We really do love the bridal lounge. Every time we have a wedding at the salon, it's like we are suddenly hanging out in the middle of a big old fashioned girl party (well, sometimes dads and brothers  crash...but whatever).

Music's playing, mimosas are  flowing, friends are in abundance and well, getting married is pretty happy stuff. It doesn't matter if the parties are big or small, wild or tame, as long as they are as fun as Kristen Appleby's entourage!

Kristen was an organized bride who booked New Leaf over a year ago. Brains AND beauty? Wow.

Pinning in the last few pieces are really the most important...

And of course, the lethal weapon, the most important tool in our beauty arsenal bag...HAIRSPRAY! A girl can't get married without it!

Kristen wanted a polished, but textured look...She found her beautiful comb on, you guessed it, Etsy, every brides wedding addiction. Etsy takes the "Yourself" out of D.I.Y., and it's fantastic! Etsy saves brides (and cooperative fiances) all over the country probably  thousands of hours of slave , er, I mean "crafting" labor;-)

Jenn curl, curl, curling away...

One bridesmaid was just as pretty as the next....

There's that potent can of hairspray again! Spray away Danielle, spray away...

The view from the back....

Amy G working her usual beauty wonders...

Amy G and Ashley making the world over, one person at a time...

These groomsmen aren't going to know what hit 'em!

SO Kristen is lucky enough to have younger sisters...who just happen to be twins! Can you imagine the kind of trouble that must have occured in the Appleby household?

We could never get them both in a photo together (wonder if Mom had that problem too....)

Blonde hair, blue eyes, great hair...what's not to love?

Pay no attention to the fire alarm...these girls are hot stuff (bad pun, we know).

All the flowers you see in the girls hair were found in therapy. boutique inside New Leaf Hair Studio. They double as clips and pins which can be worn again (on your shirt, handbag, belt, a little creativity goes a long way!)

The lovely Kristen...aren't her eyes just amazing? Amy G kept her make up dramatic enough for a wedding but soft and natural because let's face it, Kristen doesn't need much help!

The veil....

The whole gang...Thanks to Kristen and her ladies for inviting us to be part of your special day!

Are YOU afraid of heights? Well, you shouldn't be....

Meet Carly Sokol. She discovered Bristol during her days at Roger Williams Law School and decided to return to her roots to get hitched. A lawyer bride? Hopefully she loves her 'look'...We wonder if there is a law protecting brides from horrible hair on their wedding day...if not, there should be. Carly, get on that;-)

Isn't she so pretty? Carly is obviously smart, she survived law school and passed a bar exam, for pete's sake. But what sets someone apart in the smart department is always the ability to listen and take advice. What do we mean? Read on...

We created tons of texture for Carly's very fine, very straight hair. We wanted it to look like it was naturally wavy. Done.

We were all insane for Carly's accessories. Check out those earrings! There are many accessory junkies who work at New Leaf...some are worse than others but we all fall pretty hard on the spectrum.

LOVE the bracelet...so different, right? J. Crew!

Feather and sparkles, oh my!

Ooooo, another fun accessory! Carly's bridesmaids all wore fun hair ornaments in their hair...there were some black satin headbands, black flower pins and this fun black headband with it's pink cabbage rose...can YOU guess what Carly's colors were?

All these fun hair accessories were conveniently courtesy of therapy. boutique at New Leaf. Filled with fun stuff--everything from affordable jewelry and handbags, to tunics and flip flops --everyone should check it out!

Back to the original question...are YOU afraid of heights? You shouldn't be, and Carly is evidence. Check out the volume in her 'do...

Carly was very smart (and equally as beautiful) because she listened to professional advice. We  understand wanting to feel like 'yourself' on your wedding day. Yet, we are always promoting some more VOLUME on the big day. Why? Because  without enough of it, you might put on your wedding dress and feel too 'every day'. It's your WEDDING--if there is any time to go for it and feel a little more glam, it's now!

Here is Carly's trial photo from several months back (less volume)...

And here is Carly's wedding day (more volume)...

Va Va Voom, right? Hot stuff. I promised Carly that I would not steer her wrong on going for some more height. Height is always a plus, if it's in the right places, with the right amount of texture. Since every bride looks different, volume should be different--wavy, smooth, lots, a little, well, you get it....Amy G paired her soft, glowy (not glossy) skin with dramatic eyes and pink lip color. Carly's look is clean, natural, and sexy. A beautiful Blithewold bride:-)

Carly listened and it totally paid off. Now if we could only see that dress....

Thanks Carly for choosing New Leaf...you set a great example for all brides to follow!

A little rain never hurts, right? Well, it usually does for Newport brides considering they usually picture themselves looking out towards the Newport bridge watching the sun set. But this rainy Saturday didn't bother Kristi Williamson. Not one bit. She figured any expectations of a perfect day in April would be pretty lofty anyways.

New Leaf's  wedding team headed off to Oceancliff to beautify Kristi and her girls...We got to the room to find a California-kinda calm bride. We love that! Isn't she cute?

Amy G. makes sure all the girls are looking perfect...

Our rising wedding team star, Jenn, pins her half-up style...

We love when Snap! Photography shows up...They always capture such stellar shots, plus, their blog is a blast to read...Here is their version of Jenn making sure Delaney's hair looks juuuuust right!

