01
The proposal
The yes is barely a day old and the camera is already out. A first tan now starts the most useful conversation of the whole plan: which depth feels like you.
Your first bridal appointment
Weddings · Santa Cruz
A wedding spray tan, planned from the trial to the toast.
Your wedding tan doesn't need to be complicated. It needs a plan: a trial at least two weeks ahead, so you see the tan in daylight against your neckline, and a final tan two to three days before the ceremony, so by the morning of the wedding you've settled into it and the photographs simply look like you.
Your wedding date
A wedding plan, counted back from your date.
Your date fills in the planner and your free guide below. It stays in your browser.
Why a trial
The wedding day is not the day to experiment.
A wedding tan rests on things only a trial can settle: your undertone, the depth you like, how your skin takes the formula, and how the result reads beside your gown and under the photographer's light. Jana has planned wedding tans in Santa Cruz for nearly two decades, and the trial is where she learns your skin, at least two weeks before the ceremony, so the final tan holds no surprises.
Undertone · Depth · Hydration · Your dress · Your photographer · Your timeline
The bridal timeline
From the yes to the vows.
Fourteen moments across the wedding year, each with its own tan. The rule underneath is simple: a trial at least two weeks before the wedding, a tan one to two days ahead of each event, and the final tan two to three days before the ceremony, never the night before.
Act 1 of 4
The engagement
The first photographs, the first parties and the first chance to learn your shade.
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03
The save-the-date
This is the photograph your guests keep on the fridge until the wedding. A tan timed to the shoot starts building toward the tone you will wear on the day.
1 to 2 days before
02
The engagement session
This is often the first time a professional photographs the two of you together. A tan a day or two before shows exactly how it reads on camera, and that shapes every choice for the wedding.
1 to 2 days before
04
The engagement party
A small dinner or a full celebration: the first official event of the wedding year deserves a tan of its own.
1 to 2 days beforeAct 2 of 4
The months between
Fittings, the shower and weekends away, each with a tan one to two days ahead.
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05
The fitting
The first look at your gown against your skin. A tan before a fitting is a quiet preview of how ivory, white or champagne will sit beside it.
1 to 2 days before
07
The boudoir session
Private, close and lit to flatter. When the lens is this near, an even tan with natural dimension matters most.
1 to 2 days before
09
The trip away
Flying for a bachelorette or a destination wedding? The plan works around your flights, the activities and wherever you are headed.
Planned around your travelPlan around your departure →
06
The shower
Soft, luminous and photographed with your mother, your sisters and your closest friends.
1 to 2 days before
08
The bachelorette weekend
A pool in Palm Springs or a night of dancing in the city: the tan is planned around the whole weekend, and your bridesmaids are welcome to book alongside you.
1 to 2 days beforeAct 3 of 4
Wedding week
One final tan, two to three days before the ceremony, carries you from the welcome party to the morning after.
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10
The welcome party
Usually the evening before the rehearsal dinner, and usually small: family and the guests who flew in. Your final tan goes on before it, so by the first toast it has settled and simply reads as your own skin.
Covered by your final tan
12
The wedding day
Everything comes together here. Your shade has been tested, your depth decided and your timing set, so nothing is left to guess. The wedding tan builds on all of it.
2 to 3 days before, never the night before
11
The rehearsal dinner
The night before is one of the most photographed evenings of the week, often in an outfit nothing like your gown. Your final tan is chosen to suit both.
Covered by your final tan
13
The morning after
Coffee, family and the first stories from the night before. Your tan is still with you.
Carried from your final tanAct 4 of 4
Afterward
Timed to your flight, so the tan travels with you.
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14
The honeymoon
The wedding is over and the tan can keep going. A honeymoon tan is timed to your departure and destination, and lasts 7 to 14 days depending on preparation, aftercare and time in the ocean or the pool.
As close to departure as you canPlan around your departure →Jana only schedules one client at a time so her attention is complete and totally personalized...
Your dates
Enter the wedding date, see every tan.
Add the events already on your calendar, from the engagement photos to the honeymoon flight, and each one gets its own booking window beside your trial and your final tan.
Add an event
Your dates stay in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Choose your wedding date and your plan appears here, in order.
