Day Nine - Party - What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)
So, obviously, the party of the year was our wedding. Which I'll be describing. In full detail. As soooon as we get our pictures. Be patient, my friends.
Day Ten - Wisdom - What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)
Forking over the extra dough to hire David Everett as our day-of coordinator for our wedding. I know it sounds stupid and petty, but seriously...this saved me from going crazy, breaking down, and probably all-out killing someone. I would have been annoyed at having to wrangle our wedding party for the important moments. I would have definitely been running behind schedule. I would have noticed little things that went wrong. I would have not had the patience to deal with vendor issues (if there were any). Because we hired David, I didn't have to worry about any of that. David kept our wedding party in check. He kept us on schedule. He dealt with any issues that came up (and kept whatever they might have been a total secret from me!). He kept things moving along smoothly. He kept me sane. Best of all - he actually cared about doing all of that. He wasn't just doing it because we were paying him to do it. He wanted us to have a perfect day. He'd cleared his schedule for Friday night and Saturday before we even confirmed that we wanted to hire him, because he wanted to make sure he'd be there for us. That's why we love him. That's why it was the best decision we made this year.
Day Eleven - 11 Things - What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life? (Author: Sam Davidson)
1) Jaded-ness. I know, it's not a word. But seriously, you guys, this job has majorly jaded me. Or made me majorly jaded. Whatever. I've got to remember why I went into social work, and remember that - at their core - people are good.
2) Gossip. I've started feeling like I can be a bit mean sometimes. I have to stop that.
3) Sarcasm. Kind of goes along with #2. Sarcasm is great. But not at someone else's expense.
4) Frivolous spending. Stop shopping just because I "think" I "need" something. I don't. Really. Or, if it's something we really do need, then shop around for the best deal. Don't just see something, like it, buy it, no matter the cost. If we're thinking baby-time soon, we need to get smarter about money.
5) Carbs. Not all together. I'm not capable of going full carb-free. But I do need to cut back. Carbs are simple sugars. They don't break down. They stick around and form ugly lumps on my belly and butt.
6) Laziness. Going along with #5, it's really time to get my lumpy butt and belly back to the gym. Not just for weight loss, but also just for overall health. I have my own car now, so I have no excuse not to go after work, directly from the train station.
7) Celebrity gossip blogs. Kind of goes along with #2. I'm sure celebrities don't appreciate me gossiping about them, either. And some of those blogs are so catty.
8) Huffing. I huff. A lot. At work. It's gotta stop.
9) Rolling my eyes. Same as #8.
10) Chewing my cuticles. Um, cuz it's gross. And I work at a hospital. Infection lurks on every surface. I'm surprise I haven't caught CHF or something.
11) This was going to say "alcohol," but I don't really believe that I need to stop drinking completely. For a few rather personal reasons, though, I do feel like I need to cut back. So, how about a few glasses of wine per week? Is that fair?
New last name. Same old Emma.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Still Catching Up...
A few more Reverb10 prompts. I guess this means I'll be blogging pretty much every day in December. That sounds like a challenge!
Day Seven - Community - Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create, or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)
This year, I discovered Weddingbee. For anyone planning a wedding, Weddingbee is a necessity. Seriously, it's that good. Not only does it provide a wealth of ideas, inspiration, and tutorials, but it also provides a place to commiserate and congratulate. Though I was not a Bee, I was a frequent contributor to conversations and commented on hundreds of the Bees' posts. The hive (as the members of the site are affectionately known) has to be the most supportive group of women I've ever met...and I've never actually met a single one of them. But as I read their stories, I felt like I knew many of them. I began to feel like these women were my friends, in a weird way. I looked forward to the pictures and recaps of their weddings like I do my own friends'.
