on my arms. Dr. Marmur was so positive and calm that I didn’t even feel lightheaded when I left her Upper East Side office. Cut to me 20 minutes later: collapsed on the ground of a busy rush-hour L train after fainting from overthinking it. (I was totally fine, and the very kind New Yorkers of the subway helped me out. I told my fellow passengers a white lie and said I was faint from a “medical procedure.”)
While my ego was bruised, the results were amazing. Paired with my visits to Stalle Studios, I already saw that level of glow that I knew would be perfect for my wedding. I even had two separate occasions of random people complimenting how good my skin looked and asking for my routine, so I knew I was ready.
A month ahead of my wedding, it was truly “go” time. Liv and I took a joint appointment at Dr. Marmur’s office for our pre-wedding dose of Xeomin. This time, I added on masseter injections and a “Nefertiti lift” to help prevent double chinning in photos and pre-wedding-stress-related teeth clenching. I almost fainted (again) but made it through with my wife handing me Welch’s Fruit Snacks. I also returned to their office to try out the BBL laser, which really helped reduce redness on my arms.
Once the Xeomin began to settle two weeks out, Emma Jin gave me a glow-focused facial with added dermaplaning to help with makeup application. Then, a day before the rehearsal dinner, I followed up my pre-wedding nail appointment by attending my final visit with Elizabeth. It was almost emotional going in for that last appointment. I was going to miss my routine therapy sessions, chatting away with the wonderful team as they crafted my bridal skin. So much had happened in the past year in the lead-up to the wedding for the both of us, too. We chatted about baby Pom and all those final details I pulled together for the wedding and upcoming Thailand honeymoon. Elizabeth, meanwhile, focused on de-puffing with one of her magical facial massages and left my skin luminous.
If you factor in travel time, I likely spent over 30 hours ahead of my wedding dedicated to perfecting my skin. A little much, some might say—but for me, that time was worth it. Not only for the number of times our wedding guests (and even vendors) commented on how much my skin was glowing, but also for the wonderful relationships I formed with my talented beauty team. I would do it all over again.
