In less than a week, I will be married woman. Isn't that hilarious? I think so. I've been remarkably calm about it all; I'm more nervous to get on the plane to Las Vegas than to commit myself to one man for all eternity. Honestly.

Since I've been so lax with the planning (we're getting married in Vegas--how much planning could there be?), I've neglected the most important question: how should I wear my hair? I spent weeks obsessing about my outfit (Should I wear white? Black? What good is the Internet if I can't I find the right shoes?) but I've been blocking out the prospect of my hair. It's so unruly. And that's being generous. I usually say it's a freaking mess. I liken my hair to a crap shoot: I never know how it's going to turn out. People with straight hair have it easy, they just wash their hair and it dries the same way every time: straight. I wash my hair and then I spend twenty minutes putting styling lotion on every strand, arranging them just so, then wait five hours for it to air dry. My hair isn't done until well after lunch. When it's dry, I use some pomade to smooth out the crunchiness and TA-DA! My hair is done. Sometimes it looks good. Other times? Well, that's what ponytails are for. I was thrilled when I learned how to pin my hair up with a pencil. How exciting. No wonder I don't wash it every day. No wonder I wear it in braids, buns, pony and pig tails when ever I can. An arsenal of hair doodads (sticks, elastics, clips, jaws, barrettes, bobby pins) lay in wait on my dresser.

The other option I have is to blow my hair out straight, which takes forty-five minutes, requires three different kinds of brushes, and is followed by a hot iron. I used to be a pro at this, but that was when my hair was a bit shorter. Now it's close to impossible to get my hair straight and frizz-free no matter how hard I stretch it as I blow dry or how hot the iron is afterwards. To make matters worse--much worse--I have a horrid case of split ends. Nice. That always looks smashing on your wedding day.

Perhaps you now understand why I conveniently ignored the fact that I do indeed have hair and I must find a way to make it look good for the wedding pictures. I used to go to the cheapest possible hair salon; I grew up in the hair business and never had to pay for a haircut till I was in college. I figured, no one knows how to cut curly hair anyway, so why pay a lot for a crappy haircut? I suffered for years with unflattering chop jobs till I could bear it no longer. Last year I bit the bullet and went to a fancy, expensive hair salon where they cater to the curly haired. I had an epiphany that day. My hair can look good! All I needed was the right hair cut and twenty minutes of fussing a day. And a bit of good luck. I've gone back every six months to get my hair "carved & sliced". Since I'm due for a cut in March, I didn't make an appointment before my wedding. It's insanely expensive and I am sometimes cheap. Sometimes. But now I see the error of my ways. I could just kick myself. What was I thinking? It's my wedding for Christ's sake. It's a once in a lifetime thing (hopefully!); I should have paid more attention to such an important matter. So today I will venture uptown and get a trim. Just a trim. Do not chop my hair off. And could you blow it straight for me? Thanks.