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Photo Credit: Landon Hendrick Photography |
by Mary Wolff
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Photo Credit: Landon Hendrick Photography |
Tommye S writes:
Hey Nikki!
My husband and I were married on September 3rd, 2011 on a particularly mild Saturday in Tennessee. In the beginning, I had no idea what I would do with my hair, so I decided to see what I could find and what would work for me. After scouring the internet and finding nothing that "spoke to me", I decided to lead my husband on so that he wouldn't discover my plan. About two or three months before the wedding I decided that a simple twist out would be my wedding 'do. But I told him that I had purchased a veil and that I would straighten my hair (much to his chagrin). I wanted to throw him off of my scent so he would be surprised when he saw me.
I prepared my hair the night before by washing it and stretching it with heat (shrinkage on my hair is something serious). I washed with Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap and conditioned with Herbal Essences Hello Hydration. I applied Cantu Shea Butter Leave in Conditioning Repair Cream and put my hair into about 8-10 twists. I wasn't sure if my hair would hold up for the pictures or through the heat (we had an air conditioning unit out in our venue), so I didn't take my hair down until I was getting ready for the ceremony.
I tried on a gorgeous rose hair clip at my bridal shop that for over one hundred dollars did NOT fit into my post graduate budget. I buckled down and visited my nearest Hobby Lobby and recreated the clip to the best of my ability to "spice" my twist-out up. I didn't want a veil because I was afraid it would overwhelm my dress and my hair.In the end, I am more than pleased with my decision to keep it simple. The hairstyle lasted through the festivities and I loved the way my entire "look" came together. I can say that it was definitely me and that is all I wanted to be on my wedding day, just turned up a couple of notches!
EJ writes:
Hello CurlyNikki and family,
I was recently married to my wonderful hubby on Sunday September 4, 2011 and what a wonderful day it was. I had no idea what was going to be done with my hair because I didn't do any trial and error sessions like suggested. However, I knew that I was going to wear it in its natural state without using any heat that day. The person who was supposed to do my hair burned her hand (frying fish ) 6 days before the wedding, but thanks to my Maid of Honor's hair stylist Kimeche, I was started and done in about 20 minutes! Fast and she did a great job!
I had a cute updo-- the back was braided upward toward the crown of my head and pinned back. I used some pearls from my former boss as my something borrowed and placed them in my hair. She used them in her wedding... She placed her grandmothers pearls individually on bobby pins and placed them in her hair which was the same thing I did...
After getting my hair done and heading over to the venue to get dressed, I was given my gifts to open from the soon to be hubby, a very cute diamond bracelet, the pink face Movado watch I secretly had my eyes on and a brand new pair of red bottoms. My hubby is the bomb.com Now that I was dressed and ready to go, we hit the door and it was showtime... The weather was more than beautiful and we had a wonderful turnout of family and friends. We jumped the broom and really had a fabulous day. I couldn't be more grateful and blessed.
Thanks for sharing in our day
~The Draytons
P.S.- Here is a link to the post on my blog for a more detailed recap. Thanks so much Nikki!
Wedding Blog Post
This bride didn't let a failed bantu knot-out spoil her day! Check out KinkyCurlyCoil's wedding day hair--
I never would have imagined that 10 months after I Big Chopped I would be walking down the aisle and getting married to the man I love.
We were engaged Dec. 13th, a mere 5 months post BC. Uh oh….what was I to do working with my teeny weeny afro?
To be truthful I didn’t even begin to mess around with it until 2 weeks before the wedding. I was just praying and treating my hair as nice as I could, as to maximize every 8th of an inch of length. I only had 5 month to grow and I wasn’t taking any chances.
As most naturals, I am all over the youtube scene. With my favorites being Kimmaytube, brOnzeqt, allthatsgold, and Naptural85. And it was this video from Naptural85 that was my inspiration. It was simple, elegant, and still flaunted my natural tresses. Because my hair was shorter than hers in the video, I decided to lock my curl pattern in with gel and blowdry the roots. The front I smoothed out with a satin scarf.
Hi Curlies!
My husband (Julian) and I got married on New Year's Day and had a small ceremony... we got preggers 2 weeks later! So we had a reception for our family and friends this past weekend on the anniversary of us dating.
