PLACE CARDS ANYONE? AND WHAT IS A "RESERVEE" TABLE?

While in the States the best dressed weddings may have bothEscort Cards and Place Cards - don't worry ladies, I will explain both terms in just a minute - in Israel we are happy with just Place Cards! Or at least what we call Place Cards.   

  

Unless you are planning the next Belz wedding, Place Cards are not just a 'nice-to-have' wedding enhancement; I believe they are a courtesy you show your guests. 

First off, what is the difference between Escort Cards and Place Cards?  Simply put, Escort Cards are the personalized name cards guests shouldfind on a table in the entrance to the Hall.  These cards indicate the guest's name and their dinner table number.  They are usually set up in rows in alphabetical order either by last or first name. (Yes, I have seen it arranged according to first name.  I disagree with it, but I will live with it if I have to.)

Place Cards, on the other hand, are found on the dinner tablesand they indicate the guest's specific seat.  I think Place Cards are overkill and totally unnecessary in the world of Israeli Wedding Halls.  Most Halls set up the venue, especially the dining tables, only an hour or two before the wedding (Kabalat Panim) is scheduled to begin.  There is simply not enough time to place these cards and then double-check that they are ALL positioned correctly.

If a table number is misplaced it can be changed, but changing around the cards of a 10-or 12-seat table and then checking separateseating cards for 150, 200 or 400 or more guests is just absurd.  These cards will add more pressure and create more problems than it was ever meant to solve.

Wedding business is BIG business here in Israel.  Weddings in Israel have become big, expensive productions and I would have thought that by now ALLWedding Halls would provide Escort Cards (in Israel we call them Place Cards and I will continue to use this term as well), but they do not.  Thankfully this is one item that you or your friends or your family can create as an easy and cheap DIY project!

While you are creating these Place Cards, don't forget to create RESERVED table cards for the band and photographer(they can usually sit at the same table), Family of the chatan, Family of the Kallah and for Meshanchim, if you are having this arrangement.  Some weddings also have one or two tables simply listed a Friends of the Kallah and Friends of the Chatan, as these guests may come and go at different times.

 

Reserving a table for a group such as "friends of" can be very cost effective, especially if these friends may only stay for part of the celebration.  This arrangement is especially worthwhile when the bride and/or groom are relatively young and their friends tend to arrive and leave in droves depending on school, army and baby schedules.  

This Reserve table arrangement enables you to seat these groups at one or two tables and will alleviate the need to 'open' a "reservee"table for just a few guests.  

An explanation of the Reservee table concept:  The "reservee" table concept enables the Hall to set up a definite number of tables for guests while reservinganywhere between one to three tables that will ONLY be opened in the event that "unexpected" guests arrive. The idea is that of the 100% of guests who RSVP they are attending, some 5-10% DO NOT attend at the last minute.  Therefore, if you have a guest list of say 100 attendees, you can tell the Hall to set up for 80, for which you will have to pay for 80 meals and one reservee table that will only be opened if some of the 5-10 percentile (="unexpected guests") actually show up.  The rule is simple: once a table is opened you pay for all the seats on that table – whether there are bodies sitting on the seats and eating or not. 

If you do not have a Wedding Planner helping you on the night of the wedding, then appoint someone to observe what is going on vis-à-vis the tables and ensure that a) reservee tables are not opened up without reason and your permission (!) and that b) guests are not mistakenly sittingat these tables – as this will COST YOU!

So back to place cards:  Here are some original place card ideas: http://sweetvioletbride.com/2013/05/nature-inspired-escort-cards/?goback=%2Egde_1777060_member_243612144

Here are some formal place cards I have designed, repeating themes found on the wedding invitations:

Want personalized place cards?  Contact me today!  yochi@yochistyles.com

A special occasion hairstyle you can create at home! The Starlet Look.

THE PERFECT STYLE FOR...

One of my favorite hairstyles for any occasion is a remake of the classic 40s and 50s hairstyle – the starlet look- soft, full, open curls.  This style is perfectfor hair that is shoulder till just below the shoulder blades length. 

