Saturday, July 26, 2008

for lack of a better post, hair

I was planning on doing a bridesmaid related post but I think that will take a long time, so I'm going to just do a post about hair for a second and then maybe get to the other later...the anticipation is killing you, I'm sure.
The hair style issue seemed a lot more pressing when I thought my first dress fitting was looming, but since recent estimates place the arrival of my dress at the END OF AUGUST (yes, this is upsetting to me. Yes, it is giving me an ulcer) I have a little more time to consider and get feedback and change my mind a million times.

I am not good at doing my own hair. I almost always have it tucked into a pulled up ponytail or twisted back into a forest of clips. If it's down it's usually in my way and I probably need a haircut. But I am pretty good at doing other people's hair out of necessity for my frequent wardrobe/costuming duties. On any other head I can find the proper placement of hot curlers and bobby pins to recreate period hairstyles and gravity defying spikes. So I'm pretty confident in my decision to not hire a hairstylist for my wedding. I am planning on doing my own hair, or at least directing my very talented sister and cousin on how I would like my hair to work.

So I've been considering my options. When we found my dress I had my hair in a big clip (Shannon Hair Staple #3) and we played with it up and down and half up and down. My mom is encouraging me to wear it down since my hair can be one of my best features, but I can't help but think of all the times I've tried to do my hair all pretty and then I ended up sticking my carefully dried and curled experiment into a clip and saying "fuck it." But for the wedding, I'm open to possibilities.

All I know is that I want curls...not for the romance, but for the volume. Here's a little costumer wisdom: if you want a hair style to stay, put the hair in hot curlers first. Or curl it with an iron and a lot of product. Bobby pins love to grab curls, and they make buns and chignons full and resilient. Also, if any little tendrils fall out they look romantic and intentional and not like big ol' mess.

Since I'll be having two dress fittings IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, GRRRRRR I'm planning on doing my hair for both so I'll know exactly what it'll look like with The Dress. Then we'll probably do my hair every night of wedding week as practice.

Here are some examples from my inspiration bookmarks.

Wearing it down:
I'm not a big fan of the "curly hair and straight bangs" look because I worry that it'll date pictures, but this is a nice compromise. It looks very natural.
I really like the top two, especially the red, but I'm too lazy to separate the original image. Meh.
The ginger bridesmaid has gorgeous hair from the back, which I would like since, you know, that's what people will be looking at for a good half an hour of ceremony.
I looooove this one, and there really isn't any "style" to it. Just good curls pulled up with a pretty sweep and volume on top. I could do this. This would be very pretty on me, I think.

The Updo:

Anyone who reads this and actually sees me on a daily basis will probably laugh because these are for the most part just curly versions of how I wear my hair everyday. But I kind of like that idea. I know these styles look good on me, I'm capable of doing them, and well, I may be dressed up all fancy but I'm still me.
Oh, I love this one from Brides magazine. Pretty much this whole picture, the makeup, the earrings, the tendrils...I'm on board.

Sigh. This Jessica Alba hairstyle is so cute and pretty and very very "me," but it is very messy and...um...it looks exactly like my hair does as I post this, and my mother would probably kill me if I looked like I just woke up at my wedding.
But if this is how my hair looks after a lot of pictures and dancing I will be very, very happy.

Another option I only recently started to favor was the asymmetrical "side do." It would get the hair out of my face while still showing off the reds in pictures. My only issue would be that the hair piece is also asymmetrical. Would I have the branch swoop over the side with the bun, or the side without? Will this make me look off centered or dated? I dunno, but it's pretty.

The Side Do:

So what do you think? Which do you like best? Any suggestions?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

For you, I really like the loosey-goosey, half-up/half-down curly dos. I also love the redhead one that is a curly version of what you always wear, but it might not look formal enough. The asymmetrical look might be a big much with a head-piece. A little too stylized.

Also, you know how I feel about straight bangs, curly hair. I'll drop out of your wedding, so help me, I will.

That's all. I don't want to interrupt Mad Men, so I typed it.

geejaxies said...

Aww, thanks for respecting the Mad Men!

I personally think hair down would compliment both the dress and the ceremony venue. The updo would have been nice with a short dress, definitely, but we're getting married in (modest) majesty. You could always transition into a hasty updo at the reception when the dancing gets hot and heavy, or even between ceremony and reception.

Also, the for the ladies are meant to be on sticks, right? I'll be knocking those out this month, I think. Once those are done all of the clothes will be done.

geejaxies said...

Let me translate that last bit from 4 AM speak. The masks for the ladies are meant to be on sticks, right?

Anonymous said...

I like the Indian lady's hair. fin.