Spring is officially here in The Woodlands! The weather's getting hotter and the flowers are blooming. And it's time to start thinking about summer...summer plans, vacations and summer wedding makeup and beauty trends.

We knew we needed the advice of a local makeup professional who could give our readers (and us) some tips for beating the Texas heat in style this summer. A makeup professional who we think you should get to know and love, like we do. Meet Keri Ann and get to know her business - Makeup by Keri Ann. Teaser: Brides, she gives a list of what to have in your wedding day emergency beauty kit!

Woodlands Bride: Tell us about your background. How did you get started as a makeup stylist and how long have you been in the beauty industry?

KA: I always enjoyed putting on makeup and wearing it, but my need for makeup began when I was suffering with a serious case of cystic acne. I needed serious coverage for a painfully embarrassing problem. I also quickly learned that makeup that covered acne well often caused more problems. Eventually I discovered the importance of quality skin care and I wanted to teach other women my age about it so I quickly became a student of makeup application. I have actually been in the cosmetics industry for almost 20 years now. What really makes me unique is that I also spent 7 years working as a corporate Chaplain.

Woodlands Bride: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

KA: Seeing a woman’s face light up when I hand her the mirror to see the finished makeover is priceless.  I also know that when a woman looks good on the outside she feels more confident on the inside and that’s my gift to every client!

Woodlands Bride: What are some products every bride should have in her makeup emergency kit for the day of the wedding? 

KA: •  Handkerchief or tissues •  lipstick and lip gloss •  oil-absorbing tissues •  nail glue          •  clear nail polish •  compact mirror •  pressed powder •  fashion tape •  breath mints          •  bobby pins •  hairspray •  pain reliever •  band-aides 

Woodlands Bride: Summers are so hot in Texas! Do you have advice for brides or bridesmaids who need their makeup to stand up to the Texas heat in an outdoor summer wedding?

KA: Believe it or not, avoid skin care and makeup products that contain sun protection on your wedding day.  SPF products actually are light reflective and can be a problem for the camera and all those pictures you are smiling for.  So many cosmetic products have spf protection, you really need to pay attention AND ask your makeup artist if he/she intends to use products with spf protection.

•  Stay inside the a/c as long as possible!
•  Use oil-absorbing products - moisturizers that absorb oil; primers and other mattifying products are a must during the Texas heat.
•  Oil-absorbing tissues - thin “paper like” products that will absorbs the oil but won’t remove the makeup.  Just blot on areas where moisture is building
•  Apply very thin layers of pressed powder in areas that are needed.

Woodlands Bride: Are there things a bride can do to make sure her skin is perfect for her wedding day? And how soon should she start? 

KA: Healthy and smooth skin is the perfect canvas for a makeup artist.  I can’t emphasize the importance of a good skin care regimen enough.  If you don’t have a good skin care routine, you need to find one that works before that ring is on your finger!  It sometimes takes 6-8 weeks for skin to adjust to a new routine, so it really could take a year to get the right chemistry for your skin.

Also, make sure you drink lots of water during the day to hydrate your skin and make sure you have a nutritious diet, too.

Woodlands Bride: What can a bride expect for her day-of makeup application?

KA: The bride should have a trial makeup run weeks before the big day - this way the bride knows what to expect. (I often hear stories that sometimes 2-3 makeup artists have to be tried before the bride finds the one that’s right for her.)

The bride should be able to communicate and show her makeup artist what type of makeup look she wants.  Pictures are so helpful! Application will probably take around 45 minutes for the bride - the artist should take time to really conceal, highlight and contour the face.  Make sure your artist is using waterproof makeup - especially around the eyes. (I heard one story where an artist put makeup on the bride and her mother and said “O.K., you can’t cry now.”  Really?!?!) 

Also, I always recommend false lashes - they really add a beautiful dimension to pictures and there are so many fabulous looks to choose from.  If you have a set of lashes you are in love with, bring your own lashes for the artist to apply.

If you don’t like something about your makeup - SPEAK UP!  The artist will never know unless you tell them.  I always take time to show my clients and get their opinions throughout the process, but many artists don’t work that way.

Woodlands Bride: Can you give us a little glimpse into your makeup bag? What 5 products can you not live without? 

KA: 1.  Eyeshadow primer - it keeps my eye makeup on all day!
2.  Lip balm (note: not a chap stick or cold sore product) - keeps lips soft and smooth
3.  Lipstick and lip gloss
4.  Eye brow pencil - the most under used and forgotten product with the most dramatic results!
5.  Mascara - I actually apply 2-3 different types to make lashes really stand out.

