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.
It’s been a while since I’ve really talked about my wedding day look, but given that I finally had my hair and makeup trial, I guess it’s time I returned to the subject.
Remember how I originally wanted a loose, soft, curly updo for the wedding? Well the second I showed Mr. Parasol my inspiration pictures, he pointed to the one curly half-up photo I had and said, “Oh, I like that. You should do your hair exactly like that.” Boys. What do they know?
But when I listened to Mr. Parasol’s reasoning, I realized that he actually knew what he was talking about. In the first place, I wear my hair up all the time. Doing my hair requires a lot of work, and most days, I just don’t have the time or the energy to style it, so I usually throw it up into some sort of bun. When I want to dress up and look my best, though, I usually wear my hair down. So in Mr. Parasol’s mind, an updo=everyday casual hairstyle while a half-up=fancy special occasion hairstyle. Plus, he says he really likes it when I wear my hair down and curly. That was the deciding factor for me because, above all else, I want to look beautiful for Mr. Parasol.
I could have stuck with the original inspiration picture that Mr. Parasol really liked:
But I realized this isn’t quite what I want. It’s lovely, but I knew I could find something better. Read more…
Mrs. Teaspoon, Sydney, AustraliaAge and Occupation: 27, Medical ScientistFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, BankerEngagement Date: June 4, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: St Aloysius' College, Milson's PointAbout Me: I am a mad scientist who enjoys swimming at the beach in summer and skiing powder in winter. Our favourite times together are spent with the sand between our toes, cooking up a storm, re-watching and re-reading every Harry Potter ever made, and spending time with our dear friends and family! We have travelled the world together in our 6 years of dating, from Paris, to Thailand, to Las Vegas, and we are tackling the many challenges of planning our special day the best way we know how---together!
I had my hair done today with my bridesmaid, and we got talking about hairstyles, as you do…when your bridesmaid is also your hairdresser! Again, one of those small things that I am finding myself obsessing over!
Now, my hair is currently not very long and there is not very much of it. It is about three inches longer than it is here in this picture taken in October—in Roma. Beautiful!!
Mrs. Lioness, AtlantaAge and Occupation: 25, Physical TherapistFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, AttorneyEngagement Date: August 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Anthony’s Fine DiningAbout Me: I’m a Southern girl with New England roots. I say "wicked" and "y’all" in the same sentence and I like to drink sweet tea with my lobster. Mr. Lion and I are both former Floridians now living in Atlanta, which fortunately is still SEC country...Go Gators! We both love baseball, coffee, traveling, cooking, and playing Words with Friends with each other on our iPhones all day long. I’m very passionate about the things and the people I love, and I tend to plan things with all of my heart...our wedding, of course, is no different! Oh, and also Mr. Lion is a first generation American of Cuban descent. I may look more like Lucy than Ricky, but I’m doing my best to incorporate some Latin elements into our vintage-garden-Southern wedding!
Of course, I’m talking about the Post-Wedding Chop! I’ve had long hair my whole life…well, that’s not entirely true. I chopped it off to my shoulders when I graduated from college. I thought it would make me look more grown up and, therefore, more like a graduate student. Instead, it just flipped out all funky at the ends and never did what I wanted it to do. I simply couldn’t pull it off. I also had shorter hair when I was little, but I’m pretty sure I could pull anything off then.
The bottom line is that I never saw myself hopping on the PWC bandwagon because I loved my hair long. Read more…
Mrs. Teaspoon, Sydney, AustraliaAge and Occupation: 27, Medical ScientistFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, BankerEngagement Date: June 4, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: St Aloysius' College, Milson's PointAbout Me: I am a mad scientist who enjoys swimming at the beach in summer and skiing powder in winter. Our favourite times together are spent with the sand between our toes, cooking up a storm, re-watching and re-reading every Harry Potter ever made, and spending time with our dear friends and family! We have travelled the world together in our 6 years of dating, from Paris, to Thailand, to Las Vegas, and we are tackling the many challenges of planning our special day the best way we know how---together!
So, I guess by now you would like to know what I am wearing in my hair? The plan is for a veil (more on that soon!) for the duration of the ceremony and, of course, the photographs. However, when we arrive at the reception I think a veil trailing one metre behind the train on my dress (which will actually be bustled) will just be asking for trouble. I can imagine it just being completely ripped out of my hair! Also, the one thing I really want to keep to have available for my potential daughter/daughter-in law/grandaughter would be my veil. I know that my dress will be worthless to keep, because there is absolutely no way I would have fit into, let alone worn, my mother’s wedding dress!