As for a community I'd like to connect with, that would have to be our neighborhood. We moved here 3+ years ago. Our second summer here, our house was broken into. The neighbors rallied around us. For a brief time, we were invited to backyard barbecues and July 4th blockparties. But once the excitement of the break-in died down, so did the amount of invitations we received. We kept waving and saying hi, but it didn't seem to get us back into their good graces. We don't know what happened. Maybe they just don't like us. Who knows. But these days, we consider ourselves lucky if we get an unprovoked wave (meaning, we didn't wave first). Last year, we got some new neighbors who moved in across the street. We invited them to our annual Oktoberfest party, and helped them out with snowblowing during the winter. But we've barely spoken to them in months. So that's what I'm hoping for. I'm hoping to connect a bit more with some of our neighbors. We'll see.
Day Eight - Beautifully Different - Think about what make syou different and what you do that makes people light up. Reflect on all the things that make you different - you'll find they're what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Wolrond)
I'm really good at laughing at myself.
My nose is weirdly flexible. It still freaks Matt out, and we've been together for 5 years.
My left ankle and right thumb can crack pretty much on-demand.
I have an uncanny ability to remember song lyrics.
Secretly, I'd rather watch Jeopardy! than pretty much anything.
Harry Potter makes my heart smile.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
More Reverb
Day Six - Make - What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)
I made chili and butternut squash soup. Matt and I were hosting the social workers from my department at our house Friday evening. I chose to do chili because I had managed to find the recipe for Redstone Grill's chili online, and Redstone Grill makes the best chili I've ever had. I was fully aware that I would not exactly replicate the recipe, but I hoped it would be close. And I chose to do butternut squash soup because I love it, and I found a good vegan recipe for it (my supervisor and his wife eat vegan).
The chili had a lot going on, but it was really delicious. It wasn't quite the same as the restaurant, but it was close. Ground beef, celery, onion, garlic, chipotle pepper puree, cayenne pepper powder, chili powder, cumin, oregano, tomato puree, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, and kidney beans. I made it a few days before the party, so the flavors had a chance to blend. I heated it up the evening of, and - not to toot my own horn, but - it was pretty awesome.
The butternut squash soup was really good, too. First time I ever cooked with fresh ginger, which smells amazing! It also had onions, butternut squash (obviously), vegetable stock, and coconut milk. Mine didn't quite get completely smooth, but it was still pretty good. Not as sweet as I would've like - probably a bit more coconut milk would've helped.
As far as what I'd like to make...there's all kinds of recipes I'd like to try, but I just don't have the time and/or patience for them. I usually try to make a really special meal for us on Christmas and one for Valentine's Day. I'm trying to come up with something for that. I am thinking that maybe for Christmas I'll make some spinach and egg fritattas for breakfast. And I have dessert figured out - creme brulee! As for dinner, I'm really not sure. Matt suggested lasagna. I tried that once, but it didn't turn out that well. So maybe I'll give it another go.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Transitioning
While waiting for our wedding photos to become available to me (aka, our disc comes in the mail), I'm going to start transitioning this blog to a Real Life blog. Sometimes, I'll have a lot to say. Other times, I may have nothing to say. So, just, you know - come along for the ride with me, won't you?
To start things off, I'm going to take a prompt from Reverb10. I am a huge fan of reflecting on things (hi, social worker here - we're all about introspection), so I love the idea of wrapping up the year with these prompts. Since I'm behind, I'm going to do a few at once for the first few days.
Day One - One Word - Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you're choosing that word. Now, imagine it's one year from today. What would you like to be the word that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)
2010 in one word, huh? Love. We kicked off 2010 by celebrating our love. Matt proposed to me on New Year's Eve. We celebrated the change from 2009 to 2010, from dating to engaged, from one decade to the next. For the next few days, we got all kinds of love from our friends and family who congratulated us and celebrated with us. Throughout the year, we felt love from our vendors, as they worked and toiled to make our wedding day everything we'd hoped for. We were showered with love at my bridal shower. We were surrounded with love at our bachelor/bachelorette parties. And we couldn't escape the love on our wedding day. It was all love, all the time - and we felt so unbelievably blessed. And what word do I want to be able to look back at 2011 with? Married. We'll have officially spent one year as a married couple. I want to spend the year reveling in that. I want to squeal inside every single time I say "my husband." I want to spend 2011 being married. Being newlyweds.
