Vintage glam mixed with modern elements…sign us up! Haya and Lou chose a beautiful wedding venue that boasts both historic charm and contemporary elements. Haya’s wedding aesthetic would be “airy, romantic and simple” with a focus on floral design. Lush florals would adorn her venue “bringing the outdoors inside.”

 

Haya’s trial experience was a bit different than others because she decided to change her hair the day of her wedding! And guess what? This is totally OK! It is important to go with a look that makes you feel the most beautiful. Haya’s questionnaire revealed that she envisioned her hair up.

“My dress is tulle, flowing and has lace accents. Would love to play around with various styles for hair to see what looks better with my long hair and dress.”

And that’s just what we did!

Check out her vision board below:

We decided on a soft, romantic updo and a makeup look that would put extra focus on her gorgeous eyes. Haya has striking features and this was a great way of showing off her beauty as well as her gown.

“The trial was a great experience for me to start figuring out what I liked and didn’t like. It was great to work with Lady Luxe- I felt comfortable and confident. They listened which was very important to me. The look I wanted was simple, romantic and natural. I was torn with wearing my hair up or down. During the trial we had an updo with curls which was gorgeous but the day of I felt a mix of the updo and down was best. I loved my hair and I felt beautiful in it. My makeup looked effortless and light”

On Haya’s wedding day we kept her planned makeup and opted for a half-up hairstyle. This is a great choice for those who feel most comfortable with their hair down but want it partially swept back. This ultimately proved to be a great decision! Haya not only felt her most beautiful but her cascading hair truly made her own special look. We loved working with her and are so glad she trusted us every step of the way—even if it meant a game-time decision!

It is very important to us to always make sure that the bridesmaids are in synch with the bride and her wedding theme. Each girl sported a whimsical look that was most suitable to her features and style of dress. We keep the looks in synch throughout by sticking to similar makeup tones and curl texture for each member of the bridal party. 

All in all, this beautiful bride pulled off a beautiful vision and we are so honored to have been a part of her special day. We wish you an eternity of happiness Haya and Lou!

“My wedding day experience with Lady Luxe was perfect. They were accommodating, on time prepared, and super fun. The whole time myself and bridesmaids were getting ready there was a lot of laughter and fun conversations. We had the music blasting and Lady Luxe touched us all up before we had to go. Couldn’t have asked for a better team.”

Vendor Credits:

Venue & Catering: Alden Castle: A Longwood Venue

Floral Design: Carrie Chang

Photography: Katie Noble

Videography: Shutter and Sound Films

DJ & Lighting: Beat Train Productions

Photo Booth: New England Photo Booth

Dress: Precious Memories Bridal

Dress Designer: Sottero and Midgley

Shoes: Badgley Mishcka

Kelly’s wedding theme was one for the books! Relationships. Every detail revolved around relationships that were important to each of them. Their wedding day honored past loved ones, experiences they shared together, family traditions, as well as their fur baby, Luna. Even their wedding colors stemmed from the love they share for red wine!

Kelly envisioned her look to be “classy, elegant and romantic, but not TOO serious.” Between her gorgeous mansion venue and her elegant lace gown, we knew we needed a look for Kelly that was classic, but still young and fresh. 

“I will be the first one to tell you that I don’t really know anything about hair or makeup. When I was filling out my initial questionnaire before my trial, my answer to the question ‘describe your normal beauty routine’ was something like ‘Uh, mascara and Chapstick?’ So I was nervous that no matter what my stylists did, I was going to feel like 1) they were speaking a foreign language and 2) I was drowning in makeup and looked totally fake. Neither of those things could be further from the reality, though. 

On the day of my trial here’s what went down: First, Erika greeted me at the door and brought me up to the studio space, which is clean and bright. Then we talked about my vision, details about the wedding, and reviewed some of the answers I had provided in my pre-trial questionnaire. Basically all I knew when I arrived for my trial is that I wanted a low up-do. Otherwise, I was totally open to suggestions and advice (I’m not the expert, after all). Erika showed me her vision board (see further explanation below) and pointed out one style in particular that she thought would be a good fit. She said that she had just watched a tutorial on how to do that style and thought that it would go really well with my ideal wedding aesthetic and dress. We discussed a few small details that I wanted to change from the model in the picture and then she went to work! I had long, thick hair at the time so the curling process took a while, but I never felt awkward or like the conversation was strained. Erika is definitely a natural conversationalist! She was also clearly very proud of her own work, always vocalizing when a curl fell just the right way. I loved that about her, because it made me get so excited to see the finished product.

