Miss Elk, City: Syracuse/Long IslandAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Computer EngineerEngagement Date: November 22, 2010Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: The Old Field Club About Me: I’m a Long Island girl finishing my last year of medical school in western NY, on the road to becoming a pediatrician. When I’m not studying or sleeping at the hospital, I spend my free time watching bad TV (Vampire Diaries anyone?), playing with my pooch, singing incredibly off-key (to the annoyance of Mr. Elk ), and reading Harry Potter for the zillionth time. Mr. Elk and I are planning a secular wedding infused with both Irish and cultural Jewish traditions. Only a week after I become an M.D., I will get my Mrs. degree, too!
A little while ago I showed you the results of my hair trial, and I discussed possible hair accessories to add a little umphh to the style. I was trying to decide between a rhinestone bow or some sort of floral accessory, and in the end I decided on the bow. It’s kind of funny, because I am not really a “bling” sort of girl, but I just love bows so much!!! I stalked Etsy for quite some time, and ultimately decided on an adorable comb by seller DanaCastle. Unfortunately, it became clear to me almost immediately after receiving my cute little bow that my thin hair was way too limp to hold it up. I didn’t want to give up wearing the bow, so I decided to take it apart and try another strategy. (Personal photos ahead)
Miss Boa Constrictor, Isabela, Puerto RicoAge and Occupation: 22, Undergraduate StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Soon-to-be Civil EngineerEngagement Date: May 19, 2011Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: El Faro Convention CenterAbout Me: I’m a Caribbean gal, born and bred on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, finishing her last year as an undergrad. I describe myself as a “closet nerd” as I secretly enjoy reading research papers, playing video games, and geeking out on Lord of the Rings movie marathons. I will marry my college sweetheart, a soon-to-be civil engineer, who loves Legos and old-school Puerto Rican cooking. This is sure to be a fast-paced year with our wedding, honeymoon, college graduation, new jobs, and a cross-country move all within less than 30 days of each other!
I always imagined myself getting married with long, luscious curls, but I HATE having long hair. On a very humid tropical island like Puerto Rico, long locks are no fun since they mean frizzy, sweaty hair all year long. For this reason I have always maintained a fairly short hairstyle…until…I started dating Mr. Boa.
I cut my hair really short right before we started officially dating and for some mysterious reason, and I have only gotten trims from then on. (Apparently I might have foreseen the wedding bells in our future.)
Mrs. Sunhat, Dyer, IN Age and Occupation: 32, Tax AccountantFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Landscape ForemanEngagement Date: September 25, 2010Wedding Date: December 2011Venues: St. Andrew the Apostle, Fiesta PalaceAbout Me: I'm a Midwest girl who grew up in the country and now works in the big city! I love cooking, entertaining, reading (addicted to my Kindle) and going to the movies. I don't miss an episode of Hoarders and I start cleaning every time I watch! My profession doesn't call for much creativity so wedding planning has been a great outlet. Mr. Sunhat and I met online three years ago, cheer for rival MLB teams and share a home with our dog, Wrigley. We are planning a traditional, Polish, Catholic wedding with lots of DIY elements and some fun surprises. I'm so excited to be married on New Year's Eve and we can't wait to ring in the new year as husband and wife!
Stress is a you-know-what. I’m no stranger to stress. I am a tax accountant. Three and a half months out of every year are filled with deadlines and stress, but after over ten years in the industry, I feel I manage it quite well. Wedding and emotional stress, however, is a new beast.
I knew that planning a wedding would be stressful at times. Our engagement was just over 15 months long and for the most part, I handled the crazier moments quite well. It wasn’t until the week before the wedding that I realized I was holding on to some major stress, and obviously was not managing it at all.
I, like many, many other brides, grew my hair out for the wedding. One week prior to the 31st, I took a shower and noticed I was losing more hair than normal. I’ve been using the Wen hair care products for a few months now and I use a comb in the shower to work the product through my hair and untangle any knots. Well, I ran the comb through and it came out FULL of hair. It completely freaked me out. I thought maybe it was a fluke, but the next time I washed my hair, the same thing happened.
