Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
Like many brides before me, getting engaged meant I had to stop regularly chopping off my hair and actually let it grow. Dang it.
I’ve had long(ish) hair on and off all my life, mainly because I always think it’d be nice to have it, but then as soon as I actually get halfway to having long hair, I get sick of it and chop it off. It always gets too unruly, or too tangly, or takes way too long to blow-dry and I decide, screw it, see ya, hair.
Mrs. Brooch, Arlington, VAAge and Occupation: 25, Writer/EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Front Desk ManagerEngagement Date: October 3, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Oxon Hill ManorAbout Me: I’m an indecisive girlie-girl with a motor mouth, can-do attitude, and knack for making others laugh. I dream of becoming a best selling novelist like Elizabeth Gilbert or Julie Powell (a girl can dream, right?), and love long road trips, a beautiful countryside, music, blogs, books, and all things vintage/thrift/antique/or homemade. I’m a Virgo, i.e. overly sensitive, emotional, and critical, and there’s no such thing as short and sweet in my world. I want to say and do it all. Mr. Brooch grounds me. I point where to go and he figures out the way. He’s a pragmatic fancy-pants who enjoys video games and movies. We both adore our mutt, Rocky, and spending time with our amazingly supportive family and friends. We’re planning a garden wedding with a formal reception with lots of whimsy and unique, Southern-inspired details.
I know I said I wanted a side pony, but I changed my mind! I love this low up do my stylist pulled together on a whim when I went for my first hair trial and now I need your opinions!
I had about a dozen pictures of a dozen different hairstyles—making my indecision so very obvious—but somehow we managed (she managed, I should say) to create something fun and simple that will be beautiful on my big day!
Mrs. Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
This is a trial! A hair and makeup trial! Oh yeah…you’re excited. I know I am. P.S. I’m going to be using an obscene amount of exclamation points for…oh the rest of my time here (!!!!!!!!!) I apologize.
For over 10 years I’ve been going to Sandune at Allure Salon for my hair. She’s never done me wrong. She’s like my second mother. Oh wait, she is my second mother. My hairstylist is my MOH, Britt’s, mother—and she knows me pretty well. She never does me wrong. As you are about to see…
Bleck! I’m not one of those women who can gracefully post a picture of herself without makeup. I’m going to turn my head and never think about this again. You should too.
Mrs. Ostrich, San Francisco/HawaiiAge and Occupation: 30, Fashion Buyer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 38, CopywriterEngagement Date: October 4, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: Sweet ceremony by the sea and sunset celebration on the North Shore of HawaiiAbout Me: Born in the city of angels and residing in the city by the bay, I’m a fearless fashion buyer by day, a passionate blog author by night and a dreamy bride-to-be in between. I thank my lucky stars to live in such a stunning city that gives me gifts like organic honey lavender ice cream, movie nights in the park, tucked away beaches, legendary record stores, '80s dance parties, awesome sports teams, stellar flea markets, and vintage bookshops. Oh, and I love to dance! We always find every excuse to escape to the beach, and decided a little seaside wedding in Hawaii is our idea of bliss. Full of our favorite people, music, food and sparkly lights, this is one sunset celebration we will always remember.
In honor of this weekend’s Oscar extravaganza, I met up with friendor and makeup artist extraordinaire, Tina, for the long awaited makeup trial…and red carpet swooning.
My dream makeup look, striking the perfect balance of drama (the eyes) and natural beauty. And that light coral lip is sooooo pretty. I shared what specifically I loved about this look to Tina and also told her what I wanted to avoid (not heavy, no super dark eyes) so she knew my boundaries. The more specific you can be with your makeup artist about what look you want (natural or glam, colors, areas to highlight—photos are SO helpful!) and don’t want, the better chance you have of getting the look you’ve been dreaming of.
Mr. O also chimed in about his thoughts on makeup: Read more…
Ms. Cheetah, Los Angeles/Palm Springs
Age and Occupation: 31, Artist, EducatorFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, TV FinanceEngagement Date: April 2010Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The ViceroyAbout Me: I’m a silly, sassy lady with a compulsion to create. I love to sing and dance, despite the fact that I lack any talent doing either. I somehow manage to be messy and organized at the same time. I like to spend my days road tripping, watching '80s movies, reading true crime books, buying things on sale, sending postcards, playing board games, dining at food trucks, snuggling, and drinking ginger ale. I have a weak spot for all things sweet, especially Mr. Cheetah! I’m a Chicago girl and he’s a Nor Cal boy but we love living in the City of Angels. After 10 years as a couple we are planning a fun-filled semi-destination wedding in Palm Springs. Hope you enjoy the ride!