Trying to create this style with hair shorter than shoulder length, will simply create a look that is somewhere between Shirley Temple (boy am I dating myself) and a sad 70s afro; as the hair will not have the weight to hold the curls at cheek level.  Hair that is longer than just below your shoulder blades may be too heavy and drag down the curls, making them loosen too quickly and ruin the style.

The starlet look is perfect for girls and women with average to full facial structures. This look may overpower smaller, more delicate faces.  As to long, narrow faces - it is really a tossup. The look couldbe perfect or it can accentuate an already too narrow face.  You need to try out the look to decide if it is for you.

When deciding if this starlet look is right for you - you must take into consideration your entire look: facial structure, height, hair length, jewelry and clothing.

BEFORE STYLING…

Every good hairstyle begins with a good hair cut. For this style, the best results will be achieved with a good length-appropriate basic hair cut without too many layers. 

If you are working with thick hair - two to three layers will take out the heaviness or bulk from the hair, while "freeing" the hair to curl more naturally.  Cutting too many layers, like too much of any good thing, defeats the purpose of this style; as the layers will ultimately produce thinner curls and a less luxurious look. 

Which brings me to talk about the dreadedSplit Ends:  Split ends occur naturally and unnaturally as we brush, comb, style, curl, heat, shampoo, tease, color, blow dry and generally abuse and torture our hair.  As we go about our daily hair routines, the ends of the hair strands, which are the oldest part of the hair, tend to break, tear and split and so are born the dreaded split ends.

No matter what the style (or no style!), split ends are NEVER a pretty sight.  Many gals - especially brides - want long hair; but instead of growing the healthy length of their hair, they let their split ends lengthen.  This may give the impressionof long hair, but when creating a style these split ends give an unkempt, messy look to any style.  There is a simple solution to this problem: have your ends trimmed or have, what I like to call, a "micro-trim" once every six to eight weeks (depending how quickly your hair grows).  Do it and don't cry! Twelve centimeters (or five inches) of split ends does not make your hair LOOK longer! Trust me.

LET'S GET STARTED

Now we have our optimal hair length and hair condition, let's finally begin.  In order to create this style, you will need:

•  A medium to wide tooth comb or a medium to wide tooth brush
•  Blow dryer (if you are starting with freshly washed, wet hair)
• Electric curlers (a curling iron is also acceptable, but for this style you will get optimal results with the electric curlers)
• Large hair clips for sectioning hair
• A heaping hand-full of hair pins/bobby pins for holding the curl.  The number of pins depends on how thick your hair is and how many curls you create.
• Hair products: a heat-protecting product; a silicon-based (or argan oil-based) shine-producing product and good quality hairspray. (Find a list of my favorite brand at the end of this article.)

EASY AS 1-2-3-4-5 (you get the point!)

1.    Plug in your electric curlers (optimal heating may take a few minutes, so you should plug the curlers in as soon as you can).

2.    Start with clean hair *.

3.    If you just shampooed your hair, make sure the hair is almost completely dry (towel or blown dry) and combed straight. If you are starting with dry hair, you can shpritz it with a few drops of water (I like to mix this with a drop or two of conditioner), so your hair is not bone dry when you begin to work.

4.    You can apply a very small amount of a heat-protecting product to the hair (working from the hair roots to the hair tips) and comb through the hair with a medium to wide toothed comb or brush. 

Tip: How do you apply the product to your hair and avoid applying too much?  Place a few drops into the palm of your hand, then gently rub the palms of your hands together to distribute the cream/oil on to both palms and then lightly apply the product to your hair, beginning at the hair root and working down to the tips of your hair.

5.     Comb and divide your hair into sections.  The easiest way is to first divide your hair into two large sections – parting your hair down the middle, from the crown of your head straight down through to the nape of your neck (even if you do not want a style with a middle part).

6.    Next divide each of these halves into lengthwise sections, cutting across your head from the nape up to the crown on either side of the middle part.  As each of these sections is divided, clip it. These lengthwise sections should be just thick enough to curl around a curler.  If the sections are too thick they will not curl well or acquire the heat needed to hold the curl.  If the sections are too thin, you will "waste" a curler on only a few strands of hair.