So, will I go naked for the reception? My hair, that is…not a chance!!! I love a hair flower as much as the next guy (or girl), and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to change my outfit up into a slightly more casual look for the reception.
Ms. Sloth, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion BloggerFiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design AdminEngagement Date: December 25, 2009Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Bartram's GardenAbout Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
to bring you pictures of my new Post-Wedding Chop!
Honestly, this chop had nothing to do with the fact that our wedding is now over, and had everything to do with the fact that, regardless of timing, my hair looked ratty, shapeless, and just plain awful. It had more split ends than I’d ever seen. It was just time.
Mrs. Honey, Durango, COAge and Occupation: 28, Financial AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Lab Tech/PhlebotomistEngagement Date: August 1, 2010Wedding Date: January 2012Venue: Vallecito LakeAbout Me: I am a Colorado girl through and through, marrying an adrenaline-fueled Alabama boy. We love the outdoors just about as much as we love spoiling our dog and three cats. On any given weekend you can find us being adventurous, doing anything from rafting to snowboarding, and everything in between. We live in an outdoor mecca and truly believe in "Work Hard, Play Harder." I'm an optimist to the core, a crafter wannabe, a Southern food cook-in-training and a big time believer in girls nights. We met, fell in love and got engaged in eight short months and are now knee-deep in planning what we hope to be a super-fun, very us wedding celebration. Join us as we plan a rustic meets whimsical, Colorado winter wedding with loads of personal touches and good food!
I’m not the biggest fan of my hair and have hair envy of girls with curlier hair and girls with straighter hair. I’m also pretty awful at styling my hair and my hair has no style of its own, which makes my lack of styling abilities even worse. I have weird cowlicks that cause my hair to grow funny. If I don’t style my hair, one side curls under while the other side flips out—I refer to it as my hair wave.
In high school I had long, straight hair…I would dye it occasionally but nothing too extreme. It wasn’t until college that I really started experimenting. I chopped it off bit by bit and tried darker colors and highlights until I finally found the style I loved. The structured bob, that sits just below my chin, colored a medium shade of brown…and sometimes reddish highlights.
Mrs. Teacup, Santa CruzAge and Occupation: 34, Pharmaceutical SalesFiance's Age and Occupation: 41, Ditto! (For a different company)Engagement Date: October 1, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: ceremony in our family's Catholic church in Watsonville; reception at the Santa Cruz Beach BoardwalkAbout Me: I’m learning to embrace my true spirit as GIRLY GIRL after previous careers in the Navy and consulting for the government. My favorite hobby is SLEEP, with dancing HULA a close second. An INTROVERT in extrovert clothing, I’m questing to UNDO 34 years of TYPE A conditioning. Constantly processing the details of our upcoming nuptials, peek into this late blooming bride & groom's roller coaster ride to the altar. Giant Dipper required, sold separately.
My ramblings about wedding planning as a process of self-discovery sidetracked my initial intent to entertain you with outrageous hair styling. Some may argue it’s “high fashion” or “couture,” and I’ll let you be the judge.
For example, I thought about adding a flower as an accessory to my wedding hairstyle. Something romantic like a real gardenia would be easy enough to get from my florist and tuck behind my ear. Then again…maybe I want my stylist to work harder and create flowers out of my hair, like this?
Mrs. Teacup, Santa CruzAge and Occupation: 34, Pharmaceutical SalesFiance's Age and Occupation: 41, Ditto! (For a different company)Engagement Date: October 1, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: ceremony in our family's Catholic church in Watsonville; reception at the Santa Cruz Beach BoardwalkAbout Me: I’m learning to embrace my true spirit as GIRLY GIRL after previous careers in the Navy and consulting for the government. My favorite hobby is SLEEP, with dancing HULA a close second. An INTROVERT in extrovert clothing, I’m questing to UNDO 34 years of TYPE A conditioning. Constantly processing the details of our upcoming nuptials, peek into this late blooming bride & groom's roller coaster ride to the altar. Giant Dipper required, sold separately.
It’s time to create my wedding-day look! No intentions to accomplish this “by any means necessary,” though I always enjoy a good rhyme…
I’ve chosen the dress, which shall remain unposted here until W-day. Mr. Hot Tea reads my blog and prefers to be surprised, so we’ll honor his choice for another three months. And like my three pairs of shoes you’ll soon see, I said yes to the dress…twice. Sensing a theme here? [Ed. note: I probably should have considered "indecisive bride" as my screen name---LOL!]
