Most of the brides that I work with are looking for a classic, natural look. But then, most brides I work with are not Carrie Ann Theisen, the beautiful Ph.D. candidate who wafted into my studio one fine day...

The first time that I was contacted by Carrie, who was referred by friend and photographer Jenna Stamm, we determined that I wouldn't be available because of another wedding I was doing earlier on that October day. She contacted me again a few months later, asking if I could teach her how to do her own make-up for the wedding (Saints, preserve us!), and she also mentioned that her ceremony time had changed. Hallelujah! I could now make it to Bechtelsville in time to save her from herself. And I was so thrilled to be working with Jenna again, who was the perfect photographer for Carrie; quirky with an edge, and an eye for all of the rustic and whimsical details that made this wedding the stuff of editorial spreads.

Carrie, a tall, waifish beauty, is also a talented cognitive scientist who earned her doctorate from the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh. Her dissertation was on "arbitrariness and systematicity in emergent communication systems" (Light reading? I think not....). She is a master of the German language and has studied Japanese, and was the recipient of a prestigious Marshall Scholarship to study in UK, an award that's given to only 40 graduate students yearly. Now that's what I call a "brilliant bride."

So... back to more weighty things. On the day of her trial run, Carrie explained that she wanted to look ethereal, and that she wanted tons of clumpy....yes, "clumpy"....lashes. She also wanted a nude, matte lip. Bringing her unconventional hopes and dreams to reality was a blast for me. I combined a purple-based neutral (Jane Iredale Taupe) and gunmetal (MAC Club) shadows with diffused black liner to produce her wide-eyed bohemian look, then added the boatload of mascara and long, spikey false lashes required to achieve the desired clumpiness. The nude matte lip was courtesy of Jane Iredale Lip Fixation in Craving - just perfect and I color I have a hard time keeping in stock. Cheeks to match using MAC Lilicent Cream Blush.

The drive to Bechtelsville on that October day was spectacular - I only wish that I'd had more time to explore, but Carrie's wedding was #2 of my three-wedding-in-one-day extravaganza, so no luck with the antiquing, etc. The wedding was held at Carrie and fiance Jeremiah's home in the middle of the woods. The early fall sun filtering through the trees was magical.