The Little Mermaid of Tappan Hill Mansion

Courtney's wedding was one big party. When I arrived the morning of the wedding, it was still going on from the night before!  I don't think I've ever had so much fun... 

We had a tight beauty schedule that day mixed in with lots of shenanigans and crazy stories.  Since I did all of the makeup and hair for the whole party (including mom) we had to get started pretty early.  Coffee and red bull helped pump up the gang for the beauty fest. 

We were aiming for makeup and hairstyles at 8AM that would still look good at 8PM and beyond.  It can be a challenge for people to asses evening makeup in the bright morning sun, but as the evening set in and they donned their black dresses, everyone looked perfectly glamorous.

The bride chose a simple nude, flawless face with an espresso lined and smudged eye and an emphasis on lashes. We added waves and body to her straight hair with a touch of retro inspiration to the shape.

 

Her gown had this gorgeous body-hugging mermaid shape and we were all in awe when she put it on.  When she turned around and said "Well, what do we think?" her attendant and uber comedian Joey burst out into spontaneous song with the theme from The Little Mermaid.  Another bridesmaid joined in and then another and then another. I've always loved the song so I sang along as I touched up her hair.  As it echoed throughout the rotunda, more people stepped in to join the chorus and by the end there were about twenty people belting out this Disney song at the top of their lungs.  Courtney laughed until she cried as she surveyed the scene that was really like something out of a movie.

The wedding took place on the former estate of Mark Twain at the stunning Tappan Hill Mansion of Tarrytown, NY. The entire place is one big photo op and the superstars from J. Ferrara Photography captured the day so beautifully.  Thanks for sharing these images with us!  Good luck Courtney.  A lot of great memories were made that day!

 

 

 

 

Real Life Rapunzel

Jen is like a tiny little doll with this amazing mane of long shimmery red hair.  When I held the hair in my hands I thought "Wow, I'm sure this  is worth more than my car!"  She made excellent choices for her wedding day look that really emphasized her natural beauty.  Her hair cascaded down her back in big loose waves and her makeup was peachy and natural toned and sheer enough to show off her beautiful freckles.  Come to find out, she was living right down the street from my old house in Alexandria, VA, so I got an update on the old 'hood and found that we had many favorite places in common.  I really enjoyed seeing all of the details of her elegant wedding unfold. 

 

Her organized and cheerful bridesmaids were not only beautiful but seasoned professionals that anticipated her every need.  I was assisted by Nancy Geldres who did all of the bridesmaids' makeup and tag-teamed with me on their hair.  I love these fun group portraits of them.

 

Jen has the SWEETEST mother you could ever know.  She was so nervous about getting her makeup done but I was able to talk with her at length during the trial and assure her that I would keep it natural and light.  One of my favorite moments of the day was seeing her mom's astonishment as she looked in the mirror. She hugged me and asked if I would come and do her makeup like that every day for her.  Another favorite moment was with her brother.  I know when I got married I was so worried that my brother would show up in a concert t-shirt and jeans (whew - he didn't).  I'm guessing her brother gave her a hard time about wearing a tux (see how brothers are!?) and she had resigned herself to seeing him in something else.   So when he stopped by the room that morning to deliver something she was absolutely stunned and overcome with emotion at seeing him in his tux.  He just smiled like "heh heh!"  

 

I want to wish Jen and her husband the best of luck as they start their new life together in a new place (Texas, no less!).  I know it will be a wonderful adventure together!  Thank you very much to The Artist Group for sharing these lovely photos with us.  

Polish Beauty

We may have been in Brooklyn, but getting ready for Edyta's wedding was like a mini trip to Poland.  Polish parents and relatives, polish language (which sounds really hard to understand by the way), Polish breakfast, and even Polish water (fizzy and refreshing).  I loved this family so much and Edyta was one of the most relaxed and down to earth brides that I'm sure I will ever meet.  When I saw a photo of her drinking a can of Miller Lite in the limo on the way to the wedding I just smiled and thought "That's my girl!".  Edyta's face has a kind of beautifully intriguing and mysterious quality about it that I can't really describe.  I really enjoyed studying it and collaborating with her on the look for the wedding. 

She wanted her eyes fully lined in grey but we did it in a light and shimmery way that would look fresh for a daytime ceremony and pictures.  Her skin and lips were softly flushed and just happened to match one of my favorite bridal bouquets of all time.

 

She wanted a nice voluminous updo with movement and texture- something that looked like she had a lot of hair - with intricate curls in the back.  The relatives loved it and said it looked very "aristocratic", which made us chuckle.

 

Another beauty I got to work with was Edyta's mother. She wanted to keep hair and makeup simple and natural which I thought was a great choice.  I mean look at that amazing skin - why cover it up?!

I got such a kick out of her Maid of Honor who happened to live in Japan during the same years that I did.  We spent time during the trial and the wedding day reminiscing and trading wacky tales from our unforgettable time there. She is also getting married this year so it is wedding mania for these two friends.

I heard everyone had a wonderful time at the wedding and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the photos.

Thank you very much to Kimberly Salem for sharing them with me. You can see a few more details from this wedding such as the yummy Polish cookie favors and the gorgeous flowers on her blog.  Good luck to you Edyta! And you too, Misato! I wish you both all the best in your marriages and in life.      

