Spray tan vs. gradual tanner?

I feel that I am also pretty pale, but I have never thought of getting a tan. I feel like if you hired a good photographer you will not look washed out.

In my opinion I would say just skip trying to tan all together! I am sure you look beautiful the way you are! Plus it is less stress having to worry about the possibility of being orange!

Spray tan's generally are going to leave you less "orange" and more evenly applied (especially a hand-sprayed tan). Plus, they can custom mix the color - just give clear instructions that you're looking for a "bit" of color for your wedding day. Also, I'd get the tan 4-5 days before your wedding. I find it looks the best a couple of showers later, not the day after you get the tan.

Invest in a trial-run or two!

If you try spray tans I would test it out prior to make sure it doesn't run. I had one done (years ago) as a test run for a friends wedding and it washed off quickly (which is fine if you get it a couple days prior) but it washed off our hands completely after a day or two and we thought she might look funny in photos with different color hands.

I have always tanned outside during my free time. And gotten tanning oil from wal mart. I also need to start bc I'm so pale lol. My sister does spray tans and I've notice that after the day you get it, little stuff takes it off. Of course when she shower some will come off. My sister had blood drawn and the stick from the bandage left random pale square patches on her arm lol so I would get one like a day or two before the wedding, just incase you were to get it a week in advance and something weird take it off

I am very very pale and I'm definitely getting a spray tan! Find a local salon that specializes in spray tans and you will not be orange! They use a hand sprayer, which makes your tan look even and natural. Places like Palm Beach Tan use machine sprayers and they don't look as good and they're typically more expensive. I would recommend doing a trial first to find the right shade for your skin tone. Spray tans fade after 3-4 days as well. I'll be getting mine the day before my wedding so it's still fresh and even!

I got a spray tan called Fake Bake and they customized my color based on what I wanted. It was way easier and more evenly applied than lotions, creams, etc that you buy at the stores. The color also looked more natural and lasted about a week. It only rubbed off on items for a day so I'd recommend getting it done about 3 days before your wedding if you do a spray tan.

I am very, very pale. Like so pale that people ask me if I am part albino. I literally do not tan from the sun. I'm either the shade of a piece of paper or lobster red. No in between. So for my junior and senior year of prom I got a spray tan from a trusted salon and it was great! I told her (and she could obviously tell) that I was extremely pale and didnt want to turn out oompa oompa orange, so she did medium I think instead of dark. I, of course, had a trial run a month before. And yes, color does wash off the day after but thats because all tanners have a bronzer while the tan is developing. What is washing off is the bronzer. You need to leave the tan on long enough, the longer the better, for it to properly develop. And yes you will look lighter after the shower but that is because the bronzer is always quite dark.
Now if you want to try at home take tanner, I recommend St. Moritz. It's super cheap but works quite well. Not as long lasting as the St. Tropez, but comparable for color, in my opinion. You can get st. Moritz from Amazon or Ebay for like $6. Otherwise I've heard good things about the new jergens bronze foam one!
But always exfoliate really really good your entire body and shave before any fake tanning, professional or at home. And do not put on any lotion of deodorant as deodorant turns green with tanner and lotion creates a barrier for the tanner to soak in. But if you tan at home you'll want to put lotion on your elbows, knee caps, and hands and feet as those are typical dry spots that fake tan likes to stick too!

Spray tans are far more advanced now than you might think. None of them will leave you orange. At worst, you might have pools of brown in some creases (I have a large chest and sometimes have a brown pool under the boobies). I am an adamant supporter of spray tans! Get a test one, you will most likely love it.

I was a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding on 5/12. She had someone come to her house who did spray tans and we all got them. I still did medium/dark and I looked natural. It lasted for over a week, and is now just starting to fade. I highly recommend it!

I use the versa spa pro! It’s anazing. I get dark clear. But I think you should get med clear. Make sure to get a good primer. I go to palm beach tan. Follow all directions and your tan will look great. It wears off in about a week and a half. So do test tanning. If u don’t like versa spa , then try mystic tan that’s good too. Hope this helps. Wish I good share pics. I would show you my spray tan. Good luck 💕

I would definitely do a few trials before the day! I tan fairly quickly, but since my wedding is in March, I won't be able to get a natural tan from the sun and don't want to get back into using beds, so I'm going to do a few trails with a few different salons and see which one I like best. Just let them know you don't want to be super dark, but you'd like a bit of color. They will work with you!

Mystic tan uses orange base. Versa spa uses beet base and then Norvell uses violet undertones to provide a more bronze color. I got the med clear and will probably get dark clear next time. I've had it 2 days and it's awesome

I am pale and my skin tone doesn't react well to spray tan, even the airbrush kind. I have had good experience with St Tropez but recently started using Loving Tan and it's amazing! Highly recommended by a lot of bloggers. I can dig up some discount codes if you're interested. Ulta.com is still running their 20% off one item coupon so you could order from them too at a good discount!

If you are doing a tan yourself and not going to a prefessional loving tan 2 hr mousse provides beautiful color. I usually use that in the summer, but for the wedding will be getting it professionally done.

Loving tan is also not an orange base it uses more of an olive since that's what you're worried about. Just make sure you exfoliate first and follow directions such as lotion ankles/elbows before hand.

I have paler skin and I have gotten many spray tans-- just make sure you get the gradual one instead of the one with the color that appears right away, they lead to you be more orange. and do the lightest option possible. Test it before your wedding day.

I have also used the St. Tropez Foam and it works like a charm if you're just doing arms/legs-- but for full body I would highly recommend testing out some spray tans, the technology just gets better and better!

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I agree! Versa Spa is the best

There's a peptide called MT2. It gives your body melatonin (that you're not producing enough of naturally to be tan). If you take small amounts of that, your skin will be able to soak up some rays and give you a good base tan. It works very quickly. Just be careful with it, and do super low doses everyday. Take the peptide, and you'll need hardly any sun exposure to exploit the tan, because your body will already have what it needs.

Could you try a spray tan now, so it would fade by your wedding if you didn't like it? That would be the best option I think. I'd make sure to go to a well-reviewed tanning salon and explain your fears.

If you purchase from Ulta or Sephora, and do not like the product, you can return it. Most drugstores have similar policies but I would check first.