The PWC: I'm a new woman!

Well, it is official: I am a new woman! My PWC (aka post-wedding-chop) was yesterday, and I definitely feel like I'm about 10 pounds lighter!

To be honest, any hair cut at all would probably have made me feel amazing, but it feels SO good to have a bit of style back in my hair!

For perspective, I took a few photos before I left for the salon. It isn't that my hair looked awful, per se, but it was just...blah...and long...see?

Excuse my serious face; it is hard to take your own picture reflected in the bathroom mirror!

Check out how long it was in the back! About 3 inches for sure!

My wonderful stylist agreed that a slight inversion would be good, and proceeded to give me a razor cut (because my hair loves razor cuts...true life). We removed almost 3 inches of hair in the back, left it SLIGHTLY longer in the front, and then gave me back my long bangs! Yay bangs! Ok ok, I'll stop talking and start showing you the photos:

I was soooo happy; can't you tell???

A view of the side/back:

My bangs are back at around lip-level...much better than at chin level!

I know it isn't a drastic cut, but I am so happy! When I first started growing out my hair, I was so certain that I would want to return to something short and spunky when the wedding was over, but I found myself getting slightly attached to my longer locks as time went by. This cut was a big relief: it is much shorter/has texture, but it is still long enough to pull back if needed (yes, if you are wondering, I can get it into a ponytail!). Anyway...I LOVE IT!

How excited were you/are you for the PWC?

Contemplating the PWC

I'll be honest: I've been thinking about this day almost as long as I was planning the wedding.

I'm talking about the PWC. Oh, the glorious PWC...how I've dreamed about it longingly. I started growing my hair out in February of 2009; around the time when the chatter of engagement began with Justin. I knew I'd want to sport an updo of some sort on the wedding day, and I knew that I'd need to start early to get the length necessary. This is how my hair looked after my last REAL haircut...a chin length inverted bob with long bangs:

This is how it looked about one year after that (in November 2009) - my bangs had grown out, and my hair was at shoulder level:

And this is what it looked like 2 weeks ago...right before the wedding:

It is LONG (for me at least)! I've joked around with many people that I was about ready to take a pair of kitchen scissors to it on a daily basis. I'm SO ready for a new look!

But...what should I do? It has been about a year and a half since I tried to have some sort of "style" with my hair cut. I am not sure which direction I should go now! I have grown somewhat attached to the "longer" length of my hair; it is useful to have the ability to put my hair in a ponytail/clip because of the heat in Florida. However, I need some SHAPE in it, and Justin agrees.

I have an appointment for my PWC tomorrow afternoon (eek!), and I am desperately searching the Internet for some inspiration! Come on now, help me out! Lets find some inspiration photos for medium length, straight hair! Here is what I've compiled so far...

This reminds me of my old haircut...I like the long bangs swept to the side...

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I am fond of the layers in Sienna Miller's hair; even though it is long, it does have some shape!

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I'm also throwing around the idea of shorter bangs...I've had them in the past as well. I rather like the look of Anne Hathaway's in this photo:

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Again, the sideswept bangs...

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Finally, what I think is one of my favorite photos so far - a "long version" of the inverted bob (aka shorter in the back than in the front) with long sideswept bangs

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So...what do you think? Do you have any inspiration photos to share? Send them along!

Did you have a PWC? How did it feel and did you have a hard time finding some inspiration???

Ginormous hair flower: a tutorial

After a multitude of requests for a hair flower tutorial after debuting my ginormous creation the other day, your wish is my command!

A few months ago, you may recall that I showed you my fabulous hair flower find from Etsy. At the time, it was perfect; it matched my dress, had lace detailing and featured some pearls. But, afer sitting on it for a few months, I started to have doubts. I began to think that perhaps the flower wasn't large enough to make the statement that I had envisioned. Since I am not wearing a veil, the flower needs to be my "statement piece," if you will. So...I thought that I would try my hand at making one myself!


1. To start, I purchased an ivory colored peony from Michaels to use for the petals, as well as some ivory thread and champagne pearl beads for the center of the flower.

• Note: make sure you find a flower with loose petals that will detach from the center of the flower (the center piece should come out). If you select a flower with petals that are glued together, you will not be able to get it to lay flat on your head as easily!

2. Pop the flower off of the stem and separate the petals.

3. Next, I arranged the petals in a stack to my liking. I noticed that the flower was a little larger in diameter than I would like, so I also incorporated a trick to decrease it!


4. I took the 2 largest petal shapes and cut them apart so that each petal was separate (or in pairs).



I then used straight pins to fasten them in place, and I sewed a few stitches to hold them to the flower petal shape used for the bottom of the flower. With this method, I was able to maintain the fullness of the flower while simultaneously making it smaller in diameter.






5. Layer by layer, I pinned the flower petals back together in a stack. I used this technique to ensure that the petals wouldn't slip and shift as I was sewing the flower together.


6. Next, I sewed champagne pearl beads to the center of the flower one at a time. I tried my hardest to place my stitches in close proximity so that they were easier to cover up when I finished.


7. I cut a scrap of plain ivory fabric into an oval shape, and sewed a hair comb to it. You could fasten a thin barrette or other clip as well if you prefer.



8. Using a few straight pins, I attached the comb piece to the back of the flower. I then tested the placement of the comb in my hair. DEFINITELY make sure you do this before completing the hair piece; if it is too high/low, the flower might flop around awkwardly on your head! I actually left my comb pinned/didn't finish the flower completely until after my hair trial. At the trial we tested the comb placement, and I was able to adjust to make certain that it was in the ideal location!

