Dance Dance Dance Dance

{This is a post about specific wedding details that some of our guests may wish to be surprised by.  If you are coming to our wedding and don't want to know ahead of time our plans for the father/daughter and mother/son dances, please don't read any further!}

...With Somebody Who Loves Me

{This is the first post about specific wedding details that some of our guests may wish to be surprised by.  If you are coming to our wedding and don't want to know ahead of time our plans for the first dance, please don't read any further!}

In Which I am an Over-Achiever

Hive- first, let me apologize.  This is the only post I have time to write this week, and it's not even a real post! :(  Forgive me.  I hope you enjoy it anyway...

So, I have this list.

This big, giant, nearly insurmountable list.

It's the List of Things We Still Have to Do for the Wedding- the wedding that is less than 5 months away.

A portion of this list is DiY Projects...which is also a really big list.

A portion of THAT list is DiY Projects I have Yet to Even Start.  Want to see just part of that part of that part of the big list?

Programs

We're definitely looking to do book-shaped wedding programs- ie a booklet of information that you flip through designed to actually look like a novel.  (If you recall, when coming up with our wedding theme, we thought in terms of "If our wedding were a novel, what would the title be?"  ...so we'd like to actually see that title on something that at least looks like a novel.)  Of course, when I say "looks like a novel" I really, really wish I meant this:

Design by Collin Morgan // image via Synecdoche

Ohmygosh, y'all.  This is the book jacket to wedding programs that were literally hard-bound books.  I have actually bound my own book before- for a writing competition in the 4th grade- so I'm sure I could do it, but this is really only feasible for a wedding of, oh, 20 guests.  Maybe.

In reality, our programs will look more like this:

programs by Coeur Noir // image via Martha Stewart Weddings

Boutonnieres


 I'm planning to sew some pretty simple fabric flower boutonnieres for the men, including both of our dads.  These should actually be fairly simple, and I already have the fabric.  Basically, they'll be slightly larger versions of these flowers, with safety pins on the back:

image via Martha Stewart Weddings

...and in the center of each will be one of these little dudes, representative of each guy's personality, secured with some floral wire:

for example, one of the guys is a pilot and is getting LEGO Iron Man // image via Amazon

Bracelet Corsages

I've posted previously about my "meh" attitude towards flowers.  However, in an apparent homage to high school prom, it's traditional to distinguish the MOB, MOG, and grandmothers with floral corsages.  I really want to recreate this with a slightly more modern twist- flowers that will last a lifetime.  I plan to make fabric rosettes and attach them to simple beaded bracelets, like those shown below, for our mothers and my grandmothers.  Mr. Potion's honor attendant, if you recall, is his Best Woman, so I'll be making her one of these in the same color as the guys' boutonnieres, with her own little LEGO minifig in the center.

rosette and image by Little Birdie Secrets

Reserved Pew Bows

You've seen exactly one picture of the church.  Here's another:

{personal photo}

In an apparent homage to the 80's, it's traditional to decorate every pew, or every other pew, or just the reserved pews, with big, tacky bows made of shiny white ribbon.  You already know how I feel about the 80s...and you know I don't really want to add anything to the simple beauty of this ceremony space.  However, I see the wisdom in marking a few pews as reserved- namely, the front pews, for our attendants, and two more pews on each side for our immediate families.  But what to do, exactly?  Bridesmaid MrsL and her mother are very crafty, and for her fall-themed wedding, they made some very lovely pew decor:

{personal photo}

The jury's still out on the details of this one, so stay tuned for a design idea, much less a finished product.  (Ideas?  Leave them in the comments, please!)

I'm sure there are more things on my never-ending list of DiY's, but that's all I could come up with at the moment.  I think I'm gonna need a permanent caffeine IV for the next few months...

How much did you DiY for your wedding day?  Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the wedding to-do list?

Hairspiration

Previously, on Miss Potion's Blog:

-My girls picked out their dress
-I'm not quite sure what shoes to wear...
-...but I've got a hairstyle!

So now that I know I'm definitely having my hair done the morning of the wedding, we have a hair stylist available for my bridesmaids to use if they want to.  I'm going to let each girl decide on her own hairstyle so nobody feels like they're forced into a look that just doesn't work for them.  That might be a hairstyle they do themselves, or one they get our stylist to do.

I'm also letting the girls choose their own shoes.  My only requirement is silver (and, you know, not sneakers, as this is a church wedding) but the style of shoe is completely up to them- super high heels, flats, sandals...whatever works for each girl.

