#675: my hair. and the piece.

i never had a hair trial and so i never knew what my hair was actually going to look like on the day of our wedding. it's probably because i knew i was going to be doing my own hair and makeup and could never be bothered to do a hair trial...for myself. dunno why. maybe, something to do with like laziness or something?

sans a hair trial, i carried a color copy of my inspiration to the bathroom on the morning of and...just wung it.

first, i blow-dried my hair and set in the same curlers i've been using since 10th grade.

then, while the curlers were doing their thing, i did my own makeup. complete with lovely fake eyelashes. they were looooooooooooooong and lovely and made me feel a little crazy and slightly glamorous.

and THEN, when the curlers cooled, i took 'em out and threw a million bobby pins at my sister who then pinned and pinned. whilst she pinned, i stared. at the gigantic fake eyelashes that were glued yay close to my eyes.

and then we all had a joyous hairspraying party to ensure my hairs wouldn't become loose.

and of course. the headpiece. well, you all know the story behind that.

i don't have any professional pictures of myself getting ready but here are some pics of the result. none from the front -- because i'm shy.

there's really no lesson here. just pretty pictures. but if anything, i hope this inspires those of you who are getting your hair and makeup done only because you think you HAVE to as opposed to NEEDING to. to give it a second thought.

for me, DIY was 110% the right decision.






all photos by max wanger.

#621: done.

centerpieces: check.
placecards: check.
boutennieres: check.
flowergirls' headpieces: check.

#606: in the hair.

via a desert fete.

i plan to make two. one for each of my flower girls.

#595: new etsy crush.

etsy seller design whimsy via something old, something new.

and with that, i bid you adieu. have a wonderful weekend.

xoxo,
tto

p.s. i had pasta last night and today, i'm way bloated.
note to self: don't have pasta the night before the wedding. thanks.

#543: bouts.

i thought i needed 5 bouts.

groom: 1
groomsmen: 3
father of the bride: 1

but i think i need 3 more.

groom's brothers-in-law: 2
bride's brother: 1

that's a total of 8 bouts. and i desperately want to get them from myra but i haven't heard from her in almost a month, after i sent her two etsy convos. she's way in demand, i get that, and i know via her recent apologetic posts that she's been super busy.

i would give up altogether but can i just tell you. 3 trips to michael's later and i'm still stumped as to how to get the materials she uses. so. i guess i'll just have to wait.

unless. i decide fabric bouts are the way to go.


diy instructions via once wed.

#531: the colors.

the fiance has chosen the graphic.

so now we're on to the colors. he had initially picked sage. but after he told me he wasn't tied to it (get it?), i suggested dove grey ink on ivory for him (as in the solo shot below) and dove grey ink on charcoal for his boys (tie on the far left in the first picture).

because correct me if i'm wrong. but i figure there's a higher chance that the guys will sport the tie again if the color is more muted than loud.

groomsmen gifts? check.



via toybreaker.

#529: le face.

image from here.

i'm doing my own makeup for my wedding. and sorry to say. but i don't have that 'natural beauty' thing going on for me. which means. i will be calling on my inner makeup artist to create something bold and beautiful. hi inner makeup artist. please show up.

my daily routine consists of eyeliner, blush, mascara, and filling in my brows. to kick it up a notch, i sometimes smudge on some eyeshadow. and for very special occasions, i even out my complexion with bare minerals.

i have that type of oily/glossy-ish skin that is at the same time a bit flaky. ATTRACTIVE. so i don't like using wet stuff. like wet foundation or wet concealer, either in tube or palette form. ideally, i'd love to be completely matte on my wedding day but realistically, my skin will not really allow for that. at the moment, i'm trying out MAC translucent blotting powder and i think it helps but after an hour or so, i'm back to being shiny. now i'm considering trying something like smashbox photo finish primer. i've never used it, or even seen it, but hey, if it's supposed to help, why not. i'll do a little testy test and let you know how it goes. has anyone fought the shiny-battle and won?

one thing i'm certain about...are fake eyelashes. that's not even a question. i'm going to do it and prove it. 100%. what's your favorite out there?

#527: aww MAN.

i'm normally not one to get googly-eyed when i see pictures of brides. i mean, i only stare at wedding stuffs all the live long day long. and nothing really pops out at me anymore.

but. something happened.

dear meg and chelsea, thanks for making me want to roll around in some fabulous tulle.


via a practical wedding.


via frolic.

i thought my headpiece situation (yes, it's a situation) was all sorted out. but now i'm thinking.

about adding a veil to the mix. there's just something magical about seeing your hubs through a veil for the first time...and then being fully revealed to him at the altar. and i've never seriously considered a veil. but now i am.

#493: myra fans.

head on over to twigs & honey for her 1-year anniversary giveaway.

i commented about this beaut:

via her etsy shop.

why? because i love it.

#484: okay...

