Weddingbee Blog

Back at the bridal lounge (no boys allowed, obvi) we were busy primping and styling to get ready for the wedding paparazzi.

Liz and her assistant, the hairstylists I had hired, were still wrapping up at another wedding, but the sweet makeup artist arrived on time and went right to work. Bridesmaid R poured me a tall mimosa, and the makeup artist attached my loooong, luscious false eyelashes—I was in diva heaven.

False eyelashes for the win! / Personal photo

I sat patiently while my every blemish was camouflaged. Remember how insecure I was about my adult acne? I shouldn’t have stressed, because the airbrush makeup covered every last pesky zit.

Personal photo

As more time passed, things got kinda crazy. The hairstylists were really late because they were stuck in major traffic. (The Texas Renaissance Festival was going on and all of the traffic lights were turned off. It took the stylists two hours to get from their first wedding to Oak Tree Manor. Yeah…the traffic in this city is a beast.)

Our makeup artist stepped up and started curling hair, so once the hairstylists arrived they could go right to work on updos. I swear we were still having fun, but Bridesmaid H (on the far right) looks like she’s passing a kidney stone in this photo.*

The minutes ticked by, and panic began to spread among the bridal party that the hairstylists wouldn’t make it in time to do everyone’s hair. Some bickering occurred over who was up first, and who might have to do their own hair. In spite of it all, I just didn’t care. I was ready to marry my man and nothing could get me down.

One bridesmaid asked me if I was worried and prodded me to call the hairstylist again, and I brushed her off. Everyone else was wayyyyy more concerned than I was about the hair sitch. I was getting married! Nothing else mattered! And nothing could get me down.

To everyone’s relief, Liz and her assistant Tori did finally arrive. We were all prepared, inspiration photos in hand, lined up to have our hurr did. Funny story about that…

Up until the week of the wedding, I couldn’t for the life of me settle on a hairstyle. I don’t know why. I’m usually pretty decisive. But thanks to my over-consumption of wedding blogs, I was overwhelmed with choices, and since I was paying a pretty penny for an expert to pin my hair up, I wanted to make it count. I printed off about 10 photos of updos and brought them to Oak Tree Manor the morning of the wedding. I put the options up for vote. Luckily, there was a unanimous decision in favor of one style: the fishtail bun.

Photo (and complete DIY instructions!) via Teen Vogue

Believe it or not, I pinned the hairstyle ages ago under “new looks to try” (totally not wedding related). I somehow thought I was capable of giving myself a fishtail braid, and pinning the whole thing up to look like I just walked out of an Anthropologie catalog. Hey, I can get pretty ambitious when I’m pinning away.

Liz had never created a fishtail bun before but she seemed a little excited to try something new. I gave her full rein, and she mastered the look in one try. The girl is a genius.

I had to make one more game-time decision. Long-time readers, you might remember how I bought a fingertip veil from another bride, and proceeded to iron a gaping hole in the veil. I trimmed off the bottom few inches and resolved that, ahem, little issue. But I still wasn’t 100% sold on the long veil. When I practiced wearing it around the house (a la Monica Geller) it felt really heavy, and honestly a little itchy. My ballerina days are long since over, and I’m not used to wearing tulle. So, not surprisingly, I was feeling a little veil regret.

And then I saw this photo and I fell in love:

Photo by Braedon Flynn Photography / Image via 100 Layer Cake

Isn’t her birdcage veil dreamy?

Photo by Braedon Flynn Photography / Image via 100 Layer Cake

And so I set off on a crazed internet hunt in search of her veil and bedazzled comb. I couldn’t find her exact Renee Pawele headpieces, so I turned my search to Etsy and found a similar (and probably cheaper) nine-inch French netting birdcage veil. I also found a pretty, vintage-inspired comb to complete the look. Both were delivered to my doorstep the week of the wedding. Can you tell I live for doing things at the last minute?

When Liz finished pinning up my fishtail bun, I knew that I was going to wear the birdcage veil. Although my original fingertip veil looked ethereal draped over an antique armoire, it just didn’t fit the mood of the day.

So Liz secured my newest little accessories to my updo, and I became a blushing, veiled bride.

Next: Mr. W makes me cry (happy tears), and I get dressed. (Ooh la la!)

*All photos by the swell Mustard Seed Photography except where noted

Miss a recap? Previously:

• We got our pro pics in the mail, and I freaked out just a little.
• Orlando and his crew at A Sweet Film whipped up a sweet little teaser from the wedding.
• We p-a-r-t-ied with close friends and fam, Persian style. (We’re taking “Gangnam Style” to the next level.)
• We girls got our nails did, while the guys carted all of the wedding stuff off to the venue. Poor boys.
• We survived a hectic rehearsal in the dark.
• The wedding party and our out-of-town guests joined us for a juicy steak rehearsal dinner.
• I wrote my vows, and we battled Houston traffic to get to Oak Tree Manor.