I am doing something controversial in preparation for my upcoming wedding.
I'm tanning.
Image Courtesy of: Weddings Online 1
I know, it's bad for you.
I'm the first one pushing sunscreen on people. My dad was diagnosed with melanoma several years ago and had a chunk removed from his nose. He has been free of skin cancer ever since but many people are not so lucky. Melanoma is nasty, aggressive, and – in many cases – preventable. You cannot wear too much sunscreen.
Image Courtesy of: Wed in Vancouver
That said, I am a pale, pale person. Babies with big hats and SPF 500? Way tanner than I am. Normally, I embrace my paleness. I live in Cleveland, where we get a whole three days of sun a year (I might be exaggerating a bit but it's been cloudy a LOT lately). Yeah, people have summer tans, but it's not like we're in LA.
The problem comes when I make my trek down to the Caribbean. My poor, Cleveland skin can't keep up. I can spray sunscreen on myself every two minutes and still burn. Between the skimpier clothing (therefore, revealing spots that never see the light of day in Ohio) and the sheer intensity of the sun, I fry within the first couple of days. If there's one thing that really boosts your risk of skin cancer – it's bad, blistering sunburn.
Image Courtesy of: Wedding By Color
To make matters worse, I get chemical burns from many/most sunscreens. A friend who’s knowledgeable about these things says it's likely the parabens that I can't tolerate. Regardless, it means the more sunscreen I apply; I'm trading sunburn for a chemical burn.
So, I'm going tanning. And I have gotten the shocked comments and judgment from all sorts of people, along with, "Just get a spray tan, it's safer!!" from those who assume my tanning has everything to do with vanity and nothing to do with trying to control my UV exposure so I don't end up blistering in the BVI. Spray tans, while great for looks, do nothing to protect your skin from sunburn.
Image Courtesy of: Urban Legends Online
And – really, people – I *just* graduated to SIX minutes in a level one bed. Applying the lotion takes more time than I actually spend in the act of tanning.
Tanorexic, I'm not.
I think you have to get up to at least ten minutes for that.
From Cris: Are any of you planning on tanning for your wedding? Or are you anti-tan? How do you feel about spray tanning, tanning lotions, or wipes*? I'm also STUPID white and curious about people's opinions/advice on this matter. *disclaimer
Allie H says
Uhm, yeah. I glow in the dark, and will have to do something. Or I will never survive 10 days in Mexico without being a lobster. And while tan + ivory dress go well together, sunburn + ivory is not-so-attractive.
Krissy says
I’ve talked to my doctor about tanning beds, because I am also translucently white and burn very easily, and he says that it really only gives you SPF 4… which translates to a few extra minutes in the sun before the burn starts. I guess that’s better than chemical burns, but still not very safe.
Also, my bf’s sister got a spray tan for her prom. The day we left the place, she looked like she got a nice slight tan. We went out to dinner on the way home and by the time we left, she looked like she had a pretty dark tan. When she came over the next morning to get ready, she was crazy dark and slightly orange. Plus when you have those, you have to be careful when you shower not to exfoliate because you’ll scrub bits and pieces of your tan off.
I’m just a Debbie Downer when it comes to anything involving tans and have just come to terms with being translucent, I guess.
Sarah {A Paper Proposal} says
I actually tanned for my wedding, too, and I’m SO glad that I did. I got married down in Mexico, and I’m somewhat fair skinned, so I was determined to 1-get rid of my bathing suit tanlines and 2-get a good base so I wouldn’t have to worry about burning. It took me a while to accomplish…I started several months before the wedding so I wouldn’t have to feel rushed and risk burning, but it was worth it. I finally got rid of that bad bikini tanline on my chest in time to wear my strapless gown, and I didn’t burn the entire time we were in Mexico. …and I always burn. I never had to worry about it, and it was awesome. Totally worth it, if you ask me!
erin says
i hear ya! i’m as pale as they come and i was a regular at the tanning beds prior to our wedding. no shame!
Rogue Bride says
I live in Southern California, so tanning is as easy as finding the time to be outside before sundown. That said, it’s only been in the last few years that I realized that I *could* tan, that I liked being tan, and that tanning (naturally – ie. sunlight) is great for my skin and mood. Really, Vitamin D is where it’s at. So hells yes I’ll be tanning for my wedding. I’ll be tanning for my sanity and for my pictures. Sun just makes the world better.
KissMyTulle says
I’m a white-y and was raised in Alaska with ZERO sunlight. But I’m hardcore anti-tan. I’m planning on experimenting with some tanning lotion or tanning wipes pre-wedding. I will, of course, be blogging about it.
Aimee says
My pal Lindsay is as fish-belly white as you and I are, Cris, and she got an air-brush tan for her wedding that looked a-ma-zing. It was so natural looking- really a light honey-colored glow. It didn’t get darker, it lasted through the honeymoon, and she looked so good even I would have married her.
She said the only down side was that she wasn’t used to have someone get all up in her bidness like that- it’s a VERY hands-on, personal-space-bubble popping procedure. 🙂