Finally, there's jewelry.  Once again, the girls can wear whatever they want with just a few guidelines- so if they don't normally wear a ton of jewelry, they don't have to.  All I ask is one "statement" piece of jewelry, be that a necklace, earrings, bracelet, or ring.  They're welcome to wear multiple pieces if they wish, but I know that, for example, my baby sister doesn't have pierced ears and therefore never wears earrings, so I don't want to mandate that everyone wear earrings.  If they go with metallic jewelry, I'm asking them to stick with silver (like the shoes) but if they want to wear something colorful, they have the whole palette to choose from.  Remember that 6 of the girls will be in purple dresses and my MOH will be in red.

Colors via Olympic and Valspar // collage assembled in Paint via me

I have quite the long list of tasks left to accomplish on my wedding to-do list, and I don't have much time for playing around.  Also, my friends and sisters are all stylish ladies perfectly capable of shopping for shoes, jewelry, and hairstyles on their own- they in no way need me to compile inspiration outfits to help them make their decisions.

But I love shopping!  And in the process of looking for hairstyles for myself, I found a ton of other cute looks that could work for them.

Sooooo I compiled some inspiration outfits!  Behold:

The Laid-Back Look

Alfred Sung D448 in majestic // The Heartbeat is On earrings via ModCloth // What's the Steel? Heel by BC Shoes via ModCloth // Katniss braid via Make Up Geek

The Rockstar Look

Alfred Sung D448 in majestic // Jennifer Love Hewitt image via She Knows // Mirror Mirror bracelet via Forever21 // Suedette High Cone Heels via Forever21 {unfortunately no longer available}

The Elegant Look

Alfred Sung D448 in barcelona // Carrie Underwood image via Taste of Country // Nello earrings by Amrita Singh // Cortesan Floral Bar by Irregular Choice

The Party Girl Look

Alfred Sung D448 in majestic // Flat Hoop Earrings via Forever21 // "Flirty Poof" hairstyle image via Seventeen // Darla by Type Z via Zappos

The Glam Goddess Look

Alfred Sung D448 in barcelona // Triple Threat faceted bangle via Kate Spade // Kate Beckinsale image via Cosmopolitan // Anabella by Ivanka Trump via Zappos

The Effortlessly Chic Look

Alfred Sung D448 in majestic // Caged Leatherette Wedge via Charlotte Russe // Leighton Meester image via Glamour // Ruby Radiance indie ring via Ruche

The Beautiful Badass Look

Alfred Sung D448 in majestic // Rhinestoned Loop Earrings via Forever21 // Ashlee Simpson image via Good Housekeeping // Zandra by Caparros via Zappos

Boy that was fun!

So if you were in my bridal party, what kind of shoes/jewelry would you wear?  Are you giving your ladies full reign over accessories or sticking to a specific look?  Do you find yourself spending time on things that aren't quite on your to-do list but justifying them by saying they're wedding-related and the actual important stuff can wait? :D

Try Me

Previously, on Miss Potion's Blog:

-My hair kind of sucks
-There are lots of pretty hairstyles out there...I just can't do them
-But that halo braid sure looks pretty...maybe a professional could do it?

So, Potion Mom drove me down to her hair stylist and we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.

I brought along this photo, including step-by-step instructions from Wedding Chicks.  I wasn't sure if it would seem insulting to a professional hair stylist to bring along a tutorial from the internet for the style I wanted...but she thought it was awesome!

hair by HairstylesDesign.com // image via Wedding Chicks

I said in my last post that I was highly skeptical of anyone's ability to make my hair do something as complicated as this and stay that way, professional or not.

Well, Hive, I'm glad to say- I was WRONG!

self portrait with our awesome new camera // {personal photo.  obviously.}

Because I have much less hair than the model's, the braid is thinner and doesn't overlap- it makes it around my head exactly once, the end tucking neatly behind the beginning.

it's hard to get used to manual focus after years of point-and-shoot // {personal photo}

Isn't that cute?  We were pretty shocked that she was able to accomplish this, and asked what the trick was.  Turns out she'd pretty much covered her hands in a pomade-type wax stuff as she was braiding, and added a dab or two as she went, so all the fly-aways were tamed and the hair cooperated.

whoops, out of focus again! // {personal photo}

Just for kicks, I slept in it to see how long it would last.  I got a whole two days out of this baby- probably could've gotten more, but I felt the need to wash my hair.  The only maintenance necessary was the addition of a few bobby pins to keep the tail tucked in!

Several times, my mom pointed out how "it looks like a halo!" to which I replied, "That's why it's called a halo braid." // {personal photo}

On day 2 of the trial run, I tried my dress back on with the veil (and forgot to take pictures.  Bad Bee!).  I stuck the comb of the veil just inside the braid at the back of my head and tossed the blusher over my face- and it looks AWESOME.  We'll probably have to use some bobby pin magic to keep the veil in place during the ceremony, but I won't be wearing it at the reception anyway.

Something about this hairstyle is just so...princess-y.  And therefore bridal, in my world!

