Planning a traditional wedding requires a few key things: a florist, the band or DJ, the cake, and the ability to keep track of finding, hiring, and paying for all of them. (Fun!) Now, you can add visiting a dermatologist to that laundry list. But forget a nice, relaxing facial—these days, more brides to be are springing for cosmetic injectables to smooth crinkles and plump lips before their wedding day.
“We have definitely seen an uptick in consultations with brides-to-be who want to get a skin care game plan even a year before the big day,” says Kristel Polder, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at Dallas Center for Dermatology and Aesthetics in Dallas, TX. “Brides want to look good for all aspects surrounding a wedding—portraits, bachelorette party, wedding, and honeymoon.”
Cosmetic injectables are a natural fit for this. “Fillers have a longevity that allows you to maintain these results through the process,” Polder says. “Particularly with millennials, we’ve been asked for smaller dosing to test out fillers in their lips, cheeks, and under their eyes.” Meanwhile, neuromodulators (or “wrinkle reducers” as they’re more commonly called) such as Botox and Dysport have become popular among brides for specific areas of the face.
Polder’s clinical experience is reflective of the large-scale trend of pre-wedding injectables. RealSelf, a review site that tracks the popularity of cosmetic treatments, found that in the past year, neuromodulators accounted for 15% of nonsurgical pre-wedding treatments, with injectable fillers close behind at 14.15%. This follows the overall rise in the use of injectables, which are no longer solely within the realm of antiaging. That is, actual aging is no longer a prerequisite for cosmetic injectables.
Instead, contoured cheekbones, preternaturally smooth foreheads, and plump lips have taken over Instagram feeds and celebrity faces alike, underscoring the new role of cosmetic injectables as a way to sculpt and augment in addition to lift and firm—no matter your age. (Unsurprisingly, the look has been been dubbed “Instagram Face.”) And they’ve been embraced accordingly. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of filler procedures among people between 30 and 39 years old has grown by nearly 30% since 2010. (And of those, the number of hyaluronic acid filler injections in particular, such as Juvéderm or Restylane, has almost doubled.) Meanwhile, the number of neuromodulator procedures among patients between 30 and 39 has increased by nearly 35% to 1.3 million.
The wedding weekend of Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas is officially underway. Throughout the weekend’s festivities, the bride and groom have, for the most part, kept an understandably low profile on social media (hey, they’re busy). Yesterday, however, we got a glimpse of the festivities in a joint post put up just hours after they reportedly tied the knot in the first of two ceremonies this weekend. But it wasn’t of the wedding: Instead, it was a gallery of the stunning Mehendi pre-wedding ceremony with family and friends late last week. This morning, we got another look at the festive long weekend: Chopra posted a peek into her decked-out pre-wedding sangeet on Friday night, and it looks incredible.
Among the many pre-wedding events that take place, the sangeet, which takes place in the evening after the Mehendi ceremony, is one of the most lively. Sangeet ceremonies bring together both sides of the soon-to-be-family with music, dance routines, and singing—and since we know that both the bride and groom boast impressive musical chops (let’s not forget Priyanka’s pop career), it’s no surprise that the evening turned into a full-on musical production.
Unfolding on an enormous stage, the Chopra-Jonas sangeet included enormous musical performances from the bride and groom, as well as their families (we see you, Joe Jonas). In Chopra’s own post about the ceremony, the actress addressed how special this marriage ceremony really was to her:
“It all began as a fierce song & dance competition between the families but ended, as always, as a huge celebration of love,” Chopra captioned her Instagram of the event. “Nick and I were looking forward to the Sangeet (musical evening), another pre wedding ritual.. and to see what each side had put together. And what a performance it was. Each family telling our stories through song and dance, filled with lots of laugher and love. We were both filled with gratitude for the effort, the love and the laughter and will carry the memories of this special evening for the rest of our lives. It is an amazing start to a lifetime of togetherness for our families and friends.. #grateful.”
There was a stage. There was fancy colorful lighting. There were incredibly choreographed dance numbers. In short, this celebration was one for the books.
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ wedding weekend has already kicked off in India—in fact, they’ve already tied the knot, according to Saturday reports. But no, we don’t have any wedding photos yet (although you can be sure we’ll update you when we do). But the couple did jointly post a series of images on Instagram just hours after they reportedly finished their first ceremony, a Christian one in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. (The Hindu ceremony will be held tomorrow.)
The mini-gallery features a series of photos from the couple’s Mehendi ceremony, a Hindu pre-wedding ritual that takes place usually two days before the wedding. Per People this is a ceremony in which “all of the women in the bride and groom’s families, along with close friends, gather together while the bride has elaborate henna designs applied to her hands and feet. Guests will usually get a few designs on their hands as well.”
