Your Wedding Advice - StrictlyWeddings.com Blog

Dallas’ Fabulous Faces

Mayra Rams-Sanabria, founder of MY FABULOUS FACES, and one of our Dallas partners, has a natural sense of style, diverse creative ability, and is a consummate professional whose attention to detail has enabled her to touch many famous faces.

She has spent more than 20 years honing the skills as a makeup artist that have brought her accolades from her peers as well as from viewers of her work in film and print, not to mention the many clients that keep her number on speed dial. She is passionate, dedicated, and hard working. It is these characteristics that have helped to earn her success and acclaim over the years.

Mayra is an admitted product junkie, is considered an industry expert, and is a knowledgeable reference source. She is happiest when working with, designing, buying, talking or writing about her passion – make-up! (more…)

Dallas’ Sonia Trevino – Hairstyles with a regal touch

We met Sonia in person on the day we produced our “Royal Wedding” bridal shoot. Sonia’s job was to create a hair style that was regal and royal enough for Kate Middleton. She did a magical job!

When we arrived, Megan our model (and also soon to be married this Spring) was already in the makeup chair, and Sonia was doing her styling with her drop dead gorgeous dos!! Sonia transformed her into a Princess. When Megan reached to adjust her veil she was wearing, Sonia was there, to place the hair back perfectly.

Sonia Trevino is a professional freelance wedding stylist based out of Dallas, Texas. She provides upscale on location hair services to clients from all over the U.S. Her years of experience in salons and relationships with vendors in the wedding industry have helped her cater to an array of different brides. She provides brides with the best possible options for their specific desired look. Her passion for hair design makes her strive to help brides explore several unique looks that best expresses the bride on their special day.

As a well-traveled woman, she takes pride in bringing different looks from various cultures into her work. As a full-service hair stylist, she aims to meet every need of each bride down to the cut, color and curl of the hair. At her consultations, digital pictures of the bride are taken to provide various looks, with and without the bride’s veil so all options are documented for the selection of the perfect look.

Sonia works very closely with the bride and her team so that every moment up to and on the special day is stress-free and memorable. Her speed, experience and love of the wedding industry are what have built her business into what it is today. Her exclusive on location hair services come highly recommended with impressive printed and published work.

Top 5 Beauty Tips for the New Year

We all love tips to keep ourselves looking fresh and pretty. We recently attended a luncheon where the speaker presented several “Top 5″ beauty tips. Might be something for you to consider for your New Year.

Top 5 Beauty Products that make it look like you spent time on your make-up even when you haven’t:

• Concealer
• Lip gloss
• Powder
• Mascara
• Eyebrow Color

Top five products to have in your beauty wardrobe:

• Sunscreen
• Make-up removers
• Cleanser
• Moisturizer
• Eye cream

And this one, was just too funny (only because I only had three of them). They’re the Top 10 items everyone should have in their wardrobe. How many do you have in your closet/wardrobe? We’d love to know.

• LBD – The little black dress
• Black pants
• White blouse
• Shoes – 2 pumps (Black and Nude) and black boots
• Blazer or Leather jacket
• Denim Jeans, the darker the better
• Fitted Coat – Black
• Cashmere sweater – Black or cream
• Classic handbag – black
• Pearls

Source: BeautyBuzzBook.com

Royal Wedding – StrictlyWeddings.com Style

As Americans, we are as enthralled with the romance of a Royal Wedding as those in England. So, we reached out to our very talented group of Dallas partners to create their vision of a Royal Wedding. Orchestrated by wedding planner, Jordan Payne, with the magic of Thisbe Grace’s photography, the inspiration board below showcases their idea of a royal wedding set amidst the elegance of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. Wedding gown and accessories are from Warren Barron Bridal. Jewelry from deBoulle. Makeup by Mayra Rams-Sanabria of My Fabulous Faces and hair by Sonia Trevino. Such beauty and grace. Thank you to all who donated their time and talents for this incredible shoot.

Come back on Wednesday for Part 2 of our Royal Wedding shoot!

