I Guess I Do

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Monday, March 30, 2015

It's All About the Product

1. Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray: I noticed this product popping up on some of my favorite celeb's manes (Erin Andrews, Catt Sadler) so I needed to try it for myself! I am addicted to this spray, and because of the cost, I use it like it's liquid gold. It creates volume and messy, wavy hair with a couple of sprays. I opt for the travel size for its convenience and price!

2. Loreal Elnett Hair Spray:  My first year I moved to LA, I worked on a Sour Patch Kids commercial (don't ask) and the hairstylist swore by this hairspray. She said it was only sold in Europe and not in the states yet, so when I saw it in Target three years ago, I snagged a couple up. It holds your hair in place without making it feel crunchy and lifeless. My husband is now a total 'Elnett Snob' and won't use anything else. What a diva!

3. Tresemme Heat Protect Spray: This was in the gift bags at the Jenny Packham runway show two years ago in NY and I've used it every day since. Spray it on your damp hair before you blow dry and you'll notice a major difference in texture, leaving your hair smoother and less frizzy.

4. Jason Thin to Think Shampoo: For you bitches who were blessed with luxurious thick locks, then say a prayer of gratitude and stop reading. But for those of us who aren't as lucky, this is the product for you! I've tried every outrageously priced volumizing shampoo and this is my favorite thus far. It's cheap and doesn't create build up. You can find it at your local Whole Foods store. 

5. Lemon Juice: When I was watching The Bachelor and found out the hot chick, Britt, didn't shower, I wasn't disgusted...I was pissed. How does her hair still get to look that good?? I shower every day, yet still have a case of chronic greasy Seinfeld Shower Hair. When it seems like nothing else is working on the grease, I use some good old fashioned lemon juice on my roots instead of shampoo and condition only the ends. 

6: Suave Dry Shampoo: Dry shampoo is great to have on hand if you are on the go and didn't have time to do your hair. Have some in your purse and use it when you need some automatic life. Don't spend money on the expensive stuff. I like Suave. It's affordable and does the same job!

7. Freeze It Hairspray: This is a Sandy Dalton go-to. While yes, Kyle may be addicted to the fancy-shmacy stuff, this dollar store spray holds hair in place longer than anything else! I would recommend it for updo's and ponytails, and not if you want flowing locks. Because once sprayed, your shit is on lock down!




Monday, March 16, 2015

Getting Your Hair Did


1. Don't Stray from the Everyday 
If you never wear your hair up, then you probably shouldn't start on your wedding day. You may not like the way you end up looking in your wedding pictures, not because you didn't look good, but because you aren't used to seeing yourself that way. 

You should wear your hair how you feel most comfortable. And in cases such as my own, those of us with chipmunk cheeks will not get suckered into updo's that would make us look even more like Alvin. 

2. Don't Forget to Test
Hair trials are everything. Don't be afraid to be honest with your hairstylist during this process. Now is the time to address your concerns, not the day of. 

Don't forget to bring your veil or hair accessories to this appointment, they could make or break the style you chose. Also try and book your makeup trial right before this one so you get the full affect. Because when it comes to your wedding day, the less surprises the better.  

3. Don't Forget About the Sweat
Lastly, if you do opt to wear your hair down or half-up, do not forget the dance floor drowned rat factor that comes along with it as the night goes on. Make sure to have a Plan B for when things get steamy. 

Either have your hair stylist stick around for the reception (Praise Jesus, Christine George of Luxe Parlour did! We opted for the After Party Pony) or have one of your bridesmaids do a sleek ponytail or low bun. If you do choose to do this, try and find a low point in the night to step away, so you don't miss out on any of the fun! 

And if you choose to slip away from dinner a little early to get this done, be sure to bring your food. I didn't, which only added to my ability to get college-schwasted that night. It was definitely a night to remember-ish, but the next morning my body was wishing I had a few more bites of that damn chicken!

 


Monday, March 2, 2015

Kylene & Michael : Style & Story Creative


Meet the adorable couple Kylene & Michael, whose wedding was as bright as the bride's personality! This colorful affair was no doubt a blast, but also had its fair share of entertaining I Guess I Do moments. Enjoy Kylene's story in her own words below...
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Let me start by saying that Michael, my new husband, is truly the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually, make that Nutella. We are similar in many fashions, yet complete opposites in more ways than you might guess. He is quite reserved, organized, and appropriate in all senses of the word. I am an extroverted-jokester, a bit messy, and often times wildly inappropriate. I tell you this because our vast difference in personality provided the foundation for many, if not all of our I Guess I Do moments. 