...so, like, maybe i CAN just make these on my own.


martha stewart via auburn & ivory.

#482: next obsession.

i'm getting burnt out on garlands. although, here's another one. made entirely of cupcake liners. couldn't resist.


you are my fave via emilia of auburn & ivory. <-- p.s. love her blog!

anyways, so on to the next collection of inspiration.

lay bouts!





all bouts via twigs & honey.

so i was just going to post these for inspiration but now i'm starting to think that maybe i should leave the bout-making to a professional. and specifically to myra.

what would you do?

#481: kindness.

remember this?

************************************

after reading the post, KR (kind reader) offered up her talent and excess material to help me achieve 'the look'. side note: um, obviously there are a lot of things (like stunning beauty and negative 20 pounds for starters) that i lack to reeeeeally look like that.

but still. that loverly headpiece? a most amazing first step, i say. so when KR contacted me, i was like WHAT?! and she was like YES! and i was like OK-OMG-THIS-IS-SO-COOL!

i have yet to touch the little furry goodness myself but a dear friend has picked it up and LFG (little furry goodness) and i will be meeting in exactly 1 week.

a sneak peak:


do. you. love. it.

************************************

KR: thanks for your generosity, your time, your discretion, and most of all, for sharing your talent with me. i'm one lucky biz.

#427: three little words.

via style me pretty.

this image captures how i want to 'style' our wedding, from the invitations to the photos to the ceremony...

romantic. bold. simple.

******************************************

what are your three words?

#424: what do ralphs and trader joes have in common.

before:


after:

real simple via a cup of jo (who, by the way, is now engaged! very excited to start reading about wedding related stuffs on her blog.)

since i'm not going to have much going on as far as flowers are concerned, i'm planning to be a supermarket bouquet bride.

seriously.

in fact, oftentimes, when fiance and i go to the market, he'll lose me for about 10 minutes only to find me roaming around the flower section, looking all sorts of crazy.

"are you thinking of getting flowers from here?! for our wedding?!"

"yes."

"oh, ok. just asking."

and i'm not worried at all about the selection of colors the market will have on the day-of because there's always a variety of stuff to choose from. and regardless, i will tim gunn it all the way. you know. make it work.

#423: not so flush.

i've been going back and forth about whether i need to get a wedding band.

against:
1) some people wear their wedding band on days they don't want to wear their engagement ring. but that will never be me. my engagement ring is on my finger every single day. i never take it off, i never leave it at home and i accidentally bang it on things with no remorse to show for it. not unlike other parts of my body.
2) my ring is not the typical engagement ring. literally. the fiance designed it with a jeweler with inspiration from a regular ol' ring. it's meant to be worn on its own, not stacked with other rings. so.
3) does a wedding band symbolize something the engagement ring doesn't?
4) if not, why bother with the extra expenditure?

for:
1) it's tradition.
2) i like jewelry.
3) what will he put on my finger when we exchange rings during the ceremony?

well. if i do decide to get a wedding band, it'll be something like this.

$100 via helen ficalora.

1 mm of rose gold lovely.

#377: relevant? quite.

via oh joy!.

#345: if there was ever a reason to wear strapless.

...this would be it.


from brooklyn bride

so simply elegant it hurts, right?

of my ten toes, maybe about 2 of them are on the bandwagon for the strapless wedding dress. but with a necklace like that, i'm sure the other 8 could be convinced.

#296: my first time.

wait, did you think i was going to talk about 'that'? girl please.

after giving it some thought, i've just entered the beautiful garden boutique $250 giveaway. because i'm now a rightful bride to be. whaaaaaat.

enter here (only a few hours left!).

#288: two fiddy.

contest actually started may 1st. but there's still time.

*blush* should i enter??? *end blush*

the deets:
Brides must first visit the Bridal Jewelry Collection @ The Beautiful Garden Boutique. Then go to our blog and leave a comment about their favorite piece. We will be picking the winner at random and posting the winner on our blog on Friday, May 16th, 2008

Rules:

No Purchase Necessary. Contestants have until Midnight PST, Thursday May 15th, 2008 to enter. To be eligible to win, contestants must leave a comment on our blog, be at least 18 years old, have a valid email address, and U.S. Mailing address. There will be 1 (one) winner announced on Friday, May 16th, 2008.

Everyone who enters will be given a 20% off coupon towards their total order from our Bridal Jewelry Collection. The coupon will be valid from Friday, May 16th 2008 – Midnight PST, Saturday May 31st, 2008.

#275: becky kelso.

$6270 becky kelso ring.

i heard that $10,000/carat is about the norm for a decent diamond. *?!?!?!?!?!?!* maybe a rose cut diamond doesn't cost as much because the 1-carat ring above by becky kelso will only set you back $6,270.

must be hard to be a guy shopping for an e-ring. so many choices, so much money to be spent.

...not to say we ladies aren't worth it. *wink*