Day Three - Moment - Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid details (textures, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)
I am standing at the front of the church. Looking into the eyes of the man with whom I have been in love for 5 years. Wow. 5 years. To my left, our Pastor; to my right, all of our closest friends and family. Pastor Cindy's voice is soothing, calming, and talking about love and marriage. Matt is looking back at, and chewing on his lips. His nervous habit. Behind him, I can see his groomsmen - his best friends and his 2 brothers. The church is dimly lit, the late afternoon light slowly fading, creating a soft, intimate glow around everything. I smell my perfume and Matt's cologne. I bought him that cologne 3 years ago, and it's my favorite. I smile every time I smell it. Matt's eyes are big and smiling, even though he's too busy chewing his lips to be able to actually smile at me. My heart is swollen in my chest. There is a lump in my throat that I'm trying to swallow, because if it keeps rising, I know that I will break down and cry. Pastor Cindy starts saying our vows, and Matt starts repeating: "I, Matthew, take you Erin..." His voice is deep - deeper than normal, and I know it's because he's nervous and emotional. I smile, nay, beam at him. I peek behind him and I see his brother, Mike, with a single tear streaming down his cheek. I smile. I look away, take a deep breath, and slowly let it out. The breath shudders on it's way out. Matt finishes his vows: "...for as long as we both shall live." Matt takes a deep breath. The breath shudders on it's way out. Pastor Cindy starts saying the vows for me. I repeat after her. I make it halfway through: "...laugh with you and cry with you..." I can hear my voice shake. Matt smiles, and I can feel him squeeze my hand. My chin starts to tremble. That lump in my throat is on the rise. I have to look away. I look at his brother, Mike, who now has multiple tears streaming down his cheek. I start to repeat a line: "...loving you faithfully.." and can't get it out. I start to cry. I start to laugh. Matt laughs. Pastor Cindy laughs. I feel her hand on my shoulder, comforting me. I take a deep breath. It shudders. I have tears streaming down my cheeks. I hear my bridesmaids sniffling. I start to speak the next line: "...through the good times..." and can't get it out. I gasp for air. It sounds absurd. I see the groomsmen shuffling around, reaching in their pockets. I reach into my cleavage and grab the tissues I had stored. The entire congregation laughs. Matt laughs - I love his laugh. It calms me. I dab the tears and take another deep breath. I finally finish my vows: "...for as long as we both shall live." I laugh again. I dab the tears. Matt and I take each other's hands, and I look at him - my husband. For as long as we both shall live.
(PS - I cried as I wrote this)
To start things off, I'm going to take a prompt from Reverb10. I am a huge fan of reflecting on things (hi, social worker here - we're all about introspection), so I love the idea of wrapping up the year with these prompts. Since I'm behind, I'm going to do a few at once for the first few days.
Day One - One Word - Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you're choosing that word. Now, imagine it's one year from today. What would you like to be the word that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)
2010 in one word, huh? Love. We kicked off 2010 by celebrating our love. Matt proposed to me on New Year's Eve. We celebrated the change from 2009 to 2010, from dating to engaged, from one decade to the next. For the next few days, we got all kinds of love from our friends and family who congratulated us and celebrated with us. Throughout the year, we felt love from our vendors, as they worked and toiled to make our wedding day everything we'd hoped for. We were showered with love at my bridal shower. We were surrounded with love at our bachelor/bachelorette parties. And we couldn't escape the love on our wedding day. It was all love, all the time - and we felt so unbelievably blessed. And what word do I want to be able to look back at 2011 with? Married. We'll have officially spent one year as a married couple. I want to spend the year reveling in that. I want to squeal inside every single time I say "my husband." I want to spend 2011 being married. Being newlyweds.