Photography – Thisbe Grace Photography
Flowers & Planning – Jordan Payne
Location – Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek
Jewelry – deBoulle
Bridal Gowns – Warren Barron Bridal
Hair – Sonia Trevino
Make up – Myra Rams-Sanabria/My Fabulous Faces
Model – Megahn Moll

5 Worst Skincare Mistakes

Our StrictlyWeddings.com beauty expert, Renee Rouleau shared this video on taking care of your skin. Words of wisdom this Monday.

Wedding Makeup – Dramatic, Hollywood Eyes

Looking for a sexier look with your make-up? Think about enhancing your eyes with the “cat-eye” makeup style used by several Hollywood stars.

Cat-eye makeup is when the lined upper lashes finished with a subtle “wing.” First used in ancient Egypt, our most famous being the fashionable Cleopatra, today you’ll find the style used by Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie, and Kim Kardashian.

Cat-eyes have remained in vogue because the technique elongates round eyes and is a makeup artist trick for helping larger eyes to appear smaller. It offers a unique twist on everyday makeup and makes the eyes appear smokier and sexier.

Are you game to try it yourself? Here’s how to get the look yourself (or call one of our many StrictlyWeddings.com Beauty partners!):

You will need: Black liquid eyeliner or a freshly sharpened black eyeliner or kohl pencil.

• Step 1: Begin by placing the index finger of your non dominant hand a few centimeters from the outside crease of your eyelid.
• Step 2: Gently pull the eyelid up into a slight slant.
• Step 3: Use the applicator that comes with the liquid eyeliner or the eye pencil if that feels more stable. You can also look for alternate brushes to work with your liquid liner.
• Step 4: Starting at the crease, draw a thin line with the eyeliner until it meets your finger.
• Step 5: Close your eye and blend the line onto the top of your eyelid where the skin meets the eyelashes. If you desire a thicker line, place the pencil just under the outside crease of your eye, and blend it back up into the line.

To finish off the look, apply eyeliner to your lower eyelid behind the lashes. This look works well alone or in addition to light eyeshadow and a coat of mascara. Although this is a fairly neutral eye, remember that less is more with this particular look.

Wedding Trends – CandyBand Headbands

Our team is making headway in getting our New York StrictlyWeddings.com partners. So as we research and find out all the fabulous wedding resources that New York has to offer, we’ll offer you a sneak peak of some of our finds such as CandyBand Accessories. Founder Adina Bistritzky’s creations are simple and so lovely. Perfect for the bride looking for an elegant touch without the fuss.

CandyBand Accessories offers a full line of beautifully handmade headbands, hair clips, hats and belts, designed to satisfy every taste and style. Always drawn to fashion and elegance, Adina, CandyBand’s lead designer and creative director, began designing headbands in 2005. With a fresh take on color and style, and always wearability, her pieces became an overnight sensation. Her line quickly evolved to include hats, belts and jewelry. Bergdorf Goodman carries Adina’s full line as well as many boutiques all over the world. A nice touch that  makes us smile …10% of CandyBand profits are given back to the community and charitable causes!

Spring/Summer Wedding Hairstyles Trends

Sometimes we find resources for our brides from other wedding experts. Today’s post is from “Marlo Does Hair.” Good ideas are good ideas no matter who brings them to the table.

Trend #1 – Textured Chignon

Textured Chignon (Taylor Swift)
One of the biggest trends of the Spring/Summer season is textured tresses. This huge movement has made its way into wedding trends as well. I think this look has a natural grace that can be easily tweaked for any bride’s style. Not sure about many of you, but I’m over way too fussy and put together wedding hair. Put the hairspray down, let’s go a bit more natural this season.

Trend #2 – Ballerina Buns

Messy Ballerina Bun
As with chignons, a ballerina bun is classic and very versatile. This season, I’m really loving the buns that have a lot of texture and movement to them but still look chic. Placement of the bun make this look extremely versatile and complimentary to many different face shapes and dress necklines.

Sophisticated Ballerina Bun

Trend #3 – Voluminous Beach Waves

Perfect beach waves
Many times hairstyles that are all down tend to be pretty simplistic. One reason why I like this look is the beach waves/curls look much more natural than a whole head of itty bitty spiral curled hair. With the added volume in the crown, it looks modern and breezy. This beach-inspired look can easily become a beautiful half-up hairstyle for a little more structured of a look. Also, once half up the style really lends itself well for a fantastic hair accessory.

