The secret may be out now, but Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds‘ I do’s were hush-hush right up until the time wedding bells rang Sunday night.
And that certainly took the cooperation of those on the guest list — including Lively’s pal Florence Welch, who performed at the nuptials.
“[Florence] wasn’t allowed to say anything,” Kacie Faulling, a celebrity hair and makeup artist based in Charleston, S.C., told Celebuzz exclusively. “Blake and Ryan wanted it to be kept a secret. [Florence] wasn’t even allowed to bring her cell phone into the wedding. No one could take pictures.”
Before belting out her set at the couple’s under-the-stars reception, Welch got beautified by Faulling around 2 p.m. Sunday at the Wentworth Mansion downtown, “a beautiful historic bed & breakfast” where the Florence + the Machine frontwoman was staying, said Faulling.
As she prepped Welch’s fiery tresses and porcelain skin, Faulling knew the singer was in Charleston for the very first time for a pal’s nuptials. “She told me the people getting married were good friends of hers,” Faulling said.
But little did she know the bride and groom were one of Hollywood’s hottest couples.
“I asked how she knew them and she said ‘through the industry,’” recalled Faulling, who is a fan of Florence + the Machine. “But no one knew whose wedding it was. It was pretty on the down-low.”
But one thing was clear — Welch was flustered before the big occasion.
“She was very nice, very humble — [and] so nervous,” recalled Faulling, who has worked with Gavin DeGraw and on local movie sets. “I was wondering why, because she’s such a big name. She was pacing back and forth. She had a Bloody Mary. [Florence] told me it was a wedding for a really close friend, and that singing at the wedding was her gift to them.”
Welch and her manager — who contacted Faulling for rates and availability weeks ago — “showed up an hour and a half late,” said the stylist. “I had one hour to get them both ready.”
Luckily, Welsh wasn’t looking for a dramatic look. Instead, she “wanted wavy, textured hair [and a] simplistic look [with] fresh makeup and neutral lipstick,” said Faulling. “She doesn’t travel with her own hair and makeup person because she likes to be low-maintenance.”
She does, however, travel with style: Welsh had an array of outfits from which to choose in her suite; she eventually settled on a blue-studded dress that she paired with gold YSL pumps, revealed Fauling.
And even upon finishing the quickie glamour session, Faulling didn’t know where her client was headed. Said the beauty pro: “I didn’t find out until the news broke last night — like everyone else.”
To see exclusive photos of Welsh post-primping — and peek inside her hotel suite, view our gallery.
