Choosing Your Hairstylist for Your Wedding Day
TIPS by Award-winning bridal hair stylist Leanne: Vow 2 Wow.
Introduction
When it comes to choosing your glam squad for the wedding morning, there are several things to keep in mind! Your hair, makeup, and photographer are the three suppliers you will have the most contact with on the day! You must feel comfortable in their company, and you must like their style and have confidence in their abilities.
Choosing suppliers with extensive wedding experience, a wide range of styling skills, and a portfolio of positive reviews is key to success.
Wedding hair is very different from salon skills; not only must your style last from morning until the early hours, but efficient timing and delivery of any style requested on the morning can only be executed by a stylist with extensive experience in wedding hair.
Luckily, there are so many reputable and highly experienced bridal hair stylists available that there is a perfect match for every bride’s budget and style requirements.
Choosing Your Hairstylist for Your Wedding Day
With so many skilled stylists to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. Let me offer some considerations based on years of experience to help with the decision-making process!
Reputation
Begin by researching reputable stylists in your area. Choose someone based on their style variety, experience, and reviews. Check out their social media and websites to ensure you are booking someone skilled in your preferred style. A good stylist will be professional, responsive, and have a good industry reputation.
They should be very experienced in weddings, which is important for accurate timing to ensure you are ready on time.
More info: Wedding Timeline
Your stylist will be familiar with the wedding morning environment, have great people skills to keep everyone calm, and ensure the morning prep is fun and enjoyable.
Popular stylists book up fast for popular dates, so I would advise booking 18 months in advance. For less popular dates, you may be lucky to nab a good stylist with as little as six months’ notice.
Wedding Hair Cost Guide for Brides & the Bridal Party
For most, your wedding day is something you have dreamed about for years. Each bride has something she feels is most important to her and will budget a little more in this area. As with everything, you get what you pay for.
Expect to pay more for highly experienced, in-demand freelance stylists than in a salon. However, the convenience of having them come to you, along with the level of service and attention to detail in the run-up to the wedding and on the day itself, is worth it for peace of mind alone!
You will have the luxury of your stylist on hand to answer any queries day and night in the 18 months leading up to your wedding. They will provide detailed information on hair prep and advice, along with timing schedules to ensure everything runs smoothly on the morning.
Rest assured that they will stay with you until you are dressed to pop in the veil. A bridal hairstylist will only book one wedding per day to ensure you are the only priority on your big day. Rates tend to fall at around €350 for a group of four, with additional charges for trials.
Most stylists charge for travel to your location, so bear in mind the more local your supplier is, the less this charge will be.
According to Onefabday prices:
Wedding Hair Cost Guide for Brides & Bridal Party
Booking Deposit: When booking, expect to pay a deposit ranging from €50 to €80.
Bride’s Hair Trial: Each hair trial session for the bride typically costs between €50 and €100.
On-the-Day Hairstyling Bundles:
- For a group of three: €280 – €375
- For a group of four: €375 – €450
- For a group of five: €450 – €525
- For a group of six: €525 – €600
These prices may increase with additional travel expenses (details at the end of the post).
Hairstyling for Smaller Groups: If only one or two people need styling on the day, the cost is €100+ per person. Many stylists also have a minimum call-out fee of around €300 – €350, plus any additional travel costs.
Flower Girl Hairstyling: For flower girls aged 12 or under, the on-the-day hairstyling costs between €20 and €30 per child.
Bride’s Pre-Wedding Haircut: A haircut for the bride before the wedding day can range from €70 to €200.
Hair Extensions: Depending on the type (clip-ins, pre-bonded, or tapes), hair extensions can cost between €70 and €700.
Location
The location of your stylist is another important factor. The closer your stylist is to you, the fewer logistical issues you will run into.
You will need to travel to them for your trial, which is often scheduled mid-week. In the case of unforeseen weather conditions, a more local supplier may be safest. However, fret not—the wedding supplier community is a tight-knit bunch who go above and beyond to help each other out in unforeseen circumstances.
As our reputation is built on reliability and exceptional service, you will be looked after no matter what! For those booking out-of-town stylists, expect to pay additional travel charges and accommodation if the distance is great.
The hairstylist is the first to arrive in the morning, and most would not agree to a three-hour drive before a 7 a.m. start. We want to arrive at your location fresh and full of energy!
Some of you will just fall in love with a stylist’s work and not worry about the minor inconveniences, but for others, these may cause unanticipated stress in the run-up to the day when it comes to arranging time off work or babysitters.
Don’t get bogged down in the details—do the research, then just go with who you love.
The rest can be planned around—where there’s a will, there’s a way!
How to Get Picture-Perfect Hair
Once your stylist has been booked, it’s time to look at your hair. The best foundation yields the best results, so 12 months prior to your wedding is the ideal time to get your color just right. You can then focus on improving the condition and growth in the run-up to your wedding.
At-home treatments and regular trims are essential. While it may seem counterproductive, having your hair regularly trimmed will remove any dead ends which will only lead to breakage and slow growth.