So what do you think?  Have you ever tried this hairstyle before?  Do you think it looks bridal?

Is it Charm, is it Poise? No- it's Hairspray!

Previously, on Miss Potion's Blog:

-My hair is always long
-Except when it's not
-And sometimes I make funny faces

So, last time I said I definitely wanted long hair for the wedding day- and I lamented the fact that my hair doesn't quite seem long enough- but just what do I want to do with it?

I kind of have a thing for the 1940's.  Mr. Potion and I often wish that we'd been born in 1917 and 1918 instead of 1987 and 1988, so we'd be living through the 1940's at this age.

And then we play with our smartphones.

Even so, I've really got a thing for vintage fashions and hairstyles- especially those from the 40's.  Unfortunately, I'm kind of rubbish at re-creating these styles.

Experimenting with faux bangs before a Senior Design presentation.  Spent more time on my hair than I did prepping for the presentation.  Got an A.  // {personal photo}

So perhaps some victory rolls for my wedding look?

Jessica Sherr // Photo by David Chen // image via Racked

Photo of / by Lindsay Lane // image via Vintage Rose

Only problem is, I have never been able to make my hair roll like that, and I've tried millions of times.  Hair stylists that specialize in vintage styles are also few and far between, and I somehow doubt I'll be able to find one in Middle-of-Nowhere-ville, Alabama.


Besides, how would I wear my fingertip-length veil?


So then, I heard about this phenomenon called the sock bun.

Hey look!  A celebrity!  This must be a trend! // image via Lifestyled

I tried this out recently, but with my aforementioned thin stringy hair it just...doesn't work.  Couldn't cover the sock.  Epic fail :(

About this time in my search for hairstyles, I'd kind of assumed I'd just loosely curl my hair, pin it back from my face, and call it a day.


And then the greatest film adaptation of a book EVER was released in theaters- The Hunger Games.

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen // image via Eleusinian Mysteries

 And suddenly the world of fashion and beauty became obsessed with BRAIDS.


Sure, I tried the whole over-the-shoulder braid thing for my Katniss costume for the premiere- though not nearly as complicated as the one on Miss Everdeen in the film, as my hair wasn't long enough.

I'm Katniss, he's Cinna- complete with gold eyeliner not visible in this picture // {personal photo}

...buuuuut it, too, was kind of a fail.


Still, I really, really liked the braided hairstyles popping up on beauty blogs around the net, particularly the halo braid:

hairstyle by HairstylesDesign.com // image via Wedding Chicks

Potion Mom said she could make me an appointment with her hair stylist in Alex City during our Week of Wedding Work and see if she could make this work.  My previous frustration getting my hair to do ANYTHING, however, made me very, very skeptical.

Still, it couldn't hurt to try.  Worst case, I end up doing something simple for myself on The Big Day if she couldn't make this work.


So...was the hair trial a success or a fail?  You'll have to tune in next time to find out!


What kind of hairstyle are you wearing for your wedding day?  Have you tried the sock bun?  Can you make victory rolls stay?  Are you obsessed with braided hairstyles like everybody else?

Ancient Hairstory

I have always had thin, stringy, oily hair.

Scooping the guts out of a pumpkin with my little sister.  I'm the dork in the glasses // {personal photo}

For the most part, it's always been long.  At various points when I was younger, it was chopped shoulder-length or with bangs, but up until high school, it was never much shorter than that.

The summer I turned 9, maybe? // {personal photo}

The length was mainly because from age 3 all the way through senior year of high school, I was a dancer, and I needed hair long enough to be pulled into a bun for classes and performances.

Backstage before recital in 10th grade with the best part about dance class- my friend L // {personal photo}

This also meant my go-to hairstyle for much of my life has been a bun- or at least a ponytail.  Occasionally, I would wear my hair down when I was in school, but not often.

Oh, wait, that's a wig.  Rocking it out at a festival performance in 9th grade, second from the left // {personal photo}

When I was very little, my hair was very blonde.  The older I got, it darkened a little to a dirty-blonde, and now it's more brunette than blonde.  Around middle school, I really wanted to change that.  My friends were experimenting with highlights and some were even dying their hair completely different colors.  I really wanted to try red hair- I felt like it wouldn't be too drastic of a difference from my dirty blonde, so it wouldn't be a crazy change to adjust to.  Plus, I got braces in the 7th grade, and wanted to do all I could to avoid looking like a total loser, as I was trying to establish myself at a new school.  My parents partially conceded on this point and let me get contacts so I could get rid of my ever-nerdy glasses, but coloring my hair was one step too far.

My mom tried to appeal to my scientific side with a lecture, backed up by a nodding hairstylist, on how my body chemistry was ever-changing at the tender age of 12, and any weird chemicals I added to my hair then might do permanent damage later on.  I bought the "science", but I still wanted to do...something.  The stylist suggested a perm- my hair was stick straight, always had been, and it could be fun to experiment with the opposite end of the spectrum.