Overall, I’m pretty easy to please with formal hairstyles. I think I’m just so bad at doing my own hair that anything a stylist does looks like a masterpiece next to my everyday styling (or lack thereof). Even so, I brought in a bunch of inspiration photos for my hair trial last month. While my inspirations styles were all over the hair-style map, the one thing they had in common was that they were all up-dos. I like wearing my hair down, but after a few hours I get sick of it and soon it’s in a pony tail or weird bun-knot-thing on the top of my head. Plus, I feel fancier with my hair styled in an up-do and I want to feel like Ms. Fancy-Pants-Bride come the wedding day.
Since I’ll be wearing two veils throughout the day, my stylist and I decided that a low asymmetrical style was in order. Here’s what it looked like right after the appointment:
It’s hard trying to take photos of the back of your own head
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!
Remember my hair inspiration post? Remember how I wanted to look like a pin-up crossed with an Old Hollywood movie star? Well, I had my hair trial! Please excuse me if my face looks a little rough in some of these pictures…it was the day after my bachelorette party! Why did I decide to schedule my hair trial during what would inevitably be a hangover? Well, who knows!
Mrs. Pashmina, NYC/Catalina Island, CAAge and Occupation: 28, Arts EducationFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, IT AdministratorEngagement Date: April 26th, 2009Wedding Date: July 2010Venue: Catalina Country Club, Catalina Island, CaliforniaAbout Me: I'm a laid-back Cali girl who moved to NYC for school, and ended up staying for love. My fiance is a quick-witted Jersey boy, a self-proclaimed Foodie and the funniest man I've ever met. Together we love exploring the city streets embarking on our next misadventure---and yes, this often involves eating off food carts and trying "the next big thing". I'm the girl in the sundress, snapping photos and collecting trinkets of memorabilia along the way. As a girly girl at heart, I am excited about our romantic natural island wedding incorporating our American & Filipino traditions.
Just a week before our wedding I brought in a few of my inspiration photos to my hair trial. I was choosing between three hairdos so I wanted to try them all. See how they turned out below!
1. The Half Up
It would be a good compromise between my longing for long wavy locks and a crisp updo. Perhaps I could look Grecian and whimsical like the character from Mamma Mia? Or perfectly in place like on Martha Stewart Weddings?
Miss Oatmeal, Fresno, CAAge and Occupation: 25, Medical Device Sales RepresentativeFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Police Officer/Captain in the US ArmyEngagement Date: February 16, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Private Residence, FresnoAbout Me: I am a toast-loving, list-making, occasionally crazy California girl getting dangerously close to marrying her crime-fighting, patient, man's man fiancé. I’ve never left our hometown of Clovis, CA, I love Anthropologie so much it almost hurts, appreciate promptness, love that our 4lb. Chihuahua, Murphy, smells like Fritos, am irritated by windshield wipers that move too fast for the amount of rain, love me some cold weather, have an unhealthy obsession with boots, and wholeheartedly think that my family is everything. Mr. Oatmeal is, oddly enough, my brother's best friend. He's also the best thing that's ever happened to me, and together we are planning a vintage chic, backyard, spring wedding with a few nontraditional touches while trying to keep up with our crazy lives.
Oh, this is so exciting. As you may recall, I recently posted a few inspiration photos for my wedding-day-hair look. Well, then I took those photos to my lovely and talented stylist for a hair trial. I also brought along my veil so I could get a good idea of how I might look on the big day.
This was, of course, just a trial. So it’s not perfect, but I’m completely in love! My stylist made notes on my pictures to remind her come May.
Mrs. Jaguar, SydneyAge and Occupation: 27, Primary School TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, IT ConsultantEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Curzon HallAbout Me: I'm an Australian girl who is a self-proclaimed nerd, loves all things stationery and would be lost without books, music and the internet. Mr. Jaguar and I have been together for the past eight years and he finally popped the question last August. Hurrah! We currently live in Sydney, Australia with our adorable cat who thinks he's a person. We're a couple who likes to multi-task: we've been planning a wedding abroad, a permanent move from London to Sydney, and preparing to build our own home all at the same time. Travelling makes me giddy...as does Mr. Jaguar, of course!
