The Bridal Nail Planner
A free four-page printable for brides in Northern Virginia and DC. It counts back from your wedding date with what to do and when, gives you a checklist to take to your nail trial, suggests colors that suit each season, and ends with what to pack and do in the last week. Enter your email and wedding date and it arrives straight away.
- Your nail timeline. From six months out to the morning of the wedding, with the dates to book and what each appointment is for.
- The trial checklist. What to bring, what to test and the questions to ask, so the trial answers everything.
- Color by season. Palettes that suit spring, summer, autumn and winter weddings in the DC area, and how they photograph.
- Wedding-week care. How to protect your set, what to pack for the day, and what to do if a nail catches.
Get the free planner
A preview: the nail timeline
Planning a wedding means hundreds of small decisions, and nails are one that is easy to leave until the last week. The planner puts the few that matter in order, so your hands look the way you imagined in every photo, from the ring shot to the last dance.
It is designed to be printed and kept with your wedding notes, or saved to your phone. Every page is practical: a bridal nail timeline with the dates to book, a checklist to take to your trial, and color ideas for your season.
If you would like the reasoning behind each date first (why the trial sits four to six weeks out, and why gel goes on one to three days before), read the bridal nail timeline for DC-area weddings. When you are ready to hold your dates, the bridal inquiry takes three short steps.
Six months or more
Decide the direction
Save photos you love and think about shape and length. If you want longer natural nails, start structured gel now. Nails grow about 3.5 millimeters a month, roughly two centimeters in six months.
Three months
Consultation and dates
Send your inquiry. Melina holds a trial date and a wedding-week date that fit your schedule. For a fall or June wedding, ask earlier.
Four to six weeks
The trial
A full set in your chosen design, ideally near your hair and makeup trials. Wear it for a few days, take photos in daylight, and decide what to keep or change.
Two to three weeks
Refresh if needed
If you wear extensions or structured gel, a fill keeps your nails balanced and growing well.
One to three days
Your wedding-week set
The final set, fully cured before you leave, with time to settle in. Pedicure on the same visit.
The day
Just cuticle oil
A drop of oil in the morning makes nails glossy for ring shots. Anything that lifted under normal wear has already been fixed free.
About the planner
Is the planner really free?
Yes. Enter your first name, email and wedding date and the PDF is yours. You will not receive other emails unless you tick the box, and even then no more than once a month.
Why do you ask for my wedding date?
So the timeline can be read against your real dates, and so Melina can suggest trial dates that fit if you get in touch. It is never shared.
Can I book my bridal nails from the planner?
The planner links to the bridal inquiry, which is the fastest way to hold your trial and wedding-week dates.