Day Three - Moment - Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid details (textures, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)
I am standing at the front of the church. Looking into the eyes of the man with whom I have been in love for 5 years. Wow. 5 years. To my left, our Pastor; to my right, all of our closest friends and family. Pastor Cindy's voice is soothing, calming, and talking about love and marriage. Matt is looking back at, and chewing on his lips. His nervous habit. Behind him, I can see his groomsmen - his best friends and his 2 brothers. The church is dimly lit, the late afternoon light slowly fading, creating a soft, intimate glow around everything. I smell my perfume and Matt's cologne. I bought him that cologne 3 years ago, and it's my favorite. I smile every time I smell it. Matt's eyes are big and smiling, even though he's too busy chewing his lips to be able to actually smile at me. My heart is swollen in my chest. There is a lump in my throat that I'm trying to swallow, because if it keeps rising, I know that I will break down and cry. Pastor Cindy starts saying our vows, and Matt starts repeating: "I, Matthew, take you Erin..." His voice is deep - deeper than normal, and I know it's because he's nervous and emotional. I smile, nay, beam at him. I peek behind him and I see his brother, Mike, with a single tear streaming down his cheek. I smile. I look away, take a deep breath, and slowly let it out. The breath shudders on it's way out. Matt finishes his vows: "...for as long as we both shall live." Matt takes a deep breath. The breath shudders on it's way out. Pastor Cindy starts saying the vows for me. I repeat after her. I make it halfway through: "...laugh with you and cry with you..." I can hear my voice shake. Matt smiles, and I can feel him squeeze my hand. My chin starts to tremble. That lump in my throat is on the rise. I have to look away. I look at his brother, Mike, who now has multiple tears streaming down his cheek. I start to repeat a line: "...loving you faithfully.." and can't get it out. I start to cry. I start to laugh. Matt laughs. Pastor Cindy laughs. I feel her hand on my shoulder, comforting me. I take a deep breath. It shudders. I have tears streaming down my cheeks. I hear my bridesmaids sniffling. I start to speak the next line: "...through the good times..." and can't get it out. I gasp for air. It sounds absurd. I see the groomsmen shuffling around, reaching in their pockets. I reach into my cleavage and grab the tissues I had stored. The entire congregation laughs. Matt laughs - I love his laugh. It calms me. I dab the tears and take another deep breath. I finally finish my vows: "...for as long as we both shall live." I laugh again. I dab the tears. Matt and I take each other's hands, and I look at him - my husband. For as long as we both shall live.
(PS - I cried as I wrote this)
Vendor Review - Cocoa Couture
As I'm writing these Vendor Review posts, I count myself among the really lucky brides. Every single experience I had in planning our wedding was at the very least good, if not better. Every one of our vendors did exactly as we asked/anticipated, were there for us, answered our questions, provided a good service, and did it all with a smile on their faces. All of that = no meltdowns on wedding day = one very happy couple. Yay!
Anyway, back to the review. Cocoa Couture is a dress shop located right in Hershey (I know, shocking - a business with the word "cocoa" in it in Hershey). It is relatively new; maybe 3 years old or so? I just know that I didn't remember noticing it until my sister got engaged, which was 3 years ago. It's right along the main street in Hershey.
It's a pretty little building. When you first walk in, you're greeted with a big stone fireplace. If you go to the right, you'll find the bridal party/prom and mother-of-the dresses. To the left, is the bridal room. Hundreds of dresses. Since I was (oh, who I am kidding...AM) an avid watcher of Say Yes to the Dress, I handled the sight of hundreds of white dresses hanging along the walls of the enormous room just fine. However, I could easily see how it could be overwhelming for some. Cocoa Couture carries tons of designers - David Tutera, Nicole Miller, Pronovias - plus, they have an in-house designer, Daniel Thompson.