I was trippin’ big time so I reached out to my fellow bees to see if anyone else had experienced this. Read more…
Miss Opossum, TallahasseeAge and Occupation: 23, Aspiring Interior Architect
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 23, Soon to be Firefighter
Engagement Date: October 30, 2011Wedding Date: April 2012Venue: The Retreat at Bradley's PondAbout Me: I am a recent design graduate and aspiring interior architect that is a compulsive list maker, a Christmas light fanatic, and an avid nap-taker. This freckle-faced Southern girl loves being on the back of a horse, hanging out at the gym, and watching SVU with her rugby-playing fiance. It is a dream come true to finally be planning a wedding (in five months) to my high school sweetheart (of seven years). While preparing to tie the knot we're also balancing Fire College, grad school applications, jobs, and precious time with our supportive family and friends. We're moving fast...but are excited about enjoying every moment of this time in our lives!
Wednesday was a big planning day for me….I crossed some big planning items off of our list!
Mr. O had been up in D.C. for the holidays, hanging out and drinking beer with two of his three older brothers. I planned out engagement photo shoot for the day after he returned because our photographer was already going to be in town for the holidays (and I saw no point in having her make two trips).
I also planned a meeting with my friend that is doing my makeup for the wedding. I scheduled my first trial before the pictures. I know what you’re thinking… if I hated it then I would hate my engagement pictures, right? Well, yeah, normally that would be a concern for me, too, except that she does an awesome job and if I hated it I would have no problem telling her and having her fix it. Plus…I didn’t hate it!
I loved it. She did such a great job (especially for someone that doesn’t wear tons of makeup all that often) that I’ve scheduled a second trial to try some more daring looks, just because I am curious to see what it would look like. She totally boosted my ego, too. She told me I had great skin (this is news to me, hello!!) and barely used any foundation.
Personal Photo- Please excuse my poorly lit phone photo!
Basically I felt pretty darn fantastic going into our engagement shoot (and having confidence is half the battle, right?). Read more…
Miss Turkey, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 29, Brand ManagementFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, ConsultantEngagement Date: February 2011Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: The Rittenhouse HotelAbout Me: I'm a marketer who loves a good glass of wine, anything pumpkin-flavored, every crime drama on TV and, of course, Mr. Turkey. It's funny to say out loud, but we're former coworkers turned betrothed---now planning a wedding in the city of Brotherly Love. For three years, we've been eating our way through Philadelphia, playing tourist at home, and cheering for every sports team in the 215. Although we've hit some unplanned snags along the way, we're determined to have a rocking party this spring with our loud, fun families and friends.
Unlike fellow bloggers Hawk and Uni (do you mind if I call you Uni?), I am NOT in love with my hair. I’ve gone through a number of styles in my 29 years…and some of them have been pretty rough. Don’t believe me…check it out:
I created this to be like the Transformation feature from InStyle for a team event a while back
As you can see, I used to be blond*. And tried to hold on to that color for a bit past its peak. There were many dollars spent on highlights which were probably not good for my already tough-to-manage hair.
Mrs. Mole, Los Angeles/Las VegasAge and Occupation: 29, Test Prep InstructorFiance's Age and Occupation: 31, User Experience ArchitectEngagement Date: April 2011Wedding Date: January 2012Venue: Wynn Las Vegas/Bouchon BistroAbout Me: I’m a Wisconsinite-turned-Angeleno who is planning a destination wedding in Las Vegas. I am passionate about education: I spent 23 (!) consecutive years in school, and now I work to help other people get into graduate programs. I love running on the treadmill, buying bath products from Lush, learning new moves in step aerobics, and exploring my neighborhood on foot. I am sometimes snobby about food, but I am rarely snobby about books. I read everything from Geoffrey Chaucer to Iris Murdoch to Chuck Klosterman to Candace Bushnell. My fiance and I are getting married on our third anniversary!
