Wedding Weekend

Last week, my lack of creativity in the hair department was at the top of my Imminent Things to Worry About list (witness the hysterics here).

I'm not supposed to be making these kinds of lists anymore, but rest assured there's a large section roped off in my cerebral cortex (hey, high school anatomy class!) dedicated to feeding my idiosyncrasies...whether or not they make it to paper in the end.

In therapy we talked about re-directing some of that brainpower towards having fun. Dr. Seuss says fun is good.

This weekend I had some (at Boyfriend's best friend's sister's wedding)! I tried penne alla vodka, I met enough new people to successfully mix up all their faces, I danced (insert vehement protesting here), I ate wedding cake, and I stayed up past midnight.

There was a group of adorable little boys in wrinkled tuxes, a three week old baby girl sleeping the night away, a place card with our names in a delicate calligraphy, an exquisite white gown, a tear-jerking father-daughter song, a grown-up candy bar, a generous piece of filet mignon, a mass of good-natured and tipsy guests, a bouquet of pink roses, an inspired playlist, a collection of abandoned heels by the dance floor, and a basket of mints for the taking...

Mints! (Altoids)

But I had the best time before the reception took place...surrounded by mirrors in the luxurious hotel bathroom, with traces of hot-curling-iron smell still lingering in the air and an army of bobby pins littering the floor, while Boyfriend's mom worked her magic on my hair.

I wish I could tell you what she did (in an impressive 20 minutes)...but I only know that it involved a roll in the front, a twist in the back, a hefty amount of hairspray, and so many pins that I knew I'd be in for a treasure hunt before I crawled into bed later that night. I gave her total creative license and the result was a regal-looking up-do that showcased my long gold earrings and strapless dress. Thanks again C!

Up-do for the Wedding

Wedding Woes

Here's the trouble with being the only girl: I never learned about hair.

For a very long time, I wore it slicked back in a ponytail as close to my scalp as possible. For an equally long time, my mom made me stand sideways in pictures so I wouldn't be mistaken for one of my three older brothers.

As far as I understand it now, I have four three options:
1). loose and down (read: perpetually in my face)
2). down but slightly tamed with bobby pins (never have any luck getting them to stay in...must be the thumbs)
3). semi pulled back with a clip in a halfway up/halfway down
4). all scooped up in a ponytail or a bun*

Blame It On the Thumbs

*Anyone I went to middle school or high school with knew this hairstyle as THE BUN - I went through a phase where I thought it was a great idea to use half a bottle of mousse to form a tight bun very nearly on the top of my head. I blame my tough time in high school on the fact that I had a headache 90% of the time.

Admission: I still wear THE BUN to bed sometimes (with just a quarter-sized dollop of mousse to keep the curly q's at bay)...and it hasn't frightened off Boyfriend yet! He must be a keeper.

My mom used to trim my hair for me until I turned about 8 (and actually started noticing that I had to keep my head constantly tilted a little to the left to make my hair fall evenly across my shoulders). A rotation of forgettable ladies at Supercuts used to cut it for me until I turned about 14...and started realizing that all my friends and their moms had hairstylists at salons and day spas. Now I get my hair washed, layered, and blown out by a sweet young mom at Cara & Co.

Cara & Co. Day Spa

And no matter what I do at home, it never comes out as good.

I've invested in outrageously priced hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons, and hair products. Yet even armed with all my tools, bottles, and mental notes, I just don't have the touch for manipulating my wavy (but thin) dark hair into something remotely chic. I know it can be twisted into soft banana curls with a little bit of encouragement and can be coaxed straight with a round brush because I've seen my hairdresser make it happen...But Humidity and Lack of Talent rob me of any hopes for a sleek and shiny look.

Sedu Pro Ionic Ceramic Tourmaline Flat Iron 1" Works Like A Champ

Tigi's Catwalk Curlesque Line Smells Like Apples

This is stress-inducing! because unless I rapidly develop some styling skills THE BUN might have to make a comeback for the wedding I'm attending this weekend. Poor Boyfriend. I don't think I'll be turning heads because of my yellow silk and chiffon dress, my royal purple shoes, my $5 bangles, my dangling gold earrings, or my French manicure (with purple tips instead of the classic white)...

