There are few things we love more than a wedding, particularly when it’s one of our own.
Last month, Mamamia senior news editor Grace Jennings-Edquist tied the knot with her partner Ben in a picturesque lavender farm in Victoria in front of friends and family, including plenty of Mamamia and The Glow staff.
Naturally, no sooner than they had said “I do”, we were lining up to ask Grace all of the behind-the-scenes secrets about her hair and makeup.
Here, she shares how long it really took to get ready, hero products that saved the day and must-know advice for any upcoming brides.
I went for a gold-hued smokey eye look, with fairly natural cheek and eye makeup and a sweep of bronzer. My hair must was Blake Lively, as we have a similar hair look (ie a LOT of blonde hair) - and she does a great vintage-style wave. So I asked my hair stylist Samantha for Veronica-Lake style waves with a lot of volume and slightly swept back on one side so my face was still visible.
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The whole hair and makeup process took about an hour and 45 minutes for me, plus 45 minutes for each bridesmaids' makeup - my sister and I did their hair ourselves. Getting ready with my bridesmaids was one of my favourite parts of the day - we sat around drinking champagne, eating tiny sandwiches my mother-in-law brought over, catching up and generally being ridiculous.
Best of all was that my mum and I went for a massage in the morning - an excellent excuse to chat, relax and get a coffee on the way
One little wedding hair surprise: turns out it's not easy to make veils stay in place! To fix it, my hair stylist cleverly backcombed a section of my hair, then made a couple of small braids to create hold at the back of my head before popping the veil in.
My makeup pretty much stayed put - that's the power of an expert make up artist who uses a bloody good primer - although my sister did run around with a little vial of Max Factor Colour Elixir Gloss and touch me up as I insisted on eating whenever I could get my hands on a canape.
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I didn't carry a bag, but one of my two Maids of Honours - my sisters - carried a teeny bag with a safety pin, lip colour, cotton buds, stain removers, tissues, Hollywood tape, bobby pins and a few other bits and pieces. Those extra bobby pins saved my hair later in the night.
I decided last-minute not to wear perfume, as there was a European Wasp outbreak in the area and my caterer mentioned they're attracted to sweet smells and white - not ideal for a bride.
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A LOT of hair spray held my waves in place.
Brides-to-be: Get a hair trial, or at least bring a couple of clear photos of what you want your hair to look like - front and back.
