Southern Weddings

You’ve (sort-of) seen the dress; now it’s time for everything else!  Read along as we take you through Katharine’s classically beautiful hair, makeup, and accessory choices.

From Katharine: Of all the decisions I’ve had to make during our engagement, “the look” was one of the hardest, for two reasons.  Problem 1: I have short(er), fine hair, and don’t usually wear it up – except when I’m in a rush in the morning, and don’t have time to make myself pretty for Emily + Lara.  My hair doesn’t hold much curl, isn’t long and thick like some of you lucky brides, and tends to look even thinner when pulled back.  Problem 2: The asymmetric neckline of my dress seemed to demand a simple up-do.

So there I was, a few months before the big day, struggling to figure out what, exactly, I was going to do with my lackluster hair.  Cue the sad, hopeless music. While I wasn’t sure how it was going to happen, I knew I wanted a simple, classic style that 1.) didn’t look too “bridal,” 2.) didn’t call attention to my hair woes and 3.) would stay in place for as much of the day as possible.

Another problem?  Even after four years of college up North, I didn’t have a go-to stylist ready to work their magic on me.  And trust me: magic will have to happen to get me wedding-ready.

From Emily: Oh please.  Miss Katharine is making this situation sound much worse than it is.  Y’all have seen her — she’s gorgeous!  The fact that Katharine didn’t have a go-to special occasion hair stylist in Boston left the field wide open for us to bring in an expert from afar.  Knowing that, we both came to the same conclusion almost immediately: Scoobie.  Hubert “Scoobie” West was one of our very favorite vendors from last fall’s Serenbe shoot, and we both agreed that he was funny, soft-spoken, easy-going, and easy to get along with — just the sort of person you’d want around on your wedding day.  Add to that his impeccable hair and makeup styling abilities, and we had a winner worth flying up the East Coast for Katharine’s wedding weekend.

From Katharine: Even hair geniuses require some direction, so here are the images I sent Scoobie.  What do you think?  Any style tips you lovely ladies can share with me to transform flat hair into wedding day fab?

Image credits, clockwise from top left: Zimbio, unknown, The Knot, The Knot, Project Wedding, Project Wedding, Ann Hamilton via The Bride’s Cafe, Project Wedding, personal photo

From Emily: With hair and makeup in capable hands, it was on to accessories.  The Elke in black by Nina was a (fairly) easy choice for Katharine, and knowing her affinity for sparkly things, not a surprising one.

While Katharine will be rocking the black heels above, each lady will be wearing the shoes of her choice.  (I’ve picked gold!)  Since we’re donning long dresses, they’ll only be peeking out from under the hem, if visible at all.  I’m thinking our selections might look something like this:

From left to right: Whitebox Weddings, Meg Perotti, Jose Villa

My pre-wedding present to Katharine was the Davie & Chiyo All About a Bow clutch in snow.  She’d been pining for it ever since we featured it in the last issue’s Fab Finds section, but never pulled the trigger.  Happy wedding day, Katharine!

For jewelry, she’ll be wearing a double-stranded pearl bracelet, her engagement ring, and her signent ring with her given initials (she’s not changing her name!) — no necklace, so as not to compete with the neckline of her dress.  Here’s where we need your help: Katharine would love to wear earrings, but due to an unfortunate sister-related accident when she was younger, she can’t wear pierced earrings anymore.  (Thanks, Bissy!)  Do any of y’all have a great source for beautiful clip ons?  We’re thinking small drops or pretty studs, preferably featuring pearls.

From Katharine: Seriously, friends: help a fellow bride-to-be out!  Something I’m 100% set on, though?  My gorgeous, ultra-romantic veil from Chaviano Couture!  The one and only veil I tried on was a lovely lace-lined veil from Homa.  Randy Fenoli hand-selected the veil for my dress, and while I didn’t think I’d ever pair a vintage-inspired accessory with my crisp, ultra-simple gown, I ended up loving the bit of extra flair the veil gave my gown.

I loved the veil Randy selected – but not it’s price tag, sadly.  Luckily, I knew a lovely lady who could custom make just about anything.  Way back in January, Annette Thurmon, the owner and lead designer of Chaviano Couture, and I started sketching out my dream veil.  Here was some of our inspiration:

Image credits, clockwise from top left: personal photo, unknown, Snap! Photography, and A Bryan Photo

We’re still hammering out the final specs as we round the corner into the one-month countdown, but here’s what we’re thinking: a 9 or 10′ cathedral-length veil, edged in a vintage, one-of-a-kind French lace.  We’ll have a thicker lace border along the bottom, and thinner, more whimsical pieces decorating the sides.  So as not to detract from the simplicity of the gown or the way-fun asymmetric neckline, we’ll be stopping the lace around my knees.  As Annette aptly put it, the veil will make a statement when I walk in the church, but can be bustled for a more fun and flirty look during the reception.  Victory!  Annette is actually cutting the lace for my veil from an older wedding dress — cool, huh?  Here’s our source material:

Take a peek at Annette’s design center here.  I can’t recommend the endlessly patient and stunningly beautiful Ms. Thurmon enough!  Of course, we’ll be sure to share pictures of her completed masterpiece as soon as we have them.

Weigh-in: How did you wear your hair for the big day?  Any super-secret styling tips brides with fine, shorter hair can share with our Katharine?

Up next? Ceremony talk!  Ceremonies are something Katharine feels very strongly about (shocker, right?), and she’s excited to discuss with y’all.

Previously:

Intros + Inspiration Boards // The Bridesmaid Dress // The Photographer // The Wedding Website // SW Goes to Kleinfeld // The Paper // The Flowers // The Cake // The Groom’s Look

Neither Scoobie West nor Annette Thurmon is an SW advertiser and no free services are being received. Katharine’s planning posts are written to share her experiences and personal recommendations, not as advertisement for vendors.  We don’t even tell the vendor that the post is being written.  We just love em : )