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I’m white. I mean, it’s an “I don’t tan” white. Pasty, fish-bellied. It’s one thing to be porcelain skinned, that’s beautiful. Being a half-hispanic pale chickie makes me look sallow. I’ve looked like this my whole life, so it’s the norm. I have previously thought of getting a “spray-a-tan” done for the wedding, but then I saw a vision in horribleness. The un-tan armpit. It was gross and turned me off the fake-bake forever.
So now I must decide- bronzer or just go as I am? A little blush swept onto the generous apples I call my cheeks and there you have it. I remember once reading about how to shadow your cleavage, so you look bronzed and glowing. Well, a 38D creates its own shadowing, in my opinion. So, what to do? In a strapless dress, my lightly freckled shoulders may not look very romantic or dreamy in all their spanking white glory, but would the opposite look good, either?
Anyone who knows me knows about my inability to be out in the sun. I am allergic and have a special sunblocking cream I have to wear. So, to be tan for my wedding would be glaringly (no pun intended) obvious that it was fake. Maybe a little bit of bronzer to the shoulder tips and cheekbones and I’ll be good to go! I guess I’ll have to try a few different options out first.
Are you getting a fake-bake prior to your wedding?
Undecided. My dress is blush, not white, and I think it works well with my natural skin tone. But I do want my skin to look its best, which is seems to do with some color…
I say don’t do it! Personally I think that fake tans usually look pretty tacky and definitely weird if you are normally a different color. Why should you be tan (or bronze or whatever) all of a sudden? Embrace your paleness- rock a little blush and look like your normal lovely self. 
I’m not fake-baking, but I’ll be on the beach for a few days prior, so I’m going to be obsessively applying sunblock to avoid crazy tan lines!
Maybe you would feel good with your natural skintone and a luminescent powder dusted lightly across your shoulders?
Me = blue eyes, blond hair, and freckled skin that really hates the sun. My dress maker is picking a fabric color that will work well with all my pasty glory. However, in photos, you’ll need some extra oomph. I’m so pale, I have to use mostly pink blush mixed with a tiny bit of bronzer.
If you can find the right bronzer for your skin tone (I’m *NOT* talking about the orangey, dirt colored kind) a little dusted on all the places the sun would naturally hit will help in photographs. A bit of color will prevent the camera flash from washing you out completely.
If you’re up to it, play around with a few different brands and colors, and/or mix it with any normal blush you use. Good luck!
No tanning for me since I’ve had cancer before but I might try a Mystic tan…we’ll see. Right now I’m happy with my Jergins Natural Glow.
i am fairly pale as well. my veins show through my skin. i have always looked this way and am not changing for the wedding. i don’t think it looks bad. i would NEVER do a spray tan or a tanning bad tan. everyone ends up looking orange, which i think is waaaay worse than being pale. i’m going for a bike ride today and am making sure that i’m wearing a tube top so as not to get terrible tan line that interfere with my strapless dress. i may end up getting a little bit of a tan by default, but that is not my goal.
When I got engaged, someone warned me about doing too many things to change my appearance for the wedding, like tanning, new haircolor, etc. While all of these things seem like “improvements,” (and may actually be improvements in moderation), too much could have you end up looking like someone other than youself. That said, I would do things like body scrubs, face masks and lots of moisturizing to have your skin looking its own best.
I am a fellow porcelain girl (with blond hair and blue eyes — and I’m marrying a very white redhead — our children will be translucent!), but I live at the beach and spend many a weekend there during the spring and summer months. And I have become wise to the sunscreen and use at least 30 all over, but will still have a nice tan by September.
If I lived elsewhere, though, I would revel in all my porcelain loveliness and just go with some extra blush and well-placed bronzer. Embrace your whiteness!!
I am naturally tan but I do love that extra glow. I was going to do a spray tan but I havent really decided. But like AMK I will be at the beach down in Miami a few weeks prior to the wedding.
I agree with Julie - The Jergens Natural Glow lotion is where it’s at for us pale ones. Just the right amount of subtle color.
Absolutely not. I’m pale–glowingly pale. I don’t tan, I freckle. I would look weird with a fake bake. Never had one. Besides, I wouldn’t want to risk it coming off on my gown. I tried on my gown in white, and everyone in the immediate area shielded their eyes and instantly said, “Ivory.” So I have a lovely ivory gown (tried it on for the first time last night!) and it flatters my paleness, blond hair, and blue eyes. Pale is beautiful!
I do both natural and bed tanning and this year I’m choosing to skip it– no sunburns for this bride… especially since the big day is the end of summer. I was actually contemplating Mystic tan… i will try it now so it still has time to fade just in case it doesn’t look good.
I’m white and pasty and proud. NO fake bake here. No tanning salons. No sitting out and burning in the sun.
If I’m pale in my pictures so be it- that’s how people see me everyday anyway.
Be who you are.
No, I don’t fake tan. But I will most likely be a little tan at my wedding in October from being active (and lazy on beach) this summer. I would recommend Olay Touch of Sun body lotion, it works great when you can’t be in the real sun. It goes on well and doesn’t look orangey like the old sunless tanners used to. Just do what you are comfortable with, noone really cares if you are tan looking or not. 
First and foremost on your wedding day you should be yourself. I am pale too (my brothers harass me about being translucent) and I was pasty white for my wedding. But that’s who I am. I doubt my guests even gave it a second thought. If I had appeared tan, the would have wondered more.
I’m not just white, I’m reflective. (Especially in photos.) I don’t think I’m going to change that for the wedding. You definitely don’t want to look fake or like someone else at your wedding. Changing your skin color never looks right. Tan is the fashion right now, but in other parts of the world, women use chemicals to lighten their skin. Weird huh? I think people look best with whatever skin color they were born with.
Do what ever makes you feel best. I’m pale too, and not a nice pale, a blotchy, freckly, uneven skin tone that looks like it should tan (but doesn’t) pale. However, I’ve found the secret………individualized spray on tan. This is where a person at a salon finds the right shade for you and airbrushes it on your body in a light natural way. A little pricey, but looks amazing! It looks like I have perfectly even, glowing skin.
When I’m playing it cheap I do a mystic tan. Its ok, but not great and prone to streaking around fingers and toes.
Whatever you decide- I’m sure it will be wonderful- i’ve never seen a bride that didn’t have a “happy glow.”
I say go as you are…the beautiful kiwi you are! Ironic that you picked a fruit that is “tanned” Hmmm berrryy interesting.
I on the other hand don’t want to be tan for the wedding. I want to be as “white” as possible. I don’t like the way I look tanned.
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Mrs. Kiwi, Los Angeles Age and Occupation in 06: 27, Bookkeeper Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, P.E. Teach/Coach @ private schools in LA Engagement Date: March 31, 2006 Wedding Date: November 3, 2007 Venue: Radisson Hotel About Me: I'm a bookkeeper who failed high school algebra. I'm currently living in Los Angeles, literally a street over from where I grew up with Mr. Kiwi, my honey of three years. We have a jumbo mini-dachshund (seriously, he's huuuuge), and we're planning an autumn themed wedding on a shoestring, paid for by ourselves. The wedding date is my late grandma's birthday, I needed her there somehow, and that seemed like the best way for us. I can't believe I'm a Bee! I couldn't be more proud!
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