If you're going to San Francisco

Around the time Miss Lox discussed the possibility of becoming the Imelda of hair flowers, it dawned on me that I hadn't even thought of what I'd put in my hair. Long ago, I decided that a veil was not for me. (I gave it 1, 2, 3 tries. Three tries, ladies. Moving on.) I needed something bridal on my head. If it wasn't going to be a veil, then a hair flower it would be. So began the search...

PrimandPosies - "Anna Double Ivory Flower"

Silver Pencils - "Small Pacific"

Little White Dresser - "Romantic Comb" ... with flowers shaped like the ones on my gown.

Sibo Designs - "Morning Blossom"

Twigs & Honey - Silk Blossom Pair, style 126 (I want to shake the model and tell her, "Cheer up!" Is it just me?)

Twigs & Honey - Sheer Silk Organza with Pearl, style 128

Twigs & Honey - Sparkle Flourish Double Feather
And these were just the ones I'd narrowed it down to! Any one of these was as good as the other. Yet, I couldn't make a decision... due in part to not knowing how I'm styling my hair. Not wanting to force a decision and regret it later, I deferred making a decision.

Inspired by Mrs. Jellyfish's fascinator DIY, I set off for the nearest craft store... after I got done face palming, of course. I was skeptical, unsure of what I'd find, but my penny-pinching efforts were rewarded when I spotted not one but two pretty posies.

Option 1: Cabbage rose

Option 2: Double peony

Now for the side by side (last three photos are all personal iPhone shots)
For those of you who like to play along at home, here's the part where you guess which flower I picked - before reading on. Are you ready to see if you guessed right? No?? You need more time. Okay.

Alright, you've had enough time. I hemmed it over for a hot minute before grabbing... the peony. (Did you guess correctly?) In person it seemed much more life-like and was the more unusual choice. The rose was too similar to my dress's rosettes without being a perfect match. It's like wearing white and off-white together.

So there you have it. My hair flower choice. The grand total for the flower and 750 count pack of pearl beads? A whopping $5. Ouch. Make it stop. At that price, I can afford to make hair flowers until I run out of pearl beads. Or Mr. PaC makes me stop adding on DIYs. Whichever comes first.

Any veil-less brides out there? How did you make your head bridal: hair flower, headband, sparkly pins??