9. Using a hot glue gun, attach the fabric/comb to the back of the flower. Let dry.

Annnnnnd voila! There you have it folks, a ginormous hair flower (well, it doesn't HAVE to be huge if you don't want it to. Mine is though)! Although I didn't do it, you could definitely add feathers or other fun flair in between the petals as you are sewing. Make it your own and be creative!

Ok class...questions? Comments? Concerns? Compliments (haha...)?

Gathering my hair inspiration

If you've been following along, you might recall that a few months ago I started to gather some hair inspiration.

Over the course of the past few months, I slowly built up a folder of images that I had stumbled upon. Seriously, for those of you with "medium" length straight hair, it can be daunting. I was constantly bombarded with images of gorgeous brides with low, loose, curly buns...messy yet beautiful hairstyles that I drooled over. The thing is, I LOVE my straight hair...from day to day. However, this is the ONE time in my life that I was wishing my hair had some texture! Alas...

Although the pictures were hard to come by, I managed to gather a small collection of feasible and achievable hairstyle inspirations to bring with me to the salon for my hair trial...

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Ok, first of all...I just adore Reese Witherspoon. What I really love about this hairstyle is the volume on the top...it isn't a ballerina bun that is flattened to her skull!

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Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy are so cute! I really liked the placement of this hairstyle.

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You may recognize this chignon photo from my original post. I like that you can tell the model doesn't have too much hair, because I sure do not! Upon further consideration though, I realized that I don't like the idea of having bangs falling down in front of my face. End of May in Florida = humid, and I know that bangs would turn into a greasy mess...

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Ohhh my gosh I adore this hairstyle! I saved it, but was unsure if it would be possible with my hair...but I decided to bring it along regardless!

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Some more bun-loving goodness...because I can...

Did you have a hard time finding some hair inspiration? Is anyone else in the straight, short hair boat? What look did you/are you going for?

Hair Update...

I got my hair cut on Tuesday...what...a...relief! I've been growing and growing and growing my hair, hoping that I can achieve the proper "up-do" length by the time the wedding rolls around. Thankfully, according to my stylist, I am only about 1 inch away from what we want! Hooray!

Anyway, I was in desperate need of a trim/shape...and I got just what the doctor ordered! This is what I looked like right before the appointment. Notice how it hit my back/shoulders at the bottom and starts to flip out? That was driving me NUTS! Overall, my hair wasn't looking bad, per se, but it was lacking some style...and was feeling cumbersome to boot...

She went through and cleaned up the edges...and shaped/lightened it up within. See how much lighter it looks around and under my chin? It feels 10lbs lighter...and I didn't lose much of my hard earned length! Win-win! And, can I just say how much more stylish it looks??? I miss my sassy bob hair styles...but this still manages to look like I've got it going on...(haha!).

Did you grow out/are you growing out your hair for your wedding? Was it a frustrating process?

“Hair”spiration for a Bride with…Medium Length Hair???

The last time I visited my fabulous stylist, we talked wedding hair. Before she started chopping away at my hair like I am used to, I asked her what I would be realistically able to achieve with the hair that I have, and how much length I could feasibly add in the time period I have to work with. I have to love Laurie, because she immediately responded with “I know EXACTLY what I want to do with your hair.”

Oh please, do tell!

Apparently, my hair will grow about ½ of an inch a month, which will put me at total growth of 4 extra inches by the time the wedding comes around (assuming I’ll be coming in for a few trims, that will eliminate perhaps ½ of an inch each time). So…that will put me at a few inches below the shoulders, assuming that I don’t freak out and chop it off myself before then!

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Laurie suggests a low chignon, with a lot of teasing/volume on the top of my head. I rushed home and started to look at some ideas. And breathed a sigh of relief, because these look much more bridal to me!

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I love this picture…I have long bangs like this photo, and I love how it is an “updo” without looking too formal. I think that with my projected hair growth, this is an achievable look.

But, Laurie also mentioned that we can add some “extension” without physically attaching hair. There is the option of adding some “extension” inside the chignon itself to make it look fuller. I’m digging this idea…especially after Justin and I turned on the movie What Happens In Vegas the other night. And I fell in love with this…

And yes, after searching high and low for photos online, I had to pause the movie at multiple times to take screen shots of the hair…(how in the world are there none online???).

I’m dying to find out if this is something I can achieve when I visit Laurie on a trip back to Florida. The suspense is going to kill me!

Did you find hair inspiration somewhere you weren’t expecting? How did you find the perfect coif for the big day? Did your hairdresser give an opinion of his/her own?

“Hair”spiration for a Short Haired Bride?

Ok, so at first, I wanted to be stubborn and keep my hair the way that I like it. Why should I have to change because of one singular day in my life?

Bad attitude Katie, bad attitude.

The reality is that I have very very fine hair. And it is stick straight. It does not hold a curl without about 10 pounds of hairspray involved. Yummm, who likes crunchy hairstyles???

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So I began searching for some short hair inspiration…and this…is what I kept seeing.

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Perhaps a bit too “crunchy” for what I’m going for…can you imagine how much hairspray is involved in that?

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Ok, so this is a very very pretty option, but does it say “wedding” when your hair looks pretty much the same as you wear it every single day, but with a veil added? I'm not sure if it is exactly the style that I'm going for. Hmmm.

After some more searching, I DID run across one set of inspiration photos that made me very hopeful. Mrs. Cheese, from Weddingbee (pretty much one of my biggest addictions EVER), has an inverted bob in every day life, and she managed to have her bridal hair look just like an updo…I thought it was extremely successful!

How beautiful does she look???

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Well, despite the one promising photo, the decision was made. Its time to grow like there’s no tomorrow!

Have you found any good inspiration for a bride with short hair out there?