As the two wrote in their captions, “One of the most special things that our relationship has given us is a merging of families who love and respect each other’s faiths and cultures. And so planning our wedding with an amalgamation of both was so so Amazing. An important part for the girl in an Indian wedding is the Mehendi.
Once again we made it our own and it was an afternoon that kicked off the celebrations in the way we both dreamed.”
Jonas posted the same gallery and caption. (Hey, they were busy).
Stunning, no? Both Priyanka and Nick were wearing Khosla Jani by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, according to a statement from the company—and the brand did the stunning jewelry too. “A Mehendi calls for joyous and exuberant celebration. Priyanka’s outfit is a burst of colour. Nick’s aqua is the perfect balance. They looked like a dream together,” it read.
The same company was also apparently the brains behind the event, which was themed “The Blue City,” a reference to Jodhpur. “There’s a distinct joie de vivre and playfulness as America mingles with India too, with both a cricket and baseball match to boot,” a statement from the company read.
Something to be truly thankful for today: According to Instagram, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ pre-wedding festivities are officially underway.
The whirlwind nuptials are reportedly taking place in Jodhpur, India at the Umaid Bhawan Palace—yeah, a literal palace. The days-long wedding events themselves reportedly won’t start until sometime between November 30 and December 2, but the couple is already on the ground to get the party started.
At least, according to Instagram. “Welcome home baby… ?,” Chopra shared next to a sweet photo of the couple in Delhi, India.
If you’re thinking, “Holy crap, the wedding is already here?!” we wouldn’t blame you: After all, Chopra and Jonas’ courtship has been the definition of a whirlwind romance. After meeting over the summer and getting engaged in August, the couple has spent the fall showing off their love on Instagram, having an epic bridal shower and bachelorette party, and creating an Amazon wedding registry with a few head-scratcher gifts.
Only a few more days now for the happy couple—and until we finally get a glimpse of Priyanka’s dress.
As I prepped for my nuptials, I knew I didn’t want a traditional bachelorette party, but I definitely wanted some form of celebration with my friends. I was already feeling uncomfortable with the traditional pressures of a wedding ceremony and reception and frustrated with the subtle gender roles forced on me. I felt like I had to be the one to decide wedding colors, plating choices, table dimensions, invitation fonts, and so many more details.
It quickly became clear to me that in the eyes of society (and the wedding planning industry), the bride is the dreamer and decider of all aesthetics and the groom isn’t expected to be capable of making such decisions. Instead, he gets a slap on the back and glass of whiskey while the bride frantically creates Excel spreadsheets and Pinterest boards.
“It’s the bride’s day. You only get to do this once,” people around me said, encouraging me to enjoy the frenzy. “Hopefully,” I shot back sarcastically.
I tried to take a “whatever” attitude toward these choices, but I realized every lackadaisical response I served my mother and friends caused more drama. Being a “whatever” bride doesn’t make sense to people: It sets them in a panic, wondering how it’s possible for you to not have an opinion. So I pretended to care about linen fabrics and quietly decided the bachelorette would be done on my terms.
The bachelorette parties I’ve attended have fallen into one of two categories. Either the party mourns the death of singlehood with stripper-centered entertainment, or it mourns the death of girlhood with light-hearted games and giggling whenever anyone says the word “penis.” Neither choice was enticing or applicable to me.
At the time of my engagement, I’d been living with my partner and our dog for six years, so the death of a “single” lifestyle had already happened. I think it may have quietly passed in the middle of the night when I accidentally farted and he didn’t stop big-spooning me, or perhaps it happened once we started asking each other twice a day, “Did the dog poop?”
To create positive pre-wedding vibes, I realized there was only one event that could give me what I wanted: a cleansing ceremony. Specifically, a d*ck-cleansing ceremony.
And as for my “girlhood,” as far as that’s code for “virginity,” that too had dissolved well before I hit my thirties, and I had zero regrets about that. Even the tradition of wearing white for your wedding gave me pause, even though I planned to go along with it: As a mature thirty-something woman, why should I wear a color associated with virginal purity? Cultural norms may praise the virgin and throw shade on promiscuity, but I refused to have a bachelorette party that did too.
My bachelorette, I decided, would be a celebration of my transition into marriage, and there would be no mourning of past lives. In order to celebrate my future, though, I still felt I needed to honor my past. After all, each past lover helped me grow into the partner prepping for a healthy and loving marriage, so gratitude to former relationships was a must. To create these positive pre-wedding vibes, I realized there was only one event that could give me what I wanted: a cleansing ceremony. Specifically, a dick-cleansing ceremony.
