You could pin this, if you'd like.
Are you sick yet of hearing about our wedding?
I'm sorry, if so. I'm getting back on a good cooking sched for us, promise.
But for today, let's talk wedding hair! I did it by myself.
Now, by did it myself I meant that I practiced it once at home and it was great, then on my wedding day I got shaky and weird and then I had 3 different people help me with my hair. And then approximately 3 more people doused me with hairspray because it was POURING rain while we were getting ready so....better safe than sorry?
Anyway. We don't have pictures of all the hair steps, but it was actually pretty easy, and you could totes recreate it yourself for a fancy occasion, or just some of the parts!
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You can email this post to yourself (or anyone else!), so you can come back to it later!
Here's how it went. We started with day-old hair. At the rehearsal dinner I had my hair blown out and curled with a big curling iron. Then, on the morning of the wedding I sprayed my roots with this dry shampoo, which is cheap and wonderful, and started getting ready! I'm a big Dove fan. It smells good and I like that.
Here's what happened next:
- I pulled out bangs for a side-parted swoop and let them hang out while I did the rest of the 'do - the front part gets pinned last.
- Then, my sister made a big bump with teasing and hairspray right at my crown. Make the bump way bigger than you think you'll want it - mine fell a lot throughout the day! Pin the bump with several bobby pins.
- Then, there's lots of hair hanging down, which we want to make into a bun. Pull out two or three pieces to save for braids - ½ inch each. I did two braids on one side and one on the other for a non-symmetrical look.
- With the rest of the hair, make a bun! I used a hairpiece that you pull a ponytail through, then wind it around itself - a big ballerina bun or a sock bun would work great here too. Pin the bun with tons of pins too, smoothing as you go.
- Now, the braids! My OTHER sister did the braids while I shook and drank wine. It was glamorous. Braid loosely near the head so you don't get any bumps later, then let the braids get a bit tighter halfway down. Without using any hair ties, pull the braids around to the back of the head and pin around the bun anyway you like! I like the haphazard look. The way we worked was just to pull the braids back and around until we found a good place to pin them under the bun. Here's what most of the DONE hair looks like with random sections left out for braids:
- Now, for the front! I used a 1-inch curling iron like a roller - roll the whole section up and under to smooth it out. We aren't looking for actual curls here, just a little bit of body and overall smoothing. Gently coax the front part of the hair into a swoop over your forehead, and pin right behind your ear.
- Now. Spray. Pin more. Spray more. We used hairspray on fingertips to smooth out the bun, and voila! Hair.
I did my own hair for a few reasons - my sisters and I are pretty good at it, it's hugely expensive to have someone else do it, and I usually HATE the way my hair turns out when I have it done by others so....it seemed like a no-brainer, and I was totally happy with how it turned out! This is me slightly calmer because the idea I had in my brain for my hair actually came out of my brain onto my head. Phew.
This is my hair and my dad. It was his birthday yesterday!
In planning this whole thing, I looked at tons of pinterest and DIY and other online tutorials. BUT, instead of copying one thing, I used the research as a way to learn more about doing hair in general. That way, I could use what I learned for what I actually know about MY hair, and I wouldn't be disappointed when my hair didn't look exactly like something I was trying to copy.
Components of the hairstyle that I loved? All of them...but I REALLY think a slight poof at the crown and sideswept bangs look great in pictures AND pretty in real life - even if you left the rest of the hair down and curly!
Hair is fun. What's another style I should learn to do on my own slash with a gazillion helpers?
Try the Gibson tuck, it's a stylish alternate to a ponytail and makes for a fast and cute updo. All you need is a ponytail holder and some bobby pins. I can't seem to do anything with my hair, but I could handle this style. Your hair looked amazing by the way!
Trying tomorrow! This is awesome. I wear my hair up 9/10 days, no exaggeration. Hurray!