7.    Once your hair is divided and clipped, you can begin to curl.  Beginning at the nape, comb out a section and divide this section into two or three smaller sections of hair, about the length of the curler.  Comb and then curl each smaller section onto a curler.  

Tip: The best way to curl hair around a curler is to place the curler on the tip of the hair (facing up) and roll up the length of the hair until almost the root.  Clip in place with curler clips.

Tip:  If the hair is very long, you can roll the hair sections in the curlers until the curler is level with the ears and not to the root; as curlers rolled high on the head can cause too much lift or height to the hair section. The only problem with not curling until the root is that you may create an ugly crease or line in the hair section where the curler was placed.  Sometimes it is better to curl completely to the root and then later brush the curl down.

Tip: Electric hair curlers usually have several sizes of curlers – larger for longer hair (wider, more open curls) and smaller ones for shorter hair (smaller, tighter curls).  The larger curlers should be used on the longest sections of hair – usually at the back of your head. 

Tip: Many women have shorter, thinner and finer hair along the hair line framing their faces.  We call these hairs 'baby hair' in Hebrew.  You can simply curl these hairs with your fingers and then pin them in place and/or use a curling iron to curl them later in the styling process.

8.    Once all your hair is curled, you can give a light misting of hair spray all over your head.  The hot curlers must be in the hair for at least 30 to 40 minutes and left in until the curlers are completely cool. 

This waiting time is the perfect time to apply makeup.

9.    Once the curlers are completelycooled, you can open the curls CAREFULLY.  Remove the curl clip and, this is very important, slowly uncurl the hair - in the direction of the curl.  Do NOT brush out the curl.  Now re-curl each of these curls in its curl direction and pin in place.  Lightly spray with hair spray.  Do not uncurl until you are ready to finish the style. 

10.  Now you can finish your makeup, get dressed (especially if you are wearing
  a pull-over type top), put on jewelry and so on. 

Tip: If you plan to wear earrings, especially ones that tend to get caught in a brush or comb, you can put these on at the very end of the process, once your hairstyle is COMPLETELY finished.

11. Ready?  Remove the bobby pins and let each curl loose. 

 

12.Now is the time to create the part in your hair – middle, off-center or no part.  You can also create more lift or style the front of your hair with a bit of gel and a gentle tease up in the front or crown.  

13.Next gently brush out each curl with your fingers or with a large tooth comb or brush.

 14.Now is the time to curl the "baby hairs' with a curling iron. You can also use the curling iron to retouch and reshape any other curls.

15.Finish off this look with a few drops of a shine-producing hair product.  This time apply the product from the tips to the roots.  Use the bare minimum amount of product or it will weigh down your hair, lose the curl and make your hair look oily.

16.If you wish, you can finish off the entire look with a light misting of hairspray to help keep the curls through the entire evening.

MY FAVORITE HAIR PRODUCTS FOR THIS STYLE:

·        Hydrating Styling cream by Morrocanoilfor pre-styling  http://www.moroccanoil.com

·        Elini Argan Oil for post styling shine

·        Natural Formula Moisturizing and Styling Hair Cream to add a bit of "oil" to freshly shampooed hair and also to help with sculpting  http://www.naturalformula.co.il/

·        Schwarzkof's Silhouette Pure Formula invisible hold hairspray for all hairspray needs  http://www.schwarzkopf.com/sk/en/home/hair_styling.html

*I used to ask my brides and other customers to NOT shampoo their hair on the day of the styling.  The reasoning behind this is that shampooing strips the natural oils from the hair and these oils help create and keep the style.  This request used to upset some gals, so now I let each customer shampoo and care for their hair as they wish.  If I need to make the hair a little more "oily", before styling I apply an oil-based hair product to the hair, especially around the roots.

Greeks aren't the only ones who break plates at weddings. A look at a Jewish Wedding tradition: The Plate Breaking Ceremony.

Greeks aren't the only ones who break plates at weddings, but the Jewish tradition of plate breaking has a deeper significance.

I believe that one of the more intimate and, in a certain sense, subtle traditions that surround the Jewish wedding ceremony, the Chuppah, is the breaking of a plate.  Like many Jewish traditions and customs (or minhagim), reasons for this minhag are varied. 