About halfway through my hair trial, Tara, the makeup artist, arrived at the studio and started setting up. The timing was great because she was ready for me as soon as my hair was finished. We went through the same process of discussing my vision for my makeup (I had basically no idea but knew that I wanted neutral colors and not to look too “done up”). Tara very gently guided me in the right direction, steering me away from a winged eyeliner and towards softer lines. It was my first time ever having false lashes applied, and I was a little apprehensive that they were going to feel bulky or weird, but Tara talked me through the application process and was such a champ at putting them on that I felt silly for ever having worried about it.  

The big reveal once both my hair and makeup were done was amazing. I definitely felt like I still looked like myself, but 100 times better. And both Erika and Tara were so affirming and made me feel so beautiful!

The last few minutes of the trial were for taking pictures. I felt like I was probably the most awkward “model” of all time, but Erika talked me through exactly where and how she wanted me to move my head, when to look at the camera, when to look away, when to smile, etc. She captured the look from all angles, which is great for a couple of reasons: 1) it’s perfectly documented so that it can be recreated on wedding day; and 2) you have pictures to look at when you are having a bad hair day and need a pick-me-up. Erika was super-efficient, sending me the photos via email by the next day.”

Her kind words melted our hearts!! Check out Kelly’s Vision Board and Post trial photos below.

We decided that a textured French twist would be the perfect combination of classic and fun. The French twist is classic and the texture would give it a fun, relaxed feel. Her makeup also portrayed the same fresh feel. Her features were highlighted in a natural way, but enough glam to make her shine!

Kelly’s wedding morning was so much fun! We all had great conversation while listening to 90’s hits. Did I mention we were jamming to Spice Girls?! The girls were a blast and made our job very easy by being very open to hair and makeup suggestions. We made sure makeup tones and hair textures remained cohesive while highlighting each of the lady’s features.

We asked Kelly to share her experience with us and were thrilled by her reply!

“Oh my goodness, it was the best! I have been in several weddings, and heard about a million more, and Lady Luxe made mine the most seamless of them all. We had our hair and makeup done at our hotel before leaving for the venue. In addition to hair and makeup for me, both the mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom had their makeup done, and of my 6 bridesmaids, all 6 got their hair done and 3 got makeup. 

Erika and Tara were both SUPER punctual. Erika was also spot-on with estimating what time she and Tara would need to start working in order to get us done by the time the limo showed up to take us to the venue; they were doing touch-ups JUST as we got the call to come downstairs to leave. These two things combined made for the most stress-free getting ready experience we could have imagined.

They are also just cool, fun-loving girls that we enjoyed spending time with. We spent the whole morning blasting the Spice Girls and boy bands and making bad jokes, so if that’s your style, you’ve found your stylists!”

Needless to say Kelly and her wedding party were a blast and we were so thrilled to be part of a wedding in which friends and family mean so much. Kelly’s wedding was a reminder that weddings aren’t about the small details. Weddings are about the union of two people who love one another and having their closest loved ones by their side to celebrate. 

VENDOR CREDITS:

Photographer: Zev Fisher

Venue: The Mansion at Turner Hill

Caterer: Vinwood Catering

Florist: Les Fleurs

Cake: Jenny’s Wedding Cakes

Stationary: Minted

Lighting: C-Zone Entertainment

Music (DJ and live duo for ceremony): C-Zone Entertainment

Transportation: Webb Transportation

Menswear: Generation Tux

Bridesmaids’ dresses: Bill Levkoff

“The aesthetic of my wedding is natural yet romantic. We will have florals composed sage, eucalyptus and various natural greens. My bridesmaids will wear a complimentary sage green. Candles and flower petals will surround the tables.”

