Today on The Bridal Boutique // Bridesmaid Mason Jar Mugs by Waterfall Designs

Bridesmaid gifts are no fun to pick out, because there are so many options out there! But once we found these oh-so-adorable personalized mason jar mugs from Waterfall Designs, we knew that we had THE GIFT that every bride would want to buy her bridesmaids!

Not only are they cute and unique, but you'll never have to worry about your girls not getting use out of them. Bring them to the bachelorette party, use them at your bridal shower, drinks the morning of the wedding and even on the wedding night and beyond. These are just perfect for any bridesmaid.

Want to win this set?

Head on over to our Instagram page to enter!

10% OFF Code: OVERWHELMED
(expires 10/1/15)

All photos courtesy of Bleudog Fotography

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What to Expect During Your Bridal Hair + Makeup Trial // From A Real Bride

Written with love, by Felicia Zammit-McMann

The hair and make-up trial – one of the most important, but slightly overlooked “to-do’s” on any bride’s list. It’s easy to assume you’re going to go to the salon, show them a photo of a hairstyle you like, and end up looking exactly like the model in the photo. Likewise, you most likely wear makeup every day, and think you might just be able to tell someone what colors you want and be done with it.

Makeup Artist: Emma Anyanwu
Photography: Alakija Photography Studio
Headpiece: To Hold & To Have (The Bride List Preferred Vendor)

Well, that would be nice; but the reality is, they are called trials for a reason. Not only are you trying different hair styles, or makeup colors, but also different salons. Many of you might be marrying in your hometown and plan on going to your favorite salon for your trial. Some of you might be getting married in a different city, state, or country, for that matter, and need to really do some research on salons that offer hair and makeup for your big day. Regardless of where you end up, there are some basic steps to follow to make sure you are happy and looking gorgeous on your wedding day.

Step 1 // Do Your Research!

I can’t stress this enough. Your salon is just like any other vendor you would hire for your wedding. Make sure you ask a ton of questions and feel comfortable with the people you are talking to. If you don’t like what they have to say over the phone, move on. Remember, pushiness or rudeness equals a stressed-out bride, and you don’t want that.

Think outside the box when it comes to salons as well. Just because you’ve been going to the same salon for years, doesn’t mean they necessarily can do your bridal hair and makeup. Ask friends and coworkers for recommendations, go to bridal shows to check out what’s available, check out reviews on sites such as Yelp, and check salon websites for testimonials or before and after photos of real brides.

Once you’ve done all of that, then go ahead and book your appointment(s).

Step 2 // Give Yourself Time

Jay Dixon Photography

This is especially true for brides who are getting married outside of their hometown. Give yourself time in two ways: Trials can take up to two hours, so make sure you have the time to dedicate to that. Also give yourself a few months before your wedding to go on your trial. This way, if you go to one salon and don’t like what they did, you have time to find another.

Step two-and-a-half: If applicable, have your trial before your engagement photos are taken. This way, they can do your hair and makeup for your engagement photos.

Step 3 // Bring Photos + An Open Mind

While a chignon is so beautiful and elegant, it’s not for everyone. My hair was neither long enough nor thick enough to support one, so I opted for a half-up, half-down style. I brought photos with me but ended up doing something completely different than what I had originally wanted. You need to be flexible enough to work with what you have. Thin hair might be better down, thick hair might be better up. You never know until you try. Bring photos of a range of different styles and try as many as you can, because just like your dress, you might be pleasantly surprised by trying something new.

Step 4 // Bring Your Bling and A Fresh Face

Just like you would bring your shoes and the proper undergarments to a dress fitting, you need to bring all the proper goods to your hair and makeup trial. Bring your veil, headpiece, flowers, or barrettes to your appointment so you can see what they will look like with your hairstyle. Come with your hair prepped as you would have it the day of your wedding: washed – or unwashed – with little to no product as possible. Same for your face. Show up with a fresh face. Moisturizer is okay (check with your makeup artist first), but nothing else. Once you decide on a look, take a photo! Your stylist should be taking notes, but even at that, if your trial is months before your wedding, it’s easy to forget details. A photo captures everything.

Step 5 // You Should Look Like An Amazing Version of Yourself

Photography: Katie Riviera Photography
Hair + Makeup: Stephanie Nelson Makeup & Hair (The Bride List Preferred Vendor)

What you wear to the office is totally different than what you wear on your wedding day. Remember, you are wearing a formal gown, which requires formal makeup (regardless of whether you have an indoor or outdoor wedding). It also needs to hold up through tears, sweat, smooches, and photos … lots and lots of photos. Because of that, wedding makeup by nature, will be heavier, but it doesn’t mean you will end up looking like a clown. Tell your stylist what kind of makeup you normally wear and what look you are going for. Your wedding is not the time to try something drastically different, it’s just a time to try something better.