I’m sure what I am about to describe has happened to some of you. You stand in front of the mirror at the bridal shop, trying to decide if this is The Dress. You smooth down the fabric around your hips, adjust the neckline, check out the way that the train lays in the back. “Hmm,” you say, almost to yourself. Then, almost out of nowhere, the bridal consultant sweeps in and plops a veil on your head. “There! A bride,” she exclaims. “Perfect!”
In bridal stores, as well on shows like Say Yes to the Dress, the veil seems to function as the ultimate transformative piece (and hard-sell accessory): you put it on, you become a bride! But what happens when you don’t want to wear a veil?
I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want to wear a veil. That’s not to say that I didn’t admire veils. I love long, lace-tipped ones, like this one from Rohm. It’s also not to say that I didn’t try any veils on; I had veils dropped on my head whenever I seemed remotely interested in whatever dress I was trying on. Having the consultant do so, however, just reinforced my feeling that a veil just wasn’t for me.
I did know that I wanted to accessorize my gown with some kind of hairpiece. Like I had done so many times before, I turned to Etsy. I first started looking at different hair flowers. (I just realized that several of the ones that I bookmarked have tiny tulle netting attached!)
Miss Elk, City: Syracuse/Long IslandAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Computer EngineerEngagement Date: November 22, 2010Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: The Old Field Club About Me: I’m a Long Island girl finishing my last year of medical school in western NY, on the road to becoming a pediatrician. When I’m not studying or sleeping at the hospital, I spend my free time watching bad TV (Vampire Diaries anyone?), playing with my pooch, singing incredibly off-key (to the annoyance of Mr. Elk ), and reading Harry Potter for the zillionth time. Mr. Elk and I are planning a secular wedding infused with both Irish and cultural Jewish traditions. Only a week after I become an M.D., I will get my Mrs. degree, too!
The other day I stopped into my hairdresser’s for a quick trim and a hair trial! If you remember, I already bought some fake hair to extend my ponytail and give the illusion of thick hair. Therefore, I knew going into my trial that I wanted a side ponytail hairstyle. I also thought I’d really like to include some sort of braid into my hair. I’m not big on super intricate updos, but wanted to keep my hair out of my face so I wasn’t tempted to touch it all night long. Now I forgot my fake hair, so you will have to picture it with a long, thick, curly ponytail, but here is what we came up with:
Miss Unicycle, Chicago, ILAge and Occupation: 23, Editor for a Web Publishing CompanyFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, MD/PhD StudentEngagement Date: March 26, 2011Wedding Date: June 2012Venue: Bridges of Poplar CreekAbout Me: I’m a writer by trade who likes analyzing pop culture, making fun of celebrities, and laughing until I cry. I’m the queen of half-assed crafts, and there’s nothing I won’t try to DIY. You can usually find me reading blogs on my laptop in front of a good Lifetime movie, wine in hand. I’m planning a polka-dotted summertime wedding to my physics geek college sweetheart, and when I’m not making stupid puns I’m freaking out about my wedding timeline.
I like to think that our wedding will be “retro inspired.” I don’t mean vintage, the most often overused/misused adjective in the wedding lexicon. I mean retro. When I think of “vintage,” I think of faded photographs, artfully aged furniture, and whimsical wild flowers in milk glass. When I think of “retro,” I think of beehive hairdos, polka dot shoes, red lipstick, and poufy skirts. I’m not sure what era I actually like. Believe me when I say history was my worst subject ever—I’d literally rather retake calculus, physics, philosophy, and even P.E. than ever take another history class. So I’m not sure if I like the ’50s or the ’60s, or some combination of the two. I’m not talking poodle skirts or flower power. Maybe mid-century is a good descriptor. Mad Men, Dior’s New Look, and rockabilly/pin-up styles all intrigue me. Again, I’m not sure if those all took place at the same general time or not. I’m more concerned with applying them to our very 2012 wedding. Instead of jabbering on, for once I’ll just show you a bunch of fun pictures.