Let me start by answering the age-old questions: who, what, where, how and why. 

Who breaks the plate?  For the most part, this minhag is followed by Jews of European ancestry, although these days, some Sephardic Jews are following this minhag as well. 

The mothers of the kallah and chatan break the plate together.  Traditionally the mothers hold opposite ends of the plate and break it over a table corner or back of a chair.  The best and safest way to do this is to first place the plate in a cloth bag or pillow case and then smash it.  The pillow case protects the hands and eyes the mothers and onlookers from the shards of broken glass.

What is broken? Typically this is a white, dinner-size plate.  The plate can be plain or be highly decorated in a variety of colored paints with gold and silver trim and adorned with pisukim (quotes from the Torah – especially Tehilim) and/or illustrations, such as scenes of Jerusalem, the Tree of Life and more. I believe that no two plates should have the same decorations, just as no two couples are the alike!

The names of the kallah and chatan ARE NOT WRITTEN on the plates.  The reason behind this is that the act of breaking the plate would cause the breaking apart the letters of couples' names and that would be the antithesis of the act of bringing the couple togetherunder the chuppah.

Examples of plates

Pasuk with Walls of Jerusalem and Hamsah in center

Pasuk with Tree of Life in center

Pasuk with Walls of Jerusalem and Sun in center

For more plate designs and ordering information visit my site: www.yochistyles.com

What is said while breaking the plate? No bracha is said – just a resounding "Mazal Tov!" after breaking the plate.

Why is a plate broken?  The answer to this one is as varied as any minhag (tradition).  Some say that the breaking symbolizes the "…seriousness of the commitment", as stated in Aish's Guide to the Jewish Wedding http://www.aish.com/jl/l/m/48969841.htmlin the section "Kabbalat Panim". 

There is another explanation that compares the breaking of the plate with the breaking of the relationship between the children and the parents and how the kallah and chatan must now create a life together.

My favorite explanation is that for the kallah and chatan, the breaking of the plate symbolizes the break with their 'old' lives and the beginning of their new lives.  And just as you cannot reassemble a broken plate, the kallah and chatan cannot go back to their old lives.

When is the plate broken?  Traditionally the breaking of the plate takes place either during the Engagement (or Eirusin) Party or on the day of the wedding, after the chatan signs the ketubah (at the chasan's tish) and before the bedeken and chuppah. 

When the plate is broken during the Eirusin, all the guests of the Party witness this ceremony and become a part of its celebration.  When the ceremony takes place between the signing of the ketubah and the bedeken/chuppah, it is many times witnessed only by the immediate families, the witnesses to the signing of the ketubah and the group of men who participate in the chasan's tish and usually not the kallah. 

The breaking of the plate can be carried out whenever you chose and according to your own personal minhagim and timetable. 

What is done with the broken plate?  This is another lovely minhag that takes the kallah and chatan's love for each other and hopes of building a life together and passes it on to their unmarried friends and relatives. 

The shards of the plate are collected and then a shard or two is inserted into small organza draw-string bags and distributed to unmarried friends and relatives.  The bags can be distributed immediately after this ceremony or as these friends and relatives are encountered. 

The shards of the plates are considered a 'segula'; a remedy (that can be in the form of a trinket, such as a red string or any article) that is considered to have special "powers" to help a person acquire her/his heart's desire.  The list of segulas is never ending.  Another example of a segula is a slice of challah, cut from the big challah eaten during a celebration of a bris, given to a woman who wishes to get pregnant.  This segula is believed to help a woman give birth to boys.

An alternative to distributing the shards or in addition to the segula, the shards of the plate andof the broken cup from the chuppah can be saved and then used to create a picture (usually scenes of Jerusalem), or artistically arranged and glued to the frame of a photograph of the kallah and chatan or made into any other memento of the chuppah.

What do you need to do if you want to have the Plate Breaking ceremony? 

1. First of all decide when you would like to hold this ceremony. 
2. Then, either purchase a specially designed plate  or buy a plain white dinner plate.  If you have many unmarried friends/relatives or wish to create a momento of your own, I recommend breaking more than one plate. 
3. Buy organza draw-string bags; these bags usually come in sets of ten.  Always buy more than you think you need.
4. Bring to the ceremony: the plate(s), a large pillow case and the organza bags.
5. Make sure your photographer takes pictures of the ceremony!