I went shopping with my mom, my sister/MOH Callie, and my MIL. We walked in and immediately were greeted by our consultant, Amy. Amy sent my entourage into the bridal room, while she and I sat down to talk about what I was looking for. I told her a bit about the wedding and showed her the picture of the dress I had fallen in love with. It was an Augusta Jones. I knew Cocoa Couture carried Augusta Jones, so I was hoping against hope that they had it. I showed Amy the picture and asked if they had it. She knew they didn't. She asked me what it was I liked about that dress so much, then looked at a few other pictures. She knew they had something really similar to the Augusta Jones, so she sent me into the bridal room to start pulling dresses with my crew, while she went around the store and searched for the dress she had in mind. About 20 minutes later, she showed up, triumphant. My mom, sister, MIL, and I had, in the meantime, pulled about a dozen other dresses. She was so excited that she had found the dress she was looking for, so she put me in that one first. My heart kind of stopped. She'd nailed it. It was everything I'd been hoping for: flowy, comfortable, fun (bubble hem and swiss dot!), ethereal... It was me. I walked out of the dressing room and by the look on my sister's face, I knew she thought it was perfect, too. My mom and MIL both loved it. As we stood there, admiring me in the mirror, Amy said, "You know what this dress reminds me of? You know that Jane Austen novel, Emma?" I just about died. I told her that my nickname is Emma. Also, Matt and I had already designed our cake, and it had swiss dots on it. Hello?!?!
And yet, despite all the signs screaming this this dress was the one and I should just stop shopping, I couldn't bring myself to stop yet. I don't know if it was the fun of trying on pretty white dresses all day, or the knowledge that I had 2 more appointments scheduled that day, but I just couldn't bring myself to say, "This is it. I'm done." I tried on the rest of the dresses we had pulled. Daniel Thompson (the in-house desinger) happened to be there and when I tried on one of his dresses, he helped "jack me up" (to steal a line from Monty on Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta) and I really liked it. But it just wasn't "me." So we walked out of Cocoa Couture, and away from the dress. Oh, did I mention that it was a sample sale dress, so it was nearly 50% off? Yup, I still walked away from it. And we felt absolutely no pressure from Amy or from Cocoa Couture. She basically said, "Look, if you leave here and decide later that you want it, just give us a call. We'll take a deposit over the phone!" No pressure. No guilt trips. Just a friendly reminder that they wouldn't hold it for me, but would happily sell it to me if I decided on it later in the day. We went to my two other appointments, and I found one or two more dresses I liked. I even put a deposit on one! But after we got home, I couldn't stop thinking about the first one. The "Emma" dress. That night, at 9pm, I called Cocoa Couture and left a voicemail that I wanted the dress and to please call me ASAP so I could put down a deposit. Amy called me back on Tuesday (they're closed Sunday and Monday), said "I told you so," then took my deposit over the phone, and the dress was mine. Crisis averted!
In the coming months, I went back a few times for fittings. My seamstress was GREAT. Because of the bubble hem on the dress, she couldn't just hem it like a normal dress. She basically had to take apart the entire bodice at the empire waist, cut it from there, and put it back together. Yikes. She also had to take it in slightly, and move the straps in. And she added cups for me (yay, no bra!). She did an awesome job, and the dress fit me like a dream on the wedding day.
Cocoa Couture was a great shopping experience. The staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and wanted you to feel like a bride and look your best. The prices are kind of high, but they carry higher-end designers, so based on who they carry, you should know what to expect walking in there. They also have a great selection of bridal party gowns, partner with a tux shop, and do stationary there, too. It could be a one-stop shop for the bride who hates to shop! I would definitely recommend Cocoa Couture to any bride in the Central PA area. Definitely.
Anyway, back to the review. Cocoa Couture is a dress shop located right in Hershey (I know, shocking - a business with the word "cocoa" in it in Hershey). It is relatively new; maybe 3 years old or so? I just know that I didn't remember noticing it until my sister got engaged, which was 3 years ago. It's right along the main street in Hershey.