Mrs. Crepe, Queens, NY/Nashville, TNAge and Occupation: 28, Jewelry DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Animation DirectorEngagement Date: September 28, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: A church in downtown NashvilleAbout Me: I'm a native New Yorker who has always been a DIY kind of girl and loves tackling creative projects while getting the most out of a dollar. I'm marrying my college sweetheart and we love frequenting antique stores, exploring together, and playing with kittens. We're planning a fun, "us" wedding in his hometown---with as many handmade touches as we can pack into a day!
You don’t really realize how much a part of your life Weddingbee becomes until you throw around terms like “post wedding chop” and realize that people don’t know what you’re talking about.
So…the last time I cut my hair was in 2007. Read more…
Mrs. Candy Apple, Princeton Junction, NJ/ Seattle, WAAge and Occupation: 26, Project EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, AttorneyEngagement Date: May 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: St. Joseph's Parish, Seattle Tennis ClubAbout Me: I am a Pacific Northwesterner, born and bred. I have lived in many cities---Santa Clara, Durham (England); Florence; Boston; Princeton Junction---but my heart will always be nestled up near the Cascades and Olympics, which is why we are holding our wedding there. I am a bookworm and a History nerd: I love that my life consists of books, books, and more books, since I work in Publishing! Recently, all waking time not consumed by work and my daily commute has been overtaken by wedding planning. Well, that, and watching Premier-League soccer. There is nothing I love more than a good Tana French mystery, traveling to new places, Anthropologie shopping sprees, Iittala dishware, Kate Spade shoes, impeccable typefaces (think: Archer), and a nice English ale (hellooo, Old Speckled Hen!). Oh, and did I mention my obsession with wedding blogs? Yeah, there’s that too. Join Mr. Candy Apple and me as we prep for our wedding, and, more importantly, our marriage!
A few weekends ago, we trekked out to California for my sister’s college graduation. Why is this relevant to weddings? Well, luckily enough, Mr. CA’s Auntie also lives in the same town, so we were able to get together with her. Bonus? She is also my wedding hair and makeup artiste extraordinaire!
So, of course, we simply had to do a trial while I was down there, right? I mean, come on, who doesn’t love getting themselves done up all nice and pretty like? No one.
Armed with my hair-spiration, we set off. Unfortunately, due to terrible weather across the country, flights were delayed out of Newark, and we missed our connection in Phoenix. Which meant we landed in Phoenix around 1am. Meaning we had to sleep in the Phoenix airport to catch our super-early-morning flight. I was not pleased. Airport-sleeping does not make for a beautiful, fresh-faced Miss Candy A. Yep, I looked pretty haggard. Poor Auntie, she wasn’t going to have much to work with.
Once we landed, we met up with Auntie and Uncle CA for lunch, then the appointment. I dragged my mom along and pressed her into service as our photographer for the day. Mr. CA and Uncle CA also ended up joining us, so it was just a big ol’ Candy Apple party!
Get ready - lots of pics coming your way!
Me, fresh off the Phoenix airport floor with less than an hour’s sleep. Dehydrated. Tired. Sexy. Wait, which of those doesn’t belong?
Mrs. Cucumber Sandwich, Washington, DC/Cape May, NJAge and Occupation: 28, School CounselorFiance's Age and Occupation: 40, Collegiate AthleticsEngagement Date: March 27, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Congress Hall HotelAbout Me: I am a school counselor who spends my day wrangling children and my nights attempting to be creative with wedding projects. My enthusiasm for each of these activities far surpasses my skill. Thank goodness Mr. Cucumber Sandwich is there to pick up the pieces and be the voice of reason about my DIY tries. I have an obsession with terrible romantic comedies (‘From Justin to Kelly’ anyone?, anyone?!?), competitive Scrabble play, and hot dogs. I could eat astronaut ice cream for every meal and can’t seem to resist buying more shoes. Our wedding is going to be a true hodge podge of semi-destination, tradition, Yuengling, New England charm, with just a dash of ‘Jersey Shore’ thrown in. It has been six years in the making and I can’t wait to marry my best friend.
I am ready for my close up! We booked our final “big” vendor, and it feels so good. My stylist is in place for the wedding day (i.e., makeup and hair).
I was dragging my feet on booking this vendor. I think because there are so many options and it is hard to really get a feel for their work. I knew that I wanted someone who could do the total package: hair and makeup for both myself and everyone else. I also wanted someone who would be able to travel to Congress Hall. For the bridal party we rented a gorgeous getting-ready room. I wanted us to all be able to get ready/primp together!
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.
