In the mad whirl of activity leading up to a wedding it is all too easy to pay less attention to your own needs. The downside here is that the endless rushing around to get everything done can interfere with your normal healthy lifestyle, and play havoc with your diet and exercise regimes. Stress and worry can also cause you to feel tired and anxious, and you could end up either losing or gaining weight through too many takeaways or careless snacking.

If you want to look as beautiful on your day as you will be feeling inside, and do justice to all the work that has gone into creating the wedding of your dreams, you need to devote enough time to your own health and well-being. The best way to do this is by drawing up a master health and beauty plan... and sticking to it.

Health and beauty planner

You'll have a better chance of getting cover girl results if you start your beauty preparations well ahead of time.

Six months: Try a new hairstyle, or experiment with a flattering new hair colour, and have these touched up two weeks before the wedding. Start a good cleansing routine for your skin. This is also the time to consider a course of treatments for toning up flabby areas and reducing the appearance of cellulite.

Four months: You can't beat having your hair and make-up professionally done. Ask friends for recommendations and find hair and make-up artists you like. Have a trial session with each a month beforehand. Don't take chances on sunburn, tan lines or skin cancer. Try out self-tanners at home, or have a perfect fake tan airbrushed on at a salon. Keep the lines of your dress in mind, and test how colourfast the tan is.

Two months: Visit an oral hygienist and have your teeth cleaned. You may also consider having them whitened. Try out a facial or cleansing mask and check to see how your skin reacts.

Three weeks: For radiant skin consider a professional deep cleansing facial a few weeks beforehand to get your complexion looking its best. Keeping facial skin cleansed, toned and moisturised with your particular skincare range, with the appropriate treatment creams, will ensure a finer textured skin with less blotchiness

The day before: Treating yourself to a professional manicure, pedicure and body massage will help you feel pampered and relaxed.

On the day: Have a relaxing, revitalising bath, and do some deep breathing to calm the butterflies. Don't change your look too much. Your man is marrying you for who you are, so relax, take a deep breath and smile. You have never looked as beautiful as you do now!

I feel pretty

A professional makeup artist can achieve amazing results and help you feel on top of the world. Another advantage is that they are aware of the effects that are needed for successful photographs. For best results, have a trial run before the wedding.

If you don't have a make-up artist to paint a perfect face for you, a little know-how can go a long way towards achieving the results you want. If your style is romantic, go for translucent, glowing skin, but if your gown is formal and elegant, and your hair swept-up with a tiara, then set off the look with metallic eyes and rosy cheeks. Get the picture?

Here are some romantic looks that are guaranteed to sweep him off his feet:

Sleek and sophisticated: Smooth foundation and powder on the centre panel to seal make-up and prevent shine. Highlight cheeks with a cream blusher. Pick coffee and cream shades for eyes and sweep ivory shadow over your entire lid and on to brow bone, then work a brown or bronze shadow along lashes and into crease. Smudge brown below lashes too, and apply lots of mascara to top and bottom lashes. Use a deep rosy pink or peach lipstick, gleamed up with a matching lip gloss.

Nostalgic and dreamy: Begin with a luminous foundation, seal with a dusting of powder and apply a sparkly pink blush. Use a soft wash of pinks on eyes - pale pink under the brows and deeper pink across the top lids. Add a touch of silver for extra glitter if you like, and mascara on top and bottom lashes is a must. All lips need is a slick of shimmery pink lip gloss.

Natural enchantment: Use a tinted foundation to even out skin tone and a concealer to cover any blemishes or shadows. A cream or shimmery powder blush will add a subtle sheen. Eyes go nude, with light shades on inner corners and darker tones in eyelid crease. You can also apply a brown kohl pencil on the inside upper lid for more emphasis, while a white eye pencil on the lower lid will open up the eye. Use brown or maroon mascara on both sets of lashes and brush through with an eyebrow comb. Finish off with tinted lip gloss.

Vintage: There are two sides to this look: either smoky eyes and pale lips, or all-out retro glamour in the style of Marilyn Monroe. Both looks begin with a flawless skin and dramatic eyelashes. Use a powder foundation for smooth, matte skin, dusted with a rosy pink blush. For the Marilyn Monroe effect, use a wash of ivory shadow across your whole eyelid, then accentuate eyeliner by drawing a line close to your top lashes, sweeping outwards. Arch and extend eyebrows, making them dramatic. Apply false eyelashes for impact, and lots of mascara. Lips and nails should be pillar-box red. For the Bardot look, apply a deep glossy bronze or black shadow over your eyelid, and draw a line under eye in the same colour. Line inside of upper and lower lashes with black kohl. Lips are understated and sexy in glossy nude shades.

Star bright: If you want a look in the grand tradition of dazzling Hollywood stars, think rich, lavish and golden. Choose a foundation that reflects the light and adds gloss to your skin. Use a combination of gold on your eyes, from pale gold on the inner corner to dark bronze on the outer edges. Smudge dark bronze under lower lashes, and a line of dark brown or black eye pencil along top and lower lashes, blending well. For more sparkle, dab on a touch a glitter along top lashes and on the inner corners of eyes. Apply cream blusher on the apples of the cheeks, and highlight cheekbones with a sheer illuminating gloss. Outline lips with a neutral pencil, then apply gold or bronze-toned lipstick with a lip brush.

