A Mani Mela Bride: Brianna (Part XI)

Of all the details of my wedding day, perhaps the one detail that comes in to my mind a little more than the others is my bridal beauty routine. I am so excited to plan the details of my makeup and my hair – even little details like what will my nails look like, or what type of clips will be in my hair? I’m sure most brides can agree with me – exciting thoughts about what you’ll look like on your wedding day can keep your mind entertained for a lonnnnngg time.

I’ve had my hair styled professionally before for various formal high school dances, but never once was I blown away by the up-do. That was probably partly my fault, as I would go to the salon with a vague idea of what I liked or wanted done, but never brought pictures or had any sort of idea how to direct my stylist. To make sure I’m not stuck with a style that is only “okay”, I have been doing lots of research on Pinterest to develop my ideas of what I like and what I don’t.

Here are some of the ideas I’ve found for wedding day hairstyles that have caught my eye:

This hairstyle is absolutely gorgeous, and while the hair clip isn’t exactly what I have in mind – I think it complements this style really well. It also looks pretty simple for a stylist to do, but my only qualm is it looks like it would fall out easily (especially with my long and heavy hair).

Now here’s a style that my long hair could support, even if it looks like this woman has way thicker (and maybe curlier?) hair than I do. I love the traditional hair style that sits at the nape of the neck – it just looks so elegant and timeless.

I’m not so sure I would go with a style entirely like this, but I like the fun side-do and the bun is really pretty. Reduce the poof in back a bit, and subsitute a different clip, and this could be a really pretty bridal style, or really gorgeous for bridesmaids as well.

This is a very elegant hair style that looks like it would stay put all day. However, I don’t have side swept bangs, so if I chose to go with this look it would have to be modified some.

What hairstyle do you like best? And what pictures did you use for inspiration?

Traditional Foundation vs. Airbrush Foundation: What’s Right for Your Big Day?

As a bride, looking magnificent on your wedding day is of course part of your overall plan. As you begin working on the fine details of the day, you will eventually need to make a decision on your beauty routine. If you’re specific about your look, or you are talented enough, you may choose to do your own makeup. If you’re like many brides though, makeup is the last thing you want to worry about as you get ready on your wedding day. We at Mani Mela couldn’t support that decision more – a talented makeup artist can create a wedding day look for you that your groom will never forget. One thing you’ll have to decide is whether you choose a stylist that offers traditional foundation, or one who uses airbrush foundation. At Mani Mela Beauty, our stylists all use airbrush foundation to give every bride a showstopping look. You may be asking, “what’s the difference?” – and you’re not alone. Many women don’t know the difference, so we’re happy to tell you.

• Unlike traditional makeup, airbrush foundation is sprayed on very lightly, and blends with your pores to give a flawless look that is unparalleled by any other foundation.
•  No sponges or applicators are used when applying airbrush foundation, it is sprayed lightly on with a touch-free machine. Not only is this cleaner, and the makeup is not contaminated with bacteria from hands or applicators, but it looks much smoother and softer.
• With airbrush makeup you are using much less makeup than with typical foundation, so your natural beauty is enhanced without being covered up by thick foundation.
• The best thing about airbush foundation is that it is waterproof, sweatproof, danceproof, and happyweddingdaytearsproof! Because of these features, airbrush foundation lasts for well over 15 hours! You just can’t beat it!

As a bride, airbrush foundation is a great choice for your wedding day because it provides a high definition finish for the pictures you will look at for the rest of your married life. Our personal recommendation is to go with airbrush foundation. If you want to have a look that can’t be compromised by any elements or emotions, airbrush is the way to go.

Take a look at some of Mani Mela Beauty’s before and after pictures and see what a difference airbrushing can make!