Mazal Tov!

Visit my blog archive for a wealth of information on weddings, bridal beauty tips and more.  Visit my site and Facebook page.

Mothers of the Bride need attention too!

It's time to stand up and proclaim to the world that Mothers of the Bride need to be shown attention and consideration, as much as and, perhaps in many ways, more than the bride herself does. 

As both a makeup artist and hair stylist for brides and their mothers and as a mother to both a bride and a few grooms, I can tell you that the mother of the bride shares a special place in the pantheon of the needy. 

While grooms are pretty much low maintenance; shower and shave 'em and put them in a suit and they are basically ready to go.  OK, I'll admit it - I've slathered on a bit of mouse on many a groom's hair to make them feel 'pampered'.  But let's be honest, as long as they show up and say 'Ha'rey aht…",  place a ring on the bride's finger and break a glass, oh and smile pretty for some pictures – they have pretty much done their duty.  Mothers of the groom may be nervous and a little anxious, but they do not endure the hours upon hours upon hours of preparation the Mother of the Bride endures as she watches the metamorphosis of her daughter into the BRIDE. 

Truthfully this painful process of 'becoming a bride' really begins with three innocent words spoken by the happy couple: "We're getting married". From that fateful moment and until the happy couple stand under the chuppah, there is a mad dash to complete something like one thousand, six hundred and twenty two tasks.  Each task is a search for sheer perfection– for the wedding, as a whole and for the bride, personally.  The task search list includes: the perfecthall, the perfect menu, the perfect center pieces, the perfect chuppah, the perfect rabbi, the perfectband, the perfect photographer; as well as the perfectbridal gown, the prefect bouquet, the perfect veil, the perfect tiara, the perfect jewelry, the perfectshoes, the perfect makeup, the perfect hairstyle and the list just goes on and on.  As time draws closer to the event, this never-ending list is tackled by an ever-more anxious bride and her ever-more apprehensive mother. 

Let's take "The Hunt for the PERFECT Bridal Dress " as a classic example.  The search for the perfectbridal dress can span cities, countries, continents.  The tears shed during this search could fill oceans.  It's a wonder why we mothers haven't gotten together and decided that the wedding dress search should begin when the "bride" is three years old.  This gives us plenty of time to search in a more leisurely fashion.

But somehow in this mad dash for perfection, the Mother of the Bride is forgotten.  You may rightly say that this is the bride's day, so tough luck; the mother had her day and now it's her daughter's turn.  Fair enough, but I believe that the mother of the bride deserves a little special attention of her own.  It's an emotional day for the bride's mother as she sees her daughter become a bride, especially if this is her first wedding or first daughter marrying or only daughter marrying.  Sometimes all three conditions are found in one wedding event.

On the day of the wedding, as the long hours of preparation move forward and the bride is made up, hair-styled, dressed, attended to and fussed over – hopefully with her friends surrounding her; the mother of the bride is often left behind to watch with a cup of coffee in one hand and a set of car keys in the other hand.

What am I asking for?  I am asking that the mother of the bride get a little pampering on this special day and that someone ELSE remember to pamper her.  Need some pampering ideas?  How about an early morning massage at home or in the hotel, or full makeup, hair styling and nails for the big event?  And you know what else she deserves?  A present – yup - a present for the Mother of the Bride.  Presented either by the bride or the Father of the Bride (I'm sure he is there somewhere, although you really don't seem to notice him until the badekin or the chuppah). 

I believe that jewelry is the perfect present!   And wouldn't it be lovely if it could be something the Mother of the Bride can wear to the wedding and enjoy immediately?  What kind of jewelry? Now that's the subject of a whole other blog!

Remember to kiss the Mother of the Bride – today!

Need more tips on weddings and brides? Check out all my blog articles THE KALLAH WHISPERER.