I absolutely love hearing each bride’s vision for their wedding! I thrive on learning all of the details in lieu of creating the perfect bridal look. I would describe this “perfect look” as one that highlights the bride’s best features while remaining true to who she is and what she envisions.

Morgan’s questionnaire:

It’s not every day I have the honor of glamming a fellow hairstylist for her wedding. No pressure, right?! Beauty professionals tend to have a clear vision and an eye for detail. Admittedly, I was a bit nervous to meet Morgan! However my fears were quickly put to rest when I met her. Morgan has such a calming presence and I immediately felt she trusted me as well as the process.

Morgan, being a hairstylist herself, had a clear vision that her hair would be down on her wedding day. This is one of my favorite details of our story together! I convinced her to do a textured upstyle that would really highlight her features, dress and wedding theme. As far as makeup, she wanted full glam with an emphasis on her eyes and skin! This process was extra fun because I had the honor of doing both hair and makeup. Check out Morgan’s vision board and final look below!

“My trial was incredible. I went into it scared of updos, and worried that I couldn’t accurately describe what I wanted. Not only did she give me the most perfect updo, but Erika knocked it out of the park, and gave me exactly what I had hoped and dreamed for!”

Morgan’s sexy, textured, tousled updo coincided perfectly with her rustic theme. We accented her eyes with deep, earthy tones and gave her the glowing, radiant skin she was after. This look gave just the right amount of boho, moody, rustic drama she was after.

“My hair and makeup were absolutely perfect. It was such a windy day, and we were taking photos outside for about an hour. My hair looked exactly how it did when Erika first did it earlier that day! My makeup stayed on all night long! I didn’t want to wash it off!”

Thank you, Morgan, for trusting me and the Lady Luxe process! It was an honor to work with you and your closest friends!

 

Vendor Credits:

Venue: Five Bridge Inn

Photographer: Hallie Jade

Planner: Soirees by Sonya

Florist Flowers & More Design Studio

Cake: Wright’s Dairy Farm

Music: Kenneth Ferreria

Dress: Spark Bridal, Eddy K

Shoes: David’s Bridal

Vision Boards are our claim to fame! Lady Luxe sets itself apart from the competition by catering and customizing your experience to you. We provide a relaxing, fun experience that allows you to feel pampered while in knowledgable hands. It can be downright intimidating scrolling through Pinterest, trying to decide which hair and makeup styles will look best on you. Wedding planning is overwhelming enough! Our goal is to take away that burden by providing you with a series of looks that will complement your wedding theme, dress, personal features and style. We don’t just pick a look and run, we come up with various options and pair them with an extensive trial consultation. This allows us to decipher the best wedding look for you!

Here is how we begin…

We ask that you create a board on Pinterest inclusive of images that showcase your wedding theme, colors, florals, etc. This board should most importantly include a headshot of yourself as well as your wedding gown. These details provide a background knowledge of your wedding goals. It is important that your hair and makeup coincide. After all, you wouldn’t want to have a sleek, top-knot chignon with smokey eyes for your beach elopment. We are invested in learning as much as we can about your wedding so that we may provide the best service possible. This leads us to our next step. Our questionnaire!

Our questionnaire has a series of questions that will help us gain knowledge of your preferences, daily routine, details, vendors and more. The more we know about you and your wedding, the better we are able to make your vision come to life! We typically ask for the questionnaire to be completed at least a week before your trial. This allows us time to do our homework and create the perfect, customized Vision Board for you.

You may be wondering where we find our inspiration and how! Like you, we also love Pinterest! We love utilizing images that we feel best represent you. In addition, we use photos of previous brides that shared a similar ‘je ne said quoi’. It is amazing how different each bride and her preferences are, so we often find ourselves creating very unique Vision Boards.

