You've found your perfect dress, tasted all the cakes, and picked out a romantic first dance song. But most importantly, you want to feel and look your best on the big day. Brides are expected to glow and look flawless, the Mother of the Bride wants to look better than the Mother of the Groom and vice versa, and everyone wants to look as fabulous as possible. More and more brides and members of the wedding party, or anyone gearing up for a big event, are seeking services from not just their hairdresser, trainer, dietician, wedding planner, but from a plastic surgeon as well. The biggest question then becomes, "what procedures can I have before my wedding? And when?"

Dr. Anil Shah, a Chicago, IL facial plastic surgeon, recommends giving yourself an adequate amount of time for healing prior to the wedding. "For patients seeking subtle age enhancements, a gentle touch of botox or facial filler can be performed, ideally with a minimum of 2 weeks time before the big day." says Dr. Shah. "This allows the rare patient who bruises plenty of time to recover and not stress about the healing process."  Continues Dr. Shah, "For those brides and grooms seeking nasal reshaping or rhinoplasty, I would recommend at least a 3 month period of time with 6 months to a year being ideal.  This allows for swelling in the nose and especially the nasal tip to be minimized as much as possible." But it isn't just Botox, facial fillers, or rhinoplasty that patients seek.  "Mothers of the bride and older brides may be candidates for a face lift or eye lift." says Dr. Shah  "These are typically best performed 3 months prior."  With weddings, it is all about the details.  For some brides and mothers of the bride or groom, it is about fading a line or smoothing a nasal bump to make the day as special as possible.