A little after 9:30 am after our awesome Wedding Run, I was happily chatting with friends while munching on a few pastries, when my friend Kate looked at me and said, “Hey, I thought you said you had your hair appointment at 10:30…shouldn’t you be leaving soon?” A quick glance at my watch told me she was right! So I grabbed my mom, gave Chris a quick final kiss, then headed back to my parents’ house. After a quick shower, we jumped in the car with my grandma and drove downtown.
Grandma Nowadnick with her beautiful white hair 
Mom with her hair expertly styled 
Leah working her magic
I got my hair done by Leah at Posh Salon (now Salon Beleza). The salon is bright and airy, with big windows that face Port Townsend Bay. My grandma was first in line, and Leah did an amazing job with her gorgeous white hair. My mom was next, getting her hair styled for what she guessed was the first time since her own wedding in 1984. While we were waiting, our planner’s assistant dropped of a packet of flowers for my hair.
Then finally it was my turn. Leah and I had done a trial in May, so she knew pretty much exactly what to do. The only decision we had to make was which veil to use. My cousin Sharon had helped me pick out a veil to go with my dress in Las Vegas, but afterwards my mom found her veil, and I was super tempted to use it instead. The color was a perfect match, and it was a good length, but it also had a beaded headband that Leah and I had not planned for in the hairstyle. So we took both of them out, tried them on, and decided that the newer veil was the best choice. Then Leah got to work. An hour– and lots of bobby pins, hairspray, and twisting–later, it was done.
With my hair complete, it was then time for make up. Leah doesn’t normally do makeup, but she had graciously agreed to do it for me. In May, I went to Ulta and spent over an hour with one of the saleswomen finding just the right shades of lipstick and eye shadow. My goal was to look like me, only bridal and polished. We started with a base of Urban Decay primer, topped with Benefit airbrush concealer, Clinique liquid foundation, finished with a dusting of powder foundation. Next came cream eyeshadow with a light brush of blush at the corners of my eyes and cheeks. Then liquid eyeliner topped off and smudged a bit with cream liner, then mascara. On my lips, we started with a base of lipliner all over, topped with a matte lipstick. To finish it off, we spritzed Urban Decay setting spray all over. When Leah was done and I looked in the mirror, I knew we had gotten it right.