Free guide · made for your wedding date
FREE BRIDAL TIMING GUIDE
Every tan between yes and I do, on one page.
Most brides hear about the trial and the final tan; fewer hear about the engagement shoot, the shower, the bachelorette weekend and the honeymoon flight, each of which has its own best day to book. The deSoleil Bridal Spray-Tan Timing Guide puts all of it in order, with a tan for every date you enter in the planner above, the preparation routine to start now and the aftercare that carries your tan through the week of the wedding.
- When to book every tan, from engagement photos to the honeymoon
- A preparation routine that starts the day you say yes, and the right order for waxing, facials and nails
- Aftercare for the first rinse, every swim and the honeymoon sun
The question every bride asks
About the dress
Nearly every bride asks, and the answer is reassuring. The tint you leave the studio with is a cosmetic guide that rinses away in your first shower, days before the gown comes out of its bag. What stays is the tan itself, which belongs to your skin rather than the fabric. Hands, feet, wrists and the edge of the neckline get the most careful attention, because that's where the camera looks closest.
Undertone and makeup
Your tan is part of your complexion.
On the wedding morning your skin becomes the base for professional makeup. Foundation, contour, blush and highlight all sit on it, and the camera sees every layer. If you have a makeup trial, book your tan a day or two before it, so your artist can match the foundation to the tan you'll wear, and let them know the date of your final tan.
I almost skipped a spray tan for my wedding because I was worried about my dress. Jana helped me feel comfortable and paid attention to every detail. My hands and feet looked natural in the close-up photos, and the color stayed where it belonged. Her experience really showed.
For the team behind the day
Makeup artists, planners and photographers.
A wedding tan works best when everyone around the bride knows its timing. If that's you, here is how Jana's schedule fits yours.
Makeup artists
Book the makeup trial a day or two after her trial tan, so the foundation is matched to the tan she will wear. By the wedding morning the final tan has settled and sits evenly under foundation, contour and body makeup. Jana is happy to share the date of the final tan.
Wedding planners
Put two dates on the timeline: the trial at least two weeks out and the final tan two to three days before the ceremony, never the night before. The bridal party books back to back, about twenty minutes each, so everyone is finished together.
Photographers
A fully developed tan photographs as skin, not color, and a matched bridal party reads evenly in every group shot. The engagement session is the best test: a tan a day or two before shows exactly how it looks on camera.
Planners are welcome to book the party back to back.
The whole party
Everyone in the photographs, tanned to match.
Her dress was chosen months ago, and her photographs will hang in the family for decades, so a mother's tan is planned with every bit as much care as the bride's: soft and refined, hydration first, a depth that looks natural in the close-ups beside the couple. Fathers, groomsmen and grooms are welcome too, with a tan that simply looks like a weekend outdoors. Your photographer will notice too: a matched party reads evenly in every group shot.
Each tan takes about twenty minutes, so the party books back to back. Choose how many are coming and see when everyone will be finished.
Your bridal party
Your party is tanned back to back, about twenty minutes apiece.
In the party
Day
- The bride10:00am
- Guest 110:20am
- Guest 210:40am
- Guest 311:00am
Everyone is tanned and ready by 11:20am. Treat this as a planning guide; Jana confirms each time when you book.
We brought the whole bridal party to deSoleil, and I'm so glad we did. Everyone was stressed, but the studio felt like a sanctuary. Jana customized the tans for each of us, so nobody had that one-shade-fits-all look. We felt calmer and loved how we looked in the photos. It was one of the best decisions we made for the wedding.
What if…
The worries every bride brings in first.
None of them are yours to solve alone. There is a process for each one, and it starts with the trial.
What if it looks unnatural?
Your shade is chosen for your natural undertone, not simply to make you darker, and the trial lets you see it on your own skin, in daylight, weeks before the wedding.
What if it's too dark?
The trial settles your depth. If you'd like the wedding tan a shade lighter, Jana adjusts the formula or the rinse time for the final appointment.
How will it look in photographs?
Even and believable, with natural dimension. Tan before your engagement photos and you will already know how it reads on camera.
What if I've never had a spray tan?
