Luscious Locks: How to Prepare your Hair for your Wedding Day

Eva Mendes Hair

Happy New Hair!

My first post of the year is for all the brides-to-be who are getting married in 2014, it’s going to be a great year! And I’m not just saying that because I get married this year, well…maybe I am 😉

There’s less than 7 months to go before I walk down the aisle, so I’ve started thinking about what I need to do to get myself looking and feeling great for the big day, and let’s be honest, no bride wants to wake up to a bad hair day on the morning of their wedding…To ensure that doesn’t happen, follow these 6 simple Dos & Don’ts, as recommended by Teresa Boland, my amazing bridesmaid-to-be and hairdresser extraordinaire, and before you know it, you’ll be tossing your luscious locks around like Eva Mendes in a Pantene Ad!

Wedding Hair Dos & Don’ts…

1. DON’T colour on top of colour! When getting your hair coloured only have your roots re-touched. Colouring on top of colour will seriously dry out your hair.

2. DON’T Shampoo & Condition everyday –  washing your hair everyday will strip it of its natural oils (which help to condition and grow the hair). Try leaving it a few days between washes, even if you just wet your hair as though you were going to shampoo it BUT DON’T! It’s a hard habit to break, but the easiest way to get around this is to tie it back on the second day. The longer you can leave it the better.

3. DON’T condition your hair every time you wash it – unless it really needs it.  When you do shampoo your hair, try shampooing it a second time, comb through and rinse. This will stop the hair getting greasy as quick, and hopefully, you won’t need to shampoo it as often.

4. DO let your hair dry naturally, as and when you can – heat damages the hair so avoid the use of straighteners/tongs etc every day. The less you use them the better.

5. DO apply product to your hair before using any heat – before drying use a light heat protector or smoothing balm and  before straightening/tonging always use a serum…This is most important!!! Straighteners get so hot and can ruin your hair if isn’t protected.

6. DO apply a weekly treatment to your hair, such as Macadamia Deep Repair Masque – but only if it needs it i.e. if the hair feels dry or dull.

Using good quality hair products really does make all the difference, I recommend the Macadamia Natural Oil range. Start off with the Deep Repair Masque and then replace one product at a time (when you run out), so you don’t have the expense of buying all the products at once.

Until next time,
keep calm and marry on!
Jacqui
X

macadamiaoil

Trend Alert! Chalkboard Weddings

Chalkboards are looking to be the hottest new wedding trend for 2013/14. Simple yet versatile, the once neglected chalkboard is back and popping up in weddings left, right and centre…From handwritten signs welcoming guests, to carefully crafted calligraphy on a seating plan!

I’ve recently had a growing number of requests from brides asking if I can design some chalkboard-style invitations to complement their theme, so I decided to create a full, customisable chalkboard stationary set. View the full range or get your FREE quote from my Wedding Invitation Website.

Chalkboard Invitations & RSVP Cards

Eat Drink Marry Invitation

Mr and Mrs Chalkboard Invitation

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Chalkboard Table Numbers

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Chalkboard Wedding Signs/Prints

Chalkboard Instagram Sign Chalkboard Sign

All of the artwork is designed in-house by me and I love taking custom orders and unusual requests so feel free to contact me with your ideas, custom orders or for design advice.

Keep calm and marry on!
Jacqui
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A modern take on the classic red, white & black wedding

Happy Friday everyone! Over the past week I’ve been working on some designs for my new Wedding Planning Shop. My favourite is the Red, White and Black {Cross My Heart} Print, and is what inspired me for today’s wedding colour scheme. Being an Aries it’s not surprising that I love the colour red, but I’ve never considered using it in my wedding…until now that is!

When I used to think of red themed weddings I’d imagine a very traditional, old-fashioned wedding with lots of deep red satin, damask prints, cascading rose bouquets and everybody dancing to the Time Warp. Flash forward a few decades and there are some really great ways to inject the colour of love and passion in to your big day, making it a wedding day to be remembered (for all the right reasons).

Red Wedding Theme

For a limited time get 20% off all items in my Wedding Planning Shop when you use the code SAVE20.

Keep calm and marry on!
Jacqui.
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Save the Date and SAVE 20%!

To celebrate the launch of my new Esty store, I’m offering an additional 20% OFF all orders placed between now and the end of September. Simply enter the promo code SAVE20 in the checkout.

Product of the Week {Cross my heart} Save the Date Cards

Save the date card

{Cross my heart} Save the Date Cards. RRP $20 SAVE $4 with promo code!

These modern and fully customisable Save the Date Cards are the perfect way to ask your guests and also a great way to save you money! Print as little or as many as you like from your own home printer. Files are also compatible with Visatprint.

View the full range of stock here and keep checking back for more exciting items coming soon…

Until next time,
Keep calm and marry on!
Jacqui.
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Wedding Flower Alternatives

Flowers in weddings started out simple and were traditionally incorporated as a symbol of fertility. Today, flowers continue to play a significant role in weddings, but have become much more elaborate and expensive – the bridal party bouquets, the flower girl’s basket of petals, confetti, the guests boutonnieres, decorating the cars, church, reception…the list goes on. And, before you know it you’ve eaten into a huge chunk of your budget!

If like me, you’d much rather spend that money on entertaining your guests or that designer wedding gown you’ve been admiring, then here’s some wallet-friendly, alternative wedding flower ideas.

1. Baby’s Breath Wedding

Ok, so it’s still technically a flower, but  a fraction of the cost, and oh so versatile! No longer just the “filler flower”, baby’s breath is becoming increasing popular among the modern brides as bouquets, centerpieces and venue decorations.

baby's breath

2. Shabby Chic Theme

Shabby Chic, where eclectic meets elegance. Think vintage teacups, mason jars, birdcages, bunting and books. Many of these items you can pick up cheap in your local thrift shop or better still by raiding your granny’s cupboards….Look, not a flower in sight!

Shabby Chic Wedding

3. Fruit Wedding

For a fruitful wedding, wrap seasonal fruit in tissue as healthy wedding favors for guests or get creative with edible centerpieces. If you really want to get your guests talking, be bold and have a fruit bouquet!

Fruit Wedding

4. Flower-less Bouquets

A flower-less bouquet? Yes you heard right, it is possible! Wow your guests with these unique non-floral bouquets…And best of all they last forever!

Flowerless Bouquet

5. Child’s Play

Wedding inspiration for the young at heart and those that dare to be different!

fun weddingKeep calm and marry on!
Jacqui.X