Our boards include not only hair and makeup inspiration, but also images of you, your dress, your venue, wedding colors and more. We like your Vision Board to serve as a mood board that  collaboratively showcases your vision and ours! Check out our example Vision Board Below:

Vision Boards are presented the day of your trial. We sit down and talk about each part of the vision, explaining our logic of each look. We are very thorough in our process, making sure that there isn’t a question unanswered or a style left unexplained. Together, we decide on one of the looks or combination of looks, to trial out. I would say that about 90% of our trial styles are replicated on the wedding day with the exception of about 10% who decided to switch their style the day of. This is what the trial is ALL about! Learning everything we can about you and your wedding and figuring out what you do and don’t like. We note every tweak that needs to be made as well as every product used. We guarantee that we will replicate your look to be just as beautiful, if not better the day of your wedding.

Check out a few testimonials from past brides about our vision boards.

“Vision board was super helpful! I was able to pick and choose what I liked from different photos.” – Morgan

“The vision boards helped a lot, Erika and I had similar taste in what style I’d like. I relied heavily on their expertise to help craft my wedding day look.”– Haya

“Vision boards and talking through options were helpful. I think playing around with a few different looks and options really helps you narrow down what you truly want. Erika and Tara offer advice from their years of experience to weigh out all of your options, and land on a final vision for the big day.” -Jamie

“I thought the vision boards were such a good idea. We didn’t have to utilize the one Erika made for my trial too much, because the first style that she pointed out seemed almost perfect for me. But even so, having it there in front of us provided both of us a common frame of reference to talk about what tweaks we might make to better fit my personality. Tara’s vision board helped me a ton, because as I mentioned before, I do not have a strong knowledge of makeup techniques or the vocabulary to describe them. The vision board helped me overcome that lack of knowledge because I was able to point out things in pictures that I liked, things I didn’t like, and things that I was intrigued by but wasn’t sure how they’d work for me. It was also just nice to have a visual in my mind of what direction we were headed in once we had decided on a plan.” -Kelly

I am getting married in 44 days! As a bride to be, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to plan a wedding. It’s single-handedly one of the most emotionally and mentally draining tasks I have been faced with. Balancing work, relationships, and a wedding is not easy. The amount of minutia that goes into each decision is nothing short of overwhelming.

While I am finally in the home stretch, I can’t help but wonder, “What am I forgetting to do?” I’ve compiled a list of helpful tips and suggestions to make sure you don’t miss a thing!

1. Make it legal. Yup, that’s right. As nice as it would be to stroll into your ceremony venue and simply say I do, it’s just not possible. You need the proper documentation. Often times marriage licenses are only good for a short window of time so be sure to obtain the license in the state you are getting married in an ample time frame.
2. Organize your belongings. Whether your wedding is local or destination it is smart to create a checklist ahead of time outlining everything you will need. Giving yourself a few months is ideal as you are less likely to forget anything. Before the big day, make sure everything is organized and easy to find. This will save you a lot of stress on the big day.
3. Check in with vendors. With all the back and forth you have endured during your engagement process there is bound to be some loose ends to tie up. Speak with each vendor and confirm your final payments and make sure they have everything they need.
4. Tips! You do not want to forget to tip your vendors. They too have put a lot of time and energy into your wedding and should be rewarded. Do your research and figure out the proper amount to tip each vendor.
5. Check in with your bridesmaids. Throughout this process you will have done a lot of delegating and often fail to remember the simple tasks like ensuring the bridesmaids are informed. Make sure the bridesmaids understand the timeline for the weekend as well as any additional details they may need to know.
6. Pack an emergency kit. Let’s face it. Something is bound to go array whether its big or small so be prepared. Creating a kit with items such as bobby pins, tide pen, hairspray, sewing kit, etc. will ensure you are ready to handle anything that may be thrown your way.
7. Schedule your beauty appointments. Appointments such as nails, hair, skin, etc. should all be coordinated properly. You don’t want to have a facial too close to your wedding day and you also don’t want to schedule your nail appointment too soon.
8. Welcome bags. If you are having a wedding out of town it is especially nice to treat your guests. These bags normally contain information on the area as well as treats and fun gifts. Give yourself ample time to make these bags and figure out a delivery plan.
9. Playlist for getting ready. Before you walk down the isle you are going to feel anxious and overly excited. Having good music while you’re getting ready can really set the tone. Create a fun playlist and make sure you bring your speakers.
10. Break in your shoes. If you are planning to wear heels it is smart to wear them around the house. Breaking your heels in will allow them to be more comfortable at the wedding. More dancing please!
11. Pack for your honeymoon! If you are leaving right after your wedding you will want to make sure you have everything packed for your honeymoon. It is smart to also create a list of everything you will need to ensure nothing is forgotten.