Miss Hawk, Richmond, VAAge and Occupation: 26, FinanceFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, District SupervisorEngagement Date: March 13, 2011Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: The Chapel of the Sir Christopher Wren Building, 2007 Legacy HallAbout Me: I’m an Arizona-born girl who has spent the majority of my life living below the Mason-Dixon line. The South has definitely earned a special place in my heart (alongside my Virginia born and bred fiance, of course!). We are planning a traditional Christian ceremony at my alma mater in historic Williamsburg, Virginia, followed by a rocking reception filled with Southern cooking and vintage/shabby chic details. When we’re not wedding planning, we enjoy spending time with our three dogs, going for runs together, watching plenty of football (or baseball depending on the season), and sampling new wine.
This may sound a little silly, but I L.O.V.E. my hair (and the versatility of it!). From a very young age, my mom meticulously styled my hair with a new look daily: braids, ribbons, bows, curls, and ponytails. In my world, every day was a new adventure in hair. Apparently wanting to change up my look with different hairstyles stuck with me all these years. Changing my hair to combat boredom has been my MO:
College years: Long with highlights: “Look ma, no hands!”
Miss Unicycle, Chicago, ILAge and Occupation: 23, Editor for a Web Publishing CompanyFiance's Age and Occupation: 23, MD/PhD StudentEngagement Date: March 26, 2011Wedding Date: June 2012Venue: Bridges of Poplar CreekAbout Me: I’m a writer by trade who likes analyzing pop culture, making fun of celebrities, and laughing until I cry. I’m the queen of half-assed crafts, and there’s nothing I won’t try to DIY. You can usually find me reading blogs on my laptop in front of a good Lifetime movie, wine in hand. I’m planning a polka-dotted summertime wedding to my physics geek college sweetheart, and when I’m not making stupid puns I’m freaking out about my wedding timeline.
My approach to makeup (and many other things, now that you mention it) is to just try random things and see if they work. I have no idea how to actually put on mascara, though I wear it every day. I literally don’t know the difference between powder, concealer, foundation, and anything else beige-y that you put on your skin. So my “Makeup Ideas” pinboard on Pinterest, despite being created months ago, only has two pins on it:
Miss Porcupine, NYC/Lancaster, PAAge and Occupation: 26, Sales Coordinator/PublishingFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Assistant Manager/SalesEngagement Date: August 8, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Riverdale ManorAbout Me: I'm a born and bred New Yorker with a love/hate relationship for the city I have always called home. Although I may seem quiet from afar, I have a loud personality once you get to know me. I am a book nerd at heart, but love a night out in the city with good friends. I have a serious addiction to all things cheese, chocolate, cardigans, Mexican food, and reality TV. The future hubs and I met in college, settled in New York, and decided to go with a rustic/peacock infused wedding in Lancaster, PA, right near his hometown. Come the big day, we will be together 5 years, and we're looking forward to making it official!
I went to the salon that my future MIL goes to out in Pennsylvania. Considering I don’t know a damn thing about salons in the area, I figured it makes the most sense to go with a salon someone knows something about. The kicker is, the hairstylist I am using has done Mr. P’s hair since he was a kid (before he moved to good ol’ NYC). The same stylist now also does a lot of Mr. P’s family’s hair. Keeping it in the family…
Here I am before in my non-makeup glory (okay, I lie, I am wearing a little cover-up stick and pressed powder:
Ms. Gazelle, Calgary/VancouverAge and Occupation: 32, EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Technology AnalystEngagement Date: September 3, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Brock House Restaurant, VancouverAbout Me: I am a marathon runner, cyclist, Ironman triathlete and beautiful shoe fiend who also loves kicking back and watching Glee. I grew up a bit of a nomad as I traveled around the world with my family, living everywhere from Australia to England to South America and Indonesia. I finally settled in Calgary a few years ago and met Mr. Gazelle who loves me even though we cheer for different hockey teams. We are planning a bit of a destination wedding in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia and we can’t wait to share the day with our close family and friends.