Step 6 // Travel Fees

Depending on where you are getting married or getting ready, it may require the salon to come to you. If this is the case, make sure you ask if they are able to meet you at the venue. If it’s out of state or out of the country, you may be looking at paying travel fees for your stylists, so be prepared. If travel is something they can’t do, and you can’t go to the salon the day of your wedding, you may need to book different vendors.

Step 7 // Cheaper Does Not = Better

Let’s face it: By now you’ve probably realized that anything associated with weddings or brides costs more than it does normally. Your budget might be on its last legs, but don’t skimp on this important part of the planning process. What you look like is going to be captured forever, so you want to make sure you look your best. Make sure to leave a few hundred dollars or so in your budget for proper hair and makeup.

Jodee Debes Photography

Step 8 // Timeline

Believe it or not, getting your hair and makeup done plays a very important role in the timeline for your wedding day. Typically, that’s a bride’s first stop for the day; and if you end up running late there, it pushes everything back, like a domino effect. Make sure you share your timeline with your salon and work backwards from there. For example, my wedding didn’t take place until 2:00 p.m., but we were at the salon at 8:30 a.m. to make sure we had enough time for me, my mom, and my bridal party to get ready, get home to grab some breakfast, and be ready for when the photographer came. Your salon or stylists will know how long it will take to do your hair and makeup – the trial is also the time to see how long it takes to get you prepped – and how long it will take to do everyone else. A great salon/stylist will want you in and out as quickly as possible so that you can get on with your day and photos. Might that mean an early wakeup call? Yes. Might it mean a long day? Yes. But you are going to be so psyched and full of adrenaline on your wedding day, getting up early will be a piece of cake.

6 Ways to Make Your Wedding Charitable

If you're anything like me, helping others makes you feel good. Like really good. From a young age, my parents got me into volunteer work - from working with kids at our church nursery to taking service trips to Mexico to build homes for the needy. And it is the best feeling in the world positively impacting the lives of others, no matter how large or small.

And when we throw a wedding (or for some of us, our parents throw us a wedding), we cannot help but realize how fortunate we are to be able to afford such a wonderful celebration, no matter what type of celebration it is, big or small. We are fortunate. And there are people out there who could use a little good fortunate - don't you think?

So I've come up with some of my favorite ways that I've seen couples make their weddings charitable. No, I am not saying you should throw a live auction at your wedding to support your local animal shelter, but subtle ways that will truly make a difference in someone's life.

Donate Your Wedding Gown

Our fabulous Date Night Recipe writer, Sarah-Elizabeth Stone, did something amazing after she got married this year. She knew that she would never wear her dress again, and so she decided to turn to social media to find a beautiful bride in need of a beautiful gown. If that story doesn't give you happy chills, I am not sure what would :)

Cake Smash for Charity

One of my September couples decided to do something really fun for their wedding day, and I have never seen this done before! They are going to have two boxes set out during cocktail hour and during the reception, for guests to "vote" on who they think will get the most cake in their face during the cake cutting. There is one box for the bride, and one box for the groom, and people vote by donating money. Before the cake is cut, the money is counted up and the results are announced. Except the bride and groom will also announce that all of the money that has been donated will go to a charity of their choice!

The Money ("Honeymoon") Dance

While the money dance is less frequently seen at weddings these days, many couples have now decided to donate all of that money to a local charity. Have your DJ announce this before the money dance begins, and dance the night away!

Donate Leftovers

Adrienne Gunde Photography

Do you know how much food is leftover at the end of the night? You probably don't but I do...and it's a lot! No caterer would want to run out of food, so plenty is prepared in advance to ensure all guests (and guests who show up and didn't RSVP) get to fill their bellies with some delicious meals. And so at the end of the night, what isn't eaten is, sadly, thrown out. Donate this food to a homeless shelter or a family in need.

Make sure you call the shelter beforehand to ensure they accept opened food donations.

Donate Your Decor

All of the decor and all of those stunning flowers thrown in the trash?? What a waste! Donate your old decor to a bride in need to make her wedding day as magical as yours, and bring your floral arrangements to an elderly home. That will sure brighten someone's day :)

Favors for Charity

Instead of purchasing little nick-nacks for your guests to leave on the table at the end of the evening, donate the funds that would have been used for your guest favors to the charity of your choice. And to show guests that you donated, you can print out small cards that say "In lieu of wedding favors, we have donated to _________ in your honor." It's as simple as that!

Did you do anything charitable on your wedding day? Tell us what ideas you have!