Advice by KA: I really try to educate my clients rather than selling to them.  Everyone has their favorite brands or ideas about products so I really like to talk about products in a general way.  I believe that women should always ask for samples and they should never be afraid to return products they don’t like/can’t use.

Keri Ann is a freelance makeup artist in the Houston area. She offers airbrushing and traditional makeup application for all of life's special events, including weddings. Keri Ann has 19 years of experience in the cosmetic and skin care industry, and she loves helping women find new ways to enhance their beautiful God-given features. Contact Makeup by Keri Ann today to schedule a consultation!
www.makeupbykeriann.com
713-775-5659 or info@makeupbykeriann.com
Makeup by Keri Ann is a featured vendor. View her listing in our Vendor Guide here.

We love this concept. Looking through all the wedding photos of Gabi + John, you may stop and think, "How on earth did they find the time on their wedding day to take all those gorgeous shots?" They didn't. Katie Lamb Photography offers her clients "Day After Sessions" so that sometime after the wedding, couples can take the time to get all the shots they want, at a fun location. As Katie puts it: The stress of wedding planning is gone so the bride and groom are much more relaxed. Plus, we don't have to worry quite so much about the dress getting a little dirty.

Photographer: Katie Lamb Photography / Dress: Mia Bridal Couture / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

We love it when brides go traditional and choose to have a simply white wedding! This Cypress bride chose a beautiful white lace gown and a white vest + tie for her groom. For a pop of color, the couple chose red, yellow and orange floral. The little white elements - the white lace the bride's bouquet was wrapped in, her white ballet flats - gave the wedding of Bethany + Ben a fresh and sincere look. The beautiful images by Jeremy & Kristin captured all the sweetness of this wedding!

The reception was held at Northwest Forest Conference Center where the couple danced the night away - even in the rain! How romantic.

Photographer: Jeremy & Kristin Photography / Location: Northwest Forest Conference Center / Florist: Design by Alandria / Event Planner: Lauren Johnson / Musicians: Harp by Melody / Dress: David's Bridal / Cake: Celebrations & Sweet Creations / DJ: Brian Ring / Makeup: Myrna Hermida / Mens Attire: Men's Wearhouse

"Wedding Season" is in full swing and brides are staying on top of the trends and incorporating these colors into their weddings.  But, don't forget to include your husband-to-be in the design aspect. (No, you don't have to ask him what shade of blue to use!) Make sure to include his outfit in the color scheme!  Our mantra around here is: "A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life." -Oscar Wilde

Take a look at the current fashion-trending colors this season:

One of my favorite color combos (right now) is Greyed Jade & Linen.  I love seeing this minty color paired with linen/burlap. Here is a little inspiration of such and a REAL bride and groom I worked with:

When you work with me (Rose is a Rose Designs), you will get one-on-one attention (because I limit the amount of weddings I will take on at one time!) And you receive professional help pulling the groom's look together with Ties, Bow Ties & Suspenders.  The men's wardrobe for the day can really pull everything together and add those finishing and unique touches!

A color combo I'm dying to do for a bride is Lemon Zest & Monaco Blue. If I were to do my wedding over again, I might JUST have to do this color combo or variation of it and use one of my new Rose is a Rose Designs Bow Ties (Anchor tie pictured): 

Don't be afraid of the power of using more than one bold wedding color!  Have fun, personalize your wedding and if you're feeling lost just check out the current color trends for your season to help you feel inspired!

For personalized attention and a fresh look at your wedding, please feel free to visit me at www.roseisarose.com or email me directly at roseisarosedesigns@gmail.com.  You can also check out our Vendor Guide profile on Woodlands Bride!

Now, onto the contest. Rose is a Rose Designs is giving away this prize to one lucky reader: Free tie and suspender sets for the Groom and Ring Bearer with the purchase of two additional groomsmen attire (up to $110 value!)


Here's what you do to enter:
1. LIKE Woodlands Bride and Rose is a Rose Designs on Facebook.
2. Take a look around Rose is a Rose Etsy shop and tell us your favorite look or item in the comment section below.

Then, you're entered! Wait until end of business Monday for us to wrap up the contest and pick a winner, to be announced Tuesday morning. 

*Everyone's a winner at Woodlands Bride! Rose is a Rose wants to give everyone a special treat - a coupon code to use in her shop: Enter BRIDE2013 to get $25 off your purchase of $150 or more (including custom orders!)  

Welcome to our new Friday series...Friday Favorites! (Catchy, I know.)Don't worry, if you loved the hue love series. There will still be tons of color palettes and gorgeous bouquets coming your way, pinky promise. 