That's what the trial is for. It takes about twenty minutes, and you leave knowing exactly how the wedding tan will feel.
What if my skin is dry?
Preparation matters most here: a gentle pass with exfoliating gloves every day beforehand and again on the day of your tan, plenty of water and a daily moisturizer keep the tan even. Skipped preparation tends to show in the result.
What if I'm not sure which shade I want?
You don't need to know when you arrive. The formula comes out of a conversation about your skin, undertone, schedule and the depth you'd like, and it can change at the final appointment if the trial suggests something better.
The weeks before
Four habits that carry the tan.
Choose the formula
Chosen at your trial. The Bridal Package covers Bronze Organics or Rapid Development.
Plan the add-ons
Add-ons such as the Normalize pre-treatment are planned at the trial, around your other appointments.
Prepare your skin
Gentle glove exfoliation every day in the weeks before and once more on the day of your tan, shaving or waxing at least a day ahead, plus plenty of water and a daily moisturizer, keep the tan even.
Care for it at home
A gentle wash and a daily moisturizer carry the tan from the final appointment to the honeymoon.
Every couple is welcome: brides and grooms, two brides, two grooms, elopements, courthouse weddings and vow renewals.
Three tans · one checkout
The Bridal Package
$219
- Your trialAt least two weeks before, to settle your shade.
- Your final tanTwo to three days before the ceremony.
- One more eventThe shower, a shoot or the honeymoon flight.
Each tan is in Bronze Organics or Rapid Development with a Normalize pre-treatment, and the package is good for twelve months, so it's settled before the seating chart is.
“I have severe acne scarring on my back and used to feel so self-conscious wearing backless dresses for events... She was so kind, professional, and nonjudgmental. The tan softened my skin tone so beautifully that I wore my gown with zero hesitation.”
“I was referred to deSoleil by a bride whose skin looked gorgeous on her wedding day. Jana made me feel right at home from the second I walked in.”
The wedding morning
What to do, and what to skip.
By the morning of the wedding your final tan has developed and settled. A few small habits keep it exactly as it is through the ceremony and the dancing.
On the morning
- A brief, lukewarm shower with your gentle wash if you want one, then pat dry, never rub
- Your hydrating moisturizer while skin is still slightly damp, as you have every morning and night since your first rinse
- Plenty of water, because hydrated skin holds color longest
- Wear anything you like to hair and makeup, since the tan stays off clothes now
- Let your makeup artist know about the tan so your face matches your body
Save for after the honeymoon
- Coconut oil, body oils and petroleum-based products
- High-alkaline drugstore soap
- Long, hot showers and rubbing with a towel
- Sun without SPF, because your tan is not sun protection
Questions brides ask
Wedding tans, answered.
When should I book my wedding spray tan?
Book two appointments: a trial at least two weeks before the wedding, and the final tan two to three days before the ceremony. Hold both as soon as the date is set; Jana sees one client at a time.
Do I really need a trial?
The trial is where you see the depth and undertone in daylight, against your neckline and next to your dress fabric. If you'd like the final tan a shade softer or deeper, that's decided then, and the trial tan has fully faded by the time the final one goes on.
Will the tan get on my dress?
The tint you leave the studio with is a guide that rinses away in your first shower, days before the gown comes out of its bag. What stays is the tan itself, which belongs to your skin, not the fabric.
What about my makeup and hair?
Book them for the wedding morning as usual, and let your makeup artist know about your tan so your face matches your body. The free timing guide puts waxing, facials and nails in the right order around your tans.
Can the bridal party come in together?
Yes. Each tan takes about twenty minutes, so bridesmaids, mothers and groomsmen can follow one another. Choose the party size in the scheduler and book back to back.
Should I get a tan for the honeymoon?
If you'd like one, it's timed to your flight rather than the wedding, so you land with the tan already settled. Tell Jana where you're headed: a week of salt water asks for a slightly different plan than a city break.
A backless gown, a shore at sunset and a tan that looks like skin.
The trial comes first, so the calendar matters.
Hold both as soon as the date is set; Jana sees one client at a time. Book the trial now and your final tan can be planned around it. Years from now, the photographs should simply look like you on a very good day.
