Bridal
08/14/2008
Rules of Engagement
Getting hitched in Phoenix, Vegas or Los Angeles? The top places for brides and grooms to plan, primp and play.
By Lisa Kasanicky
Legend has it that among the Ibos villagers of West Africa, tradition stipulated that a bride spend her engagement fattening up to elephantine proportions. Come wedding day, if she wasn't chubby enough, the groom could nix the nuptials. Alas, our idea of wedding prep precludes even the mere mention of Krispy Kreme, and emaciation intensified by stress ahoy is decidedly our cultural norm. So while we can't stop you from fretting yourself skinny, we can offer up four simple rules that might alleviate just a smidgen of pre-wedding panic.
1. Go for prenuptial counseling.
Once the last grain of rice has been pelted at your gorgeous wedding dress or rented tux, couples time becomes a day-in, day-out phenomenon. Time spent together before the wedding, now that's a precious commodity. PHX: Spend a day cranking out the guest list, clinking martini glasses and slinging mud at the Agua Spa at the Scottsdale Mondrian hotel. The Monticelli Mud treatment, while a bit messy, is a pleasure-filled shared experience where your bods are smeared with a rich, creamy mud from Italy and drenched in aromatherapy oils (60 minutes, $130 each). LA: Share a sensual excursion with a 5-hour VIP Pass to the couple's suite at the Beauty & Lifestyle Spa by Yuki Sharoni. The pass gets each of you a rose petal bath, massage, facial, wine and lunch all served up in the privacy of the exotic spa suite ($699). Chocolate-dipped strawberries and champagne are extra but need we remind you, this is your future marriage we're talking about? VEGAS: Take a tandem float with an intimate Couples Reflection water massage experience in Spa Bellagio's new watsu room. A watsu practitioner will teach you how to gently float your partner after which, each of you will be treated to a wildly relaxing facial and Indian Head Massage. The three-hours-plus experience includes a specialty drink or snack ($470 per person).
2. Spoil the entourage.
Bachelorette parties and bridal showers can leave a sista hungover or worse, drowning in pile of mixing bowl sets or garish lingerie. Pardon my Middle English but skrewe that. Reward your wedding day entourage for their support with a celebration more meaningful to everyone. PHX: Go exotic and host a Belly Dancing Bachelorette Party at Hotel Valley Ho. Led by VH Spa's fitness guru, the bride and her revelers learn seductive moves and undulations poolside in the Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner cabanas (the site of the couple's wedding reception). The three-hour bridal blowout is catered by the hotel with pricing based on menu selection and number of guests. LA: The spa suite at the lush Four Seasons Aviara practically beckons for a bridal bonding day. Party guests can idle by the fireplace in the lounge area or soak in the outdoor whirlpool while each girl takes her turn in the attached treatment room. VEGAS: For a hedonistic treat for the groom and his best man, AMP Salon at The Palms offers AMP Afterhours. Big boys are lavished with gourmet finger foods and Cristal champagne while a lingerie-clad nail therapist pampers their peds ($3,000 for two).
3. Think thin.
No doubt you've dieted for months to look lean and mean on your wedding day (unless you've been hiding out in West Africa). Should a stubborn zipper situation occur, a detoxifying body treatment will kick those last few inches to the curb. PHX: The Golden Door Spa's Detox Cellulite Treatment is an intensive process that sends trapped toxins fleeing for momma and results in a loss of three inches or more. A combo of a seaweed-based gel and protein cream, stimulating electrical current and a clay body mask all work to free that zipper from its stubborn constraints (110 minutes, $255). LA: The Ona Slim Cryo-Thermie Body Slimming Treatment at Ona Spa sounds much scarier than it is. And who cares, it works. The non-invasive "liposculpture" therapy reshapes, tones and firms the thighs, tummy, hips and arms while decreasing the appearance of cellulite (75 minutes, $150). VEGAS: Fluid retention by damned. The Cellutox Aroma Spa Ocean Wrap and Well-Being Massage at Planet Hollywood's Spa by Mandara will squeeze every last ounce of puff from your bod and secure a happy smile on your face, all in one shot (2 hours, $210).
4. Primp like no one's business.
Come the big day, not a strand of hair on your head can be left to chance. Schedule your bridal beauty day far in advance and no heads will roll (fingers crossed). PHX: Upscale beauty hub, Dolce Spa & Salon, has a well-established rep for stunning wedding day transformations. The Luminous Lady package covers all the bases with a Day Before Wedding body glow with massage, spa manicure, pedicure and light lunch followed the next day with a hair style and makeup (starting at $460). Locations in Scottsdale, Chandler and Peoria. LA: Offering the ultimate in house calls, Fred Segal Beauty has gone Mobile. Hair, makeup, nails, you name it, Mobile professionals show up at your doorstep or hotel room armed with bottled water, a portable CD player, magazines and a suitcase full of beauty tools (prices vary). VEGAS: Wrapped in a calming ambience of modern Zen, Cristophe Salon at the MGM Grand offers a full house of services for a proper Vegas wedding makeover. For nighttime weddings or pre-bachelorette party primping, the salon also hosts private after-hours makeovers with hair styling, makeup artistry, nails, champagne and dessert included.
P.S., Prices were accurate at the time this story was written. Please call spas and salons directly for current packages and rates.