So now that I have purchased my wedding dress, I have been starting to think about the other elements of my bridal look: makeup, jewelry, bouquet, the works. Each of these can (and probably will) be dealt with in their own posts, but for now I want to talk about one particular aspect that both excites and scares me: hair.
Like most brides, how I’m going to wear my hair on my wedding day is a very important decision. Since getting engaged, I have refused to cut my hair. Even though I prefer it shorter (about shoulder length), I’m afraid a cut will limit my options for my wedding-day hairstyle. I’m now at the point where I need to go in for a little trim, but I’m still a bit terrified they’ll take too much off.
Right now, I’m still undecided about what exactly I’m going for. I know it will be something curly or at least wavy because my hair is naturally pretty curly and holds curls really well.
Mrs. Pony, Bloomington, ILAge and Occupation: 25, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, AttorneyEngagement Date: March 22, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard; Bloomington Center for the Performing ArtsAbout Me: I found my Southern counterpart in law school and since he popped the question last March, we have been busy graduating, job searching, bar taking, and wedding planning. My loves include must see TV, magnets, quotes, anything green, my car, fun socks, the Cubs, and my Mr. Together we love wine, playing outside, and exploring the world together. Stay tuned to see our Midwest wedding full of Southern charm, vintage flair, lots of DIY details, and a whole lot o’ wine.
I feel as if I have done my due diligence in researching things for our wedding; finding the best deals, most talented vendors, the exact the product I want, and loads of inspiration. The one glaring exception to this has been finding inspiration for my hair and makeup on the big day. This normally wouldn’t bother me as I can spend a few hours with my laptop and some wedding blogs and find what I need, except for the teeny fact that my hair and makeup trial is less than a week away and I still haven’t done any serious research.
Here are a few hair inspiration pictures I’ve collected since working on this post:
Photo by Giao Nyugen / Hair by Giao Nyugen Makeup, Hair and Bridal Accessories / Via Project Wedding
Ms. Ferris Wheel, San FranciscoAge and Occupation: 29, PsychologistFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, PsychologistEngagement Date: May 23 and 28, 2010 (one for each of us!)Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Parc55 Hotel (city lights ceremony, ballroom reception)About Me: Born in the Southeast, educated in the Northeast, and over-educated on the West Coast, I finally earned my city-girl credentials and have put down roots in gorgeous San Francisco. I’m a raging perfectionist with a lightning quick wit and a terrible sense of both time and direction. Our wedding task list is endlessly growing because of my predilection to think that DIY projects I can make = DIY projects I should make (so not true!). I always go to bed wishing there were more hours in the day to enjoy all the things I adore, whether that be hobbies, friends, my career, our two dogs, or Mr. Ferris Wheel. Ours is a story of a non-traditional couple living an oddly traditional life planning a not-so-traditional wedding in this city we adore. Together we are bustin’ out all of our best skills (and some of our worst ones) to plan a laid-back-chic DIY-craftastic love-alicious affair!
Now that I’ve got The Dress I’m feeling some pressure to finalize my wedding day look, and I’d like that to start with my hair. As y’all know, I have relatively long curly/wavy hair. What you may not know is that I wear it down almost every day and I don’t tend to prefer pictures of me where my hair is up. Obviously that means I plan to wear it down for the wedding, but I want it to look more ’special’ than just my everyday hairstyle.
And then, a few days ago, the most amazing hair inspiration appeared to me in a completely unsuspecting and fortuitous moment. While Mr. FW and I were engaged in a marathon session of wedding crafting, we were watching a fabulous little show called Weeds. All of a sudden I happened to notice that Mary-Louise Parker and I share a similar hair texture. Not only that, but her character Nancy Botwin and I appear to share a mutual love of the half up/half down hairstyle. And the particular look that caught my eye was this beauty.
Miss Doily, Cedar Rapids, IowaAge and Occupation: 25, Autism Paraeducator/ StudentFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Freelance Writer/ PublisherEngagement Date: August 27th, 2010Wedding Date: March 2012Venue: Father’s Vineyard Church/ A Touch of Class Banquet CenterAbout Me: I’m an Iowan girl with a deep love of Harry Potter, classic movies, cardigans, and Post-Its. My type-A Virgo tendencies often cause me to drive my laid-back college sweetheart fiance batty with lists and PowerPoint presentations. I love to be crafty and do things myself, which explains why my two crazy kittens often will prance around the house covered in glitter and ribbons. When I am not bogged down with work, school, or wedding planning, I like to travel to visit my expansive family and have wild adventures with my best friends. After a rollercoaster ride of a love story, I’m ready to take that final plunge, marry the love of my life, and become a Mrs.!
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
