Wedding Day Hair
"How will I wear my hair?" Every bride faces that predicament. Your wedding day hairstyle is a significant aspect of the total bridal look, worth some thought. If you have a bad hair day, the photos to prove it will be around for years to come. On the plus side, it's a great opportunity to do something really special with your hair.
The Test Run
Do a "test run" with hair and make-up, just the way you plan to wear it on your wedding day. Have someone take several pictures from different angles and with different facial expressions. Then, look closely at the pictures. Do you like what you see? Is there too much make-up or not enough? How do you feel about the hair style--too much height or not enough?
If something doesn't seem right, start again and do another test run until everything comes together. It's important to actually take photos of yourself because it can give you a different perspective rather than just looking in the mirror.
During the "test run," walk around with the hairstyle you plan to wear to determine its comfort level. A good rule is: the simpler, the better, since pins can hurt, and intricate styles are often delicate and apt to fall. The photos, wedding and reception could last as long as ten hours, will the hairstyle stand the test of time?
So Many Styles
Consider the time of day and type of wedding when choosing a style. Loose styles are appropriate for informal or daytime weddings, while up-do's portray a formal, evening look. Strive for balance. The hairstyle and headpiece needs to look balanced to the dress and body type. Like a puzzle, all the pieces fit together to make a lovely picture.
Remember some hairstyles can add inches to your height, and shorter brides may want to use this to their advantage.
One option is to let the texture of the hair determine the style. Thicker and coarser hair stays up the best, while slicker or finer hair is better with the front up and the back down.
Will you be wearing a veil? If so, your hair style and your veil must work well together. It might be a good idea to get your veil first, or at least have some idea of the type veil you want.
Tiara headpieces continue to be popular. They look their most elegant atop a romantic style updo. That way, you can choose to wear a veil for the ceremony, but remove it for the reception if you wish, and show off the artwork of your updo!
The Salon
Schedule your wedding day hair appointment at least eight weeks ahead. But, don't expect to get your regular stylist to do your wedding hair if you desire an intricate updo. This is a specialty service and best left for the resident expert, so request the right person for the job.
Stylists and makeup artists do their best work in their own environments with their own tools, so have your wedding party meet at the salon a couple of hours before they need to be at the ceremony for pictures. This increases efficiency, and usually costs less!
If you do arrange for them to work in your home, provide adequate space with good lighting.
General Wedding Hair Suggestions
It's best not to go overboard with hair spray. "Helmet head" is not an appealing look for any woman.
If your stylist tells you to show up with dirty hair for your wedding day, don't be too surprised. Some styles work best when the hair isn't too clean, depending on your hair type. Just washed hair can be fly-away and less manageable.
Remember to wear a button down shirt when you're getting your make-up and hair done. Otherwise it's either mess up your finished look or cut off your shirt! When you're ready, step into your gown, rather than pulling it over your head.
To ensure your hair looks healthy on your wedding day, take good care of it in the months prior. There are plenty of affordable deep-conditioning treatments available for at home use. But don't use one the day of your wedding or your hair could end up looking flat and greasy. The same holds true with chemical treatments. This is not the time for surprises!
One of the newer trends is ornamenting your hairstyle. Check the bridal section of your local craft store for creative options. There are also many decorative hair sticks, barrettes and bobby pins to add to your hairstyle.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Wedding Dress Power Moves
Power Moves
Look your best in your dress with these key exercises from celebrity fitness expert Marco Borges
Wedding Fitness & Health:
Strapless? Halter? Mini? Now that you have the perfect dress, it's time to get the bridal body you want—the one that will make you look and feel stunning when you walk down the aisle.
World-class fitness instructor Marco Borges has all the right moves to help you achieve your goal. We asked Borges, author of Power Moves: The 4 Motions to Transform Your Body for Life and trainer to celebrities such as Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani, Shakira and Jay-Z, to tell us the best exercises for brides preparing to wear certain dress styles. Read on for his power-packed tips.—Elayne Fluker
If you're wearing: a strapless or halter-top dress
Work your: shoulders
The workout: "The Resistance Band Shoulder Fly Lunge is the ideal move for a strapless-/halter-ready body. This exercise targets the muscles of the shoulders, glutes, legs and core while also toning the stubborn fat that likes to pop over the bra strap."
1. Begin with feet shoulder-width apart and resistance band securely under stationary foot. Hold bands at your side, palms in.