In terms of technical flow, I wasn’t entirely sure what a dick-cleansing ceremony would entail. I’m not particularly spiritual, but I grew up in a Latinx household that frequently burned sage to clear or recover from mal ojo, or negative energy. I figured if I came with pure intentions, I could sketch this out.
I decided I needed my ceremony to provide two things:
1. Blessings to my new phase of marital sexual freedom.
Did getting married mean I was destined to watch Big Bang Theory, purchase socks for my husband to wear under his sandals, and succumb to sexual monotony? Nah. But it did represent a new phase for me and my husband, one marked, I hoped, by hot sex. In my dick-cleansing ceremony, I wanted my best friends to send me happy future coitus wishes.
2. Cleansing of any leftover vibes from my past lovers.
I’m grateful for everything I learned from them. Past lovers have taught me to be more considerate, generous, and vulnerable, but I wanted any residual juju left on me by them to disappear. As Drake says in “Nice For What,” “You ain’t stressin’ off no lover in the past tense. You already had them.” It was time for me to channel past experiences into marriage.
The last step was to educate my bachelorette party attendees and get their buy-in. I explained the purpose of my dick-cleansing ceremony to the group and prepared them to direct positive energy with me. In an uncharacteristically Bridezilla-like moment, I also set a dress code of sorts, demanding they wear something that made them feel powerful.
As for the script, I suggested that on the day of the ceremony we just improvise and see what happened. My friends were intrigued, but also skeptical about how we could possibly cleanse 14 years of sexual activity in one go. I reminded them that there was no wrong way to do this since I was literally making it all up: I just needed them to come ready with positive energy, which everyone confirmed they were fully capable of bringing.
My bachelorette party was held over a weekend in Palm Springs, filled with desert vibes and lots of snacks. Saturday night was the scheduled dick-cleansing ceremony, and my girlfriends came dressed in their most powerful looks: Envision seven women dressed as a mix of Stevie Nicks, Rihanna, and Lily Tomlin. We were off to a strong start.
We gathered around a table and placed three large penis-shaped candles in the center. These candles represented my sexual past and would be burned accordingly. My friend Lisa then asserted herself as the lead bruja and explained that once the candles were lit, the ceremony would begin, and once they were out, the ceremony would end. As Lisa lit the candles, we all became strangely solemn — then, to my surprise, each girlfriend brought out a contribution to the ceremony.
To cleanse the space of negative vibes, Stassi lit a sage smudge stick and placed it in the center of our circle. She also brought rose quartz crystals, which are said to open your heart chakra and allow more love to enter your life. Katie brought a framed painting of a Día de los Muertos husband and wife with the inscription “Until death separates us” in Spanish, which she placed in the center of our circle, alongside the penis candles. She and her husband had received it as a wedding gift the previous year, and she hoped it would bring my marriage good luck.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Nicole Dellert
Brittany brought handmade cards with images of Dolly Parton, Erykah Badu, vaginas, wombs, and entwined lovers printed on the front; she scattered them face-up on the table and told us to channel these images into our ceremony. Finally, Scheana brought the holy sacrament of tequila for ceremonial shots. The vibes were officially set.
Instinctually, we all held hands to form a circle and took a breath, and Stassi suggested we each share a happy wish for my new marital sex life. As each friend took their turn, I felt like Sleeping Beauty when the fairies gave her wishes of beauty and song, except my fairies were my closest girlfriends giving me blessings of a strong libido and sexual adventure. Close enough.
I felt like Sleeping Beauty, except my fairies were my closest girlfriends giving me blessings of a strong libido.
When the last wish had been shared, we were all still holding hands, and it felt electric. Maybe it was the tequila or all the snacks we had eaten, but I felt powerful. We sat in a solemn circle, smiling in silence, and as the shadows of the dick candles lit the face of each one of my friends, I was filled with gratitude for all of them. Not only were they humoring my request to hold a ridiculous and totally made-up dick-cleansing ceremony, they came willing to play, and that moved me.
Then, at the perfect moment, Lisa leaned over and blew out the dick candles. The ceremony was officially over. We sat looking at each other until I broke the spell by announcing, “I just felt my hymen grow back.”
It hadn’t, nor did I want it to, but I did feel refreshed, grateful, and eager to embrace my next phase of life. For me, a bachelorette filled with penis straws and strippers wasn’t going to provide that. My DIY ceremony did. Bachelorette parties can be beautiful occasions that recharge brides for the pre-wedding sprint and center them in what’s important. Mine reminded me that love and gratitude is the center and driver of life transitions, not seating charts or invitation card stock. Whatever way you do it, taking a breath to enjoy the lessons you have learned and the unconditional love of your friends is a proper send-off to married life — whether or not that breath also blows out a dick candle.
For anonymity, all names have been replaced with the names of the cast of Vanderpump Rules.
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