The Icing on the Cake

While my last wish list encompassed everything from a panini maker to a pair of neon bow studs, my current wishlist is much more specific. I seem to be on quite a jewelry kick. Perhaps this is because now that I've found the dress and the shoes (see below) for the wedding coming up next week, it's time to shop for the fun stuff...namely earrings, cuffs, rings, and/or necklaces.

Zappos' Me Too Jeanette in Violet Satin

Yesterday I discovered the jewelry section of the catalog Sundance (which my mom already knew about). Maybe I should give her some more credit...She was swooning over Lululemon months before the worldwide craze over their yoga pants ever began and was gushing over Fresh's sugar lip treatment line long before it got all kinds of publicity.

Or maybe I should just admit that I never like anything new right off the bat. Change is scary. I like to tread very carefully. Unfortunately this squashes my hopes of being a real fashionista. I'm too busy resisting current trends to be bothered with searching for "the next big thing". Case in point: by the time I had wrapped my head around wearing skinny jeans, flares had come back into style.

I'm the least resistant to new jewelry trends. Jewelry doesn't care if you're up 10 pounds or down 30. Jewelry doesn't care if you're having a bad hair day. Jewelry doesn't care if you're incredibly pale. Jewelry doesn't care if you have wide feet. Jewelry doesn't care how old you are.

Check out these jewels:

 Flashy Favorites from Sundance

The Barefoot Blues

I have 22 days to find a pair of shoes (that won't leave me crippled for a week) for an evening wedding at the end of June. I've found my dress already - an ultra feminin, "frosted citrus", just-above-the-knee, silk chiffon strapless number from J.Crew - and I've started working on my tan...but I haven't yet found the accessories to make the outfit pop.

J.Crew's Silk Chiffon Arabelle Dress 

Since my dress is so simple, I have the freedom to play with elaborate jewelry and "loud" shoes. I'm leaning towards cobalt blues. Just by chance, I found a gorgeous pair of dangly earrings at a tiny boutique on the coast that could totally fit the bill - but I'd like to find a pair of dressy electric blue heels before I commit to them. Finding earrings is easy...finding shoes that fit (and in such a specific color) is not.

Reminder: I'm working with the aforementioned square toes here (see below - when we've established more of a relationship I'll post a picture of my thumbs too so you can REALLY feel good about yourselves). I hate feet - no matter how you cut it, they just aren't cute. Even normal ones. Mine are so unfortunate looking that I like to bundle them up in boots all winter and forget all about them. I confess that when I looked at this picture the first thought that popped into my head was those belong to me? Those ankles...yes they look familiar. I'll claim them. But those feet? I'm fairly certain they are a medical oddity.

Flipper Feet, Essie's 'Bermuda Shorts' Polish

I refuse to let myself buy another shoe shelf ornament to add to my collection of too-high-and-too-narrow's. That means that any normal width size 7 needs to have enough "give" built in for me to be able to walk comfortably - and that the ideal scenario would be to find a pair that comes in C or D width.

The hunt begins for that irresistible shade of statement blue:

Fancy Shoes, Cobalt Blues

(Top row, from left to right)
1. Zappos Couture's Kate Spade New York Karmen
2. Endless's Pour La Victoire Women's Erica Sandal
3. Heels.com's Blue Patent Senorita

(Bottom row, from left to right)
1. Zara's Fabric Wedge Heel Shoe with Bow
2. Nordstrom's Ivanka Trump 'Dermani' Sandal
3. Zappos' Me Too Jeanette Royal Blue Satin

And if I were to give up on the whole cobalt blue theme, here are a couple of other pairs (that won't necessarily do) that I've fallen in love with:

Different Dazzlers

(Top row, from left to right)
1. Zappos Couture's Kate Spade New York Charm Heel
2. Bloomingdale's Badgley Mischka "Lyndee" Evening Wedge Sandals

(Bottom row, from left to right)
1. Piperlime's Badgley Mischka Randall
2. Zappos' Coloriffics Luna Blue

Since I can't go barefoot to this wedding (although maybe I should go closed toe...), I'd love to hear your opinions! Do you have a favorite out of the ones shown above? What's your go-to shoe store? Which color accessories do you think would best offset a bright yellow dress?