Weddingbee Blog

Regarding hair + makeup trials … how far in advance of the wedding “should” this be done? I’m getting married out of town, and only have a few trips planned to our wedding destination between now and the October wedding. But this is a priority, and not sure when the best time is to do it!

Hey P,

Here are a few articles that might help:

http://www.ultimatewedding.com/articles/get.php?action=getarticle&articleid=1204

http://www.southshoreweddings.com/topic/157.htm

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/homegarden/2003006081_askmartha20.html

http://www.my-wedding-blog.com/index.php/2006-05-01/cocktail-wedding-reception.html

Cocktail receptions are usually held earlier in the evening (4-7) before dinner. How late of an event were you planning? You also might consider a station with something filling like pasta. =)

Good luck!

JB - If it’s a priority to you, you should get it done asap because it may take you a couple of trials to find someone you like. Plus you’re planning an out of town wedding, so you really have limited opportunities.

(I had horrific hair and make-up day of but had my moh save the day! not booking my trials far in advance = big regret)

That should be a sit-down meal, not a “dit-down” meal

Thanks for the advice. I would never skimp on the liquor. The drinking and dancing is important, which is why I am thinking of skipping the meal.

I don’t have a venue, a date, a budget, a plan or anything - I am lost, which is why I am here!

p

Excellent articles! I guess I should add that I was thinking of having the ceremony at the same venue as the reception. It would start around 7:00 and then the cocktails, appetizers and dancing would immediatly follow.

I am having a destination wedding and I contacted a hair stylist there. I would love to have my hair 1/2 up, 1/2 down, but I have a problem, short and thin hair. Now what should I do??

The current NYC hairdresser wants to charge me $200+ for hair clip extensions (which is what I need) so the price for an hair-do will go sky-rocket. I went online but cannot find any web-site reliable and trusty-worthy. Supply stores usually sell only pieces to attach.
I was hoping to spend less than $100. Impossible?

The hair stylist in the country where I am getting married suggested me to bring the extension from USA since there I may pay $700+ (?? are they made out of celebrities hair or what???)

Thanks in advance for your help.
YOU GIRLS ROCK!!!

instead of thinking cocktail reception, think of it more as a tapas reception. plenty of food in small portions that can be passed and served at stations. that way, you keep people moving and keep them full. one of my favorite stations at my engagement party was the mashed potato station. servers mixed potatoes with the guest’s choice of toppings (kind of like at those marble slab ice cream places) and then served them in a martini glass - it was the perfect amount to eat while mingling.

i actually had never been to a sit-down dinner reception until a friend of mine got married in baltimore. everyone i’ve ever been to was heavy hors d’oeuvres and no formal seating. that’s just how we do it down south.

P-
I disagree that guests will necessarily show up hungry and cranky at a 6:00 wedding/reception where there’s not a full meal served. Just be sure to note on the invitation, “hors d’ourves reception to follow”, “drinks and dancing to follow,” etc., then the guests should take the cue to have an early dinner before the ceremony. I myself am in a similar situation: we’re not huge “food” people–we love our desserts! So we’re having a dessert reception starting at about 7:00–even though it’s traditionally a time when dinner is being served, guests will have plenty of time to eat beforehand and show up at the reception ready for tons of delicious desserts and drinks!

A note on the drinks–I agree that skimping on the drinks is not the way to go, but if you’d like to keep costs down, consider limiting the variety of drinks rather than quality or quantity–we’re just serving beer, two kinds of wine, punch and coffee–we don’t want to spend the money on a full bar but don’t want guests to be sitting around sober and bored–if you have lots of great wine and beer on hand guests won’t miss having access to mixed drinks–and it’s much more economical than a cash bar!

If your site will allow you to, consider bringing in your own alcohol. We’re on a bit of a budget, but we’re getting our wine from the local Aldi–their Winking Owl chardonnay is actually very, very good–so’s the merlot–and each is under $5 a bottle! A good bartender can serve anything in a way that seems elegant no matter how limited the variety.

J. Crew has a pretty french lace shell/silk satin skirt combo that’s $1120 total. http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/multiProduct.jhtml?ids=prod74609571,prod69340571

If you don’t mind a fairly simple two piece set, this is a nice option I think. Hope this is similar to what you want!

I have a Christos dress for mine that is silk on bottom, lace uptop - strapless, asymetrical waist. The manufacturer’s picture is really bad since you can’t see the shape or look of it! You can also get with or without flower and bow. I am doing no flower (brooch instead), with bow. Different options on the gown.
http://christosbridal.com/vsStyle.php4?id=&style=ch11

They also have a lot of other lace/silk options you might want to check out. Again, some of their pics aren’t the best.