So I’ve shown you my makeup trial and my inspiration pictures—now let’s skip the rambling and jump straight to the good stuff. I do rather like getting my hair did, and I was looking forward to seeing what stylist Jenny of Le Fabulous created for me. First up, she curled my hair using a GHD straightener—and I’ve never, ever had such gorgeous ringlets in my life. (Wish I could do those on myself every single day, really.)
All personal photographs
Look 1 was an up-do, slightly off to one side & with a mid-side part:
Mrs. Jaguar, SydneyAge and Occupation: 27, Primary School TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, IT ConsultantEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Curzon HallAbout Me: I'm an Australian girl who is a self-proclaimed nerd, loves all things stationery and would be lost without books, music and the internet. Mr. Jaguar and I have been together for the past eight years and he finally popped the question last August. Hurrah! We currently live in Sydney, Australia with our adorable cat who thinks he's a person. We're a couple who likes to multi-task: we've been planning a wedding abroad, a permanent move from London to Sydney, and preparing to build our own home all at the same time. Travelling makes me giddy...as does Mr. Jaguar, of course!
With my face made up nicely, it was time to let that stand the test of time and move on to the next important step in the “Beautify a Jag” procedure: the hair! I mentioned earlier that the stylist I had booked for the trial, Jenny of Le Fabulous, does both makeup and hair, so we’ll be lucky on the day of to be dealing with just one person. It’s something nice and personal that I am looking forward to.
I had a few different options that I wanted to try for hair, but my toughest choice was whether to go with an up-style or a half-up style. Mr. Jaguar has always been vocal about how much he prefers my hair to be down, but I know for a fact that my long, flat hair doesn’t hold a curl well and gets pretty darn sweaty when I’m moving around. Jenny was kind enough to trial both looks for me, to see which one I preferred.
Before I show you my own hair trials, how would you like to see some of my inspiration pictures? Let’s start with the UP styles.
First up, my penultimate hair design: one I’ve blogged about before, and one that is a favourite of many, many engaged lasses that have come before me. May I present: the twisty curl.
Mrs. Jaguar, SydneyAge and Occupation: 27, Primary School TeacherFiance's Age and Occupation: 29, IT ConsultantEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Curzon HallAbout Me: I'm an Australian girl who is a self-proclaimed nerd, loves all things stationery and would be lost without books, music and the internet. Mr. Jaguar and I have been together for the past eight years and he finally popped the question last August. Hurrah! We currently live in Sydney, Australia with our adorable cat who thinks he's a person. We're a couple who likes to multi-task: we've been planning a wedding abroad, a permanent move from London to Sydney, and preparing to build our own home all at the same time. Travelling makes me giddy...as does Mr. Jaguar, of course!
There’s something you should know about me: I’m not cosmetics girl. I was blessed with clear skin growing up and never bothered to learn how to wear it—meaning that twenty-six year old me has absolutely no idea where to even start with makeup. Imagine a child finger-painting on cardboard: well, that’s me attempting to make myself up.
Unfortunately my skin revolted in recent years—mostly thanks to PCOS & some crazy, crazy hormones. Getting acne when you’re well out of your teenage years is just plain mean. So what does all of that mean for me? Well, it means that my face is now in dire need of a whole lot of concealer. My morning regime is usually as far as covering up the spots & scars under my chin & neck, and then throwing some brown mascara on, in the hopes of making my fair eyelashes actually look like they have some length.
Suffice it to say that I was both exhilarated and terrified of having my makeup done for the wedding. Exhilarated because…makeup! Being prettified! Looking all smooth and made up on the wedding day, and showing off a more glam side of myself for the wedding. But terrified because…makeup! Looking like a clown! Unnatural! Not covering enough!
Mrs. Eggs Benedict, SeattleAge and Occupation: 29, AttorneyFiance's Age and Occupation: 35, AttorneyEngagement Date: December 5, 2009Wedding Date: February 2011Venue: IslandWoodAbout Me: I'm a Northwest girl who spends my time goofing around with Mr. Eggs Benedict and our dog, hiking, traveling, drinking wine and planning a wedding that will showcase the best of what the Pacific Northwest has to offer. I also love photography, beating Mr. Eggs Bene at Mario Kart, and watching the most ridiculous natural disaster flicks you can think of (seriously, how can you deny the awesomeness that is The Core or 2012?? That's right, you can't). We are planning our weekend wedding adventure at an environmental educational center, and I can't wait for the fun to begin!
