Tips to look your best: the hair and makeup trial

The doors open. All heads turn, all eyes are on you. This is your big day, the one you've been dreaming about for years. You look your best and you've never felt as beautiful as you do at this very moment...but, hold on a second! In your daydream your hair looks great and your stylist has brought out the best in you; then why don't you feel that way now?

One of the most important tasks before your wedding day is having a hair and makeup trial (as we posted on  the planning countdown). Although the hair and makeup trial may seem a bit trivial in comparison to seating charts, writing vows, and getting rid of those last few pounds before your last fitting, it is one of the most important things that you will have to do before your wedding. Trust your stylist, communicate with her and work through your ideas ahead of time!

Here are a few tips for your hair and makeup trial to be a total success: 

1. Plan it 2-3 months before your wedding, and, if at all possible, on the same day as your second-to-last fitting. You will be able to see the end result come together, and you will still have plenty of time to make remedies if you don't like the look of the low bun with your veil, for example. 

2. Communicate your vision with the stylist. Bring photos of hairstyles you like, your dress, your bouquet and a few snapshots of you at other events. This will help the stylist to get a clear understanding of your style, your wedding-day look and what makes you feel most beautiful.

3. Don't go straight home after the trial to wash your face and hair. On your wedding day, you will be dancing, crying, sweating and doing any number of odd activities (jumping for pics, for example), so you need to be sure that your hair will stay in place and your makeup won't run at the first sign of perspiration. Be sure to jam-pack your day with plenty of activities after your trial...

4. Choose a style that brings out your best features and makes you feel beautiful. Did you love that updo you wore to your senior prom? There's no reason not to have the same updo on your wedding day, with a few touches to update the look. 

5. Be realistic when you experiment with hairstyles and makeup. Don't go blonde for your wedding if your fiancé fell in love with your natural, stunning black hair - you may not like the end result and he may not like it either!

6. Trust your stylist. Share your concerns and fears with her. She is a pro at this and has surely had her fair share of Brides; she can help and guide you - reassure you - and will be able to share her knowledge with you. Take advantage of her years of experience and let her help you to look your best, which is, after all, what she's getting paid to do... 

A most spectacular wedding cake!

Ever wonder what the most spectacular wedding cake is? With pastry chefs overcoming the challenges of not only sculpting beautifully ornate confections, but also creating a finger-licking good combination of flavors, it's no surprise that Brides are letting their imagination soar!

But when did this wedding cake-frenzy actually begin? The contemporary wedding cake can be said to date back from as early as Medieval England, when the Bride and Groom had to kiss over a stack of cakes neatly piled up on top of one another. The newlywed's kiss would seal their future - if they sucessfully kissed over the stack of cakes, they were guaranteed a long and prosperous marriage.

One of the most spectacular wedding cakes ever created was also for a Couple from England - and not just any ordinary Couple - Princess Victoria herself! In 1858, Princess Victoria had a cake designed in white, based on the top of London's St. Bride's Church.

More than one century later, world-renowned NYC pastry chef Ron Ben-Israel was challenged by Brides to   bake this wedding cake. No small feat, it took more than 7 days and a team of 4 people to successfully design and reproduce this nearly 4-foot-tall masterpiece.

This exclusive behind-the-scenes video (below) unveils the hard work and the challenges behind creating such a spectacular cake.

Can you imagine what is must have been like to create this amazing cake without the help of modern technology?

A sensational flash mob marriage proposal in Barcelona!

This is a sensational Flashmob Marriage Proposal that we planned for a fun-loving Groom in one of the most emblematic locations in Barcelona.

This flashmob idea was the future Groom's idea - and we jumped at the chance to be a part of such a unique and fun way of proposing to his future Bride.

We knew from the very beginning that he was very fun-loving - embarking on a trip across the ocean and  planning a flashmob proposal in Spain is not something that any ordinary guy will do! What we didn't expect was that she was just as fun-loving as he was - or that she would end up joining the flashmob and dancing with everyone else!!

Little did she know that this flashmob had been planned especially for her. With the help of their friends, we were able to drag her away from the flashmob so that she could see what was unfolding before her very eyes and that this was all for her...

In the video you can see this spectacular proposal in which, at the end of the song, the future Bride is surrounded by the dancers and showered by rose petals...and the future Groom gets down on bended knee to pop the question. 

A landmark moment in both their lives set against a magnificent backdrop - the Montjuic Castle and emblematic columns. Enjoy!

Flamenco-inspired wedding in Barcelona

This magical wedding, planned with love by Crystal Events, was the culmination of months of planning and working with the Bride to make it absolutely perfect. The beautiful décor, the personal touches and the ambience on such a special day made it a magical, exceptional and intimate wedding enjoyed by all!

The Couple rented out a villa in the mountainside for all of their friends and family to enjoy during their stay in Spain. The color theme was inspired by Spain and flamenco: coral red, black and white.

There were touches of Spain in every detail of the wedding - from the flamenco-inspired stationery, to the spanish guitar playing during the ceremony to the delectable dishes that were served during dinner. They even got to cut their wedding cake with a sword - a Spanish wedding tradition dating from the turn of the 19th century - and handed out red carnation boutonniéres to all of the gentlemen attending the wedding.

The most surprising element of all? Ending the night with a "cremat" show, a typical liqueur served hot, after pouring in lemon peels, coffee beans and sugar and burning it all in a big clay bowl. Enjoy!

  

Many thanks to Katherin Wermke for such fabulous images!