With that out of the way let me tell you about the wedding!  Here are some teasers from our May, 22nd wedding of Beth and Matt.  The day couldn’t have been nicer and they were both fantastic to work with.  From a photographer’s point of view the wedding was a bit of a challenge.  You see, in this day and age there are so many images that our clients expect to see.  Whether it’s ‘bride looks up into lens from seated position’ or ’shot of the groom that somehow incorporates his lifelong passion for curling,’ there are images that brides and grooms want to feel as though they have a complete photographic record of their special day.  Beth and Matt stressed they wanted none of that!  Photojournalistic with no excessive frills, period.  Well, the Strawberry Road team did a great job of catching that and with some gentle coaxing, we even got some posed shots that I think they will be thrilled to have!  Oh, and for those of you who think you know how to rock, the last image proves you can’t rock THIS hard!

The fabulous Jen Opkea is back!  You may remember her from the Brow 101 article she wrote for us a while back.  This time Jen shares her tips for achieving your best wedding look.

The “I Dos” of Wedding Make-Up

So, you want to look like the most beautiful version of yourself when heading down the wedding aisle, right? Here are some tips on what to do from the neck up to prep for your big day.

Build a Portfolio. Start collecting magazine pages of make-up looks that appeal to you.   This will help you identify your style and give your artist a vision of how you want to look on your wedding day.

Keep it Timeless. Your wedding day is not the occasion for you to rock a make-up trend. You would hate to look back at your photos and wonder: “what was I thinking?” Nothing about your hair or make-up should be distracting.

Go for balance. If you like a smoky eye, make sure it’s superbly blended and off-set with pretty cheeks and a softer pink or peach lip. If a bold lip is your thing, minimize the eyes with soft shadow and cake eye liner at the roots of the upper lashes.  Balance is critical since you do not want any feature to “disappear” in a photo. If using bronzer, go for sun-kissed, not dirty. Hit the high points of the face (forehead, cheekbones, bridge of nose, chin) more intensely for a more naturally tanned look. Remember to apply color to the neck since it is typically an area that is lighter than your face and your chest. Lastly, avoid any pigments that are too sparkly or shimmery. You will end up looking like a disco-ball in pictures. Instead, go for “glow”-cream cheek color layered with powder blush creates a beautiful flush for the cheeks. Sweep some colorless illuminating powder along the cheekbone and down the bridge of the nose and-voila!-you have that “look” of glow you see on every celeb in the magazines.

Don’t forget the brows! Eyebrows are a significant and most-oft overlooked area of the face. Go to a professional brow specialist (see my article on “Brows 101”) sooner than later to make sure that your eyebrows are in top form for your wedding. I prefer tweezing to waxing any day of the week but if you must get waxed, DO NOT do it the week of your wedding. The last thing you need is scabbed lids on your big in the event of a mishap.

Love the skin you’re in. Go to an esthetician who will assess your skin condition and prescribe the necessary products to improve your skin texture and skin health. Be diligent about following your daily skincare regime and consider getting a peel (clinical facial) a month prior to your wedding for an added boost. The sooner you get started on skincare maintenance, the better. The last thing you ever want to do is try something radically new-procedure or product- too soon to the wedding. You do not want to be suffering or having any sort of adverse reaction on your big day.

Plan Ahead. Start shopping for hair and make-up artists well in advance (6 months) since good ones book up fairly quickly depending on the time of year. Make sure that you book a trial with each one as an “audition” and be certain to articulate what you want to look and feel like on your wedding day (bring your photos). A professional stylist should be able to execute the look you want and, if necessary, make any modifications so as to best accentuate your features.  Wear the make-up for a day to see how you feel and take a picture to get a “loose” idea of how the make-up will photograph (keep in mind, there is a big difference between amateur and professional photographs). Most importantly, trust your gut. If you feel that, after the trial, the make-up or hair-style is wearing you it’s time to try someone else. Remember, this day is about you and how YOU want to look and feel not your stylist.

SMILE! A beautiful smile is your best accessory and will instantly make you feel like a million bucks!

Jen Opkea is the Lead Makeup Artist at Sarra Beauty Studio (840 Summer Street, Boston, 617.269.8999) where she offers make-up lessons, make-up applications and precision brow shaping by appointment.  She has perfected her craft while working with the top industry professionals including Laura Mercier, Trish McEvoy, Jillian Dempsey and Jeannine Lobell.  For on-location jobs such as weddings and photo shoots please email: jennopeka@gmail.com with your inquires.

“We were given: 2 hands to hold, 2 legs to walk, 2 eyes to see, 2 ears to listen but why only one heart?  Because the other was given to someone else for us to find heart in hand.” – Unknown

“Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love.” – Charlie Brown

“Love is a flint that sparks a flame that will either flicker and burn out or continue with a warming glow.” Anonymous

“Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of working with Micheal Spirito and Brad Smith in at a photo session with 3 great looking models and a really cool location.  Except for the skateboard shot below, all the images were made with one or two lights.  This means that these techniques can be adapted to the fast paced wedding environment rather easily without compromising the day’s schedule.  Although these images tend more toward the ‘artsy side,’ there are plenty of ways these could be adapted to a bride and groom.  I’m really pleased with how these turned out, but I also have to admit, having reeeaaaallllyy attractive models helps a bit…

As you may have already heard in one of our previous posts, Jennie and I had the great fortune fortune of attending Mystic 5.  A photographers dream, specifically a wedding photographers dream, the event taught us a lot.  We also had the opportunity to hang with our Strawberry Road friend, Brad Smith, of Brad Smith Photography.  Just days before the conference, the wheels started turning and we’d decided a little hookie from the conferences might be a nice idea.  So what did we do, we lined up a gorgeous model and challenged ourselves to a time restrained high speed fashion/boudoir shoot.  Jennie and I shot with no real theme in mind except to get great images that captured the attitude and beauty of our model Sarah…

]]> http://strawberryrd.com/blog/miscellaneous/mystic-5-style-shoot-or-playing-hookie-101/feed/ 1 http://strawberryrd.com/blog/wedding/twas-lori-and-niks-night/ http://strawberryrd.com/blog/wedding/twas-lori-and-niks-night/#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:15:58 +0000 Dave http://strawberryrd.com/blog/?p=553 T’was just weeks before Christmas

and all through the Hilton,

the hotel was abuzz

and all the food had been wheeled in.

Lori and Nik all dressed to the nines,

threw a party in a snowstorm, and were looking so fine.

Friends and family’d all traveled

from places near ‘n far.

All seemed so pleased

there’d be an open bar.

With formals complete

let the reception begin.

The doors to the ball room

soon we’d be in.

A first dance so sweet

had never been seen.

But it would soon be overshadowed

by a Journey karaoke cover that was just plain MEAN!!!

Stories from friends

with hands on hind ends,

Made everyone laugh

while they read their…hind ends!

He danced with his Mom,

she danced with her Dad,

Never a better time

had all ever had.

-fin

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