It's a pretty little building. When you first walk in, you're greeted with a big stone fireplace. If you go to the right, you'll find the bridal party/prom and mother-of-the dresses. To the left, is the bridal room. Hundreds of dresses. Since I was (oh, who I am kidding...AM) an avid watcher of Say Yes to the Dress, I handled the sight of hundreds of white dresses hanging along the walls of the enormous room just fine. However, I could easily see how it could be overwhelming for some. Cocoa Couture carries tons of designers - David Tutera, Nicole Miller, Pronovias - plus, they have an in-house designer, Daniel Thompson.
I went shopping with my mom, my sister/MOH Callie, and my MIL. We walked in and immediately were greeted by our consultant, Amy. Amy sent my entourage into the bridal room, while she and I sat down to talk about what I was looking for. I told her a bit about the wedding and showed her the picture of the dress I had fallen in love with. It was an Augusta Jones. I knew Cocoa Couture carried Augusta Jones, so I was hoping against hope that they had it. I showed Amy the picture and asked if they had it. She knew they didn't. She asked me what it was I liked about that dress so much, then looked at a few other pictures. She knew they had something really similar to the Augusta Jones, so she sent me into the bridal room to start pulling dresses with my crew, while she went around the store and searched for the dress she had in mind. About 20 minutes later, she showed up, triumphant. My mom, sister, MIL, and I had, in the meantime, pulled about a dozen other dresses. She was so excited that she had found the dress she was looking for, so she put me in that one first. My heart kind of stopped. She'd nailed it. It was everything I'd been hoping for: flowy, comfortable, fun (bubble hem and swiss dot!), ethereal... It was me. I walked out of the dressing room and by the look on my sister's face, I knew she thought it was perfect, too. My mom and MIL both loved it. As we stood there, admiring me in the mirror, Amy said, "You know what this dress reminds me of? You know that Jane Austen novel, Emma?" I just about died. I told her that my nickname is Emma. Also, Matt and I had already designed our cake, and it had swiss dots on it. Hello?!?!
And yet, despite all the signs screaming this this dress was the one and I should just stop shopping, I couldn't bring myself to stop yet. I don't know if it was the fun of trying on pretty white dresses all day, or the knowledge that I had 2 more appointments scheduled that day, but I just couldn't bring myself to say, "This is it. I'm done." I tried on the rest of the dresses we had pulled. Daniel Thompson (the in-house desinger) happened to be there and when I tried on one of his dresses, he helped "jack me up" (to steal a line from Monty on Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta) and I really liked it. But it just wasn't "me." So we walked out of Cocoa Couture, and away from the dress. Oh, did I mention that it was a sample sale dress, so it was nearly 50% off? Yup, I still walked away from it. And we felt absolutely no pressure from Amy or from Cocoa Couture. She basically said, "Look, if you leave here and decide later that you want it, just give us a call. We'll take a deposit over the phone!" No pressure. No guilt trips. Just a friendly reminder that they wouldn't hold it for me, but would happily sell it to me if I decided on it later in the day. We went to my two other appointments, and I found one or two more dresses I liked. I even put a deposit on one! But after we got home, I couldn't stop thinking about the first one. The "Emma" dress. That night, at 9pm, I called Cocoa Couture and left a voicemail that I wanted the dress and to please call me ASAP so I could put down a deposit. Amy called me back on Tuesday (they're closed Sunday and Monday), said "I told you so," then took my deposit over the phone, and the dress was mine. Crisis averted!
In the coming months, I went back a few times for fittings. My seamstress was GREAT. Because of the bubble hem on the dress, she couldn't just hem it like a normal dress. She basically had to take apart the entire bodice at the empire waist, cut it from there, and put it back together. Yikes. She also had to take it in slightly, and move the straps in. And she added cups for me (yay, no bra!). She did an awesome job, and the dress fit me like a dream on the wedding day.