Double Happiness

Helen was a breath of fresh air - relaxed (even on her wedding day!) and so fun to hang out with.  I loved how she and her friends couldn't keep a straight face for very long.  There were too many stories and clever quips floating around.  My kind of people.

She had a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony with elements of Chinese culture throughout the day to really represent the couple and the two families coming together.  I thought she looked absolutely beautiful in her lace gown.

I also had the pleasure of doing the mother of the bride and the bridesmaids' makeup.   

And speaking of makeup, I have to credit the mother of the groom (a real makeup junkie!) for urging us to try a brighter lip color at the hair and makeup trial run.  I really love how it photographed.

Mazel tov, Helen! I wish you and your husband a lifetime of double happiness.  Thank you very much to Michael Brook and his second assistant Anthony DeCarlo who took these lovely photos and even took time out from moving to send them to me!

California Love

When I first talked to Dale on the phone about her wedding, I could tell that this native of the New York area had crossed over and adopted the laid back cool California style of her new home. We wouldn't have a chance to do a trial run beforehand, but just chatting with her put me at ease and we were laughing about wedding madness together in no time.  She decided on some loose waves pulled casually to the side.  Although I curled the hair sections in various directions, they seemed to have a mind of their own (hair just does sometimes!) and looped around each other naturally when pulled together.  That and a last-minute addition of flowers were such a surprising and beautiful touch.  As for the makeup, all she said was "I don't wear makeup. Ever.  Like any."  Her sister Jill put in a request for a smoky eye but I thought that might be too big of a leap for someone who doesn't wear any makeup.  We decided that a light touch of neutrals was the way to go. She had such beautiful skin that I barely touched her face with sheer foundation. Softly glowing cheeks and sheer shimmering pink semi-permanent lip color and gloss topped off the look.

These gorgeous sisters, along with their mother and photographer friend had me dying laughing over their uproarious stories that included full volume re-enactments.  I love a good storyteller so being with this family is like winning the storytelling lottery (definite reality show material!).  The girls talked of warning past boyfriends before bringing them home for the holidays - where the whole house would be filled to the brim with family and friends who were just like them.  I imagined a ruckus of 20 people shouting crazy stories at each other all at the same time.  Knowing not every guy made it out alive, Dale cautiously warned her man before his first visit.  It was a major sign when he not only survived, but said he quite enjoyed himself.  The rest, as they say, is history...           

Good luck you two!  I hope we meet again somewhere down the road and then let's try that smoky eye! Thank you very much to Mike Losquadro for the photos.

Bowled Over

Nicole is from a family of hard core bowlers so it was no surprise to learn that she met her man (where else?!)...bowling!  And while the girls spent the morning of the wedding primping, he was (what else?!)...getting in a few frames before the ceremony.  I loved this family so much and really enjoyed spending time with them.  Nicole wanted a very classic look for herself and the wedding details so she chose a classic updo for her hairstyle.  She had been using black eyeliner with white shimmery shadow but I thought it was a bit too stark of a look for her.  We softened it with an espresso brown liner with taupe and shimmery champagne shadow accents.  She loved it and agreed that it suited her skin tone and style perfectly. Like many people, Nicole's eyelids tend to get oily so we primed them with Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion and used Tarte's waterproof creaseproof Lock and Roll Eyeshadow Duo in rose gold on the lids.  Nicole's sister (who was more nervous than her!) opted for a "french twist with a twist" hairstyle.  Nicole surprised her with a beautiful gift of custom made jeweled hair pins - perfect for an updo.  Mom went for a nice blowout to give her bob a little shape and movement and very natural makeup to show off her beautiful skin.  I heard the groomsmen were blown away when they saw the ladies.  That's what I like to hear!  Good luck Nicole!  I wish you and Frankie the very best.  These lovely images were taken by Zaven's Photography for Bella Pictures.

Smitten Kitten

The morning of Tricee's wedding I saw her groom in the lobby by himself grinning from ear to ear. He didn't see me watching him but he was almost floating on air with happiness. I almost expected him to skip down the street and jump up and click his heels together! Out of all the grooms I've met, he wins the award for most smitten. It's easy to see why when you meet Tricee, the picture of classic simple elegance. I think she may have been a First Lady in a former life.

The wedding took place in their home on a beautiful sunlit morning. The soft rosy makeup look was perfect for this time of day. A key product for achieving this look was Graftobian's Hi-Def Creme Blush Palette. This is one of the longer lasting cream blushes I have found as it lightly stains the skin and every color in the palette is beautiful. I must admit Tricee had me losing sleep when she told me that if we did not find the perfectly understated not-too-light not-too-dark smudge free mascara she would just not wear any. WHAT?! No mascara?!! The thought of sending her down the aisle without any physically pained me. Luckily she and I both shopped it up for mascaras and found a winner. It came down to the wire with her hairstyle, as we were still not completely decided about it on the morning of the wedding. In the end, she decided too much volume on top and too much hair pulled back looked overdone for the overall feel of the occasion. I was so happy when I received an email from her saying her beloved was over the moon when he saw her and that he was glad I had "preserved her natural beauty". Yay! Thank you to David Lindner Photography for the photos. Good luck Tricee! I can't wait to hear about your second overseas wedding!