Wedding Wednesday... Introducing Mrs.Lewis

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of styling this beauty for her wedding. I remember when she initially met her husband, It was classic "Detroit Style". 

Her husband is from Detroit, which is the same city I'm from. Of course I knew he would be a great guy. Midwest people are the Best, most anyway. I'm a little bias. 

Needless to say when she told me she was getting married, I was elated. That's after the initial shock that she was engaged went away. It was a shock because her husband is extremely laid-back. We would constantly try to figure out when the proposal would happen (I mean don't all women?!). We couldn't have predicted exactly how and when it would happen but it did and now they are One.

The ceremony took place in College Park, Maryland on January 16, 2015. 

It was a beautiful yet intimate ceremony, which I always love. The day was a perfect reflection of who they are as individuals.  I couldn't be more proud of how they have blossomed and I wish them a lifetime of marital bliss. 

To the Lewis' *Toast*

Wedding Wednesday...The Trial Appointment

This is a continuation from the post I did last week. I wanted to walk you through how we came up with our final wedding day look.
I have stressed over and over again how important it is to have a trial appointment for your wedding day because you want to make sure you and your stylist are on the same page when it comes to your look. I like to go through multiple looks during a trial appointment until we settle on the one that suits you best.
I haven't always nailed the perfect look on the first or even the second time. I usually like to have a visual and I can usually replicate the look. Of course it will have my own spin on it, but it's close.
It's also important to be realistic when it comes to what you want. We are woman so we change our mind all the time. What we thought we wanted can change from minute to minute. Even with this bride she told me she wanted a soft, side-swept look and we ended up pinning it up.
We used clip-in extensions which matched her hair perfectly. I pressed her hair first, ceramic curled it and then I pinned it in place. The bride wanted a natural, non-structured look. I think we Nailed it!!!

 Below was the potential reception look.

The Finale

Wedding Wednesday... The Moses' Weddng...coming soon

I had the pleasure of styling for one of my really close friends last weekend in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She was such a beautiful bride. The day was perfect, the sun was shining, humidity wasn't too high and things ran pretty seamlessly.

Nothing could steal the joy of the happy couple. The wedding venue had outdoor and indoor facilities. They opted to utilize both facilities. The ceremony was outdoors, along with the cocktail hour and the reception was indoors. 

The venue had a whimsical feel, which is what the bride wanted from the moment she started planning. 

This style of the wedding was so fitting for her. It was simplistic, classic, and elegant. 

 It was refreshing that it was intimate and not over-the-top. I like intimate weddings because you have the opportunity to interact with your guest and it's not as draining for the bride and groom. 

The bride and I had a trial appointment a week prior to the wedding and decided on a style that would be soft and fitting for her theme. 

She wanted extensions but clip-ins, so that for the honeymoon she could wear her natural hair. I added clip-in extensions and was able to create a beautiful soft, up-do. Below are  a few pictures of the venue. Next week I'll feature a more in depth post on how we achieved the brides final wedding day look.

   

Wedding Wednesday....Love Winns

Over the holiday weekend I was blessed to partake in a ceremony that was near and dear to my heart. My beautiful cousin Lauren K. Hornes became Lauren K.Winn.
I have rode this year long wedding-planning rollercoaster with her and we both still have hair on our heads.
Even though at some points I wanted to say a few things, I remained mum because I knew it was because of stress that she was acting like Cruella Deville.
I was amazed how everything turned out and the outpouring of love that they received on their special day.
Prior to getting engaged Lauren told me that she wanted me to be apart of bridal party so it was no surprise to me when she 'Told' me I was going to be a bridesmaid. Not only did she tell me I was going to be a bridesmaid but she also told me that I was going to do her hair.
 I didn't argue with her demands, because I love her.
I accepted my double-role as bridesmaid and her wedding hairstylist.
July 5, 2014... The wedding day, I relied upon visuals from 'Pinterest. As I've mentioned in previous post, I love 'Pinterest' because of the inspiration that I get time and time again from it. I like that I can get inspiration so that I can create my own style. It never looks exactly the same as the picture. That's the beauty of being an artist. There are no 2 artists' that are the same. It was also the plan for her to have 2 different hairstyles for her wedding day so I created 2 updo looks. They looked pretty similar but they were different. I like soft updos because you can get 2 hairstyles out of one. If you want the option to wear it down after the wedding you can because it's not a ton of product in the hair.
I get alot of hair inspiration for brides when I see their dress. The cut of the dress matters in the type of hairstyle you choose.
I still stand by the advice to get a hair trial prior to your wedding day. You don't want to be upset about your hair on that day it's already stressful enough.