2. Lunge back with free foot (foot without the band) and quickly raise your arms using your shoulders.
3. Step forward. Lower arms.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).
Looking for a strapless dress? Click here.
If you're wearing: a sleeveless or cap-sleeve dress
Work your: arms
The Workout: "For this type of dress, I would recommend the Incline Curl and Press. This exercise works the biceps, triceps, chest and shoulders—giving you toned arms. This movement is simple and requires very little equipment."
1. Lie flat on an incline bench with your knees up, one dumbbell in each hand.
2. Curl dumbbells up to chest, then press up above your chest.
3. Bring the dumbbells back to your chest, then to starting position.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).
View our wedding dress galleries for sleeveless or cap-sleeve gowns.
If you're wearing: a backless dress
Work your: back
The workout: "For a dress that shows off the back, I like Resistance Band Rows. This move is especially good for the muscles of the back, arms and legs (isometrically) and is great at toning that stubborn fat that likes to pop up over the bra strap."
1. Begin with feet shoulder-width apart and the band securely fastened directly in front of you on anything that’s firmly in place (e.g., the knob of a closed door or a gym pole).
2. Bend at knees; lean forward slightly; keep your back straight.
3. Pull the band toward the bottom of your chest; return to starting position.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to wedding date).
Still deciding on your dress? View thousands of styles here.
If you're wearing: a minidress
Work your: thighs
The workout: "For this type of dress, I like the Overhead Medicine Ball Squat. I chose this move because it is a compound move that incorporates all the muscles of the body, and when you wear a minidress, your legs have to look right but so does the rest of the body because there isn’t a lot of fabric to cover you. This move is especially good for the legs, glutes, core, shoulders and arms."
1. With feet shoulder-width apart, hold medicine ball between your palms overhead.
2. Drop down into a squat until thighs are parallel to the floor while still holding ball overhead.
3. Contract your quads and come back up to standing position.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).
See short and sweet mini dresses here.
If you're wearing: a revealing dress
Work your: midsection
The workout: "The Medicine Ball Lunge and Twist is great for dresses that focus on the midsection because it targets the core (midsection) but also tones the glutes, which will complement your midsection. This move is especially good for the core, glutes, legs and arms."
1. With feet shoulder-width apart, lunge forward with medicine ball in line with your body.
2. At end of lunge, reach up with the medicine ball and twist your core across your forward leg.
3. Return and repeat to the other side.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).
Explore your softer side with dresses featuring chiffon. For more, click here.
If you're wearing: a fitted dress
Work your: butt
The workout: "A fitted dress looks great over a toned butt; however, it looks even better over a toned body. For this reason, I recommend the Dumbbell Front Squat. This move is a total body blast, which targets the muscles of the legs, glutes, arms, shoulders, core and chest."
1. With feet shoulder-width apart, hold one dumbbell between your hands at your chin.
2. Squat down, hips back, back straight and chest up until your elbows touch your knees.
3. Squeeze your legs and glutes; return to start position.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).
Show off your figure in a gorgeous gown with a trumpet silhouette. For styles, click here.
If you're wearing: a tea-length dress
Work your: calves
The workout: "Jumping Lunges are great for many different dress lengths because they work the muscles of the legs, glutes, calves and core and, best of all, do not require any equipment! So for knee-length dresses, try these and you’ll be ready to show a little more than just the knee."
1. Begin in a lunge position—one leg forward, knee bent and in line above foot, the other leg back, foot forward, knee almost touching ground.
2. Explosively jump to the opposite-side lunge.
3. Jump back. Repeat.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).
Looking for the perfect tea-length dress? Click here.
For more fitness power moves from Marco Borges, visit marcoborges.com.
For tips on how to look 10 pounds thinner in your wedding photos, click here.
Courtesy of Penguin
Look your best in your dress with these key exercises from celebrity fitness expert Marco Borges
Wedding Fitness & Health:
Strapless? Halter? Mini? Now that you have the perfect dress, it's time to get the bridal body you want—the one that will make you look and feel stunning when you walk down the aisle.
