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Here are two before/after image combinations (see full version to see speckles):
1) Start by duplicating the background layer. This gives you a point of reference to compare your changes, and makes it easy to start over on a step if something goes wrong.
1a) Optionally, remove any blemishes from the skin at this stage
2) Working on the new layer, open the curves dialog. Adjust the curve near the black end of the spectrum until the skin has the tone you are looking for. Don't worry if other things are too light or two dark at this point. The bride is the focus of the picture, make her look her best.
3) Note that we lost a lot of definition in the dress. The original image was better in that area. Right click the layer and add a layer mask with full opacity. Using a fuzzy brush, paint black onto the mask. The original bottom layer will show through, revealing the dress details. Do the same for any other areas where you want to preserve the original image.
4) Duplicate the current layer and select it. Right click the layer, and make sure that "Edit Layer Mask" is un-checked.
5) We will now smooth out the skin tones (removing the speckles) by using a Gaussian blur. It is found under Filters-->Blur-->Gaussian Blur. I used a blur radius of 5px by 5px, and the IIR blur method. Oh yeah. That's looking better.
6) While this greatly improved the skin, some things are a little blurry and shouldn't be. Right click and select "Edit Layer Mask" again, and select a fuzzy brush. Paint black onto the layer mask to reveal the non-blurry eyes and ring.
7) If there are various parts of the picture that need different curve adjustments or blur amounts, repeat the process with multiple layers and layer masks.
That's it! You'll see in the final version of the image, I removed the paintings hanging on the walls behind the bride. For that I just used a large fuzzy brush and the clone tool.
Alternative imageox links...just in case.
