These days it's nearly impossible to know what women are spending on the way they look—especially for their wedding. Someone with Instagram-flawless contouring might've booked a friend for the task, and the utterly makeup-free type might've spent thousands on laser treatments and serums. Enter our series What It Costs to Be Me, in which we're asking interesting women for radical transparency.
Next up? Lauren Bushnell, reality star and influencer, 29, from Nashville. Her grand total? $3,342
Some brides have been planning their weddings since childhood; others, like Bachelor alum Lauren Bushnell, who married country singer Chris Lane in October, take a decidedly more lax approach. "I didn't really fully know what I wanted," Bushnell tells Glamour. "I've never been the type who envisioned my wedding day for years. I just knew I didn't want anything over-the-top."
That's not to say it wasn't an occasion we've come to expect from Bachelor stars. Rather, the couple placed more emphasis on personal touches than lavish details. "I really wanted it to be simple, elegant, and about the actual ceremony rather than about me getting really caught up in throwing this big wedding," says Bushnell, who, over six travel-filled months, planned her Nashville ceremony and reception alongside wedding planner Josiah Carr. The result was a classic ceremony with plenty of greenery to remind Bushnell of her native Oregon, and an after-party complete with a Shake Shack food truck.
The night before the wedding, Bushnell had a sleepover with her mom and sister to unwind and prepare for the day ahead. The morning of her mind-set was simple: stay as relaxed as possible. "I made sure to get a really good night's sleep," she says, "and took a nice hot bath before working through my vows a little bit."
When it came to beauty, Bushnell's philosophy was as timeless as the rest of her wedding. "I wanted to look in the mirror and not look like a different person," she says, so she kept it low-key on the big day. Where she did go all out? Her skin-care routine. Here, Bushnell's full routine—plus the makeup and treatments she relied on for her wedding-day glow.
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My bridal makeup look: $635
My dress was custom-made by a local designer, Olia Zavozina, here in Nashville. I opted for a really simple silk gown because I wanted to make sure I was comfortable and still felt like myself. But to add a little something special, I had a huge cathedral-style veil with custom lace. That was probably my favorite part of the look.
The dress itself was so simple, I think any crazy, heavy, glam makeup wouldn't have complimented it. So my makeup artist, Kristen Carbine (around $400), really went for that natural look. Again, I didn't want my makeup to be too far off what I do on a daily basis.
I'm sure she used a million products, but there were a few that stood out to me. She used a YSL primer ($52), along with Armani Beauty's Luminous Silk Foundation ($64), which has a dewy look to it. And then she used Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer ($30) because that's what I swear by on a daily basis as well. A big part of what I wanted was to look bronzy and glowy, so Kristen used the Chanel's Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing Makeup ($50). It's a creamy bronzer with such a good finish—it never looks cakey or powdery. I'm obsessed. I need to go buy it.
I wore false eyelashes ($14), which I don't normally do—just for something special. In case there were tears shed, we used waterproof mascara on top. I can't remember exactly what lipstick she used on me, but it was super neutral, with a little bit of a pink undertone. And then throughout the night I just reapplied with my own Marc Jacobs Lip Liner ($25). They stay on forever—it's crazy. I did touch-ups myself because obviously Kristen wasn't there all night, but honestly, toward the end of the night, I was like, "Whatever. I'm eating Shake Shack."
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My bridal hair: $1,109
I was in L.A. ahead of the wedding and visited my friend Morgan Parks at Nine Zero One salon. She's amazing. She freshened my color a little bit, and trimmed up any split ends (around $600). Nothing crazy, since I was going to wear my hair up anyway.
My hair was a little more formal than I'm used to. We did an updo, but the real star of the show was my veil. Kristen did my hair as well ($400). To create some volume, she used plenty of hairspray, along with the Oribe Dry Texture Spray ($46), which smells so good. Other than that, I did the Oribe Signature Moisture Mask ($63) the night before. It's a really great hydrating mask that also smells incredible. I made sure to wash my hair the day before so it would behave the next day.
My bridal skin-care prep: $553
Because I was traveling so much, and with the extra stress, I made sure to keep my skin super clean and drink lots of water. I used CeraVe's Foaming Facial Cleanser ($15) day and night. [Bushnell is an ambassador for the brand.] Usually at nighttime, I remove my makeup first with micellar water or a face wipe ($10), and then cleanse, just to get that really deep clean.
My skin was dry from all the airplanes, so I tried to really exfoliate too. Every other night, for about a week before the wedding, I'd exfoliate with Sonya Dakar's Flash Facial ($95) to get off that dead layer of skin. And then I'd apply a really good vitamin C Serum. I like Terasana's ($68) because it also has hyaluronic acid for moisture. I always use an eye cream—in my late 20s I've noticed new little lines around my eyes—so I've been using the PCA Skin Ideal Complex Revitalizing Eye Gel ($88). It's really light but hydrating.
At night I smothered a heavy moisturizer all over my skin. La Mer ($180) is always amazing when you're super dry. Sometimes I like an oil though too. Terasana also makes a great oil ($58) that I also use on my eyelashes and eyebrows—I swear it helps them grow.
And then in morning, my routine was a little simpler. After washing with cold water, I'd apply CeraVe's Ultra Light Moisturizing Lotion ($19). It has SPF in it, which I've been trying to be really good about incorporating into my morning routine. It's also great because it's not greasy, and my makeup goes on nice and smooth. The morning of my wedding, I did my normal routine, but I used cryo rollers ($20) to get rid of any puffiness.
My bridal beauty treatments: $1,045
We planned our wedding in less than six months, so I didn't have a ton of time for appointments. Plus, I didn't want to be stressed out from overbooking myself. Instead, I did all my normal stuff. I get facials at a great place in Nashville called Face about once a month ($570 over six months). One thing I did do differently: About a month before the wedding, I got micro needling ($425), for the second time ever, at Skin Pharm in Nashville. I noticed a huge difference in my skin about three or four weeks later, which was pretty much our wedding day.
I also got a spray tan two days before with my mom and sister by another local Nashville gal at Glo Spray Tan ($50). I'm so happy that I had lived in Nashville for a little bit prior to the wedding so that I was able to have my squad assembled.
In terms of injectables, I was too scared to do anything before the wedding that I didn't like or made my face frozen. I'll do Botox occasionally, but I didn't do it at all around the wedding. I really wanted to like look back on photos and be like, "Yeah, that looks like us." I didn't want to regret anything.
My wellness routine: $0
I wish I could say I had more of a wellness plan, but I was traveling so much it was a crazy time. I had these grand plans of working out every day. Not to fit into my dress or anything like that, but just to feel good and strong. I will say, Chris is disciplined when it comes to going to the gym, so when we were in Europe, we tried to find a gym whenever we could. In Nashville I usually do boot camp circuits, so I try to remember some of the moves to do at home or on the road. I probably should have done yoga to help with the stress, but I didn't even think of it.