Cocoa Couture was a great shopping experience. The staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and wanted you to feel like a bride and look your best. The prices are kind of high, but they carry higher-end designers, so based on who they carry, you should know what to expect walking in there. They also have a great selection of bridal party gowns, partner with a tux shop, and do stationary there, too. It could be a one-stop shop for the bride who hates to shop! I would definitely recommend Cocoa Couture to any bride in the Central PA area. Definitely.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Getting There...
We got the online proof of our album from our photographer, which means I am one step closer to starting recaps! As soon as we approve the online proof, they will send it to the printer, and then send the finished product to us, along with the CD of all of our images. Ugh, I'm just dying to get my hands on all of it!!!!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Vendor Review - Steele Salon
I might be a little biased, but Steele Salon is the best place in the Hershey/Palmyra/Hummelstown area for hair/makeup services. Why might I be biased? Well, I went to high school with 1/2 the staff. One of the stylists was one of my best friends in high school. One of the other stylists is my "fake" little sister. I kind of love the staff there. On a deep, personal level. It feels like home when I walk into Steele. So when I needed to decide where to get my hair/makeup done for the wedding, there wasn't even a consideration.
I booked 8 appointments (me, my 6 girls, and my mom) with 3 stylists, plus a makeup artists for me. Easy-peasy. We were given Rachel (my stylist/close high school friend), Staci (my "sister"), and Mindi; Sara did my makeup. Rachel has been styling and/or playing with my hair for at least 10 years, so she knows the texture of my hair and what works and doesn't work for me. There was no doubt in my mind that she would do an awesome job on my wedding day look.
We arrived at Steele at 9am. And we basically took over. My dad dropped off bagels from Panera, we brought champagne, and the salon also had champagne and coffee and water for us. There were 8 of us, plus BM Abriel's baby boy and her mom. We were easily more than half of the people in the salon all morning. They had on a fun mix of music, and we basically spent the morning talking, laughing, eating, and sipping mimosas. Kind of a perfect morning with my best girls.
Unfortunately, no one got a picture of our spread, but we had tons of stuff there! We were there till about 1. During the time at the salon, I was calm and relaxed. It didn't feel real yet. And time was moving at a normal pace. In fact, it kind of seemed like it might have been crawling. I just wanted it to be 4:30.
Anyway, this is supposed to be a vendor review, not storytime. Steele Salon was great - accomodating, friendly, quick, and - best of all - talented! Each of my girls looked absolutely beautiful. The stylists really listened to what each girl wanted, and everyone ended up looking like a perfect version of herself. Definitely, definitely, definitely - if you're looking for a salon in Central PA, go to Steele.
*all photos courtesy of BM Mel or BM Tina
I booked 8 appointments (me, my 6 girls, and my mom) with 3 stylists, plus a makeup artists for me. Easy-peasy. We were given Rachel (my stylist/close high school friend), Staci (my "sister"), and Mindi; Sara did my makeup. Rachel has been styling and/or playing with my hair for at least 10 years, so she knows the texture of my hair and what works and doesn't work for me. There was no doubt in my mind that she would do an awesome job on my wedding day look.
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| Me and Rachel. I look 10. And thrilled. |
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| Done. With the feather. |
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| "Sister" Staci and BM Stephy |
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| My sister/MOH Callie, making a mimosa |
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| BM Abriel with her son and her mom |
Unfortunately, no one got a picture of our spread, but we had tons of stuff there! We were there till about 1. During the time at the salon, I was calm and relaxed. It didn't feel real yet. And time was moving at a normal pace. In fact, it kind of seemed like it might have been crawling. I just wanted it to be 4:30.
Anyway, this is supposed to be a vendor review, not storytime. Steele Salon was great - accomodating, friendly, quick, and - best of all - talented! Each of my girls looked absolutely beautiful. The stylists really listened to what each girl wanted, and everyone ended up looking like a perfect version of herself. Definitely, definitely, definitely - if you're looking for a salon in Central PA, go to Steele.
*all photos courtesy of BM Mel or BM Tina
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