Like most brides I grew out my hair in anticipation of the wedding. It had been ages since I’ve really grown my hair out. Post-wedding I hung on to the length as I was curious to see just how long I could get my hair. Well…how long it would get before it started to drive me nuts!
Miss Elk, City: Syracuse/Long IslandAge and Occupation: 25, Medical StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Computer EngineerEngagement Date: November 22, 2010Wedding Date: May 2012Venue: The Old Field Club About Me: I’m a Long Island girl finishing my last year of medical school in western NY, on the road to becoming a pediatrician. When I’m not studying or sleeping at the hospital, I spend my free time watching bad TV (Vampire Diaries anyone?), playing with my pooch, singing incredibly off-key (to the annoyance of Mr. Elk ), and reading Harry Potter for the zillionth time. Mr. Elk and I are planning a secular wedding infused with both Irish and cultural Jewish traditions. Only a week after I become an M.D., I will get my Mrs. degree, too!
And that is especially true when it comes to hair! Girls with curly hair only wish they could straighten it out, and girls with straight hair want beautiful ringlets. For me, all I have ever wanted is thick locks. Through the years, I’ve noticed a definite thinning of my hair. Here you can see my dinky pony tail (and yes I am petting an elephant!!).
The problem is, for my wedding day I have dreams of hair like this:
Mrs. Parasol, San Ramon, CaliforniaAge and Occupation: 25, Non-profit writer, editor, and bloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Law school studentEngagement Date: December 19th, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Bent Creek Winery (Livermore, California); Reception: Family Residence (San Ramon, California) About Me: I am a California girl at heart. I love the outdoors, sunny days at the beach, and hiking in the woods and mountains. I also love good books and am fresh from completing my Master's degree in English and Comparative Literature in New York City. Living in NYC was an amazing experience, and while I'm glad to be back on the West Coast, I'm also thankful that my two years back East gave me an opportunity to explore new places, make new friends, and indulge my passion for Broadway shows. Oh, and I received a pretty awesome proposal from Mr. Parasol in Central Park. Above all else, Mr. Parasol is my biggest cheerleader and my best friend. But even though I'm thrilled to be marrying him, I wasn't always totally on board with this whole wedding thing and at first, I wanted to run off and elope. I've finally been convinced to throw the wedding I never thought I wanted, and so now I'm busy planning an intimate September wedding filled with DIY details. Along the way, I'm slowly learning to appreciate, perhaps even love the wedding planning process.
Like so many other brides before me, I finally succumbed to the allure of the post-wedding chop. I’m proud that I managed to hold out for almost two months, but who am I kidding? That long hair was killing me, and it had to go!
Here’s what my hair looked like at our rehearsal dinner, before it really started to get on my nerves:
Miss Porcupine, NYC/Lancaster, PAAge and Occupation: 26, Sales Coordinator/PublishingFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Assistant Manager/SalesEngagement Date: August 8, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Riverdale ManorAbout Me: I'm a born and bred New Yorker with a love/hate relationship for the city I have always called home. Although I may seem quiet from afar, I have a loud personality once you get to know me. I am a book nerd at heart, but love a night out in the city with good friends. I have a serious addiction to all things cheese, chocolate, cardigans, Mexican food, and reality TV. The future hubs and I met in college, settled in New York, and decided to go with a rustic/peacock infused wedding in Lancaster, PA, right near his hometown. Come the big day, we will be together 5 years, and we're looking forward to making it official!
I have BIG hair. Legit. I am not exaggerating. Ask anyone I’ve ever lived with. Without product or styling (sometimes even with it) my hair is like a HUGE big ol’ fro. It takes many ounces of hair gel or scorching temperatures of hair straighteners to tame my mane. It’s usually curly. If weather conditions permit I will straighten it. And, that’s only for weekends/special occasions. It’s too much work otherwise. I envy those girls who can shower and go and their hair dries perfectly straight. RUDE!
I tend not to photograph myself when my hair is in its natural state. So here it is with some gel and a hair iron. I was adventurous there for a few months by both gelling my curls and ironing my bangs. Yes, I know- mind numbingly shocking….
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