Today I’m delighted to share with you the first of two detail-oriented recap posts. These are sort of like recaps of the recap – focused on all the outfits, accessories, DIY projects, decorations, and edible/drinkable pieces of our wedding. Many of you have asked me questions about specific things that we wore, made, or did. Well, these detail posts are the best place to look for all that information, and to see new photos of all the little things that made our wedding day special.

Check it out!

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Filed under: Accessories, Ambiance, Attire, Dresses, Flowers, Hair Styles, Handmade, Here Comes the Bride, Here Comes the Groom, Paper Goods & Favors, Photos, Recap, Rings, Wedding Party on March 25th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Well peeps, I have a confession to make. I murdered my hair.

Ok, so technically it isn’t dead. It may in fact be healthier than ever since I had most of it hacked skillfully off by a certified hairsassin.

I’ve had long hair since I grew out my last “bob” during Freshman year of college. Like many of you, I let my hair grow for the wedding, and while I loved the length of my locks, and how they would hold “Jessica Simpson curls” I was also really tired of long-hair maintenance and upkeep. I didn’t like constantly having to brush and de-tangle my hair, and the fact that I was simply too lazy to do anything but ponytail it 90% of the time made me feel sloppy and lazy.

Here’s me and Mrs. Avocado from Wedding Bee outside a Seattle sushi joint the week before her wedding, an occasion I actually saw fit to “style” for:

After the wedding, I kept saying I was going to get my hair cut off. On the one hand, I didn’t want to be a walking stereotype. On the other, I really wanted something drastically different.

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Filed under: Hair Styles on November 26th, 2008 | 3 Comments »

I’ve always been a big fan of DIY craft-site Etsy. Today, I picked up this “rustically elegant” hair comb at a sale price of only $6.95 + shipping. It looks like it might go well with my dress and hair. We’ll see!

Be sure to check out Etsy yourself for lots of amazing finds.

Filed under: Accessories, Hair Styles on June 19th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

After my makeup trial (which was fun but in need of some fine-tuning), I moved on to my first hair trial, also at Sage Salon & Spa.

I truly love getting my hair done… it’s so soothing and relaxing. But this time I was more than a little tense. I still didn’t know whether I wanted my hair up, down, or half-back. After showing my stylist my hair inspirations and talking about the location and qualities of our wedding, we decided that an up-do would be best.

The first deciding factor was that if there is wind or weather, an up-do would (hopefully) stay in place longer and function better than leaving my hair down. Secondly, an up-do would give me a more functional place to hold a veil, should I so choose. Finally, talking about styles helped me realize that I really did like the classic look of pinned-up wedding hair.

To help get a feel for what I did want, we talked about the things that I didn’t want. I told her that I didn’t want my hair to look too prom-like, or too “severe,” which meant avoiding high, piled-on the head, tight, scalp-pulling ‘dos.

I said that I fancied something whimsical, a little loose, soft, and feminine. I wanted to try a style with a side-part, like Miss Petunia on Wedding Bee, gathered low on my head.

So we had a first go of it…

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Filed under: Hair Styles, Here Comes the Bride on June 9th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

OK, now that you’ve all seen my dress, let’s revisit hair styles…

I’m blessed with long, straight, easy-to-style “Barbie” hair. Though I will admit that strawberry blond is not my natural color (it’s more “dishwater” blond, blech), I am happy with everything else about my locks.

I still haven’t decided what I want to do with my hair for the wedding. Sometimes I imagine it up, sometimes down, sometimes half-back. But I’m just not sure! So I’ll list a few ideas and you can help me decide.

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Filed under: Hair Styles on April 30th, 2008 | 5 Comments »

On the 7th of this month, Justin and I celebrated eight years together. Eight! EIGHT IS GRRREAT!

Ahem. Sorry ’bout that.

For a gift, I had planned to take him to a very special restaurant near our apartment, but it was closed on Monday evening. I didn’t want to come home empty-handed even though we could just reschedule. So I went hunting about Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood to see what I could find on my lunch break.

Justin is kind of a fashionista, so at first I thought I’d see what I could find him at his favorite boutique. But I already suspected he was getting me something to wear as an anniversary gift and I didn’t want to make it into a clothes swap.

