This review, these accolades, this genuine acknowledgement and praise comes a year and a half past due. My belatedness has everything to do with the busyness that has taken place following my amazingly blessed wedding celebration. This piece here, comes from my heart, means as much to me now as it would have had I written it 18 months ago, and above and beyond all else, is an absolute honor and privilege to write.

How could writing on someone’s behalf and bestowing accolades upon another be a privilege you ask? Mostly because it is rare that one feels the need to express to the world, and not just to brides that be, how much another human (who was prior to my wedding solely a stranger to me) actually has come to mean to me. For, it is not often that someone who does not know you could end up having a lasting impact on you that far extends the limits of time. I am here to praise and honor Melissa of MVP Make-up (and likewise her business partner Edgar and their amazingly talented team of beautifiers) for the gift that she has given me, for which I will forever feel indebted to her.

How could a Make-Up Goddess/Artiste/Talent have given me a gift that will forever change my life you ask? Well, if you doubt this is possible, you have obviously not met MELISSA of MVP.

I am a woman who values beauty, but prides herself on trying her hardest to kill vanity in her own personal life. I am someone who adores looking and feeling her best, but solely because it represents and sheds light on the fact that I am healthy. I do not care to look beautiful for vanity’s sake, but more so because it is a reflection of what is going on inside of me. This may sound hokey to some, but being a healer, masseuse, and reiki master, I have learned over the course of my studies, that true beauty does indeed lie within and because of this I am not one to have been fond of make-up or of being “made up”. I tend to see make-up as a mask that one puts on to present to the world a false sense of who they truly are. Make-up can act as a shield to cover imperfections that I tend to see as beautiful. IT WASN’T UNTIL I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE MET MELISSA THAT I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE IDEA THAT MAKE-UP CAN BE USED TO “ENHANCE” ONE’S BEAUTY AND TO SHINE ON A LIGHT ON WHAT IS ALREADY BEAUTIFUL ABOUT A PERSON! Not to mention, Melissa also showed me how FUN make-up and hairstyling can be!

Let’s start at the beginning.......

When I began to look for someone to be able to do my wedding hair and make-up, I didn’t know where to start. But upon perusing wedding websites, reading reviews, going to chat rooms for the topic, and the like, I kept hearing over and over again on all of these forums independent of each other, that Melissa of MVP was hands down: THE BEST! But being somewhat of a perfectionist, I wanted to also have my fabulous wedding planner seek out an Artiste for me and my special day as well. When my planner came back to me, letting me know that a woman named Melissa from MVP would be the ultimate best choice, I KNEW WE HAD HIT UPON GOLD! I trust my wedding planner as a friend and confidant and for her to have come to the same conclusion as me, well, I knew it was Melissa I had to try to book for my Wedding.

Upon contacting her and fearing she wouldn’t be able to work with me due to her popularity, she immediately calmed me down as only a true professional can, and much to my delight assured me that she would take care of me!

Being a woman who does not wear make-up in her day-to- day life, I was skeptical of how I could look fabulous and have my hair be amazing without overdoing it and within the scope of accentuating my beauty without making it look like I was wearing a pound of make-up on my face. Because we were married in Tulum, Mexico I knew it would be a beach wedding and it would be hot and the last thing I wanted was to “feel” made-up & overdone as well as look too different from the simple gal that I am. But upon meeting Melissa and taking part in our trial day in Mexico, all of my initial fears were squelched.

The first thing Melissa and Edgar did was set up my trial appointment. I brought hair extensions with me unsure of how to use them and unsure of whether or not they would look real or ridiculous. Melissa met me in the lobby of our hotel and I could see that she had arrived well before schedule which immediately set me at ease; her immense professionalism apparent from the very beginning. Upon meeting her, she was so warm and kind that I finally felt -amid all the wedding chaos surrounding me- that I could RELAX. When so much planning is taking place and so many things need to be in order for a wedding to go off without a hitch, a bride can forget that the hair and make-up is to be the FUN part, that she can relax and surrender. Melissa allowed me just that and so much more. She was the first person to really put me at ease and in her hands I knew even before the trial was completed, that I was safe with her.

What followed is the stuff of history, quite literally and figuratively. She gave us PERFECTION!!!!

I had sent Melissa pictures beforehand when we spent months prior to the wedding corresponding via email about what look I was going for. From the get-go, Melissa was always prompt with her email replies to me and was constantly encouraging my communication and helping me months ahead of time to devise the feeling I wished to invoke. I sent Melissa pictures of gorgeous sexy Victoria’s Secret models who I could only dream to emulate and pictures of the beachy babes I wished I could look like. To say that she helped me realize my vision would be a MASSIVE act in understatement....let me explain....

It must first be mentioned that PERFECTION is not something I seek in any area of my life. I thrive on the unconventional and where that can lead me, I champion the imperfection because I always see it as more interesting, I look for the flaws because to me they are beautiful. But, as a Bride, I came to realize after our day had passed, that PERFECTION -though I didn't seek it-was the most blessed thing I ever could have felt on the most magnificent day of my life!!!!

After my first meeting with Melissa I left feeling lighter, something- it must be noted- most Brides do not feel. I felt lighter because I knew and trusted Melissa 120% and was certain I could relax into the process. It must also be pointed out that it takes a VERY special person to put a Bride at ease in that capacity; especially when that Bride is planning a destination Wedding. Melissa is THAT EXTRAORDINARY at what she does and has built a team alongside her that allows this reality to be. I stress that she has built this team along side her and not around her, in an effort to explain that Melissa is more than a team player and more than a leader, and more than a perfectionist, she is a friend. And, again, I cannot express enough how to a Bride on her Wedding Day, what she needs more than anything in the world, is a FRIEND!

A bride goes through a lot on her Wedding day, whether she is super mellow like I believe myself to be and lets things flow or whether she is uptight and neurotic, a Bride needs someone who's got her back! A bride needs someone to be her voice when she's having a hard time expressing herself. A bride needs a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen....I NEVER would have thought in a million years that this person could be, would be, my wedding Make-up Artiste!

In my particular case, I needed someone to drown out the distraction and to calm my nerves when a sister-in- law started fighting with me on my special day and almost ruined everything. Melissa did just that! When my sister-in- law and I finally let the stress accumulate into a full on show-down moments before my ceremony, Melissa immediately saw this attack on me, essentially got my sister-in- law out of my sacred space and helped to bring me back to me. It may sound dramatic, but that argument was about to ruin a day that I had been looking so forward to, and it was Melissa who took charge and cleared the negativity. Who ever would think a make- up artiste would take on that role? She went from Artiste to the friend to the therapist and referee. She saved the situation!! For that too, I will never ever forget what she did for me.

A bride might also need someone she feels comfortable enough with to allow to grab her boob 30 minutes before the ceremony when she is freaking out because she cannot get the bra to stick right and she needs to get that bra stuck on and that boob looking stellar!!! None of my girls, not my Mom, not my Sisters in Law could figure out my most important bra situation and after just 1 second of seeing my panicked face Melissa, along with my Wedding Planner gently asked my permission, took hold of that juicy orb and VOILA: My Dress and my breasts never looked better! And she did all that while with the other hand signaling to some invisible assistant that I didn't even know was there to grab me a glass of champagne and get this show started!

In that moment she became my Earth Angel!!!!