I've been blogged-

http://treschicbride.blogspot.com/2009/01/meet-vendors-brideface.html
Kristen Kloth has blogged me on he new "meet the vendors" feature! Go stop over and check her out. I had two weddings already this year with Tres Chic and am just now getting to know them. (Thank you facebook!)

Lauren

Once again, I am catching up on weddings from last fall; this one is another Mollie wedding and also by the wonderful Neysa Ruhl.Also on deck were Viva Bella and Iconography. Funny tidbit-The week before Lauren's wedding (and mine was the day after hers) I was doing makeup for a wedding downtown, but thought I was meeting the bride in Mt Lookout. When I realized my mistake, I flew downtown in a panic, leaving my purse on the bride's front doorstep. I did not realize it until I got to the Milennium. The hairstylist working that wedding is someone I work with regularly, Fayme Hayes. She said her sister lived right around the corner, called her, and Lauren retrieved my handbag before someone snatched it and kept it for me. So even though I have never met Lauren in person, she saved my life that brain-addled week before both of our weddings. Take it away, Mollie!

"Lauren's wedding was the stuff that magazine shoots are made of. First of all, it doesn't hurt that the bride is a designer herself. The color scheme was black, red, and creamy white. I could not wait to work with this bridal party!!! It was stunning. Lauren wanted that pin-up look with bold red lips and a dramatically lined eye (love it)! This look fell in line beautifully with the feel of the wedding. Lauren knew what she wanted and it came together to create a day straight out of Instyle weddings. "

http://illuminatedpictures.net/cinematic.htm

Jennifer

So I am backtracking a bit because this wedding is from early fall last year, but I recently got my hands on a few great weddings that the lovely and talented Mollie Elliott did for brideface. Jennifer was a lot of fun; I got to know her a bit because I did her engagement pictures makeup, but Mol got the real show. I will let her take over!

The Purpora wedding was by far one of the most memorable weddings of the late summer. Jen's style was so classic with a twist. She, her bridesmaids, and mother--the inimitable Sultana--were so much fun to work with. I gave Jennifer and her party a very sophisticated, classic look, keeping with style of this fabulous wedding.

Photography by Neysa Ruhl!

Lindsay

April of Bluebird, you amaze me!

If you are wondering what it is I am doing above, I am trying to match a lipstick to Lindsay's gorgeous flowers! I look soo serious. The wonderful Julie Schmidt was the Uber Organized Coordinator (she even herded me to the house wghen I got a wee bit lost!)

Also rounding out the "dream team" was Matt Pine.

I met Lindsay over a year ago and she has a deliciously wicked sense of humor and some fierce taste. (How about that black crinoline!!!!?) I absolutely adore that lip with her porcelain skin. (Yay; my brides are choosing color on their lips!) You just can't have a wimpy shade on your lips with a birdcage veil; it's all or nothing!

Now which one of those closeups should be my next ad???

Guest blog/Alison Wenstrup of Aviva Events

I am not a wedding planner, nor do I play one on TV. Yet I always get brides asking me for timeline adviace. I asked the lovely and talented Alison of Aviva Events to enlighten us today on her expertise.

The craziest part of your wedding day is the time building up to your ceremony. Without a well-organized timeline, it is easy for things to get a bit chaotic and stressful, which is definitely not how you want to feel when you are about to walk down the aisle! Here are a few things to take into consideration when setting your timeline for the day.
1. Pad everything that happens pre-ceremony by 15 minutes. You'd rather be early and a little bored with time to kill than running late and stressed out of your mind. I include a newspaper and a few magazines along with light snacks for my clients in their pre-ceremony rooms just for this purpose.
2. Time-padding also applies to the driving times that either you are used to or that Google Maps tells you -- you never know what will be going on traffic or weather-wise, so don't count on your usual commute.
3. Talk to your vendors. Find out what sort of timing they need to do their jobs best. For example, your photographer may need between 1 and 2 hours of time pre-ceremony for photos, and hair and make-up artist will need varying amounts of time depending upon how complex your style is. (Typically 30 minutes to an hour per person). Never guess what amount of time they will need; always ask!
4. Always allow more time for yourself. Make sure to schedule some time to just RELAX as you get ready. Rushing from one thing to the next is no way to enjoy your wedding day. Make sure to give yourself extra time for hair and makeup as you'll want to make sure you have the time to get everything just how you like.
5. Simplify! Pick a pre-ceremony "getting ready" spot and STAY there throughout the day until it is time to leave for photos. This can be your home, a hotel room, or in some cases a room at your ceremony or reception venue. Have lunch delivered (or ask a family member to pick it up for you), and have your hair and make-up artists come to you. You never know who will be running late at a salon or restaurant, and keeping everything and everyone in one spot will allow you to better control your time and feel more relaxed. Many hair stylists will do "house calls" for their regular clients (just ask). And of course Brideface is available wherever you need them to be!
6. E-mail a copy of your timeline to each member of your bridal party and each vendor involved, so that everyone can work off of the same schedule.
So in short - allow slightly more time than necessary for each task, have everyone come to you, and make sure everyone is working off the same page and you'll be in the perfect position to be calm, relaxed and ready-to-go on your wedding day!