As you ladies know, it can be hard to shop for men, especially when looking for something “timeless” and “classy.” I mean, my dude’s hobbies are listening to girly pop music, playing MMORPGs, and rock climbing, and he’s got those bases pretty thoroughly covered on his own. So what’s a well-intentioned lady like me to do?

I stumbled into the neighborhood perfumerie, Essenza, thinking that I would just look at their men’s colognes and soaps, even though I know that Justin hates fragrances. It was kind of a last resort. And there I saw it, the holy grail of man-gifts…

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Filed under: Hair Styles, Here Comes the Groom on April 29th, 2008 | No Comments »

A few more hair ideas that tickle my fancy. I still like the idea of a simple updo with a bang sweep. Something that could have a veil pinned over or under it with relative ease. Nothing too elaborate and perhaps something a little more loose and teased than these.

Filed under: Hair Styles on March 27th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

Wow, Kristin is seriously on the ball. In addition to tackling our letterpress invitations, she keeps sending me cool things like environmentally friendly wedding projects, do-it-yourself decorations, and hand-made accessories. Check it out…

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Filed under: Accessories, Hair Styles on March 26th, 2008 | 4 Comments »

I’ve been looking into places to have hair, nails, and makeup done before the wedding. My research turned up three promising locations in the nearby area (Whitefish), all of which provide a full array of services at various prices. Here they are, from low-end to high-end on the price (and ironically, the web page quality) scale:

• 33 Baker
• An Salon
• Sage Spa Salon

I tasked my Maid of Honor, Rachel, with finding out about their availability, group discounts, and travel potential. Being me, I already like the nicest place the best. Mmm, if I have time– which I won’t– I could even get a hot rocks massage.

It’s still entirely possible that I will do my makeup, and even my nails, myself. I do enjoy having these things done by a professional, but it takes time, money, and trust that I might not have to spare at that point. I do, however, expect to have my hair done professionally… likely into an up-do similar to one of these.

I don’t yet know whether I will schedule trials for hair and makeup. Again, it’s more money “down the drain,” but it might be worth it to make sure I’m not made up like a whore or styled like the Bride of Frankenstein. You never can tell.

I’m still kind of “out” on whether or not to wear a veil. I am tempted, because like someone said to me, this is pretty much the only occasion where I’ll get a chance. I did love the narrow, silk chapel-length veil I tried on with my dress, but it was a LOT of veil (and a lot of money… $200… OUCH!). I also fancy little visor veils but I don’t know if they’re really my style. It will probably come down to deciding after I have the dress fitted and more of an idea for a hair style. I would have to wear it up to make the veil really work, which is the direction I’m leaning, but down and natural is so tempting, too.

Again, I feel like I’m just spinning my wheels here, wanting to make a decision too soon and not having enough information. What are your thoughts?

Filed under: Accessories, Hair Styles, Here Comes the Bride on March 11th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

I’m considering several different hairstyles at the moment, though what I like depends on the dress I imagine wearing. Originally I was convinced that I would want a classic updo, like a French Twist. But the more photos I saw, the more I worried it would just look too “prom.” So I searched for some variations on that theme and found a few that I liked. I’m also very partial to chignon styles (basically a fancy bun) and the many variations thereof. I like chignons because they are simple and elegant. There are many variations. Moreover, they stay in place and will not fall down like some updos or curls. But I am very partial to curls, and there is a part of me that would like to incorporate them into an updo.

Typically, when I try on dresses, I tie my hair back into a bun. Recently, however, I’ve taken to letting it down, and I really, really like it. Some of the most beautiful wedding photos I’ve seen have been of brides with their hair down. They look less severe and more natural. Updos serve their purpose– they add a cosmetic elegance and certainly keep hair from flying away or getting in the bride’s face. But they can also be a pain. So I’m considering some, um, DOWN-dos, too. There’s the classic down-do with hair ornament and down-do with curls/volume (which I can’t pull off because curls will fall out). I think, however, that I am particularly fond of the compromise– a half-back ‘do will allow for ample use of ornaments and/or flowers in my hair while still keeping it out of my face. I could even wear a veil or a tiara if I wanted (at this point, I don’t think I will). I’m even rather fond of this loosely gathered low ponytail.

There you have it… my early thoughts on wedding hair, complete with a flickr gallery of inspirations! What are your ideas?

Filed under: Hair Styles on October 16th, 2007 | 8 Comments »