Consider this new post your weekly buzz report of what is happening in the wedding industry here in The Woodlands and all around the blogosphere. 

Iver + Adrian by Kasey Lynn Photography 
This is an absolutely gorgeous wedding that took place at The Bell Tower on 34th Street. You have to see this ring bearer! He's pretty cute...

Beautiful Letter by Bella Vista Productions
This video is truly beyond words. I love this video so much I have watched it three times already and if I am totally being honest, I will watch it again once I finish this post. 

If you are color obsessed like I am, then getting this little baby in your inbox makes your heart totally skip a beat. If you don't know, Pantone is the color authority, pretty much of the world. I think I am loving the nectarine, what's your favorite? 

If you are a bride planning a wedding in The Woodlands, you do not want to miss any of these events.

Trunks Shows
October 5-6 Martina Liana with representative Jessica at Brickhouse Bridal
Martina Liana is global glamour for bridal couture. These gorgeous couture gowns have fantastic fit, innate attention to detail and stunning silhouettes. Using luxurious fabrics adorned with Swarovski Crystal and Diamante embellishments, you will walk down the aisle with a feeling of royalty.  Martina Liana representative, Jessica will be at BHB for this special weekend! You will receive a 10% discount on all Martina Liana gowns during this Houston-Exclusive trunk show; gowns start at $1395. Appointments recommended, 281.681.3430.

October 12-13 Enzoani Trunk Show at Brickhouse Bridal
Modern. Elegant. Exquisite. If you haven’t found that unique gown to compliment your personality and style, you’ll fall in love with ENZOANI.  Incredible designs? Check. Dramatic sparkle, lace, ruffles and pickups? Oh yes.  Join us to see the Enzoani 2012 gowns.  Receive a special 10% trunk show discount on this special weekend; gowns start at $1800.  Appointments are preferred for this event.

October 14 Fleur de Lis Productions Bridal Show
The Woodlands Waterway Marriott, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
The Fleur de Lis Bridal Show provides you the variety of vendor options you’re looking for in an intimate setting that feels personal and catered to your bridal needs. The best part? The Fleur De Lis staff is there to make sure you have a great time with live entertainment, an elaborate fashion show, dozens of chic door prizes, contests and dancing! Buy your tickets online for 50 percent off. 

Do you have something to share for Friday favorites? Don't be shy, leave it in the comment section below or send it to my email and I will include it next week! 

Hello! Today, I am so excited to share these handmade paper wreaths and wedding decor with you! The best part is they are made by one of The Woodlands' own resident, Katie Lloyd of Anthology on Main!  I chatted with Katie about her flowers and how brides could get one customized for their own wedding!


WB: What inspired you to create your handmade paper wreaths and decor? 
KL: Last year I had seen a lot of paper wreaths, however, most of those wreaths used new paper and I wanted a greener alternative, so I turned to used books. Whenever possible I use older hardcover books as the paper quality is far superior to paperbacks. I use various fiction titles but avoid genres that tend to have offensive words and phrases.

WB: This is a perfect product for an eco-conscious bride! Can you tell us about your materials? 
KL: I use 99% of each and every book and believe strongly in the "waste not, want not" philosophy. From one book I am able to make rosettes, carnations, pom pom garlands (coming very soon to the shop!), and ornaments (coming later this year). I also upcycle the hardcovers into purses and journals, as well as make my own paper from the scraps of the above projects and use this handmade paper for more rosettes and notecards. 

WB: Okay, so if a bride wanted to purchase one of your products, what would she need to know?
KL: The wreaths and kissing balls in my shop can both be customized. I offer 29 color choices for the flowers and the clients' choice of ribbon color for the kissing balls, all free of charge. I currently offer six sizes of kissing balls and am able to take requests for different sizes of wreaths. Further customization can be added to an order for additional fees. These options include color matching, such as matching a kissing ball to the same shade as a bridesmaid dress, as well as the choice of book titles used.
 
For custom orders, a potential client simply needs to contact me through my Etsy shop with their requests: quantity, sizes, colors, etc. Once we have worked through all the details I create a custom listing for them in my shop where they then purchase their personalized and unique order! Right now my lead time for creating a custom order is approximately 3 months.  

Have you considered serving up pies at your wedding? When they are this cute, how could you resist? Amanda Ogden and her Mom, Kit, have been serving up these little beauties for their company, Tiny Pies, based in Austin. They have just launched a Houston location and served up the details here on Woodlands Bride.