A Mani Mela Bride: Brianna (Part X)

One of my favorite things about weddings is seeing the spin and personality of the bride and groom. Through every aspect and detail of a wedding, you can learn so much about a couple – their likes, dislikes, taste, style, culture etc. As I have been planning my own wedding and learning about my fiance’s and my own collaborative taste, I channeled lots of inspiration and bits and pieces of each of our own personalities in to the style of our save the dates. A friend of my future sister-in-law, Sam, has been an absolute joy to work with in creating the invites of our dreams. I presented her with ideas that we liked, and she took those ideas and styled our save the dates, and is currently creating our invitations. She is so talented at what she does – I couldn’t be happier.

Here are some examples of ideas I showed Sam. 

This is a birthday invite, but the fun fonts and bright colors caught my eye right away. I love vintage looking fonts and patterns, so this was right up my alley.

If letterpress save the dates and invites fit in our budget, I would be ALL over that! I absolutely love the look. Letterpress aside, this simple and elegant design stood out to me. The simplicity yet careful attention to small details really make this invitation stunning.

I’m sure by now you are seeing a theme emerging here. Bold fonts, vintage details, timeless design – this is the look we wanted. This design actually looks strikingly similar to the finished product.

This design was my biggest inspiration. I love the amazing layout, the mix and match of various fonts, and the wording is adorable as well. 

 Sam was gracious enough to spend her free time creating our save the dates (invitations are just one example of her wide range of talents). We gave Sam free-reign to use her creative talents how she saw fit, trusted her 100%, and we can’t even begin to explain how happy we were when a few weeks later we got this gorgeous finished product from Sam:

The background is comprised of various scans of dictionary definitions of “love” words (marriage, matrimony, etc.). Isn’t this stunning? What do you think? 

My advice for any brides that are hiring someone to design their invites and save the dates would be to bring samples to show your designer, have a good idea of your taste, but let the professional use their own creative flair when designing them for you. They’re professionals for a reason – they are GOOD at what they do, and you will most likely be pleasantly surprised when you let go of the reigns a bit and allow the designer to put their spin on things. 

A Mani Mela Bride: Brianna (Part IIIIV)

Much of my big planning is finally starting to wrap up, and I’m gladly patting myself on the back for starting early to spare myself the stress later on. Also, I’m not good with making quick decisions, so it was start early or regret decisions I made on the fly because of a time crunch. The only thing left to make a somewhat big decision on is a cake, and what design we want. This week, I wanted to poll you, the readers, and find out your thoughts about a few of my favorite designs. So let me ask you…. which one do you like best?

1.  Fancy Hearts

While  we won’t have a six-tiered cake, or a pink cake for that matter, what I love about this is the intricate detailing, and the unique incorporation of hearts that manages to avoid looking tacky (or IS it tacky? – you tell me!) Keep in mind, I visualize this cake to be burnt orange, and with only three tiers instead of six.

2. Lace and Pearls

I love lace and and I love pearls. Lace and pearls combined are even better in my world (the little dots look like pearls to me). Call me traditional. While I would normally find an entirely white cake to be absolutely boring and bit too conventional, there’s something striking about how lovely this cake is.

3. The Modern Vintage

This cake almost makes me want to smack myself for not having a jade colored wedding – almost. I love the beautifully ornate detailing on each layer which looks very vintage, but the shape suggests something more modern. Square in the middle of circular? I love it! I would also get this cake in burnt orange if I went with this style.

4. The Favorite

Honestly, if I could take this cake off my computer screen right now I would be happy as a clam. I love everything about this and wouldn’t change a thing.

So, which cake do you like the best? Fancy Hearts, Lace and Pearls, Modern Vintage, or The Favorite? I’d love to get your input on what you all think! Leave a comment below and give me your thoughts!

Jane’s Boudoir Teaser!

Mani Mela helped out with an absolutely fabulous boudoir photo shoot not too long ago, providing hair and makeup for a stunning woman named Jane! Jane stays fit through yoga and healthy living. Would you believe us if we told you she’s 60? We didn’t think you would. These amazing photos were captured by the wonderful and talented Laura Ivanova, who is an absolute delight to work with! Here is the fabulous, fresh-faced, and sprightly Jane! 

Check back soon for more pictures from Jane’s boudoir shoot!