We met 2 years ago at work through a mutual friend. That friend provided me with Michael’s contact information because I was new to the area. Naturally, I sent him an email and texts that included numerous exclamation marks, expressing my excitement to learn more from him about the city. Unfortunately, the feeling was not mutual. In fact he was appalled by my frankness and decided to ignore me! It wasn’t until a few months later when he gave his new intern a tour at work that we ran into each other and he soon realized I wasn’t as “crazy” as he initially thought.

We were engaged 9 months later. 


The flashbacks begin at Bed, Bath and Beyond. We were registering for a laundry list of gifts because that is what we were instructed to do by the ever-so-pleasant (sarcasm) sales associate who would not-under any circumstance- allow us to hold the gun to scan our own registry items. We had no other option but to sit back and enjoy the show as she scanned items such as sausage stuffers and purple trashcans, none of which we expressed any interest in owning. We suddenly reached the point where we went cross-eyed and at that exact moment, I spotted a large silver object that appeared to resemble a man’s private area. I then jokingly place this object where you might guess as I yell “Ah!! What is that?! Can you believe they would shape something so inappropriately?!” Don’t worry, the sales associate (clearly inept with social cues) actually bent down to scan it as I laid it over the lower portion of my pants. Double spoon holder? Yeah right. I’m pretty sure that thing is on sale at Hustler right now. Needless to say, Michael was mortified and I laughed for the next 3 hours straight. 

As the planning process continued, I thought to myself, Wow! This isn’t nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Sure, it got a little old after the 12th dress store (not a typo), the third makeup trial and then the second hair trial, but hey, who’s counting? I had heard so many horror stories of shed tears and clumps of hair falling out over the stress of color schemes and invitations to long lost relatives, so I didn’t mind those minor speed bumps. In actuality, it was a smooth process because my future husband was great with the decision making process and my mom, Pat, AKA St. Priscilla of Wedding Planning, handled everything else.

But then there was the wedding day. 


I’m not here to bore you by sharing every single mishap so here are my top 5 I Guess I Do wedding day moments:

I hunted all over for months and months hoping to find the right shade of yellow platform heels. Unfortunately, everything I came across resembled hues you might find in a baby’s diaper. I finally found the perfect shade and had them shipped immediately from Colorado. Lo and behold, I wake up the day of our wedding and the shoes did not fit quite as well as anticipated. In fact, I couldn’t even wear them. Talk about a let down! 


2. A minute or two before I was ready to walk down the aisle, I realized that my veil with it’s blusher was lodged into my head completely backwards!! If it were the 80’s, I probably would have set a new trend. Talk about panic attack. Luckily my superhero bridesmaids reassembled that sucker just in the nick of time. 

3. My brother, who worked feverishly to put together an awesome playlist for the party bus and party boat, FORGOT IT. 

4. At the reception, my bustle ripped minutes before we were ready to line up for our entrance, making everything run later than scheduled. Fortunately our wedding decorators had a basket of safety pins for guests in the bathroom. Praise Jesus. 

5. And for the grand finale, we had several wedding crashers. Perhaps you are envisioning a cluster of disruptive teenage boys? Not at all. The first batch was a group of small children (at an adult reception), offering to pay our DJ in cash for pieces of wedding cake. This was followed by a middle aged woman wearing bright red pants. She swooped into the reception, took it upon herself to GRIND ON A FEW OF THE GROOMSMEN and then helped herself to the dessert buffet before a casual exit. Unbelievable. 

Advice for future brides:

Hopefully every bride has heard this before but let me be the one to reinstate the thought: In the end, what matters is the union between two people, not the process or planning or even the people invited. Your wedding is one day of your life. A marriage is forever. So don’t be upset when you wake up the next day and it’s all over. Instead, be excited that you get to spend forever with that fox of yours. 


And be sure not to jam glow sticks down your dress because they will definitely explode all over you by the end of the night. Ain’t nobody got time for that. 

Photographer: Style & Story Creative  DJ: Rock The House Cake: I Do Cakes by Sherry Orndorff  Gourmet Donuts: Peace, Love & Little Donuts  Flowers: Petal-Pushers by Mandy Stoll