Bright, fun, and happy—three words that describe Megan Rachelle Conley’s August 2013 wedding to Jacob Bryant Hatch at the Salt Lake LDS Temple and Riverside Country Club. Her big-day beauty, the work of Hair and Makeup by Steph’s Stephanie Brinkerhoff followed suit. Conley’s bright lips provided a playful touch, and her low, side bun looked both classic and carefree. The pulled-back hairstyle also helped keep her cool in the summer heat, and showed off her Katie Waltman crystal earrings and the intricate details of her custom gown. Inspired by French designer Delphine Manivet’s soft, feminine styles, Nancy Barrus at Avenía Bridal made Conley’s dream dress in dotted Swiss lace with a blouson top, sleeves, and a velvet bow at the waist—one of the bride’s favorite details.

HAIR Conley, Brinkerhoff, and photographer Lindsey Orton had worked together previously on a number of wedding inspiration shoots, so they were excited to team up again for the real deal. To create Conley’s simple chignon, Brinkerhoff began by softly curling all of the bride’s hair (“this makes it easier to pin,” she says), but kept the strands slightly straight at the top of the head and around the face. Then, she pulled the locks into a low ponytail and pinned the hair into a bun. For added hold, Brinkerhoff recommends misting the style with Kenra 25 Hairspray. And if you crave a little extra va va voom, she loves Big Sexy Hair’s root-lifting powder.

MAKEUP Brinkerhoff kept Conley’s makeup clean and simple but added a pop of color to her pout. “You can’t go wrong with a berry lip,” she says. “They always photograph really well.” She enhanced the eyes with MAC Fluidline gel eyeliner (“it stays on all day and is really dark,” she notes) and false lashes. “I love the individual false eyelashes you can buy at Sally Beauty Supply,” says Brinkerhoff. “I use them on almost every bride.” To finish, she evened out Conley’s skin tone with foundation and added a dusting of blush. 

Pucker up

For a pretty berry-hued pout, Brinkerhoff recommends MAC Pro Longwear Lipcolour in Perennial Rose

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Roll With It

Photographs by Shannon Elizabeth Photography

When Draper Heights couple Samantha Skeen Wright and Skylar Lyman Evans recently became engaged (they’re currently planning the details of their nuptials) the reality of being a bride took Wright by surprise. “I had never imagined what I would look like as a bride,” she says. “I couldn’t see myself wearing a big, long dress and getting all done up.”

She liked the idea of saying “I do” in a simple, laid-back look, and shopping for a dress was the first order of business. After an exhaustive online search for a short, vintage frock, she found what she was looking for on eBay: a ’50s-style lace dress with sleeves. For her pre-wedding bridal photos, she dressed up in her big-day ensemble (the groom-to-be made a cameo appearance at the photo shoot in his suit and bowtie) and called in her friend and freelance hair and makeup artist Ashley Sylvester to make her camera-ready.

HAIR “We didn’t want to detract from the darling detail of Samantha’s dress, so pulling her hair back and off her shoulders was the perfect solution,” explains Sylvester. She says this modified French twist is surprisingly easy to recreate. She started by teasing the hair and parting it on the side, then she twisted both sides back into a low ponytail. Once secure, she gently tugged on the rolls to slightly loosen them for an effortless feel. Next, she twisted sections of the ponytail and pinned them into a bun. To finish, she pulled out a few small pieces of hair around Wright’s face.

MAKEUP On the eyes, Sylvester applied primer and light brown, caramel, and gold shimmer eye shadows, plus eyeliner and false lashes. She followed with foundation, highlighter, her favorite brow pencil, Anastasia Brow Wiz, face powder, matte bronzer to contour the cheeks and forehead, blush, and light pink long-wearing lipstick.