Wedding Day Coif

A few days ago, Kayla was a bridesmaid in her bestfriend's wedding. Prior to the photo time with the bridal party, Kayla called to ask me to help her with a crisscross style Kim wanted all her bridesmaids to have. I love to do hair, so I was excited to help her. After a pound of Aqua Net, at least 20 bobby pins and a 400 degree F curling wand, she was good to go with only the Alabama humidity and potential Spring rains as the enemies. It got me thinking about wedding hair ... what the bride will wear the day of the nuptials. Now for guys, as usual, it's pretty simple: a good haircut. But for girls it can run the gamut. Hair up? Hair down? Extentions? Curly? Straight? Hair jewelry? Flowers? Headbands? So thought we'd get some tips.

1) First off, don't try a new style the day of the wedding. You're begging for disaster. Try out your style at least once with your veil to see how it will look. Try different styles to see what looks best. If you are having someone style your hair, bring pictures of what your like. Do practice styles at least three months in advance.

2) If you are planning to get a haircut, highlights or coloring done, get it done at least two to four weeks prior to the wedding. That gives it time to grow a bit and soften. Plus if you need to make any changes, it give you time.

3) Get to know your hairspray well. Spray before and after you do anything to your hair. It will help it hold, especially if it's like my hair and falls quickly in humidity. Plus this will help in windy outdoor situations as well.

4) If you have long hair, note that guys like it down. Girls always seem to want to put it up. But if you ask men, more often then not, they want your hair down and looking as close to what they are used to as possible. Of course, we don't always do what they want, but just giving you their perspective. If you want it up, try half up and half down and make everyone happy. 1 Corinthians 11:15 says "if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her."

5) Keep the time of year in mind. Is it hot and humid, then work with your hair. You might need it off your neck then. If it's curly, let it be curly. If it's straight, stick with that.

6) Be sure to eat healthy leading up to the wedding (eat healthy every day). For healthy hair, munch on salmon, yogurt, spinach, poultry, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, eggs, blueberries, carrots, nuts and oysters. You'll get shine, body and strength.

7) Consider your dress. If the dress has a magical back that you want to show off, make sure your hair is high enough to see it.

8) Some brides do two styles: an up do for the ceremony and down for the reception. You can have fun with this if you'd like, but then you need someone to help take care of that the day of.

9) Don't pull back tight at the hairline, even it is half up half down. You'll sometimes look bald in photos.

10) Check all the angles. What do you look like from the front, side and back? People will be seeing all of it the day of, so you want a style that's complimentary from all angles.

You will be lovely no matter how you wear your hair, so have fun and be natural!

Discussion: Have you decided how you want to wear your hair on your wedding day? How does your future spouse want to see you on your wedding day?

Prayer: Father you tell us the hairs on our heads are numbered, that is how much you care for us. We want to look good on our wedding day and pray for weather conducive to it. We love you, Father. Thank you for loving us and for your son, Jesus. In His name we pray, Amen.

Down The Aisle

It's what paves the way for the bride and her bridesmaids as they walk down the aisle. White aisle runners, flower petals and all the decorations along the aisle sides. Like a herald, these decorations are draped on the edges of pews and chairs along the center aisle, announcing the bride to her groom. Whether tulle, bows, flowers, arches, lace, lanterns, wreathes, candles, ribbons, branches, twinkle lights, crystals, vases, balloons or pillars, the way is readied for procession.

We have seen some unique and even clever decorations as well. Like:

• The runner that tells the couple's love story, recites a Bible verse or has their monogram.
• Fruit. Not even kidding ... bananas, pinapples. It was tropical beach wedding, of course.
• Frames with pictures of the couple in their relationship or growing up as children.
• Bible verses about love hanging from the chairs.
• Several arches spaced a few feet apart.
• Piles of petals. I mean, piles! It was like a mass murder of roses.
• Hay (it was a barn wedding).
• Huge paper or silk flowers with blossoms at least a foot and a half wide.
• Buckets - nope, not a beach wedding. They were filled with flowers, like Babies Breath.
• Mason jars filled with seashells, flowers, sand, crystals or even water.
• Paper lanterns or fans.
• Fringe - it was a Western theme
• Tree stumps. Guess if the bride was tired on the way down the aisle she could sit down.
• Pumpkins, gourds and leaves - you guessed it, Fall wedding.
• Monkey grass or pampas grass blossoms to blow in the wind.

So it looks like you can decorate it anyway you'd like, unique to you as a couple. Now we couldn't find any history on decorating wedding aisles. Nor could we find Bible verses about aisles or walking down them, but it does have plenty to say about a path.

• "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105.
• "You must follow exactly the path that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you are to possess." Deuteronomy 5:33.
• "The God who has girded me with strength has opened wide my path. "You show me the path of life." Psalm 16:11.
• "He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake." Psalm 23:3.
• "My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped." Psalm 17:5
• "All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees."  Psalm 25:10
  
• "Therefore walk in the way of the good, and keep to the paths of the just." Proverbs 2:20.
• "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:6

You ladies are certainly following a path to your beloved and then as couples into a brand new world together. No matter how it's decorated, it should always be a path of righteousness. So do your very best to hold tight to our Father and stay on His perfect path for you.

Discussion: How would you like your aisle decorated? What do you think it takes to stay on a path of righteousness? What are things that can lead you off that path?

Prayer: Lord God, we know that being obedient to you and listening to Your Word is the greatest path we can follow. These sweet ones will be walking down a path into one another's arms for their earthly lifetime. We pray that path they take together brings you great glory always. In Jesus, Amen.