Sultry Summer Weddings

August is one of my favorite months of the year, and certainly one of the most romantic times as well.

With ample sunshine and lazy long days, it's the perfect time for summer weddings!

I love the feel of Kate Moss' wedding last year - so idyllic yet un-fussy, and the soft colours work so well together.

 

WEDDING MAKEUP STYLES

You have a few choices to make for your wedding makeup, and my advice here is that you need to look like yourself but your most gorgeous self - so pick the style you wear day to day and then enhance it more for your big day.

Also consider the light you will be in and if it’s a day or night wedding.

Always always, practice at least once before whether you are doing it yourself or having a makeup artist do it on the day - this is not the day for any surprises :)

Here are two looks that you can start with:

NATURAL – Minimal makeup with NO mascara.

 

This pretty look is great if you are a makeup minimalist, and so easy to do.

1. Apply a skin-perfecting primer (try Pixi Flawless & Poreless) and follow with a tinted moisturizer all over face (try Pixi Illuminating Tint & Conceal - tube end).
2. Add concealer all around the eye, and around nose & lips (try Pixi Illuminating Tint & Conceal – cap end).
3. Swish a translucent powder all over face (try Pixi Flawless Finishing Powder).
4. Apply a nude pink luminous blush powder to cheekbones (try Pixi Bronze Bloom Trio).
5. Swish a chubby eye crayon all around the eye and blend with your fingers (try Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen in Mocha Mauve) & blend some light gold shimmer on top and around the eye (Pixi Fairy Dust).
6. Apply a nearly clear lip balm to lips (try Pixi Succulent Lip Twin in Opal Orchid).
7. Tint your lashes at a salon one week before your wedding so you don’t have to wear mascara on the day. The lack of mascara is what makes this look so clean, fresh, innocent and appealing.

CLASSIC – ladylike in lashes & lips with lots of mascara!

 

These eyes are all about lots of lashes on top and bottom.

1. Curl your own lashes and apply mascara as normal focusing on the root.
2. Cover the lid up to brow with a wash of a subtly shimmery white, bone or nude - choose a colour 3-4 shades lighter than your skintone (try Pixi Fairy Light Solo in French Lace). Light colours behind the lashes means that they pop more.
3. Line top lash line with black liquid liner before and after lash application. Then blend a grey-black or brown-black crayon onto center of lash line and smudge up and out (try Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen in Brun Beam).
4. Line lower lash line with a vintage gold or bronze (try Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen in Bronze Brilliance) and inner waterline with a nude or white brightener (try Pixi Eye Bright Liner). Also apply this to inner and outer corner of eye and blend.
5. Now apply approximately 6 individual false lashes to the top lash line from the outer corner to just above the middle of eye. Do the same with mini individual false lashes (Ardell has good ones) on the bottom lash line - either buy minis or cut the normal length ones to size. Cover all lashes with more mascara to make the false lashes mix with your real ones.
6. Keep brows naturally defined & groomed with setting gel.
7. Apply a long-wear lipstick in your favorite hue.

NAILS - For summer wedding nails, I recommend a soft lilac like our Luminous Lilac (top in photo below) or a pretty pale shell shade like our Opal Sheen (bottom in photo below).

 

Buy Pixi Nail Colour at http://pixibeauty.com/~pixi9g5u/nails/nail-polish

Whether you are a bride or guest, make sure you have the items below to make sure the day goes smoothly!

 

BEST WEDDING DRESSES

My favorite wedding dress (or any dress, now that I think of it) designer of the moment - Alberta Ferretti. Can you dream up more gorgeous dresses than these?

 

Vintage Mexican wedding dress - adorable for any occasion & perfect for a relaxed outdoors summer wedding.

Elie Saab lace wedding dress - if you want to take everyone's breath away (and if budget's not an issue) this would be a great choice. Gorgeous real life fairy tale dress!

THE FINISHING TOUCHES

Shoes and flowers are an essential part of a wedding day - matching flowers adorning shoes & bouquet is such a pretty idea. And I love how they mixed berries into the bouquet! 

Hair up or hair down is always the BIG question! 

Hair up is great if it suits you, if you are wearing earrings or necklace, or if you have shoulder length hair.                      

 

My top tip - if you think you may be getting married within 2 years – start to grow your hair NOW! Long, romantic with feminine waves is the only way to go if you want your hair down - throw away the straightener! If you have a hairdresser for the big day, the brief is: I want GODDESS hair (but still soft & silky).

GETTING PERSONAL

Here is a photo of my own lovely August wedding in Sweden in 1996! Such a magical day.

The best advice I got before my wedding was “stay with your husband the whole time - that way you have the same memories from the day & night” and it's SO true! Since there is so much going on and so many people you want to talk to and spend time with, it's key to stay hand-in-hand through it all.

Make sure to enjoy every second because it's over sooo fast! ALSO, get a really good photographer who knows who is important to you. You don’t want all the photos to be of your husband's best friend's little brother's new girlfriend - it has happened :)

If you are getting married this summer - and you know who you are! :) - stay calm, cool and focused on enjoying your moment with your soon-to-be husband. Remember: it's your life, you write the script! Do what YOU want.

Lastly, a thank you card to all that came to your wedding means a lot and is a nice well mannered gesture! Good manners are so underestimated and never go out of fashion.

My own big Thank YOU is to all of you that follow me on this blog and that keep spreading the word – its incredible to hear all your feed back and I'm so humbled that you take the time to read and write to me.

Tell me, are you going to a summer wedding this year?