WB: How did you get the idea for Tiny Pies?
AO: My mom, Kit and I have been baking pies together for years. The idea for Tiny Pies came from my sons wanting to take an individual piece of pie in their lunch sacks to school.  We launched Tiny Pies in Austin in January, 2011 and have grown by leaps and bounds. 

WB: What kinds of events do you cater? 
AO: We specialize in weddings and corporate events. We've catered everything from fundraisers for non-profits for 450 attendees to shipping one thousand pies to three separate locations for a company's product launch.  We've also catered many weddings, rehearsal dinners and shower events. I think today's brides and grooms are looking for something unique that highlights their individuality and Tiny Pies are a great fit for them.  Additionally, folks are becoming more conscious of where their food comes from and so they select Tiny Pies for their events because they know that we support the local growers and source our ingredients locally whenever possible. We offer free tastings and usually bake up about four different flavors of pie for wedding celebrations.

We believe strongly in giving back to our community and have put our pies where our mouth is so to speak.  We've helped raise money for  the following charities over the past year: Susan G. Komen Foundation, Moblie Loaves and Fishes, SafePlace, Goodwill Industries and Heart of Texas Lab Rescue just to name a few.  

WB: Welcome to Houston! How can a bride learn more? 
AO: We launched our weddings and events catering business in Houston in March.  We hope to offer Houstonians a unique and all natural alternative to their catering needs.  We look forward to becoming a local favorite and will continue to support the local community through participating in fundraisers. Houston brides can contact us for free tastings.  If we're not in the Houston area we can ship pies to them free of charge we just ask that they pay for shipping. We deliver to Houston for large scale events and can ship smaller orders easily.  We'll be at the Something Borrowed, Something Blues Bridal show at House of Blues Houston on August 11th.    

Photos courtesy of Tiny Pies.

We are so excited to welcome Edit Faris and Dream Cakes, Inc. as a premier wedding vendor in The Woodlands! She is sharing some of her tasty twists on the traditional wedding cake. (Talk about eye candy!)  I sat down with Edit as she shared a little about what makes her cakes so incredibly scrumptious along with 3 tips for making your

Haley Hughes of En Vogue Events took a break from planning fabulous upcoming weddings and events to share with us a little about her business, and some of the wedding trends we can expect to see this year.

WB: Tell us a little about yourself and your business. 
Haley: En Vogue Events is going into our eighth year of business, which is
very exciting.  We have had some great clients and then we have some
stories as well. 

I have been very fortunate to have my team, everyone
brings their own qualities to our company and that is the secret to our
growth.  We have been honored with several awards – the inaugural Best of
Weddings award from the Knot as well as 2011 and 2012, Brides.com Best of, Talk
of the town for best customer service, Texas Star Award are some of them.

WB: How did you get started planning weddings?
Haley: My college major was Public Relations which led me into event planning. I
started with an internship for Austin Parks and Recreation in their events
department and never looked back.  I went into TV sales for ABC in San
Antonio for about six months and found out I am horrible at sales! 

Ran right back to event planning.  I worked for a national magazine as their
in-house planner, planning events all over the nation. But I was missing the
personal relationships that you can get on local events. Which was what led me
to wedding planning,
 
WB: What do you love the most about planning weddings?
Haley: I absolutely love seeing the finished product!  The moment when I sneak the bride into the ballroom and she says it’s better than she imagined – nothing can give me more fulfillment.

WB: Okay, give us the scoop! What are the trends you predict for 2012 weddings? Haley: European Vintage is going to take off big time!  Modern is slowly making its way out, and vintage and eclectic décor are going to take over.
 
WB: Describe yourself in 3 words.  
Haley:  Reliable, Ethical, FUN!

WB: Describe your dream wedding.
Haley: This is a little hard – I have two!
 
I know I just said that European Vintage is in style – but I still love modern even if it’s not the trend. I don’t mean in over kill mode – I love lighting and crisp lines.  One of my favorite weddings on TV- Phoebe’s wedding on Friends, or Ross’ wedding in London on Friends. Both were somewhat outdoors, and both went through a ton of changes at
the last minute but ended up even more beautiful!

And two,  I have a secret desire to get married in Las Vegas…. I know it’s over done and I would have to plan it, I can’t just jump on a plane and go. But the destination Wedding Gowns are so gorgeous and the casinos actually have some really amazing ballrooms – tall ceilings, huge chandeliers.


Haley originally hails from Bryan Texas. When she isn't working, she is spending time with her pride and joy, Frankie, her adorable dog and Drew Connor – one of the most wonderful men she says she has ever met!

Check out her website or connect with her on Twitter @envogueevents.