Hair Accessory Trends – Flowers, Headbands, Veils

The images below are from Jade Rose Designs. Visit the website to get a full array of all the different hair accessories that you can use.

Wedding Makeup: How To Find Your Personal Style

As a professional makeup artist, I find most brides want to hire a professional on their wedding day to help them look as beautiful as the day! We’ll give the bride  makeup that will last and look great for all the formal (and informal) photos.

Helpful Tips:

• If you wear strong lips, don’t wear too much cheek color
• If you wear a lot of color on the eyes then keep the lip color soft.

When it comes to color for the eyes think contrasting complimentary colors.

• If your eyes are hazel or green, shades of purple will make them pop.
• If they are blue you might actually try a soft lavender or even a deep blue liner set with a blue shadow.
• If you have dark brown eyes go then you can go with what moves you and flatters your skin tone.
• If the natural look is more you, try browns, taupes, gray tones and shades of ivory, beige and peach on the eyes as seen on the models for Chanel’s 2010 spring collection. Even a soft brick or burgundy can look like a neutral if well blended and complimentary to the eye color.
• For lip color a good rule of thumb is if you have a pale or fair complexion stick with lighter pink or peach tones for lips and if your skin has more pigment you can use bolder, warmer tones.

I only recommend very strong lip colors for the wedding day if that is YOU. Otherwise, think first kiss, eating cake, champagne toasts; softer lip color will be less maintenance, plus the nude lip is still fashionable.

Of course, if you don’t want to worry about colors and fuss and what will work best, then hire a professional makeup artist who will take the worry away!

Source: Penny Sadler Makeup Studio

Photos: Chanel 2010 Spring Collection

Wedding Color Inspiration: Pink and Gold

Hello readers, this is Jacqueline Weppner from Merci New York, a styling service for the busy city bride. I’m delighted to be back on StrictlyWeddings.com, discussing the hottest trends in wedding style and fashion.

Today we’re talking pink. And not just the ho-hum girly variety, but the overwhelming resurgence of lush blush pink with hints of metallic. It’s certainly become one of the most popular wedding day palettes for the fashionista bride; and if executed correctly, it can remain one of the freshest as well.

With a decided nod to the nostalgia of the 1940s and 1950s, a blush and gold palette suggests the sass and glamour of old Hollywood, yet it remains firmly nestled in a playful femininity suitable for any wedding day style. It lends itself to soft décor and tiny retro touches (think hints of tulle and a darling birdcage veil, as seen in my inspiration board above)… and it will always encourage a soft, polished calm.

Need more inspiration? Here are some tips and tricks to create a blush and gold look that is elegant without being stuffy:

• Pretty paper: Get thee to Ceci. The luxe bespoke stationer Ceci New York has NYC and all the country swarming for her gorgeous creations. And if custom designs are not in your budget, her ready-to-buy line sports a handful of pink and gold options that are equally divine, such as the Versaille and Antoinette suites.
• Inspiring cakes: Call up our favorite Manhattan confectionary master, the lovely Ruth Drennan, for a custom-made cake. Ruth’s designs are absolutely ethereal and wonderfully inspired, it’s no wonder they’ve found themselves on the pages of countless wedding magazines.
• Blushing beauty: Be sure to provide your stylist with a compact of NARS blush in Orgasm for the big day (considering she doesn’t already have it on hand, of course)! As you may know, this shade has won countless beauty awards for being the best blush on the market. Suitable for literally all complexions, it gives a pretty, yet subtle flush to your cheeks and lasts long into the night.
• Luscious gowns: Hands down, the most confectionery crème-de-la-crème of the blush-gown set hail from Vera Wang’s Spring 2010 collection.  Truly, you’ll look no further.
• Retro Accessories: In this department, famed milliner Philip Treacy is your go-to guy. I adore his sculptural bow headpiece. This exquisite finishing touch is a striking alternative to a traditional veil on your big day. How decidedly retro would it be in your get-away photos?

Inspiration board photo credits: From top: Meringue cake, Jean Tsai {pointe shoes, portrait}, Sarah Maingot {tulle, teapot, mirror images}, Anna Williams {cupcake papers}, favors, candles.