So there is this game we play when we go out called "Celebrity Search'...it's fun to do while you are having a drink at the bar, waiting for your table at dinner, in a long line at  the grocery store or anywhere really. You scan the crowd for anyone who looks like a celebrity and say "Celebrity Search (insert name here)". Everyone decides if they agree or disagree and the person with most 'agrees' wins. It 's the honor system, okay?

Anyways, if we saw Kristi across the bar, I would say, "Celebrity Search KATIE HOLMES"! You can totally see it, right? Put Kristi's hand in Tom Cruise's tight grip, throw Suri in some sparkly high heels, and place them in a fancy mall and you have yourself a celebrity couple!

P.S. We're pretty sure Kristi is happy to be marrying James and not Tom Cruise....James seemed much more stable;-)

This Snap-periffic shot captured all the girls, their pretty dresses, flowers and, of course, hair and make up...Love how Delaney is laughing!

Kristi went with a soft half up style that still showed off her beautiful sapphire earrings...

Snap! Photography does this really cool photo booth at weddings...Guests 'snap' their own photos and then take the images home with them as favors. Genius, right? Glad the hair and make-up held up through all the drizzle!

Just love this photo...Plus it shows the delicate white flowers the florist surprised Kristi with. The flower ornaments aren't just for brides!

To see more of Kristi's wedding, check out Snap!'s blog...a big thanks to Kristi, her mom Jackie, and her entourage for spending the morning with the New Leaf crew. You made our jobs fantastically enjoyable that day!

Stay tuned for more wedding fun...

As we have said before, there really is no such thing as a wedding "OFF SEASON". During the cold winter months while our brides are laboring over every last wedding detail--choosing between calla lilies or hydrangeas, tea-length or floor length bridesmaid dresses, white or ecru table linens, etc,--we are fine tuning our wedding details--WEDDING HAIR! 

There is nothing wrong with winter weddings--we love them in fact. It just seems that most brides biggest fear seems to be the weather, and by weather I mean S-N-O-W, the powdery white stuff which is falling as I blog. (Maybe even more feared is being left at the alter, understandably, but hopefully that doesn't happen and that is just a scary old urban legend, right?)

Anyways, with our kickoff to wedding season being in April, we keep seeing the soft side-swept ponytail on celebrities, in this case, Kristin Cavallari (Hills fans--lover or hate her:-) and Emmy Rossum. I thought it would be a great (and fun) class to teach so without any more babble, here are some snapshots from the class...

The scary mannequin...we were all in agreement, that with all the advancements in both technology and the hair industry, why can't the mannequin companies create some prettier heads? I mean, come on! 

This head still stands in our bridal lounge, and succeeds in scaring every single employee who walks in there and forgets. I even know that it is there and I still jump!

Here is Allie in the curled, backcombed and pinning stage...

Jenn getting her loose waves ready...

And voila! 

It was Jenn's model's birthday and I think she just nabbed a fancy style for her b-day dinner:o)

From the right...

I

And the left...LOVE that texture--no basic, boring side ponytails from the 80's at New Leaf!

And Allie's hard work paid off...

Isn't the roping detail beautiful?

Close-up...

Thanks Allie, Jenn and their beautiful & patient models! This class was so fun to teach. Stay tuned for some more "off season" training to come...

Once upon a time, Sue Austin gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Anne. She dreamed of planning her wedding one day. She pictured her daughter wearing a gorgeous gown and long, flowing veil, fit for a princess.

All of Sue Austin's dreams came true for Anne.

Sue booked Anne's wedding over a year ago so we were dying to meet Anne. We got a sneak peek of her on Snap! Photography's blog, wearing the sassiest skirt and heels, skipping around Castle Island in Boston with her fiance, Tony. We were not disappointed when we met her.
Anne is one of the sweetest, nicest brides we have ever met. She has a smile that lights up any room, the cutest giggle, and was super easy to please. It is no surprise that Tony is smitten with his princess.

Many girlfriends, wives, sisters and mothers across America might agree on one thing--the stupidity of Fantasy Football. Why does it need to take so much time? My husband's answer is that you need to scout, draft, follow stats, blah, blah and blah.

I don't mean to stereotype the female gender in assuming that women do not participate in this league (even though it's a pretty good assumption considering we typically possess much better time management skills). That being said, the girls at New Leaf are approaching our own 'off-season' of weddings. We have a few more parties left but now is the time for some hardcore wedding hair training.

Anyways, we are always 'scouting' out upcoming trends. My prediction for 2010?
I am 'betting' on sleeker, more polished updos and sparkly headbands and Audrey Hepburn hair.

Sarah Gordon, a Barrington native, decided to come back to her roots for her wedding. Sarah is now a Bostonian (not to be confused with BRISTOLian, a Bristol native, born and raised).
Her wedding was at the Rhode Island Country Club. This location is not your typical country club on a golf course--it overlooks the water, showing off some seriously beautiful sunsets. I'm told if you grew up in the East Bay area, you always crave the ocean so it's only fitting that Sarah came back for her big day.

Kana Okano called us a month ago to see if we could make her gorgeous on her wedding day. Even though September has become our busiest wedding month, we said, "of course!"
With a name as exotic and unique as Kana Okano, the mystery was too alluring.
Kana's wedding was at Linden Place, a beautiful historic mansion in Bristol with gorgeous grounds.