Follow me and like me on Facebook

CREATING THE PERFECT KALLAH HENNA BASKET - OR IS A BASKET THE SIZE OF A BABY'S BATHTUB FILLED WITH JEWELRY, SILVER, CRYSTAL, CHOCOLATES AND TENS OF SHINY TRINKETS REALLY "TOO MUCH"?

It should come as no surprise to anyone that growing up in the Bronx and in an Ashkenazi family, did not prepare you me for a Henna ceremony, let alone prepare me for creating the obligatory Kallah Henna basket. 

Let's start at the beginning; actually two beginnings.  The first is that my eldest son married (Mazal Tov!) a lovely Moroccan girl.  The second is that a Henna ceremony is an integral part of the Moroccan (and other Sephardic) marriage traditions.

A month or two before the wedding my daughter dropped the bombshell!  I must bring a Kallah Henna basket to the Henna ceremony.  In my naiveté I thought, I've made hundreds of Purim baskets throughout the years – what's the big deal?  WRONG!!  It is a big deal.  The preparation for the basket – should begin months before the Henna ceremony when one should begin to search for the obligatory presents such as jewelry, silver, crystal, negligee.  The basket also includes a host of small trinkets i.e. hamsas, tehilim, bride's prayer, chocolates and the list can go on and on and on.  As I would find out later, the type of presents given the bride has as much to do with the bride as it does with the groom's family (that should be read = "mother").  I felt like Alice in Wonderland, with the landscape growing larger and scarier with each new discovery.

Just ever so slightly hysterical by this point, I got a list of obligatory presents from my daughter.  My daughter let it fly that the present search and find mission, usually takes several months.  Nice.  I didn't have "several months" – I had weeks and it would have to do.

My search and destroy mission to find each present on the list  lead to the inevitable gift-giving questions: What color will she like? What size? What style? What if she already has it?  What if she hates it?  Of course "merchandise return slips" (in my mind, these little beauties are one of the most significant inventions of the modern era – up there with the "mouse" and the "un-do button") solves many of these dilemmas.  

Now, if you are like me, you would assume that the next step is to wrap up each present in shiny paper and a big bow, put them in pretty bags and cart them off to the celebration.  Once again, my innocents,  this line of thinking is WRONG!  While a Henna ceremony is a lovely and lively celebration of life, love, friends and family.  It is also a celebration of "see how much I am giving" and "see how much I have".  Three words that can easily describe any Henna are Shiny, Bright and Loud.  The presents are no exception!  Here again, my daughter's invaluable knowledge helped .and I learned that the presents had to be shown-off and showcased in something big and ostentatious.

At this point I used my handy-dandy internet. I googled the death out of key words like henna baskets and Henna ceremonies (in Hebrew and English).  I found plenty of examples!  I found pictures of large baskets filled to the brim with all kinds of shiny goodies.   I even found pictures of presents that were masqueraded as wedding scenes (the earrings and necklace were the bride and groom, the watch in its box was the chuppah and on and on), towels and robes that looked like wedding cakes and so on. I also noted that the color choices were not subtle or coordinated; they were loud, profuse and striking.  It seems that Henna baskets take the American "More is More" approach very seriously! 

With my new-found knowledge, I searched the stores for the largest basket I could find!  When I found my basket – as large as a baby's bath (but not as deep) - I knew I was on my way.  I bought rolls of organza and shiny paper.  I continued to minutely examine the Henna basket pictures online, trying to decipher each shape and bulge.

A kind and discerning client understood my obvious cultural handicap.  She told me that chocolates (large wrapped ones), hamsas (good luck charms in the shape of a hand – sometimes with an eye in the middle), the brides prayersand tehilim were usually added to the mix.

Once again, I went out on my shopping mission, looking for – well – anything "shiny" and colorful.  I bought hamsas, miniature tehilim books, silk flowers, miniature Moroccan shoes with long upturned toes, chocolates, strings of shiny beads and fake pearls, large decorative candles, ribbons and so much more.  The brighter and shinier - the better! 

When I began my Henna shopping project, I put the carefully wrapped items I purchased in a corner of my bedroom.  As the list grew and the items piled up, I moved my treasures to a corner of a guest room.  By the time I finished my project, the items were piled high on a double bed.