I’m a pretty basic makeup user. As in, I don’t think I’m a total idiot and I usually wear some makeup when I go out, but I generally don’t wear very much, which Mr. EB loves. He still thinks I’m pretty when I put more makeup on, but he never fails to comment on it. In fact, I’m pretty sure that one of the first times I added more eyeshadow than usual, he said I looked weird. He meant it in a very loving way but, as he put it, he’s not used to seeing me that way, and it was odd for him. This has me slightly concerned about my makeup for the wedding because I really don’t want a heavy look. I’ve had my makeup done professionally several times, and generally I haven’t liked it. (Except for my engagement photos—I loved the way I looked, but it still felt a little heavy for me.) Mainly I don’t want Mr. EB giving me a weird look when he sees me for the first time, which I’m afraid might happen if I get my makeup done by someone else. So I’m thinking about doing it myself…
Now, the first thing I’ve learned over the years is that before using any makeup, you need to find a good cleansing routine. I have not always been consistent with my routine, and I can definitely see a difference with my face when I don’t do a good job taking care of it.
For the past several years I’ve been using the Clinique* 3 Step system.
Mrs. Elephant, Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 27, Financial Operations AnalystFiance's Age and Occupation: 27, IT Student/Store ManagerEngagement Date: March 29, 2009Wedding Date: April 2011Venue: The Tribute Golf ClubAbout Me: I'm a Philly native creating roots deep in the heart of Texas. I might be a little obsessed capturing those Kodak moments of anything and everything (mainly on vacations). I've become more of a gamer thanks to Mr. Elephant, who I met online and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with. We are planning a wedding based on our favorite colors, blue and green, with a travel theme for 150 of our closest friends and family. Hopefully our long (2-year) engagement won't kill me!
Or, it could be almost exactly what I envisioned! It’s makeup and hair trial time!
You may remember that I have actually had my makeup done once or twice (or three or four times, but who’s counting). You see, what had happen was…for the first set of engagement pictures we used the Clinique makeup counter, which was OK, but I knew that I really wanted airbrush for the wedding. The second set of engagement pictures required a last minute airbrush appointment with an artist who was lovely, but a little bit out of our budget. The 3rd trial was pretty bad, so the search continued.
As luck would have it, MOH Navy gifted hair and makeup to each of her bridesmaids for her wedding so I was able to get another trial for free. I loved my hair and makeup at her wedding, but sadly the company owner was already booked for our wedding date.
Me, MOH Navy, BM Cali and friend E
The good news was that Kelly (the owner) has a team of artists that are available for April, so we scheduled a hair and makeup trial with Vetty.
Mrs. Zebra, Providence, RIAge and Occupation: 24 Marketing/Costume DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26 Management/Firefighter Engagement Date: December 12, 2008Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: The Providence BiltmoreAbout Me: I'm a small town New England girl with an affinity for procrastination, crossing the proverbial line, and putting her foot in her mouth. I'm a lover of history, all seasons, sewing and Incubus. I design costumes on the side for my old high school's theatre department, which is where I met my sexy man. Our motto for our Big Fat Lebanese/Portuguese/Irish near-300 person wedding is "the more the merrier"! We are marrying in a Catholic ceremony and are hammering out the details of our Victorian-inspired reception.
I have always had a strong passion for hair and makeup. Whenever I went to a bridal salon and every time I visit Adeline (my wedding dress) I do my hair and makeup in a sort of pre-trial trial. So, without getting too wordy on you here are two of my main contenders…
Mrs. Hippo, New York City/Dallas, TXAge and Occupation: 34, Event Planner for a Non-Profit Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Finance ITEngagement Date: August 8, 2009Wedding Date: March 2011Venue: Samuel Lynne Galleries and Marc EventsAbout Me: I’m a thirty-something bride living in New York City and planning a modern-ish wedding in Dallas, Texas. I love trashy reality television (Jersey Shore, anyone?), online shopping, Sunday brunch, Central Park, and random celebrity spottings on the streets of Manhattan. While I love NYC, I miss good Tex-Mex, my college friends, central A/C, and being in close proximity to a Target. I’m thrilled to finally be planning an event that’s not work-related and to be marrying my best friend in what I hope will be a unique and personal ceremony followed by a reception with plenty of good food, good drinks, and dancing (regardless if it’s good or not).
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
