Wedding Hair Tips and Salon Etiquette

I have a confession…I think I had about 6 hair trials before my wedding. I am pretty sure my stylist wanted to kill me and she wasn’t shy about letting me know. Luckily she was my sister (and she was stuck with me no matter how difficult I was) and I had the option of doing multiple trials without paying big bucks every time. Although it did cost me several lattes, probably some wine, and at least a lunch or two. Your hair style on your wedding day is SOOO important. Other than bad photography, the hair style is the biggest regret I hear from Brides. The style that I originally wanted was not what I ended up with on the big day. I wanted a messy, curly low bun of sorts, that looked effortless but still pulled together. We tried, and tried, and tried and I couldn’t get past how that style made my face look huge or perhaps that I was slightly bald or had weird short hair. I wear my hair up a lot but that is because I am lazy and hate doing my hair, not necessarily because it looks good that way. If I am going to actually do my hair, 9 times out of 10 it will be styled down or half up half down. I also have distinct memories of unfortunate prom hair-dos where I went for the up-do route and in the pictures I looked like I might not have had any hair. Of course it was high school and I was all around awkward anyway, but still lesson learned about up-dos for me. Some notes on my hair- it is crazy straight and struggles to hold curl, it has zero body, and I have a large round head which can only be masked by a down do. After much convincing my sister said “Are you sure you don’t want it down?” So we tried it and well most of you have seen my wedding pictures so you know how it turned out. I do know that not everyone has the option of multiple hair trials or a super blunt stylist who will tell you honestly that something doesn’t look right so my sister is here today to give you a few tips to make the process as stress free as possible.

Via Brit Chudleigh

So you’ve made it to “the day” your wedding & the happiest day of your life. All the details are in place, dress is altered, veil is out and all you need now is the perfect hair & makeup. So you head to your go to salon to make the magic happen. As a hairstylist I have done many brides & bridesmaids, I enjoy special occasion hair and makeup tremendously. Today, however I was greeted with a bridal party nightmare so in response I decided I would write a list of “ideas or suggestions” on how you can make the most out of your day & not make your stylist hate you. Here we go:

1. We know that you’re nervous, excited & feel like this is YOUR day. But we are working, we may have more than one bride in a day so it’s their day too. (Not to mention other regular clients). If you can help make our job a bit easier the day will be more smooth for us both.
2. Be prepared, if at all possible do a hair trial. It will cost you more but you will be confident the day of the wedding. Bring pictures, we don’t mind, actually we prefer to be on the same page especially with wedding hair. Tell your bridal party to also bring photos especially if they are more particular.
3. Get color or highlights done 1-2 weeks prior to the wedding so it’s fresh but not too fresh.
4. Have your nail services done before the rehearsal, they will look better in pictures & you won’t have to worry about that the day of.
5. Consider how you wear your hair daily. Do a modified version of that. For instance if you never wear your hair up don’t wear it up that day. You’ll think you look off.
6. A little more makeup is better, in pictures if its too natural it won’t show up.
7. Faux eyelashes are always beautiful!
8. Have high but realistic expectations. You may find a style that you love but it just won’t work for your hair. Taylor Swift always has beautiful hair (she is a picture I see a lot) but it’s very long & very curly. If your hair isn’t, your hair will never look like hers. Your stylist can work with you when hunting down a style that will work for your hair type. (Again this is why a trial is important)
9.  Don’t try anything too trendy, or add babies breath (unless you’re 11.) Trends may look great NOW but 10 years from now you might regret it. Stick to the classics.  And I hate babies breath in the hair, this is just personal but it reminds me of 1987 and it’s not cute. A pretty fabric flower or jeweled Bobby pins are a safe alternative.
10. Buy hairspray & extra Bobby pins you’ll need them as the day goes on.

I hope this helps ladies. It’s always fun to get pampered, especially on your wedding day and we love to do it. Happy Wedding Day!!

Via

A few extra notes…

• If you do a hair trial, put wedding day type makeup on. A fancy hairstyle looks awkward with a plain face.
• Bring your veil or fascinator to the trial. You’ll want to see how these fit in to your hair style before your wedding day.
• Perhaps even bring your dress to the trial so you can see the whole look.
• Be honest and don’t sacrifice because you don’t want to hurt your stylist’s feelings. Of course be nice and as Erin mentioned, practical, but if you really don’t like something speak up. This wedding hair is going down in photos for all of time, you should LOVE it.
• With all of that being said, I don’t even think a trial should be an option… DO ONE. You won’t regret it and the cost will be worth your peace of mind.