Indian Wedding

When I met Sarah for her wedding hair and makeup trial, she told me about the Indian wedding she had planned and showed me the most gorgeous red embroidered dress and ornate jewelry she was going to wear. I was immediately excited and a little bit jealous (I want an Indian wedding! How cool!). She has straight hair that does not usually hold a curl so she had already ruled out her favorite styles and was ready to settle on a simple bun. I asked her what her dream hairstyle was and to let me decide whether or not it was doable. She wanted textured hair that was finger combed to the side into a subtly messy curly little chignon. I thought we should at least TRY for it - it is a trial after all. We were both pleasantly surprised with the result. We decided on a grey smoky eye but kept it very very light since she was not used to wearing so much makeup. Then came the element that we would both lose tons of sleep over: lip color. She normally wears pale pinks but they seemed washed out and did not match the dress. Warmer versions looked too warm. Sheer reds and darker colors looked too vampish. As a former bride myself (who obsessed over the day's lip color for ages), I decided we needed more time to shop for the perfect color. She would go to the makeup counter and find one that she liked and I would continue to search. It began to haunt me. Should I break my "red lips" rule? No red lips at a wedding unless it is part of her everyday makeup routine and people are used to seeing her that way. But this was an Indian wedding - certainly cause for a waiver. I consulted my colleagues and they all recommended a flesh tone. Yes. Something close to the natural color of her lips. When we met back up on her wedding day she showed me the results of three trips to various counters: glossy red, long lasting red, and exactly-matching-the-dress red. I showed her the two fleshy nudes I found (ones with enough color that she wouldn't looked washed out) and you cannot believe her reaction. Is there a word that means jubilant relief? We tried it on and she sighed so heavily I could see the weight on her shoulders instantly lifted. "I didn't want to wear red!" she confessed. "You don't have to" I said. And with that I was reminded of why I have the "red lips rule" in the first place. You can look more glamorous on your wedding day - it is a special occasion after all - but you still should look like you. Congratulations Sarah! You are a sweetheart! A special thanks to Lewis Studios for the beautiful photos.