How I’m Prepping My Skin and Face as Mother of the Groom, Step by Step
When my son got engaged, my first thoughts were exactly what you’d expect: how happy he looked, how much I adore his fiancée, and how special this next chapter is for our family. There were hugs, happy tears, and plenty of “can you believe this is happening?”
Once the excitement settled and the wedding date was officially on the calendar, I started thinking practically about the months ahead. Not in a dramatic, overhaul-everything kind of way, but in a calm, let’s-be-smart-about-this kind of way.
Prepping my skin and face as the mother of the groom isn’t about trying to look younger or different. It’s about feeling like myself on a very big day, standing next to a glowing bride, and knowing I won’t be second-guessing my decisions when I look back at photos years from now.
Because I’ve worked with Dr. Diana Ponsky for years, we decided to start early and plan backward from the wedding date. Here’s exactly how we approached it.
Why I Started Early With My Skin and Face Prep
Starting early gave me something invaluable: time.
Time to think things through. Time to heal. Time to make conservative decisions without pressure. When you give yourself that kind of runway, the entire process feels calmer and more intentional.
The December Consultation: Building the Plan
My December appointment with Dr. Ponsky wasn’t a treatment day. It was a full facial analysis.
We looked at close-up photos, talked through movement and expressions, and even stood in front of the mirror together. One of the biggest takeaways for me was how different things look in motion versus in still photos. A single image can exaggerate things that barely register in real life.
Dr. Ponsky looks at the face in regions, focusing on balance, proportion, skin quality, and how everything works together. The goal isn’t to chase every line. It’s to understand what actually changes first as we age and what truly benefits from subtle intervention.
One of the best moments of this consultation was hearing what was already working. Good skin quality. Balanced volume. Strong cheekbones. A jawline that’s holding up well. Those things matter far more than zeroing in on tiny details.
That set the tone for everything that followed. This wasn’t about doing more. It was about doing less, thoughtfully.
The Rules We Agreed On Before Doing Anything
Before moving forward, we aligned on a few guiding principles:
Conservative always looks better than aggressive
Non-invasive options come before anything surgical
Skin quality is the foundation for everything else
Nothing rushed. Nothing last minute
These rules shaped the entire plan and kept things feeling grounded instead of reactive.
My History With Dr. Ponsky (and Why That Matters)
One of the biggest advantages I had going into this wedding prep is that this wasn’t a new relationship.
I’ve been working with Dr. Diana Ponsky for years, which means she knows my face, my skin, and my preferences. We weren’t starting from scratch or guessing what might work. We were building on a long-term plan that’s evolved gradually over time.
Over the years, I’ve done IPL, Morpheus8, Botox, fillers, a periorbital chemical peel, and an upper blepharoplasty with Dr. Ponsky. Each step was thoughtful and conservative, and nothing was done in isolation. That history made planning for my son’s wedding much simpler and far less stressful.
In the fall of 2024, I had a periorbital chemical peel along with my upper blepharoplasty, and I was truly thrilled with the results. Once the skin around my eyes healed, it looked smoother, brighter, and healthier overall.
If I’m being completely honest, my only regret from that experience was not doing more. The downtime was the same, and once my under-eye skin looked so good, it made the rest of my face stand out in comparison. That experience directly informed our decision this time around.
Since we were already planning well ahead of the wedding, it made sense to do a full face and neck chemical peel so everything could heal evenly and improve together.
If you’re curious about my eye rejuvenation experience, you can read more about that here: Eye Rejuvenation with Dr. Diana Ponsky.
Why We Started With a Chemical Peel
Once we had a wedding date, everything shifted into planning backward mode.
Before talking about Botox or fillers closer to the wedding, we agreed to focus on skin quality first. A chemical peel early in the process gives your skin time to heal, regenerate, and fully settle long before a big event.
We scheduled my peel for February, a full six months before the August wedding. While the visible peeling phase only lasts a couple of weeks, skin continues to improve well beyond that. Starting early meant no pressure and plenty of flexibility.
The peel we chose helps improve texture, minimize pores, soften fine lines, and even out pigmentation. It’s not meant to address everything, but it creates a smooth, even foundation so anything we do later looks better and more natural.
Chemical Peel Recovery Journey
As of posting this, I’m 6 days out. I’ve posted my progression day-by-day below, and I’ll continue to share how my face heals on my Instagram!
My Wedding Prep Timeline (Planned Backward)
With an August 15 wedding date, this is how we mapped everything out:
December: Consultation and full facial analysis.
February: Chemical peel, with plenty of healing time.
March: Botox and fillers for maintenance.
April/May: Letting the skin normalize and reassessing. No piling on treatments.
Early July (about six weeks before the wedding): Botox and fillers, timed so everything has settled well before the big day.
Late July through August: Maintenance mode only. No new treatments.
Final two to three weeks: Nothing new. No new skincare, no facials with downtime. Calm, predictable skin is the goal.
What I’m Intentionally Not Doing
Just as important as what we’re doing is what we’re not doing.
No last-minute treatments.
No new skincare experiments.
No rushing into surgery.
Restraint matters.
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The Real Goal
This process isn’t about perfection. It’s about feeling confident, comfortable, and like myself while celebrating one of the biggest moments in our family’s life.
Starting early and planning backward has made this entire experience feel calm and manageable. And honestly, that peace of mind might be the best result of all.
My Advice If You’re Prepping for a Big Event
If you’re planning a wedding, milestone birthday, or any moment where you know photos will live on forever, here’s what I’d share based on my experience.
Start earlier than you think you need to. Time is the biggest luxury you can give yourself. It allows you to heal properly, make conservative decisions, and avoid last-minute stress.
Work with someone who knows you, or take the time to build that relationship. Having a doctor who understands your face, your skin, and your comfort level makes the entire process calmer and far more personalized.
Focus on skin quality before anything else. Good skin does more for how you look than chasing every line or tweak. When your skin is healthy and even, everything else looks better.
Plan backward from the date, not forward from treatments. Once you have a date on the calendar, let that guide every decision. It removes emotion and keeps things grounded.
And finally, resist the urge to try something new right before the event. Calm, predictable skin will always beat a last-minute experiment.
The goal isn’t to look different. It’s to feel confident, comfortable, and like yourself when the moment arrives.