Wedding Wednesday... A Barn-Style Wedding

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of styling hair for a beautiful bride named Alix. After months of trial appointments, she decided to wear a classic and sleek bun. We went through 6 variations of bun styles and decided on a simple look.
Her wedding dress had alot of detail and she didn't want her hair to be a distraction.
Again this is why trial appointments are extremely important. It really takes the stress away, at least when it comes to hair. That day is already emotionally draining, you want to have as many things in place as possible.
Something else that's really important is, when you seek out vendors, make sure you get people who are professional and accommodating to your needs. Everyone is not going to be as nice as you would like, everyone isn't going to go above and beyond to make sure that your needs are met. This is when having great vendors really matter. It makes all the difference in making sure things go smoothly on your wedding day.
I'm pretty patient and I make sure that I do my best to accommodate my clients. It's not always easy but it's worth it. You don't let anyone disrespect you however  you want to make people comfortable.

Alix had a barn-style wedding, which had a rustic feel. Her guest ate BBQ and had the opportunity to take-in beautiful country views.
Congratulations to the Mr. and Mrs.!

Below are the looks from the Wedding Day. Styled by Me

Wedding Wednesday...Roll it UP!

Last night I got an email from a client that's getting married. She is interested in getting an install for her wedding. She wants something that she can wear an up-do with as well as that will be low maintenance for her honeymoon.

As most of you know it is wedding season, so some of you are finalizing plans for your big day and others are getting ideas for their future wedding day. 

No matter what stage you're in, you have to remember to make the best decisions in terms of practicality. 

Weddings aren't getting any cheaper, so you want to make sure you are making choices that are cost effective. 

Most of my brides add extensions for their Big Day, because they want to be glamorous. Extensions also holds your style in place longer than when you get your natural hair styled. 

It's also great for those women who are going on their honeymoon right after the wedding. You want to create a fantasy for your new spouse. Why not create an alter ego? 

Many of you know that 'Pinterest' happens to be my favorite go-to places for hairstyles. Whatever I'm looking for whether it be ideas for up-dos, hair color, hairstyles, cuts, etc... I turn to 'Pinterest'. 

Most brides also use this tool to pin ideas for their weddings. It's the bridal sanctuary!

As I previously stated, I had a client that contacted me last night. She was interested in getting a full sew in installation for her wedding day. 

She sent me a picture of the style she wanted to acheive as her wedding day look and I fell in love. It was the perfect Old Hollywood glam look. It was definitely a 20's inspired hairstyle. 

My inspiration for today's post is from this hairstyle below...

This is the look, isn't it Gorge?

Other looks from Pinterest that I loved:

These are Styles that I've done:

Wedding Wednesday...Bridal up-do (The Trial)

I have stressed to many clients how important it is to get a Trial so that you know what how your hair will look for your wedding day. The last thing you want to do is wait until your wedding day to see how your hair will look.
That is by far the worst thing you could do. I even encourage you to have a few different trial appointments.
This is so that you and your stylist are on the same page. The day of  your wedding is so stressful, it takes the stress out of having a hair crisis. Trust me!
It's even okay to seek other stylists for a trial appointment. You want variety and everyone has their own way of styling. You may like the way another stylist does up-dos, and that is okay.
This is one of the most important days of your life, you want to look your best.

Below are pictures from my latest Bridal Trail appointment:

Wedding Wednesday.... Versatility

Who doesn't like versatility when it comes to hair?
I know I want to be able to do as much with my hair as possible. Especially when I'm wearing extensions, I want to wear it up, down, to the side, etc. I want as many options as possible. I don't want to put excess amounts of heat on my hair so versatile extensions help give you different ways that you can wear your hair so that you don't damage your natural hair. There are a few options that I recommend. You can either choose, versatile sew-in extensions or micro bead extensions. Both are a healthy ways of achieving the perfect look. Micro bead extensions are more maintenance than sew-in extensions, so it just depends on what is best for you.
I usually recommend micro bead extensions for my brides because you will have more options for the wedding day and then it works out well for the honeymoon as well.

Sew-in versatile extensions-

Before Extensions

After extensions (Indique hair used) -Ponytail 

After-Bun

Wear it to the side 

After-With ceramic curls

Micro-bead Extensions-

First look

Client is natural. Hair is pressed, precision layered cut, and ceramic curled. Extensions are from Indique hair. 

Before 

After extensions are applied, hair can be worn up or down

Beads are barely noticeable

After

Hair is flawless

Second look

Client is relaxed. Hair was relaxed a week prior to micro bead application. Extensions are from Wagmans.

Hair is ceramic straightened, precision layered cut, and ceramic curled

Before