HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

What an amazing year we had in 2011! It included watching our daughter graduate from kindergarten, moving from Metro Atlanta to Greater Nashville, settling into an entirely different pace of living, new schools, the list could go on and on. I must say that I would have never survived it all without the confidence that the Lord was orchestrating each event in our lives by His divine plan.

While here in Tennessee I have had the opportunity to spend time and work with the amazing ladies of Wedding 101 and some wonderful brides! I have worked at the Loveless Barn, King's Chapel and several other gorgeous venues. Here are a few pic's from a style shoot that we participated in this past fall with the wonderful Stan Dunlap!

Beautiful Bridal Look!

It's been a busy few weeks for me! I want to share this gorgeous bridal look that I did for a style shoot with Souder Photography. I love the natural feel that we accomplished with soft waves in the hair and glowing, radiant makeup that enhances Kristin's features!

Call today for your consultation to discuss your ideal bridal look or meet me down at Wedding 101 on November 3rd from 11-2, November 12th from 1-4 and November 17th from 11-2.

Make it a BEAUTIFUL day!!

Making the MOVE!!

So as you know, I am new to Nashville as of June 2011. My husband, Alan, and I moved our family here and we are loving the lifestyle and area!! There are so many things we like about Nashville and our new home on the hill like Loveless Cafe biscuits, coffee with an AMAZING view, our kids playing with their new puppies (boxers named Texas and Savannah) and the laid back artistic style of the community! These are just a few of our favorite things about living here and they are also some of the things that are stretching me in the area of hair and makeup artistry and design!


Being raised in Atlanta, Georgia and working with brides, socialites and pageant girls in the Metro area has been a wonderful inspiration for me! I have done weddings of all sorts, all budgets and all cultures! It is a cornucopia of people and style! However, the overarching style of glamour and sleek design differs greatly from the more relaxed, etherial look that permeates the bridal market here in Nashville.... and the change is a welcome breathe of fresh air!

I have been a part of two absolutely amazing style shoots that will be unveiled soon.. but I can share a few tidbits with you.  We compiled 6 fresh and fanciful looks that capture the trend of loose and "fuss-free" hair along with makeup that is natural yet alluring at the same time!! (Do you like that description "fuss-free?" I thought of that one myself - LOL!)

Some of my favorite new toys to play with, which I discovered during these shoots, are hair pieces that have a very vintage feel with a modern twist - we even used vintage earrings to decorate a simple birdcage!  Natural makeup with a pop of color on the lips - especially red... my favorite red lipstick is Paula Dorf Stiletto. And there is so much more but "mum" is the word for now!!

Well I hope you will stay tuned and keep checking back until I can unveil the amazing styles we have created to INSPIRE you!!


Love,

Christi

Amber and Jeff and some biscuits!!

A few weeks ago I wrote about inspiration and I shared my freshly clipped wildflowers, or weeds whichever you prefer to call them!! Since that last post I have been part of a fabulous wedding - Amber and Jeff were married at Loveless Cafe Barn on October 1, 2011!!

What a wonderfully calm and relaxed bride Amber was!! We kept her look very natural, as she wears no makeup on a daily basis. Her hair consisted of soft curls that were swept up  and cascaded onto her shoulders. She was stunning!! I also had a great time getting to know her Maid of Honor as well as her now, mother-in-law, as I created their wedding day looks with fabulous makeup to bring out their eyes and hair styles that could withstand a few spins around the dance floor later that evening!

 It is so nice to see brides sharing their day with so many people and the beginnings of wonderful family bonds.

The venue, Loveless Barn, is amazing!! With lights strung and burlap accents to the tables it was sure to be a relaxed yet special evening for everyone! One that will definitely be remembered by all! And for those of you who know the Loveless Cafe, and their biscuits, I had to order a to-go box and my favorite peach preserves!! Yummy! This job definitely comes with LOTS of benefits!!

 Today, you get to see a picture of those world famous biscuits and stay tuned for the pictures of Amber!! Can't wait to share them with you!!

So what are your plans? I would love to hear your inspired ideas and dreams for your Big Day!!

Love -

Christi

Inspiration is EVERYWHERE!

I love Fall! It is my favorite time of the year! The cool bite in the morning air - not too cold but just enough to make your coffee cup show it's steamy temperature with a waft of steam waving out of the top of your favorite mug.  The wildflowers and berries that color the landscape and the beginning of subtle changes to the leaves on the trees excite me to no end!

