Weddingbee Blog

Hi hive! I know I’ve been MIA recently, but now that work is slowing down a bit, I can finally crawl out from under the piles of college applications to say hello. Hello! Wheeeew… (stretching arms)… that feels good!

I definitely fell victim to the wedding planning “BLAH” period. You know, the period of time when you just don’t want to hear, think or see anything wedding-related. Over the past month, my answer to the ever so popular, “How’s the wedding planning going?” question has been, “Eh…it’s OK.” After we booked all our big vendors, I was pooped. All the research and agonizing over costs and details tired me out BIG time. But now that we’ve reached the 3-month mark (WOAH!), it’s time to buckle down and start putting ideas into action. And I have much to share!

In the next couple of weeks, the Lattes will be taking our e-pics, meeting our florist for a mock-up, booking a rehearsal dinner venue, and starting to work on the little details that will make our wedding US. So there will be lots of sharing of information and ideas… as well as desperate pleas for advice and suggestions. There may even be some begging involved… ain’t no shame in a little begging.

But there will be no begging today, as I want to share something FUN!

I booked our hair and makeup stylist! Woohoo! OK I know you’re thinking, ’That sneaky little Latte, I don’t remember seeing any of her hair or makeup trial pictures!’ But before you start calling me names or quickly searching our lovely hive for them, let me inform you that I booked the stylist… withOUT a trial. Gasp! The horror!

Yup, as I am planning from up in Boston, I didn’t have the liberty of going in for numerous hair and makeup trials to find THE perfect stylist. So I took a leap of faith and booked without a trial. As an Asian-American bride, I’ve lived through some horrendous “makeovers”. Yes, that word is in quotes because I don’t think that electric blue eyeshadow that makes me look like a vicious feline should actually be considered a makeover. I wanted to find someone who knew how to work with my eyes, skin tone, and thick, straight hair, to give me a natural, but prettied-up look.

I did some research on the boards and found Sissi Chan. Sissi was quick to respond to my emails and I loved the pictures she sent me of her work. After talking to a few friends, I found out that she had done the hair and makeup for my friend Ellen’s wedding. Jackpot! Ellen was a gorgeous bride, and I remember thinking that her makeup looked awesome on her big day. Here are some pictures of beautiful bride Ellen and Sissi’s work:

*all photos by Ellen’s photographer, Wayne Yuan, with the exception of #4.

Isn’t she pretty??? I love how natural her makeup looks. It doesn’t detract from Ellen’s natural beauty… it just makes her look even more gorgeous.

This was taken during their first dance. Notice how well her hair held up all afternoon!

I added this one just for some eye-candy. Love it.

I quickly booked Sissi for hair and makeup for myself, my 4 bridesmaids, and 2 flower girls. The total cost for hair AND makeup for 7 people? $600. Not bad!!! And definitely a steal for NYC prices. Since then, she’s raised her prices a little bit, but they’re still super competitive with some of the other stylists in the NYC area, including Sachiko Yanase and Ai Sakai, both of whom have recently styled Mrs. Bee.

Sissi recently launched her new website (sissichan.com) so check her out! I will be booking a trial with her before the wedding so I will definitely post pictures of that. I promise.

Has anyone else decided on a hair/makeup stylist without a trial?