Weddingbee Blog

A while back I posted that I have no idea what to do with my short, bobbed hair, specifically because I have a slight problem with putting stuff on my head.

Since then, I’ve been thinking, procrastinating, looking, thinking, looking, ignoring the situation, thinking, and looking some more for an appropriate solution. I don’t want to wear my hair like I do every day; it’s my wedding day! But my hair isn’t very long, and I am not having it professionally styled on the day-of, so I’m going to have to come up with some kind of solution that’ll have me looking pretty (and not “pretty stupid-looking”).

I’ve been doing a lot of my searching on Etsy. And for several weeks, I’ve been hemming and hawing over this next one. It’s got pearl, a little bit of netting (without being a full birdcage veil), and it’s not too big. But it’s a headband and… eh, I’m not good with those. They either squeeze my brain or they slip off, and they never actually hold any of my slippery, fine hair back.

[Etsy seller’s listing]

So I started looking some more, and I found this different and cool solution! It wouldn’t cover my face, and it’s attached with barrettes. It’s definitely a neat “vintage-y” accessory. But it’s not quite for me; it would overwhelm my short hair.

[Etsy seller’s listing]

I love Doilies, so I was drawn to these little clips below. However, my dress is a very different fabric and has none of this pattern in it, so these just weren’t the right choice.

[Etsy seller’s listing]

This next one is great! It’s got the delicate doily accents, but the “main event” is the pearly-centered flower. But… it’s big, and a little busy (I really wanted to keep my hair-flower simple). I love the look of a big fancy flower, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t know if I could pull this off. And when I showed it to Mr. Mary Jane, his entire comment was “It has doilies on it”.

[Etsy seller’s listing]

Then I came across this one: simple and white, with a pretty pearl center. It looks large in the photo, but the description states that it’s only 3″ diameter. That’s a great size for me! I was a little concerned about the bobby clip, however, because I won’t be attaching this to an updo. And I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something about it wasn’t quite fitting my vision.

[Etsy seller’s listing]

And finally, we have this one. It’s one of the first ones I really fell in love with. The problem? It’s Champagne in color. Nothing else I or Mr. MJ are wearing will be Champagne or tan. I loved, loved, loved the little center embellishment on it though. And I loved that its edges aren’t frayed; I’m just not a fan of that look.

[Etsy seller’s listing]

It’s 4″ diameter, which is a little on the big side (I wonder if the doily-accented one above was that size…), but something about this one made me feel like I could pull it off. So I convo’d the seller, Bowsweet, on a Friday and asked if it’d be possible for her to create a flower like this, but in white or light ivory. She wrote back within an hour, saying she’d look in to it and get back to me ASAP.

On Saturday she sent a photo of a 5″ Peony with a larger button: very pretty (and the right color!) but 5″ was just too big. I felt like an ass at this point, continually prodding her to change her design, but I wrote back on Monday anyway and asked if she had any smaller white/ivory flowers. She wrote back in literally less than a half hour - now that’s fast! (And perfect for an excitable/impatient gal like myself.) It was good news too: she had this great white 4″ flower!

[source]

Two minutes later, I had it purchased. I love the detail of the little button in the center. It adds a little bit of old-fashioned flair without screaming, “Hi! I’m trying to look vintage!” The pearl ties in to my pearl earrings and necklace.

This flower will be heat-treated to get rid of the frayed-edges, and it has a grippy barrette clasp on the back of it too. Given my slippery, straight and shortish hair, I am much more comfortable wearing a barrette than I would be a bobby-pin, headband, or hair-comb style.

The price of this simple-yet-beautiful barrette was also worth celebrating: It was only $13, including shipping! Considering that some of the options I looked at were $50+, I consider this a SCORE. My experience with Erika (Bowsweet) on Etsy was awesome. She was polite, quick to respond, and sent me stellar pictures each time I asked if she had something a little different. She’s also got a website at bowsweet.com, and makes headbands and clips for children too (I’m thinking: flower girl!).

I haven’t been able to check my mail in a few days, so I don’t know if I received my flower yet. But once I do, I’ll let you know and do a little “trial” for you!

This accessory was my hardest one to purchase because I had no idea what I wanted. I feel a great relief getting it done! What was/is your most difficult wedding accessory to pick out?