One of my sisters-in-law came in from the USA for the wedding.  The delicious "H" was now my comrade-in-arms for this important of missions.  Just days before the Henna, she bought the fixings and fillings for her own Kallah basket.

Now came the day of the Henna celebration.  Early that morning we prepared for the – "dressing" - the dressing of the baskets.  We laid out all our presents, goodies and trinkets on the shabbas table and began to work in earnest.  Referring again and again to the internet pictures, I began to understand that each large gift needed to be seen by the admiring crowd of Henna invitees.  So began the unwrapping and rewrapping.   We staged, placed, replaced, moved, wrapped and unwrapped, hung, strung, laid and draped the presents and goodies in their respective places – each in a strategic place in the basket.  Some placed higher.  Some placed lower.  Some draped in small trinkets.  Some stand alone in their importance.  All nestled in a giant bird's nest of transparent paper and organza.  The basket itself was then draped in beads and hung with good luck symbols.

After an hour or two, we became a "little" slap-happy from the fumes of the glue and epoxy (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!).  From that point on, every two or three minutes we would take a step back from our work and ask the all important question "Is this too much?"  As we worked the "Is this too much" question transformed from a serious decorating question, into a sign that we needed to reposition and re-dress a gift with even more trinkets.  We were like kindergarteners gone wild with finger paints – no space should be left untouched, "no white space" (if you know what I mean), no color combinations too outrageous and, most importantly, no one there to stop us! 

At a certain point we lost the ability to stop ourselves from "improving" our baskets.  It took all of our will power and threats that we would never get to the hall on time to force us to STOP and finally proclaim that our baskets were indeed 'stage ready' and we needed to get  ourselves to the hall.

The Henna celebration is a blog all by itself, but I will say that only when we reached the hall did we find out the importance of the basket displays and their larger-than-life presence.  Our baskets and those of others were placed and displayed in a long row, along the main wall of the hall.  Surrounded by the opulence of a dressed room in draped Moroccan finery, the baskets indeed needed to shine – literally – in order to compete with the glitter around them.  So to answer my own question: where the baskets "too much"?  NOT AT ALL!

My New Blog Name: The Kallah Whisperer

I am thrilled to announce that I have renamed my blog "The Kallah Whisperer" (formerly "Things I tell my hairstylist that I should have told my husband").

My new blog name reflects the central focus of my business – BRIDAL HAIR AND MAKEUP and everything that is wedding-related! 

I am an expert in bridal makeup and hairstyling. I understand how every bride wants to feel on her wedding day:  calm, confident, self-assured and, of course, beautiful. 

Along with perfectly suited makeup and hairstyling, I provide each bride with information, tips and encouragement to help ensure that her wedding day runs as smoothly as possible.  Each of 'my' brides knows they can call me at any time day or night to discuss any bridal issue.  They can ask me any question - no matter how big or small; general or intimate. I will do nearly anything to make sure the wedding day is perfect for "my" bride; even sweeping the entrance stairs before the bride leaves her apartment (true story!) and sewing the grooms suit pants (again a true story!).

My relationship with each bride begins with the first phone call.  During this conversation make an appointment for the all-important 'trial session' and I ask the bride to send me pictures of her face and hair and wedding dress.  I also ask the bride to search for hairstyles that she finds attractive – online, in magazines, photographs and so on. 

During the trial session, we discuss and examine a range of hairstyle try-outs (including tiaras, and other hair accessories) and makeup looks to find the look best suited to the bride, bridal gown, length of earrings, necklace, veil and even the height of the groom (!).

I provide Take-Me-To-The-Hall lists of essentials for the bride and groom.

I work with only one bride and her wedding party per day.  I provide her and her bridal party with the expertise, insight and knowledge I know will make her wedding day nearly worry-free.

On the day of the wedding, I bring all my expertise, skill (as well my "traveling beauty salon") and understanding to the bride's home.  Along with my makeup and hairstyling services, I instruct the bride's escorts on the best way to remove the veil (if applicable) to avoid ruining the hair style, the correct way to touch up eye makeup after the happy tears and so much more!

Call me today to begin your wedding planning!  Remember: It's never early to start!  Enjoy!