Weddingbee Blog

The reception set up went off without a hitch and it was time for all of us ladies to be treated to a little pampering at a local salon, CJ Cochran. It was very convenient in that the salon was only a few blocks away from the venue.

Having a Sunday wedding meant that we had the entire salon to ourselves. Lucky us, huh? The salon provided fresh fruit, breakfast pastries and beverages, and all were delicious! As planned, our photographer was set to arrive in time to snap some shots of me getting my hair and makeup done. It turns out she got there a little early and was able to get some great photos of my adorable niece, Aidyn, as she sat in the hot seat. Since there are so many pictures of this, I thought it would be best to put them together in an Animoto video for easy viewing. I love each one of these photos and figured this would be a fun way to share them with the hive.

Some of her facial expressions are priceless! Check it out:

She was feeling scared about getting her hair done until she saw some of the bridesmaids’ hair. She wanted to look just as pretty as them, so she jumped right up in the chair. When she was all made up, she was so excited to come and show me. I had just gotten started with makeup.

With my recaps, I’ve been thinking of selecting one picture in each and really going a little deeper and telling you all what I like about it, what you might be missing or what I was feeling. So, join me with this one as we take a closer look:

Leading up to the wedding, Aidyn said that she didn’t want to get her hair curled or done up. “I want to be just as I am,” she repeatedly insisted. When she stepped down from the salon chair, she came over with the biggest smile on her face and said, “Look how beautiful I am!” It was beyond adorable. She was so proud of how she looked and I couldn’t help but give her a hug. In this moment, seeing how happy and excited she was to be a part of our wedding day, I really started to let go of the thoughts that were running through my head about details and other things that were left to do. It was the first time in the day that I was able to completely relax and start to enjoy my wedding day.

And time for my makeup!

I loved how my make-up turned out. While I was getting pampered by the ladies at CJ’s, the girls were hanging out, eating some breakfast and giving themselves DIY pedicures. I guess they were pretty impressed with how mine turned out.

BM & Mr. DE’s twin sister Kelly with finished hair and makeup. (Photo by moi, in case you can’t tell from the reflection.)

My sis, Jen, helping Aidyn with her shoes.

Aidyn wanted her hair done like BM April’s. I think they did a pretty good job!

And, then it was my turn. Pretty hair here I come!

After a thorough tease.

And we had some fun with it. After all, I was becoming a bride!

Then, we worked on the placement of my birdcage veil. I love how Aidyn is looking on. She’s such a cutie!

Spending the morning with the girls was lots of fun. I treated all of them to the salon as part of their thank you gifts. I wanted them to have no worries about where to get their hair done on a Sunday, but, more than anything, I just wanted us all to get together, relax and have a good time together.

Up next—It’s time for the dress!

All photos, unless noted, are the work of Ticia Mangino Photography.

From the beginning:

• Our (Almost) Accidentally Vintage-inspired Wedding
• Cakes, Cookies and More