Let me introduce you to one of the most care free, in the moment, confidently beautiful beings I have had the honor of collaborating with this year: Joanna!

She is naturally stunning both inside & out, so for her wedding day I wanted to really let her light shine!

During her preview, which was the best girl time ever with tons of #woke convos, dry humor & deep meaningful moments— we came up with the perfect balance of makeup & styling for dope imagery, while staying true to her style!

Joanna is a minimalist. Day-to-day she pretty much sticks to lip balm and moisturizer.

It is super important when creating a bridal look that you stay true to you so that looking back at your wedding album you don’t feel like you are looking at a stranger!

Joanna’s #gameplan:

Makeup: Vision— The actual no makeup makeup look, completely organic, even skipping the lashes!

Joanna wanted to look exactly like the girl Casey fell for, while still accentuating her gorg features enough to avoid being washed out on the hd cameras.

Hair: Vision— I woke up like this natural boho waves with a chunky braid to compliment it!

I wanted to emulate Joanna’s natural waves in a way that looked slightly more formal than usual.

At her preview we decided to try her style with and without Freely Extensions to see which she liked best! Joanna, like many women, has a lot of fine hair and for her wedding day, was looking to glam it up a bit. She wanted voluptuous yet natural looking hair that would perfectly compliment her amazzzing dress <3

We tried with the extensions and without so Jo could make the call. Though I am killer with creating faux volume with fine hair, we both agreed that extensions would give her the bit of oomph she was yearning for.

I clipped in the Freelys (100% Remy human hair clip in extensions) & BOOM: Jo fell in love for the second time (Casey will always come first—lol)!

I absolutely love how Freely Extensions blend so seamlessly with my clients hair and since they clip-in in about 5-10 minutes, we can easily test them out to see how they improve their look. Many times, brides are worried about if they can achieve the look they really want with their hair and with Freely’s, now they can!

Wedding Day

Joanna’s wedding day vibes were completely chill, laid back, relaxed and centered in peace. It was wonderful! She even went for a run with one of her besties before her glam session!

The venue, The Cape May Convention Hall, was the perfect backdrop!

The entire morning was focused on relaxing, staying calm, and letting anything that wasn’t how she planned it, go! The best way to be!

Joanna owned her bliss that day (and every other from what I‘ve learned about her) & that is something powerful!

Joanna, you inspire me to life freely, love myself completely and embrace life as it comes with grace. I know with your personality and your epic love story that you and Casey will live a long life filled with joy!

Love + Gratitude

Mary-Ashanti