Starting From The Top.

Now that I've chosen The Dress (said with little jumps, clapping my hands and squealing with glee), it's time to ACCESSORIIIIIZE (said dramatically with big eyes and jazz-hands)!

Or at least time to start THINKING about it.

Most of the Accessories won't be decided upon until The Dress has been delivered and I've tried it on again a few of times to get a feel for how I want the "whole package" to look, although I already have an idea :)

There are lots of areas to cover (literally): Shoes, lingerie, jewelery, handbag, shawl/scarf, garter...wait, does that count as lingerie?

In anticipation, I figured it would be a good idea to start from the top and work my way down so I am not overwhelmed with only a couple of months left to decide. THAT would make me every bridesmaid's/wedding planner's worst nightmare. Trust me.

NATHANIEL TYLER BARNES, TURN AWAY NOW OR ELSE!

Everyone else, please scroll down.

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Ehem.

Now. Figuring out the appropriate hair and hair accessories all depends on one's The Dress. Since I have no intention of posting a picture of my actual The Dress due to potential snooping fiancee's, I will have to paint a basic image for you:

Strapless. Sweetheart neckline. Cinched waist. Slight poof. Limited/No beading. Pockets.

You get the idea.

This decision is making me a bit nervous. It is, I feel, the Icing on the Cake. And if done incorrectly I could wind up looking like a Poom-Poom Patty, or some chavvie teenager who doesn't know class from her ass.

Below are my Top 5 hairstyles. I thought I would start from there then move onto hair piece/veils.

Any feedback you have is much appreciated.

This one I feel is very "me". The tousled, slightly messy hair down.
It would allow me to have either a veil or a pretty clip, like the one the model is wearing.
Although this one could be a bit dramatic, part of me would like something a bit more....classic.
Maybe this could this be done with a sleek, elegant head piece? Hmm....

I like this twisted ponytail look. Not sure about the poof on the top of the head, though.
I think my dress has enough poof as it is.

Very pretty. Very elegant, old Hollywood, Veronica Lake.
Again, could wear a veil or a chic, faux-flower on the one side.
Since I have a LOT of hair I'd have to trim it down a bit. But I think this could be very lovely.

This one is currently my favourite. It would show off my neck and shoulders, and give me a mature elegance that - let's face it - I just don't have in my everyday life.
This would be a bit tricky to work with a veil, so if I went this direction I'd have to figure out something just as classic and polished to add to it.

This one appears to be sort of in between the first one and the third one.
A bit less messy than the first, but a bit more tousled and relaxed than the third.
I feel like if I went with this one, I wouldn't be worried about anything coming loose throughout the night. And even like I could do it myself.
Which then makes me think that it's not that special if I'm able to recreate it on my own.

Now for veils/headpieces. There are a few different directions I could go, and again have chose my Top 5 looks:

Aside from the crystal detailing, I love this one a lot.
I like the length, and how it has some body to it, how it gathers at the top then cascades down.
It also looks like it could work with any hairstyle, whether I wear it down or tied back.

When trying on dresses, this is the length of veil the salesladies would put on me so I could see "the whole picture". And it worked. It is very classic, and would be lovely and flowy in the wind....could make for some really cute pictures :)

Now with this one, I wouldn't have the blusher in my face. I would push it back, creating sort of a halo-like effect. What I like about it is it's like a hair piece and a veil, all in one.
With the pretty flower at the back keeping it in place, I think it's a very pretty look.




Can anyone say DRAMA! I feel like this one screams it! And in the absolute BEST possible way :)
It's a veil on steroids, but has the illusion of being a big flower...I think it's VERY fun, but don't know if I would be brave enough to pull it off!

I think that I love this one the most so far. Similar to the first one, it's shorter and tapered at the back. So you get the veil effect from the top, but it doesn't overwhelm the delicateness of the exposed shoulders and neck.
It looks like something I would imagine Audrey Hepburn to wear. And what woman doesn't want to look like Audrey Hepburn?!

All of the hair pictures were taken from The Knot website (see my Serenity Now sidebar).

The gorgeous veils and headpieces are created by a Denver-based bridal milliner named Sara Gabriel. Jennifer, my amazing wedding coordinator, directed me to her site and I absolutely fell in love with everything about it. The jewelery she designs has a vintage delicateness to it; a simple elegance I think every bride would love to have on her wedding day.

That's the look I'm going for, anyway! An Audrey Hepburn, Old Hollywood, vintage glamour...

Now let's just see if I can pull it off!