Tantalising tresses

Your hairstyle plays an important part in your overall look, but so does the condition of your hair. Have regular trims and conditioning treatments in the months before the wedding and don't experiment with a new cut or colour too close to the day. Factors such as lack of sleep, strict dieting and stress affect your health and the condition of the hair, so make a conscious effort to look after yourself.

When selecting your veil and headpiece look for a detail on your gown that you would like to enhance; and complement it with pearls or a floral detail, or match it with the flowers in your bouquet. You also need to consider the style and fabric of your gown and the look that you would like to create. Take your veil and any hair accessories with you, and have a photograph taken of the final creation for reference purposes.

Don't wear an up-style just because all your friends did, or you saw a style you liked in a magazine. Does it look good on you? Long and heart-shaped faces need volume at the sides and neck, while round or oval face shapes look better with more height on the top and hair swept back from the sides of the face.

Short hair lends itself to a less formal wedding, and a shiny, glossy crop or bob can look ultra chic on the day. Add body to fine hair and short styles with volumising and texturising products, and create extra fullness with some gentle backcombing. This will also help to anchor hair accessories. Alternatively, hairpieces can be used to achieve the elegance and volume of a classic upswept style.

Avoid a style that is a complete departure from the one you normally wear: you still want to look like the woman your fiancé fell in love with. Fashion trends are great sources of inspiration, but when all is said and done you need to find a style that makes the most of your personality and hair type. Above all, your hairstyle should be flattering and comfortable. Too many fussy bits and pieces that need constant adjustment will simply become irritating.

Many brides end up keeping their guests waiting because they and their attendants are held up at the hairdresser. Think about using a different hairdresser or hairdressers to style your bridesmaids' hair.

Body beautiful

Not all women have figures like Angelina Jolie, and unless you are one of the fortunate few who are naturally slim and can eat what they like, you would probably like to lose a few kilos before the wedding. What bride doesn't want to look like a movie star in her breathtaking wedding gown, and show her photographs to her children with pride and joy?

There is much more to losing weight than simply cutting down on food and rushing off to the gym though, and it is essential to follow expert advice and choose a programme that works for you. You'll find you have more energy to cope with the stresses and strains of planning a wedding, and you'll also feel good about yourself.

For best results, follow a sensible regime, rather than a crash diet. These are some of the most popular methods that are available, and the benefits of each:

• A clinical dietician offers a weight loss programme that is based on your needs. Faulty eating habits and underlying health problems are two of the most common causes of being overweight. After taking a detailed medical and eating history, a dietician will work out a personalised and balanced diet that takes your lifestyle and food preferences into account. You can expect to lose about 500g a week and, as the programme teaches you to make positive lifestyle changes, you can expect to maintain your goal weight for life.

• The holistic approach of weight loss clubs combines a balanced diet with the back-up support of a group leader, promoting slow and steady weight loss and showing you how to make ongoing sensible food choices. To make sure members reach and maintain goal weight, they are also encouraged to exercise regularly and follow a weight maintenance plan. Different factors influence the rate at which you lose weight, but if you persevere, attend regular meetings and exercise, you will lose weight slowly and surely.

• Quick loss eating plans are said to be based on scientifically proven research, and a reputable organisation will ensure that all clients undergo a blood test before beginning the plan. Organisations behind these plans say that by adapting to their new way of eating and leading a healthy lifestyle the average woman loses between five and 10kgs over four weeks. You will also gain health benefits such as lower levels of cholesterol and blood pressure, greater skin elasticity and less obvious cellulite, no more food cravings, and increased energy. For optimum results you are encouraged to take vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy and reduce food cravings.

Heaven scent

A sublime fragrance complements your perfect day, and will evoke loving memories every time you wear it. So go on, spoil yourself. You'll feel (and smell) all the better for it.

For your wedding, make your fragrance part of your style. Start off by using a bath oil or foam bath in the same product line as your chosen scent. Pat in a matching moisturising lotion afterwards and, finally, spray fragrance on your most vulnerable points such as the back of your neck, your arms and behind your knees.

An aromatic bath is great for pre-wedding nerves. Just add four to eight drops of lavender or camomile oil, or four of each after you have run the water. Stir the water to disperse the oil, then sink in and relax for at least ten minutes.

A little grooming

The groom is also going to be the centre of attention on the big day, and it is just as important for him to look his dashing best. Following a healthy lifestyle regime before the wedding will also help him to cope with the stresses and strains of the pre-wedding roller coaster (and get over his stag night!) and be on top form for the events to come.

Treatments and products for the skin and body have as many look and feel-good benefits for men as they do for women. Even men who don't normally use an exfoliator or facemask, or go for massages, may find that this is just the excuse they need to indulge! # Get expert advice from experienced consultants at departmental stores or specialised salons. Grooms who make a start today will soon be attracting admiring glances from their nearest and dearest - and long-term benefits too.