Madison

The 5 Most Common Skin Mistakes Made by Brides

My other go-to babe for all things skin care is Kylene from Buttercup Beauty in Waunakee.  She compiled a list of the top 5 mistakes that brides make when prepping their skin for their wedding.  Read on to see what she has to say!

 

5.  Tanning

Other than the obvious fact that it causes cancer, malignant melanoma can be deadly by the way, it can leave you with dark spots on your face that are extremely difficult to get rid of.  Some think it’s helpful to clear acne [which it can temporarily, but later you'll have a thick layer of dead skin, which will cause even more acne than you started with]. Unprotected sun exposure causes premature aging, wrinkles, redness [broken capillaries], and blackheads.  If your wedding dress is strapless, you don't want tan lines, so invest in a good sunscreen.  Supergoop is our go-to brand!

 

4.  Poor Self-Care

Picture this: You're busy planning a wedding, trying to please your future in-laws, and having your last hurrahs with girlfriends...  Sometimes these stressful days can lead to can all lead to late nights and caffeinated mornings. Be sure to take time to eat nutritious, skin-loving foods like salmon, fresh leafy greens, and vitamin packed fresh fruits.  Make sleep a priority, practice mediation or yoga, and stay adequately hydrated - it can go a long way in helping skin look it’s best on your big day. 

 

3.  Failing to See a Dermatologist to Treat Acne and Other Skin Disorder

In most cases, acne is hormonal and no how many times you wash your face or how much money you spend on creams, breakouts will simply not stop.  Sometimes the solution is switching, or stopping, your birth control [well in advance] or taking an oral medication called Spironlactone that blocks androgens from stimulating your sebaceous glands in your skin.

 

2.  Doing Too Much Too Late

Exposing your skin to all kinds of new things [new makeup, new creams, intense skin treatments] can throw your skin into a tizzy.  Stress can present itself on your skin.  I had to inject epinephrine in my stressed out, covered-in-hives girlfriend.  I always refer to the character Woogie in the movie There's Something About Mary, who became so stressed he developed pimples on his eyelids.  The stress and excitement about your upcoming wedding, combined with lack of sleep, increase in alcohol, add in a few seasonal allergies... Your poor skin won’t be able to take it and will probably retaliate with puffy eyelids and crazy rashes!  If you’re getting a late start in skin prep, take it easy and don’t over do it!!! [Word to the wise, now is not the time to try a head-to-toe body wax]

 

1. Expecting Makeup Artists to Perform Miracles

As a former bridal makeup artist myself, I’ve seen it all too many times.  A bride arrives for makeup and has given absolute zero thought is put in to taking care of her skin.  She shows up dehydrated, skin with visible flakiness, eyebrows and upper lip unattended, with makeup on her eyes from the night before.  Before heading out to your appointment, cleanse your face but don't moisturize, your makeup artist will moisturize as part of skin prep.

 

Let us know your thoughts on these mistakes in the comments - we'd love to hear what you have to say!

So... You're Unmarried + A Wedding Planner, huh?

Since this is a question that some of my clients have hinted at and never asked, I thought I'd address the curiosity directly.  

I wasn't always the unwed wedding planner.  In January 2010, I married the father of my two cutie pies.  We separated in April of 2016 and were in the final stages of divorce when he passed away in September of 2017.  [Yes y'all, divorces can take that long...]  I hid my separation from almost everyone for about six months, and from clients for about a year.  I was terrified that this life experience would somehow invalidate my ability to be seen as a reliable resource and would hurt my business.

In the middle of going through the divorce, I realized that a lot of people's path to long term relationship + marriage isn't a walk in the park... Unless you're talking about Jurassic Park.  A lot of people have mountains to climb, obstacles to overcome, closets to come out of, and human eating dinosaurs to fight off.  [I miiiiiight be overdramatizing things a bit by that last one... But you know what I mean.] 

I realized that people gravitate toward people that are transparent and authentic.  The clients that choose to work with me, choose me because they like my design aesthetic, not because of my relationship status. So, I made the choice to be transparent and let people know about what I was going through.  I now understand that people relate to me because I'm real and talk about real life stuff.  The good stuff AND the bad/ugly/painful.  

You may find that your story is a little different than the Hollywood romances. You've got some messy parts or have gone through some tough times. I see you and appreciate you. It brings me so much joy to plan events that honor the deepest parts of your story. I can't wait to hear about your story, and what makes you unique and lovely.

So, hey there, I'm Dominique.  I'm a single Mom of two boys AND I'm a wedding planner.  But y'all, I'm SO much more than that.

Nice to meet you and glad you're here.

Dominique

*If something in this post resonated with you, give it a like or a share and leave a comment!*

 

 

Welcome!

Hey y'all, Dominique here!  

You've likely made your way to my slice of the interwebs from my FacebookInstagram or Pinterest page, and I appreciate you checking things out! Here you'll find photos of past weddings and styled photo shoots, resources and checklists, tips, and SO MUCH MORE.  I am bursting with excitement and cannot wait to share the things I've learned since starting my business in 2009.

Photo of Dominique - Owner, Lead Designer + Stylist at Wood Violet Events + Styling Photo Credit: April Zelenka

Photo of Dominique - Owner, Lead Designer + Stylist at Wood Violet Events + Styling Photo Credit: April Zelenka

Wait a second...  I should probably take a minute to let you get to know a bit about ME, huh?  I was born and raised in Wisconsin.  I left for 3 months to do relief work in New Orleans and came back.  Aside from the winters [*ahem* approximately six months out of the year] I LOVE living here.  I am a Mama to two sweet, energetic, and slightly rambunctious boys. I love tacos, Tex Tubbs Fried Cauliflower Tacos are amazing, along with El Grito Taqueria. I love practicing yoga and recently tried my first hot yoga class at Dragonfly Hot Yoga.  I started wedding planning professionally in November 2009 under the name Simple Elegance and rebranded to Wood Violet in June of 2016. My rebrand more accurately reflects my design aesthetic and clientele. I LOVE all aspects of planning a wedding, but my passion is design and styling of tablescapes.  

 Moody and Romantic Tablescape                                                            &nbs…

 Moody and Romantic Tablescape                                                                                                     Photo Credit: Natural Intuition Photography

Thank you, thank you, thank you for stopping by and I hope you check back from time to time and see what the new happenings are around here.

Cheers!

Dominique

P.S. Tell me what your favorite part of wedding planning has been thus far!  OR, if you're just starting, what is the one thing you're most excited about?!  Can't wait to hear!