Fake it, baby!

Nope, I'm not talking about your wedding night (get your minds out of the gutters), but a few handy products that can definitely help you simplify and save on your wedding or special occasion beauty routine.

Broadway Nails Real Life

Did you ever play around with fake nails when you were in junior high or high school? My friends and I did on several occasions but we always bought the cheapest, most outrageous nails we could find.  However, if you do some searching, you can find very realistic, professional looking nails that are much cheaper than the cost of a salon manicure.  I really wish I had considered using false nails for my wedding instead of shelling out $30 for a manicure that wasn't all that impressive anyways. Over the summer I had boudoir pictures done as an anniversary present for my husband and decided to take a chance and wear false nails.  I was nervous that they wouldn't stay on, or that they would look obviously fake, but they look amazing in the pictures! A quick search on amazon turns up hundreds of results for fake nails that are a far cry from the fake and juvenile looking ones I was accustomed to seeing.  Particularly good brands that I have found are Fing'rs, Kiss, and Broadway, but there are others as well.  You can easily get a gorgeous manicure for $6-$10 by using false nails, instead of the $30+ that a salon manicure costs.

Kiss Custom Fit

Obviously, you want to purchase your false nails well ahead of time to do a trial wear so you can see how they look in person and how well they stay on.  The Fingr's false nails that I used came with glue stickers, but I constantly felt like they were coming loose and had to obsessively check to make sure they were still on. The nails themselves looked awesome, but I would recommend using liquid nail glue as opposed to stickers. Also, you can buy some pretty crazy nail designs, but I would definitely stick with a classic french manicure or solid, subtle color to avoid looking like a wannabe teenager prom-queen.


Now, to ensure that your false nails look as good as possible you want to follow a few basic steps:

Fing'rs Duo-tone

1. Choose a false nail style that is a subtle color and a short to medium length.
2.  Before applying glue, check to ensure that each false nail fits the width of your natural nail bed. Nails that are slightly larger than your nail bed may be painful to wear, but they will look okay. False nails that are smaller than your natural nails will look obviously fake. 
3. Gently push back your cuticles with a clean orange (cuticle) stick.
4. Swipe each of your natural nails with nail polish remover and let dry before applying nail glue. This will remove excess oils and ensure a good tight bond between your nail and the false nail.  
5. Gently file any unnatural looking bits of plastic off the false nails.  
6. Be sure to bring extra nail glue in your bridal emergency bag, just in case! 

Seasonal Wedding Tips

Pre-decorated church

Christmas Tree Kiss

The holidays are approaching and now is a GREAT time of year to get married.  Not only do most religious venues and public spaces have holiday decorations up, but a there is a chance that many of your family members will have extra days off work so you could potentially save money by having your wedding on a less popular day of the week, such as a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.  The prominence of greenery and decorations in churches and public areas means that you won't have to spend money on ceremony decoration, and could quite possibly save on reception decor as well! Seriously, how amazingly romantic are pictures of newlyweds kissing in front of a softly lit pine tree!?

If you are lucky enough to live in an area that gets snow in December it is almost guaranteed that your pictures will have a magical winter background! Your accessories and bridal party colors will absolutely pop against the glistening, white background of snow. It might be a little bit cold during the pictures but I think the end results are totally worth it!

Snowy Wedding Backdrop

A few more ideas to consider when planning for a holiday wedding is that it does get dark earlier in November and December, so it may be a good idea to have an early afternoon wedding in order to have the best light for any outdoor photography.  With an earlier wedding you could also potentially save money by having a lighter reception with an array of hors d'oevres and drinks instead of  full sit down meal.  Of course you would want to provide enough food so that your guests aren't starving by the end, but serving several types of appetizers also keeps the mood of the reception light and festive.

Hopefully this inspired some of you seasonal brides-to-be and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, whatever you may celebrate!