I admit that I spend hours during the summer watching reruns of David Tutera’s “My Fair Wedding”, “Bridezillas”, “Say Yes to the Dress” and many other bridal shows on We-TV but I’ve barely given thought to think about my own wedding.

I’ve always been keen on having a princess styled dress and wear my natural hair down for my wedding day, but I found that once I changed my mindset to really planning it, what I once thought I wanted was completely different from what I now envisioned. For this challenge I wanted to create two different chic updos with accessories to really accentuate my natural hair as well as match the dress. On any wedding day, this would be a showstopper. Since I never go to a salon, I wanted to create elegant updos that could be done by myself on my wedding day.

Despite, the stress of planning and making sure everything is in order, I imagine my day filled with smiles and even a little bit of nerves. I would be too excited to walk down the aisle that I would prepare hours before! Leaving time to relax despite how difficult it is to sit in a wedding dress! Being a perfectionist, this would leave me time to constantly look in the mirror trying to make sure that my makeup and hair was flawless and even constantly fixing my dress to make sure it was positioned “just right”.

I can already imagine myself asking my mom “Is everything ok? Do I look ok?” a million times, which I know she would after a while respond back, “ YES, I told you 5 seconds ago”. I also know I would be texting everyone, making sure everything was in place for the big moment, and probably sneaking a text to the groom saying, “I love you, see you soon”.

I wouldn’t let the stress of planning get to me and I would not only enjoy the end result of the wedding but the whole process of planning it. My inspiration for this challenge as well as natural hairstyles influenced me to think about what I would want for my own wedding day.

A quote on the wall of Fiori Bridal Boutique’s fitting room where I got my dress stated:

“Live every moment. Laugh everyday. Love beyond words”

This quote made me feel the excitement and nerves of trying on a dress for the first time and thinking “Will this be the one?”. I wish all brides-to-be good luck on their wedding plans and their journey in life with someone special. Since at first I wanted my hair out for my wedding day, I soon realized that wearing my hair up may be just as beautiful. I hope that my updos inspire others to have an open mind for their wedding day hairstyles because in the end they’ll look simply radiant on their special day.

Credits:

Peter Larson Photography: Larsen Photo

Fiori Bridal Boutique: Fiori Bridal

Going Natural Hair Care for Black Women, African American Men and Children