The pic above is of me and him and the bun in the oven. Her name is Jia Nicole! And yes I copied Gia from you cause I just love the name! However I found out recently that your lil diva's middle name is Nicole! But mine is too, and it was only fitting to give her my name! The second pic is of my sister, April, and I. She recently big chopped and is loving the liberation! Products used were none other than Shea Moisture's Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie on a two strand twist-out...April is using Kinky Curly.
Apryl writes;
I wanted to share my bridal hair experience with you and all of your devoted readers in hopes that this may help some brides to be. First let me say, I was natural for nearly five years when I got married in March 2010, but still found it somewhat difficult to find that "perfect" style. I love my natural hair but it proved to be immensely challenging to find a hair style that would both compliment my wedding gown and display the natural glory of my hair. Mainly due to the fact that I found only limited material available to draw inspiration from.
My other challenge was with the people in my life that would ask, ever so politely "what are you going to do with your hair, dear?" As if my natural hair needed some sort of polishing or couldn't possibly hold up to the formal occasion. However those those who were closest to me, pretty much knew that whatever style I chose, my hair would be worn in all it's natural glory! The difficulty was with pairing a natural style with my wedding gown and other accessories. I was very thankful to have a stylist that I trusted help me design a style that would work great for me on my very special day. And with out a second thought, she traveled with me from Texas to Florida for my destination wedding! I am sharing my story with you and your readers in hopes that other brides to be out there will know without a doubt that it is possible to wear their hair natural on their wedding day and be the beautiful bride that they have always dreamed they would be.
Thanks for all the hard work you put into your blog and for creating a forum for natural girls to meet and share information and ideas regarding the topic of natural and curly hair. Keep up the good work and God bless you and your family.
Hey Nikki,
My name is Naomi and I love your site & Forum!!! (I am a member on your forum-naomimaxine927).
I have been natural for a year and four months, and when it came to planning my wedding, I had no idea what to do with my hair. Mind you I only had a month to plan! I married the man of my dreams, who I had been with for five and a half years (my highschool sweetheart) so I wanted to look perfect for my day. My Husband (future Husband then) never really expressed a great liking towards any style, so I picked the style that I liked best- a rod set- but everyone insisted I get my hair professionally done. So I did not do my hair the night before like I originally planned, and decided to go to a stylist the day of. The morning of my wedding, my stylist feel through, which left me to my own devices. I was an all natural bride!
Chavonne writes:
I was nervous about wearing my natural hair out for the big day. My hair is unpredictable and I wanted some certainty that it wouldn't look a hot mess. So I tried 3 or 4 natural hair salons trying to recreate a hair style I saw in an Essence magazine. Each time my hair came out worst than the last and to make matters worse, I would be in the shop FOREVER. After the last failed attempt, I decided I was going to get a sew in weave from a former co-worker and acquaintance of mine, who is also the cousin of one of my closest friends. I had known her a while, had seen her work, and figured I could cut out all of the time that would be wasted in a shop. It was also spring and my hair loses the fight against humidity every time. I figured a weave was my safest bet.
Well, the morning of my wedding she was no where to be found. I called her repeatedly, went by he home, and waited around until it became obvious that she was standing me up. To this day she has never apologized or offered any reason as to why she just disappeared. Anyway, I knew this day would only happen once, and I was determined not to let her or anything else rain on my parade. So I unraveled my twists, stuck in some flower pins my girlfriend brought with her, and went on my way. Looking back, I can now say things worked out for the best (at least when it comes to my hair). I can't imagine what my husband's face would have looked like when he saw me with a long weave for the first time. In the end, I looked like me when I was walking down the aisle and that's the way it should have been.
KinkyCurlyCoilyMe writes:
Hey CurlyNikki Curlies!
I contemplated how to style my hair for my wedding for months and months and months. When we got engaged, I wasn't natural and going natural wasn't even something I had thought about. But I Big Chopped four months before my wedding and at first I still had it in my mind that I would wear a long weave and get it curled loosely for the wedding. However, as the weeks passed and I fell more and more in love with my kinky curly coily hair, there was no way I could wear a weave!
I was going to be honeymooning the day after the wedding on a cruise to Central America, so I knew keeping my hair out wasn't an option, and that a protective style would be the best thing for me!
On July 10, 2010 in Miami, Florida, I married the man of my dreams on the beach.
Love's Messenger.
Licensed Psychotherapist.
Best-selling Author.
Dr.Oz Show Beauty Expert.
Mother.
Daughter.Sister.