These curls were achieved by sponge rollers when I was flower girl in my uncle's wedding, as were many a hairstyle when I was a little girl // {personal photo}

So even though we had just entered the early 2000's, I thought that yes, it would be a good idea to get my hair permed every few months for 2 years.

You've seen this picture already.  The heat and humidity are doing weird things to what were normally tight, corkscrew curls around this age // {personal photo}

Remember that mess about chemicals and puberty and permanence?  It was totally true- though why no one considered the chemicals used in perming my hair was beyond me.  So even though it's been years since I've gotten a perm, my hair now has a permanent wave to it- not quite curls, just a tendency to flop around all curvy-like, instead of being stick straight.

In the hotel before a competition in high school with L and BM MrsB.  Notice the kind-of-curly-ness? // {personal photo}

Finally, in high school, I started cutting my hair shorter than my shoulders.  The first experiment was a "rockstar cut" I got the summer before 11th grade.

It's kind of hard to see, but that's the shortest I'd ever cut my hair. // {personal photo}

I could afford short hair over the summer because I knew it had time to grow before the end-of-the-year dance recital in May.  Even so, for many years, I never cut my hair above my shoulders again.  The exception was the very end of my junior year of college- I wanted the rockstar look again.

Vamping for the camera just after the haircut // {personal photo}

And then, in December of 2010, I graduated college.  I finally finished my mechanical engineering degree after 4 and a half years of hard work, lost sleep, and bad eating habits.  I had a few months before I would move to NOVA and start my brand new big-girl job.  Everything about my life was changing; I felt like a whole new person, though nobody could tell.  So I wanted to look like a whole new person.

Earlier that year, Emma Watson cut off all her hair.  Filming for Harry Potter was finally over after more than a decade, and this drastic change in her look reminded us all that she was not just Hermione, she was an actress and a model and had a whole career ahead of her.  I decided to take a page out of Miss Watson's book, even using her picture as my example for my hair stylist.

A little drunk on New Year's Eve 2010 // {personal photo}

A pixie cut- now THAT'S short.  Super short.  Really, really short.  Never have I had my hair that short before or since.  I started letting it grow out, intending to cut it short again at some point, but I never got around to it.

And then we got engaged.

Now don't get me wrong- obviously brides can have short hair.  If the look you rock every day is short- then rock it on your wedding day!  I'm a firm believer that a bride shouldn't be "in costume" on her wedding day...she should look like herself- if perhaps a slightly-fancier version of herself. 

But short hair isn't really my all-the-time look, even though, post-graduation, it was my at-the-moment look.  When Mr. Potion and I met, I had shoulder-length hair, and he's always told me he thinks my hair is beautiful when I wear it down and long.

Also, I really want to look...feminine...on my wedding day.  As in, I want to look very much like a woman when Mr. Potion takes me as his wife.  Does that make sense?  Does it sound archaic?  I don't mean it to sound anti-feminist or whatever- obviously I'm no less of a woman when my hair is short.  But when my hair is long, I feel more feminine.  So I've always known I wanted my hair to be long on my wedding day, even if I'd be wearing it styled up.

So my hair has been growing!  But it hasn't been growing very fast.  I've been using this shampoo the past few months:

image via Garnier

Garnier Fructis Length & Strength says it's for "fragile, hard-to-grow hair" which is my hair to a T.  Only...I'm not so sure it's working.

See, it's been almost a year and a half since the pixie cut, and scissors have not touched my hair since- but it's still just barely below my shoulders.  See?

I don't think y'all realize how much I love you, Hive.  To reward you for reading this mess, here's an embarrassing picture of me // {personal photo}

Broken glasses and beanie hat aside, my hair is..not that long.  I realize it's had to grow from nothing to this, but you'd think in a year and a half it'd get a little longer.  Also, it was cut into weird layers originally- so I'd have "bangs" that angled across my forehead to almost my eyebrows with the rest shorter than an inch in length- and as such it's grown out at weird angles.

I am all about the attractive pictures today! // {personal photo}

This is pretty much the most recent photo of an accurate representation of the length/weirdness of my hair.  Also this face represents how happy I am with my hair at the moment.

So, just to recap, my hair at the moment is:

-not quite long
-thin
-stringy
-oily
-kind of straight but kind of wavy/almost curled

What in the heck am I supposed to do with this on the wedding day?  Is it long enough to support a legitimate hairstyle, or am I going to have to revert back to my trusty stand-by, the bun?

You'll have to wait and find out!

Have you ever experimented with hair cuts?  Does your hair grow quickly?  Were you adamant about having long hair for your wedding day?