Don't miss Alison at the Norwood Joseph Beth this Saturday; she will be on a panel of wedding planning experts on behalf of Cincinnati Magazine, as will our own Jenny Costello from Brideface. The wedding consultants are at 12 noon and the beauty experts are at 2pm. Hope to see you there!

Become a fan of brideface!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Covington-KY/brideface/21770525707?ref=s

Attention facebookers; we have a fanpage!

Feel free to post your wedding pics and reviews. We would love to see you there.

Brideface Open House!

I have three fabulous makeup artists working with brideface now and I want to show them off! So we decided that we would have a party at the studio to let brides sample their wares. Have you always wanted to see what you look like in false lashes? Dying to try a smoky eye? Toying with a retro look to go with that birdcage veil?Looking to pick up a few tricks or tips? Maybe you are just on the fence about whether you want to hire a pro for the Big Day. Here is your chance to play.

February 15th, from 12-4 at 714 Madison in Covington

(see http://www.the-bridal-studio.com/ for directions)

Let all of your engaged girlfriends know, and come enjoy some mimosas with us! Please RSVP to nancy@brideface.com so I know how many people to expect.

Tricia

Steph Carson provided me with these fabulous images. When I visited her new studio a couple weeks ago I spotted huge canvases of Trish in that amazing coat (drool) and that major glam shot of her looking down, and I just knew I had to share them! I love how her freckles shine through-the contrast with the highly defined eye is so fresh and modern. Trish had her seamstress make that coat because she had a slinky evening dress underneath and it was late November.

Golden Globe Trends

Well, I can't say I watched the whole show-I don't have that kind of stamina or inclination-but I did study the fashion and hair and makeup this morning. It looks like finally the bold lip is back, and the ubiquitous smoky eye is in semi-retirement. From bright, super-matte matte red on Heidi Klum to coral on January Jones, I sensed a return to the starlet glam of the forties and fifties.

Amanda Seyfried was my absoute favorite makeup of the night. She pulled off a deep lip and a very defined eye without looking overly painted. this would be a stunning look on a bride with a flair for a little more drama. The bronze shades on her eye really pop her bule eye, as does the rasperry toned lip. It works because she has that porcelain skin; this look would look muddy against a faux tan.

The ones who stuck with the nude or champagne lip and the charcoaled eyes ended up looking a bit dated and washed out. Can we agree that this look is a little played out by now? And when I watched snippets of the show on our hi-def TV, the actresses who were hoping for a "dewy,glowy" look ended up with more of a "greasy, smeary" look. I asked my husband, "What are they serving there tonight-fried chicken?"

Liz

Firstly thank you to Pictures by Tracy for these great images; I don't get to work with you nearly enough, Tracy! Also part of the team this day was my studio "roommate" Courtenay Lambert.

Also on hand was Kristen Kloth as coordinator. This was my second wedding with Kristen, but I still haven't met her! (She's always putting out fires elsewhere while I'm beating faces, I guess.)

Though I obviously can't take credit for it, I just love her hair.

2009, bring it.

This is the time of year we brag on all our successes, right. Okay, if I must. So 2008 was brideface's best year yet and I have three freelance artists that absolutely kick butt at what they do. Mollie, Jenny, and Jasmine: you rock. We got our feature in Style Me Pretty and were chosen for their Little Black Book of preferred vendors. I was interviewed twice by Cincinnati Magazine weddings for bridal beauty articles. We recently joined Wedding Wire and already have eight five star reviews. We had a record number of weddings this year and bookings for this year are on fire. I was even able to fit in quite a bit of editorial work and an inspiring video for The American Cancer Society. We worked with some incredible vendors and laughed A LOT.

My makeup artists and I take what we do very seriously. Sure, it's a fun job, but we also realize the enormity of our responsibility on such an important day. Doing weddings for a living can be stressful because it is like having our own wedding every weekend. Worrying about traffic, or being sick, car trouble, or not having the right products, or what if the wedding party is late? I figure the day I start taking someone's wedding day casually is the day I need to hang it up.

Thanks to my fabulous brides, all the wonderful vendors I am lucky enough to see every weekend, my Bridal Studio roommates-you helped 2008 rock.