World-class fitness instructor Marco Borges has all the right moves to help you achieve your goal. We asked Borges, author of Power Moves: The 4 Motions to Transform Your Body for Life and trainer to celebrities such as Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani, Shakira and Jay-Z, to tell us the best exercises for brides preparing to wear certain dress styles. Read on for his power-packed tips.—Elayne Fluker
If you're wearing: a strapless or halter-top dress
Work your: shoulders
The workout: "The Resistance Band Shoulder Fly Lunge is the ideal move for a strapless-/halter-ready body. This exercise targets the muscles of the shoulders, glutes, legs and core while also toning the stubborn fat that likes to pop over the bra strap."
1. Begin with feet shoulder-width apart and resistance band securely under stationary foot. Hold bands at your side, palms in.
2. Lunge back with free foot (foot without the band) and quickly raise your arms using your shoulders.
3. Step forward. Lower arms.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).
Looking for a strapless dress? Click here.
If you're wearing: a sleeveless or cap-sleeve dress
Work your: arms
The Workout: "For this type of dress, I would recommend the Incline Curl and Press. This exercise works the biceps, triceps, chest and shoulders—giving you toned arms. This movement is simple and requires very little equipment."
1. Lie flat on an incline bench with your knees up, one dumbbell in each hand.
2. Curl dumbbells up to chest, then press up above your chest.
3. Bring the dumbbells back to your chest, then to starting position.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).
View our wedding dress galleries for sleeveless or cap-sleeve gowns.
If you're wearing: a backless dress
Work your: back
The workout: "For a dress that shows off the back, I like Resistance Band Rows. This move is especially good for the muscles of the back, arms and legs (isometrically) and is great at toning that stubborn fat that likes to pop up over the bra strap."
1. Begin with feet shoulder-width apart and the band securely fastened directly in front of you on anything that’s firmly in place (e.g., the knob of a closed door or a gym pole).
2. Bend at knees; lean forward slightly; keep your back straight.
3. Pull the band toward the bottom of your chest; return to starting position.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to wedding date).
Still deciding on your dress? View thousands of styles here.
If you're wearing: a minidress
Work your: thighs
The workout: "For this type of dress, I like the Overhead Medicine Ball Squat. I chose this move because it is a compound move that incorporates all the muscles of the body, and when you wear a minidress, your legs have to look right but so does the rest of the body because there isn’t a lot of fabric to cover you. This move is especially good for the legs, glutes, core, shoulders and arms."
1. With feet shoulder-width apart, hold medicine ball between your palms overhead.
2. Drop down into a squat until thighs are parallel to the floor while still holding ball overhead.
3. Contract your quads and come back up to standing position.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).
See short and sweet mini dresses here.
If you're wearing: a revealing dress
Work your: midsection
The workout: "The Medicine Ball Lunge and Twist is great for dresses that focus on the midsection because it targets the core (midsection) but also tones the glutes, which will complement your midsection. This move is especially good for the core, glutes, legs and arms."
1. With feet shoulder-width apart, lunge forward with medicine ball in line with your body.
2. At end of lunge, reach up with the medicine ball and twist your core across your forward leg.
3. Return and repeat to the other side.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).
Explore your softer side with dresses featuring chiffon. For more, click here.
If you're wearing: a fitted dress
Work your: butt
The workout: "A fitted dress looks great over a toned butt; however, it looks even better over a toned body. For this reason, I recommend the Dumbbell Front Squat. This move is a total body blast, which targets the muscles of the legs, glutes, arms, shoulders, core and chest."
1. With feet shoulder-width apart, hold one dumbbell between your hands at your chin.
2. Squat down, hips back, back straight and chest up until your elbows touch your knees.
3. Squeeze your legs and glutes; return to start position.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).
Show off your figure in a gorgeous gown with a trumpet silhouette. For styles, click here.
If you're wearing: a tea-length dress
Work your: calves
The workout: "Jumping Lunges are great for many different dress lengths because they work the muscles of the legs, glutes, calves and core and, best of all, do not require any equipment! So for knee-length dresses, try these and you’ll be ready to show a little more than just the knee."
1. Begin in a lunge position—one leg forward, knee bent and in line above foot, the other leg back, foot forward, knee almost touching ground.
2. Explosively jump to the opposite-side lunge.
3. Jump back. Repeat.
4. Perform 15-20 repetitions for three sets (four as you get closer to the wedding date).
Looking for the perfect tea-length dress? Click here.
For more fitness power moves from Marco Borges, visit marcoborges.com.
For tips on how to look 10 pounds thinner in your wedding photos, click here.
Courtesy of Penguin
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