Yesterday, I actually did something I have never done before. I walked around the 5 acres of our "home on the hill" and clipped wildflowers to decorate my mantel with. I felt very Martha Stewart with one exception - I had no pretty basket to lay my colorful stems in, so as the mother of a five and seven year old does so well, I improvised - with a blue sand bucket complete with the remnants of sand from our beach trip earlier this year.

You see, I had been inspired! Inspired by things I had seen in magazines and the beautiful things I had seen in nature - God's amazingly gorgeous creation!

Psalm 19:1-4 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; 

 the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

 Day after day they pour forth speech; 

   night after night they reveal knowledge. 

 They have no speech, they use no words; 

   no sound is heard from them. 

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, 

   their words to the ends of the world." 

 Inspiration is all around us and I am sitting steeped in inspiration today.
"Where am I?" you may be asking.  I am at Wedding 101 and finding inspiration for my work in bridal hair and makeup artistry. There are so many places that you can find inspiration for your wedding look and I want to offer a few suggestions for you to consider as you plan this once in a lifetime event!!

1. Of course, the obvious is all of the wonderful bridal magazines that are out there! You will see all sorts of looks from the rock and roll bride to the vintage chic that are each stunning in their own rights!

2. Take to the World Wide Web! Check out Wedding Wire and www.theknot.com . Google or Bing bridal hair and makeup looks and you will find a plethora of options out there to consider.

3. Look around town and in nature! The places that you love to go and the sights that take your breath away contain colors and movement that speak to you - so take a picture and notice the themes. You can incorporate them in small or big ways on the Big Day!!

4. Come to Wedding 101 in Franklin, Tennessee to see all of the inspiring ideas that I am steeping in as I right this article!

5. Bringing it all together - Make an Inspiration Board or Book. Put together every scrap you can possibly find that speaks to you in any way whatsoever and then look for the common theme.

You will be amazed at the creativity that lies within you to create your own, one-of-a-kind wedding and bridal look! I encourage you to look for the inspiration in everything around you and you will find that the overwhelming feelings you may be having will melt away as you begin to see your wedding plans take shape before your eyes!

And remember to book your hair and makeup artist early!! (wink, wink) 

Here's to YOUR inspiring day!!

Love,
Christi

A great day at Wedding 101!

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend this afternoon with some amazing brides at Wedding 101 in Franklin, Tennessee. We had a blast talking about all of the exciting plans for Jessica and Kristine's weddings coming up next summer. I played around with some basic makeup looks for both of them with a mini makeover.

Jessica was spending her Saturday planning and hanging out with friends and family so I used a mineral foundation and brought out her gorgeous brown eyes with soft neutrals on her lid. She is wearing a great everyday lipstick color by Mary Kay - Shell. My focus for her this afternoon was just to enhance her natural beauty and highlight her eyes and smile. I think you will agree that with this every day "look" she looks wonderful!!

Kristine arrived with a plan - a little bit of work on her wedding plans and then a mini makeover before heading to Spring Hill to attend a friend's wedding. The goal for her this afternoon was to bring out her green eyes with a little drama. Since Kristine has skin that tends to be a little oily we started off with an oil mattifier to control the shine. We focused in on her eyes and gave her a very neutral lip with Lancome's Bisque lipstick (unfortunately, this color has been discontinued).
I asked Kristine what she was planning to wear to the wedding tonight and she told me about her great plum dress and platinum shoes. You know that plums and purples are going to be HUGE this Fall so I knew she was going to need an on trend style in her makeup as well. I am sure she was the belle of the ball - outside of the bride, of course!!!  : )

I can't wait to get back together with Jessica and Kristine to plan their bridal looks!! Both of these young ladies are sure to be breathtakingly beautiful brides and I am so honored to be able to take part in their wedding days!


On my next mini makeover day at Wedding 101 we will be focusing on getting some pictures of hair makeovers. That is sure to be a ton of fun!! Please make plan's to join me at Wedding 101 to get your mini makeover for hair or makeup and talk about how I can pamper you and your bridal party on your "big day"!

Happy Labor Day!!

I hope that all of you wonderful brides are planning to have a great weekend! Whether you are getting married in the next few days or you are still in the planning phase, I want to encourage you to enjoy the journey with your fiance' and your family! These moments will fly by and before you know it you will have a new last name!!

I wanted to share a few more great pic's from a terrific bride - Jackie at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Ga.