Weddingbee Blog

I have never been one to worry too much about my nails. I generally keep them cut pretty short, because I have long nail-beds, and I never really paint them, because I am always too busy to take the time to sit down, paint them, and then wait for the paint to dry. I always get impatient, walk around and fiddle with things, and, of course, end up smudging the not-yet-dry polish. Which means I need to remove all of the polish and either a) re-do it, or b) just say ’screw it’ and leave them not painted because I hate having dinged polish. (Yeah. I’m weird. We already know this.) The whole thing just didn’t seem very time-or-energy-efficient to me. And, I’m too cheap to pay someone else to do them for me.

However, since I have started working near New York City, I have noticed that the majority of young women in my office have very nicely manicured nails, and they all have some sort of cool, en vogue polish on their nails at all times. (I won’t even get into their amazing sense of style when it comes to shoes and clothes, because I’m too jealous to talk about it, and they make me feel immature and not-stylish in comparison. We’ll stick to nails today.) I have become quite jealous of their awesome nails, and have convinced myself that pretty nails are, in fact, part of the whole put-together look and that I absolutely must polish my nails. Plus, it makes me feel super girly, which I love.

So, yes, I have started amassing a collection of pretty, girly polishes, and have started painting my nails while I watch So You Think You Can Dance (Best show ever, by the way. Seriously. I want to be all of the contestants. And Cat Deely). I still get all impatient and nick my nails before the paint is dry, but I’m getting better about sitting still! And, I’m  at the point where a nick or two doesn’t bother me as much.

Anyway, this new obsession with nail polish has me thinking about what color I want to grace my nails on the day of our wedding. There are so many different options to pick from—it’s a bit overwhelming! So, Hive, let’s have a look at some choices, shall we?

Bold Reds and Pinks

I love this option—bright and cheerful reds and pinks seem to be perfect for a late-summer wedding. I enjoy the pop of bright nail colors in bridal pictures, and they just seem more, well, fun. However, I do have long nail-beds (Do I sound pretentious saying that? Ugh. I feel like I do. I hope not.), which sort of annoys me because it means my nails just look really, really long. I’m totally jealous of all you short nail-bed gals out there! I think polish just looks better on shorter nails. Am I the only one who thinks this? I like the splotch of color that you get in shorter nails; with longer nails, it just looks like a long skinny strip of color. Maybe that’s just me/ my nails. Anyway, I’m babbling on. Let’s get to the goods, shall we?

{Chanel’s “Dragon“}

I am really digging this rich red from Chanel. It has a bit of a pink-ish under-hue to it, but is nice and deep in color. I think it would look really great, especially if purple is one of your colors.

{Essie’s “Really Red“}

I am in love with this red. It is a true red, and would be absolutely awesome for a wedding. It would really make your nails stand out! And I love when brides have red nails. They just seem so classy, timeless, and elegant to me.

If I ended up going with reds, I would probably go with this one, or a similar shade that doesn’t have any other undertones. I think I’m still a bit hesitant to wear something so bold on the wedding day. Perhaps, if I am feeling super courageous… Although, I am thinking I might do this one on my toes!

{Essie’s “Movers and Shakers“}

I saw this color on a friend from work, and fell in love. It is so cheerful and fun; perfect for summer fingers or toes. Unfortunately, I think this shade of pink might clash a bit with our more muted palette. But, I still love this color, and want lots of other brides to wear it!

{Chanel’s “Pulsion,” via Nordstrom}

This pink is a bit more bold than Essie’s “Movers and Shakers,” but I still love it for summer. Very fun and bright. Great for toes if you’re a little hesitant about something so bright being on your fingers! It totally makes me think of Barbie, by the way. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing.

A Few ’Out There’ Options

So, for full disclosure: I am not exactly considering these options. I am still somewhat of a polish-newbie, so I am just not adventurous enough to try these. Particularly for my big day! They wouldn’t seem very “me,” and I worry that I would look back on pictures 15 years from now and think ’what the heck am I wearing on my nails?!’

However, I love them so much that I wanted to share, in the hopes that some of you more experienced polishers would take these ideas and run with them! I would love to see real pics of them on you for the big day.

{Essie’s “Solemate“}

Essie’s website describes this as a “creamy and rich deep plum.” I love that description! It looks like a very deep mauve to me, and I find the muted shade of this color really pleasing. If I had the, ahem, guts to go dark and bold on my wedding day, this would be the shade I picked. It complements our color scheme very well, and would look great with all of the purples. Alas, I do not have the guts to go this dark. I am hoping to at least get my toenails into “Solemate” this summer, though!