I hope you find these tips and tricks helpful in the last few weeks of your wedding planning. It is always helpful to be prepared and organized. Just remember, planning a wedding is stressful, but it will all be so worth it in the end!

The wedding invitation is the first thing your guests will receive. The invitation dictates more than you may realize. Not only does it share factual information such as when and where, but it also conveys the look and feel of the day. This is portrayed through the aesthetics of the invitation: color, fonts, style, etc. With first impressions being everything, it is important to send an invitation that truly represents your wedding. Fortunately, there are many ways of obtaining and designing wedding invitations. Perhaps you are hands-on and want to go to a store; maybe you prefer to order online and keep things easy; or perhaps you’re a DIY kind of girl and wish to print or craft from home. All of these methods have their advantages and disadvantages and I’m here to break it down for you!

In Store Invitation

Living in an internet-consumed world, we often avoid going into stores to shop. However, physically going in and choosing your invitation has its perks. An appointment is set up for you to sit down with a professional to go over styles, content, and pricing. In store you are able to go through examples and actually feel the cardstock and see the invitation in person rather than guessing from behind a computer screen. The invitation specialists will help you choose the proper wording and give you expert advice. They will provide you with a proof and ensure your invitation is perfect. While this process is often more trouble-free and aesthetically pleasing, it can be quite expensive. Invitations made this way can cost you upwards of $900 without postage. The in-store option allows your invitations to be professional seamless; however this comes at a high price.

Online Invitation

It is safe to say that wedding invitations from stores such as Paper Source are truly elegant, however, some of us do not have the time or the budget. There are many websites such as “Wedding Paper Divas” and “Minted” that allow you to peruse and personalize hundreds of different types of invitations. This method can be very beneficial for those with less time because you can easily search by style, color, etc. Lets not forget about sales! Online invitation companies often run promos, which can help seriously cut down costs. Another perk is that you can easily be linked to matching stationary that you will eventually need such as table numbers, thank you cards, etc. Bottom line, ordering online allows you to choose from home with ease. While this sounds amazing, it is important to know it comes with some disadvantages as well. Unfortunately, you will not be able to physically see or feel the invite in person, nor will you have the professional guidance that you would in-store.

Digital / Paperless Invitation

With today’s amazing technology it is no wonder we are now able to send wedding invites digitally. This is a huge cost cutter as we completely cut out then need for supplies. Companies such as “Green Envelope” and “Paperless Post” are encouraging you to save money, time, and even the environment. This method still allows you to choose a design as well as colors and wording—just without a physical copy. The advantages are that you will save a lot of time and money; however this method may still be too modern for some of our elders. Weddings are meant to bring family and friends together and, while some of us are tech savvy, others are not and we would never want an invitation to not be received.

DIY Invitation

The DIY invitation is not the most common choice, however, if done correctly, it can really portray your style and wedding theme as a couple. There are many different ways of going about a DIY invitation. You may used mixed media or even handwrite! Doing it yourself allows the invitation to be exactly as you would like it. There are, unfortunately, more disadvantages than advantages in this scenario. ‘Doing it yourself’ can be very time consuming. Whether you are printing, cutting, painting, etc., it all takes a great deal of time and effort. You are also more likely to leave room for error. As much as we like to give ourselves credit, we are not robots, and this can result in costly slip-ups. Fortunately, there is another way of “DIY” that prevents many errors and saves a lot of time. Printing from home! Craft and paper stores often times sell blank invitations. What is neat about these is that you bring them home, log onto a website, choose a template and wording, and print! This spares you the expensive printing costs and saves the time of getting super crafty. The downfall to this method is the lack of expert advice, but fortunately it has more pros than cons.

There are MANY different avenues that you can choose from when preparing wedding invitations. The beauty is that certain routes are more advantageous to some than others. Determine a vision, set a budget, and establish a timeline. Once you have that completed, you will know which invitation method best suits you.