Browse Tag by bridal
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Gift Guide For The Bride-to-Be

Hey y’all! Not only are the holidays upon us, but the engagement season is as well! Have you, or one of your close friends, recently gotten engaged? Congratulations! This is the start of a crazy, yet very fun journey. To have the chance to look back on all of the wonderful (and at times stressful) moments is super special, which is why I LOVE the bride-to-be book to keep track of all of those precious memories.

Also, let’s be honest – what’s a reading/writing session of those memories without a great cup of coffee in your engaged mug. Although, to be fair, at times you’ll probably wish what you are drinking is contained in the diamond flask instead (hehe only halfway kidding). So, whether for yourself or a loved one, it’s celebrating time!

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xoxo, M

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Blog, Marriage, Weddings

7 Essential Wedding Planning Tips

wedding planning

You’re engaged! Congratulations! It’s supposed to be the happiest time of your life, right? Oh I know what you’re thinking… If by happiest do I mean the most stressful? Hmm, maybe 🙂  But I hope not! Remember these seven easy tips and kick all that extra stress to the curb!

1. Let’s begin! First and foremost, this is not your day.

Eek, yes, you did just read that, but hear me out…Although you have been told your entire life by the media, scary reality shows zoomed in on insane brides, and every wedding advertiser on the planet that this is your day and only yours, it simply isn’t. Weddings are about much more than the bride’s favorite flowers – they’re a celebration of a major covenant made between two people which is supported AND shared by their friends and family. Honor those other people too and don’t use this time in your life as an excuse to steamroll over every other family member or friend simply because it’s “your day.” Now, if there is a random or small detail that is actually very important to you, be honest and go for it. Just don’t hurt your relationships in the process.

2. The wedding day is exactly that, just a day. 

I was told time and time again in the days leading up to our wedding to expect at least one thing to go wrong on that day. It seems like a negative-nancy perspective to have, but ironically it brought so much freedom to how I felt waking up that morning. I chipped my french manicure on my ring finger (the only one that matters for photographs) about ten minutes after waking up, and I died laughing. If that was the worst thing that was going to happen to me that day, I was totally cool with it. The thing is, the wedding day is just a day. An awesome day, but it’s the marriage itself that matters the most.

3. Practice your hair. Practice your makeup. AND have a backup.

Whether you’re doing your own makeup/hair, or someone else is, practice! Take pictures, see what it looks like with the dress and the veil. If you are trying out different looks with a makeup artist or hair stylist, be honest about what you are comfortable with and what you aren’t. Also, if you are not doing your own hair and makeup, have a backup plan should your stylist/artist be unavailable the day of. Life happens, and people unfortunately get sick at the worst times, so avoid the potential breakdown and have a backup on call should the need arise! (Click here to find out why I chose to do my own.)

4. Give everyone in the bridal party the SPECIFIC times/places you want them to be, multiple times and in multiple formats.

Our bridal party was awesome when it came to listening and knowing where to be, but many of my friends have unfortunately not had the same level of luck. Send out the times over text, on Facebook, in an email, in person, through other people, whatever! As long as the times have been clearly laid out in multiple ways, there’s no reason why they won’t be able to be where they need to when they need to. However, if they aren’t, go back to Tip # 2!

5. Don’t wait to write the thank you notes.

For real. These notes add up quick, which is a major blessing, BUT if you wait, you will not be a happy camper. After each shower, event, special package arrives at your home, write those notes! After the wedding you will be so grateful to have 100 instead of 500 to write.

6. Utilize the Amazon wishlist for your registry 

This is something I wish we had done in addition to the standard ones. Amazon allows you to combine multiple items from multiple sites into one wish list. Convenient, easy, and fun. Plus, you can make the purchased items hidden if you don’t want to ruin the surprise for yourself.

7. Keep all the main people coordinated: Videographer, photographer, cook, planner, director, etc.

Last but certainly not least, if you are hiring multiple people, make sure they are aware! Especially when it comes to your videographer and photographer, as they are both creative services that will to a certain extent be capturing the exact same moments. Communication is key to allow both of them to do their things without overstepping one another.

You’re going to have a beautiful day, just breathe and enjoy every moment!

 

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Beauty, Blog, Marriage, Weddings

Top 5 Reasons to Do Your Own Hair and Makeup for Your Wedding

Hey y’all, welcome back! Today I decided to share why I chose to do my own hair and makeup for my wedding, because I think in the wedding bliss (and frenzy) brides can often feel pressured into overspending and making quick decisions for the sake of the day and sometimes end up with a look that is totally different than what they had imagined for themselves. Before we get started, this list is with the assumption that: A. You are confident in your abilities to create the look you want, and B. This is something would provide stress-relief, not additional anxiety.

  1. Time for Yourself & Your Bridesmaids | No matter what your big day’s itinerary is like, time to yourself to decompress, breathe it all in, or simply just take a minute to calm the nerves, is very limited. In growing and learning more about my personality, I have found that I am an outgoing-introvert; which for me means that although I love getting to know people and going to events, extended social interactions can be very draining. Some people thrive off of others’ energy. Although I totally wish I could be, I am simply not one of those people. In knowing that, and preparing to be one of the main focuses of over three-hundred peoples’ attentions, I had to stay super chill the morning of our 3 p.m. wedding. I did my makeup alone at my house before joining my bridesmaids at our church to finish my hair. It was such a fun way to kick off a day full of celebrations with the people I love the most. Reflecting back on how relaxing it was to go through this routine and truly soak in the start of the day, I am so glad I chose to do my own hair and makeup. 
  2. One Less Person to Coordinate | As I mentioned in this postunforeseen things do come up, and unfortunately people seem to always get sick or lost at the worst times. Between coordinating the wedding party, your own family, your spouse’s family, and all of the other event dealers (caterers, musicians, dj, photographer, etc.) there are already quite a lot of variables at play. Hair and makeup is such an easy one to take out of the mix.
  3. No One Else Knows You Better | Before I decided to do my own, I was adamant about having someone else do it and take what I thought would be a stressful factor off of me. My mom and I went to four different hair salons (a lot, I know..), and tested out two makeup artists. Even with sharing pictures beforehand, the look I had pictured wasn’t happening, and the style would become limp and fall within the following hour. No one knows your hair or your vision of what you want it to look like better than you do.  If, after testing it out a few times, you still aren’t seeing what you’re trying to describe, take an hour or so out of your afternoon one day and see what you can do. You very well might surprise yourself.
  4. Big Budget Saver | Aside from the costs of the day-of services, trial runs can be pretty pricey too. For the majority of the salons I tried out, the bridal trial run fee was between $55 and $75. If the outcome isn’t what you’re picturing and you keep attempting it with other stylists, those initial fees can add up surprisingly fast, and you haven’t even gotten to the big day yet.
  5. Flexibility | Since the trial run fees can get pretty steep, most brides end up only having that one session with their artists before the wedding. But what if you change your mind a few weeks before, or even that morning? Of course, stylists and artists can adjust, but the possibility of a last minute change of mind that they haven’t had the chance to do with you reopens the potential issue in Reason #3. Whereas if you’re doing your own, the complications from changes are minimized.  Not feeling the shimmery eye you’ve been doing, and want to go for a light smokey instead? Do it girl. Want to wear your hair down instead of up? No biggie, you’ve practiced other options, and you know what works for you.

No matter what you choose to do, be confident in your decision and know you are beautiful inside and out!

 

 

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