{Essie’s “Nice is Nice“}

If you read my post on my wedding band, you saw this color in action! It is my new favorite color—those pictures actually don’t do it justice (they make the color look a bit washed out and white-ish). It is a very nice, rich, light lavender. I used two coats, and it basically turned out exactly like that picture of the bottle. It is also the perfect color for our wedding palette. In fact, I might just put it in the folder with all of my inspiration pictures.

It is still a bit more color than I would like for the wedding, though, so I am going to have to pass. I know, I know—Candy Apple is lame and boring. The color is lovely, and if you’re feeling a wee bit more adventurous than I am, but not quite as bold as, say, the dark “Solemate” purple, you should definitely consider this one.

{Chanel’s “Riva,” via Nylon Mag}

I love this light blue “Riva,” in Chanel’s Summer 2011 line. It just LOOKS like summer to me - fresh and fun, yet light and clean. I just want to pe right into it. And the way it looks on the model makes it seem almost neutral-y! Is that just me?? Has anyone tried this color in real life? Does it look as light and powder-blue as it does in the picture?

{Essie’s “Mint Candy Apple“}

I first came across Essie’s “Mint Candy Apple” on Pinterest, and fell in love with the cool, refreshing shade of green. It gives just enough color, but, as opposed to some other greens, it doesn’t make your nails look like they are decaying. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to pick this shade up, since our local Wegman’s didn’t have it in stock the last two times I checked (dang it - everyone else around here must be on Pinterest as well!), but I can’t wait to get my hot little hands on this one.

{Essie’s “Carnival“}

Sparkles are the best. Seriously. This “color” is so fun—you could layer it over any color to give it a bit of pizzazz, or you could just swipe on a few layers by itself and call it a day! So glamorous. It makes me think of a cool, chic princess, or something. (Actually, it makes me think of when I was a little girl and demanded that my mom buy me a sparkly nail polish. I couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 at the time, and I ended up dropping the prized bottle on the sidewalk as we got home from the store. I was devastated as I watched my beautiful, sparkly polish dissipate into the cracks in the concrete. Clearly, this was an emotional time for me. Hmm, maybe this is why I am so awkward and hesitant about nail polish. HA.)

Anyway, I won’t be wearing any glitter on my nails at the wedding because, well, I think I have enough razzle dazzle for the occasion, but this is definitely a must-buy for me. And, I think it would make a perfect wedding-day polish. A bit of sparkle, but not too much color.

Neutrals

Since I just recently entered the fun world of nail polish, and am still getting my feet (um, nails) wet, this is probably the route I will go with for our wedding. These lighter shades look really nice in pictures, and won’t detract as much attention from my beautiful bouquet and shoes.

{Essie’s “Muchi, Muchi“}

I recently bought this color, and LOVE it. It might just be me, and my nail-ineptitude, but in order to get the color shown in that picture, I had to do about 3 coats. This shade is super light and pretty - if you went with only one or two coats, it would definitely be a fairly neutral pink. Perfect for a light color palette, particularly if you’re having delicate pinks!

{Essie’s “Minimalistic“}

I haven’t worn this color yet, but it looks very light, neutral, and dainty, with a hint of purple. I can’t wait to try it out!

A while ago, Hive member ustechie tuned me in to the fact that Giada de Laurentiis, on whom I have a huge girl-crush, wears OPI’s Bubble Bath. I ended up getting a manicure with this shade before our engagement shoot, and LOVED how it looked in the pictures.

{OPI’s Bubble Bath}

I am almost positive that I will go with this one for the wedding. I love the neutral, slightly pink hue of the shade. Just the right amount of color! Also, since my shoes are such a bold purple, I’m thinking that neutrals are the way to go here.

What do you think, Hive? Am I okay sticking with neutrals for the big day? What color did you wear for your wedding? Did you go with a light neutral, or did you go big and bold? Or, did you go for something totally “out there” like bright blue or sparkles?!

Also, I have to ask - did your groom get a little polish before the big day? Mr. CA is definitely not thinking about it (as style-forward as he is, I am fairly confident that he will never wear polish on his nails. Ever), but I imagine lots of men at least get a mani before their wedding, even if they don’t end up going with polish! Any guys out there get some color too??