Using salon products from the 3-6 month mark will enhance shine and condition. Your regular salon will be able to advise on what to do to help have your hair in optimum condition for the day itself! Aim to do your final color two weeks before the wedding day to allow it time to settle.
Blondes
Consider adding low-lights to give it additional texture and depth in photos, which helps define and enhance your hairstyle. Your hair will be sitting on the backdrop of a white dress, which means some blondes will show up as yellow.
You might need to use an ash or pearl toner to ensure you have a lovely clean blonde. Talk to your stylist about different options at least six months in advance, as it may take trial and error to get the perfect shade to suit you.
Dark Hair
Aim for the ultimate shine. Your tresses may not show up texture and detail in the same way blondes do. To get the best shine and texture in your hair, use a conditioning quasi-color through the ends.
I recommend adding chocolate-toned lowlights through the ends. Think low maintenance and subtle. This will add depth to the hair and help define the details of your style, giving your locks an added glam look for the big day.
Extensions
This really comes down to how your natural hair lines up with your desired wedding style. If you love voluminous hair but have short, fine, or very straight hair, you may need additional hair to get your desired look.
Most often, extensions will be required for wearing the hair down or any of the romantic, full-bodied upstyles. The pros of extensions are they add volume and will hold a curl where natural texture might not.
The disadvantage is additional expenses and extra weight in your hair on the day if you’re unaccustomed to wearing them. If you do opt for them, there are various options to choose from.
It’s best to check in with your wedding day hairstylist to get recommendations. I like clip-in wefts, which have substantially more volume than the individual strips and are affordable.
My least favourite are bonded hair extensions, which cannot be back-combed, are the most expensive, and can make an upstyle uncomfortable due to pulling on bonds.
However, you may choose them if you want to have honeymoon-perfect hair as they last up to three months! An experienced stylist will have no trouble working with whatever type you prefer. So, you do you, and leave the rest to the professionals!
Wedding Film by DKPHOTO:
How to Choose the Perfect Hairstyle
Up or Down?
This decision is always the hardest when choosing your hairstyle, and it is not one your stylist can make for you. We can advise and examine the different options, but ultimately it comes down to choosing what feels most right for you!
Here are some guidelines for making that all-important decision.
I always recommend opting for a style that you are comfortable with and that is essentially very you—just a little more glam.
When choosing the most suitable style, there are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Your Natural Hair Texture
You know your hair best. You are aware of what it will and will not do. While bridal hair professionals will certainly be able to achieve more lasting and polished results than you do yourself, they cannot perform miracles! It is best to have realistic expectations of what can be achieved with your own natural texture. Is there really any point going with a smooth sleek look if your hair springs into corkscrews at the first sign of humidity?
As a general guide, here is my opinion on what works for different hair types. If you have manageable healthy hair, all styles will generally suit you and hold well. If you have fine hair, go half up or choose an updo to achieve lasting volume.
For difficult to control textures, choose a soft textured upstyle, giving optimum security and lasting power. On very straight hair hard to curl, consider adding extensions which will hold a curl when your natural hair doesn’t often comply. It’s always best to embrace your own texture, let your stylist work with it, not against it—this way you can be sure of the most suitable and lasting style!
2. The Weather
It is Ireland, so realistically, this factor must be considered. Wind and rain at weddings can wreak havoc, no matter how skilled your stylist or how strong the hairspray!
If your wedding day happens to be wild and you are set on getting that dramatic cliffside shot, then err on the side of caution with an upstyle or very casual low-maintenance down style. A stylist who has met you and gotten a feel for your hair at the trial will easily be able to advise or accommodate any changes on the morning should there be a need to!
Ornate waves are most likely not going to survive the ordeal of prolonged outdoor time on a stormy day!
Some brides won’t be in the least fazed by the weather undoing their style once the ceremony is over. But for those who want picture-perfect hair from dusk till dawn, you may have to make some alterations either to your hairstyle or to your plans in the case of bad weather!
3. The Wedding Dress
The style of your wedding dress usually reflects your own personal style and thus sets the tone for your hair. Your chosen hairstyle should complement both the dress and your face shape.
Please remember, your dress was probably the first thing you fell in love with (after your fiancé, of course)! Let’s make sure it firmly cements its place in the spotlight. If it features an open back or is a delicate strapless number, you might prefer the security of wearing your hair down, so you don’t feel over-exposed.
If you have opted for a high neckline or a dress with ornate detailing on the back, then you might need to consider wearing your hair up. This will ensure all those little details aren’t hidden underneath that long mane. It’s also wise to consider how you plan to get into your dress on the day.
Will it need to go over your head? Rest assured your stylist is working with a wide variety of dresses and hair textures on a daily basis and will be very adept at narrowing down what will best complement the overall look.
Do a Trial Run
I strongly advise all brides to have a hair trial 2-3 months in advance of the wedding. It allows you to see how a picture you might have fallen in love with looks in your hair—sometimes the end result is not how you had imagined, and at this point, you can work with your stylist to come up with a more suitable alternative.
This is where the skills of an experienced bridal stylist come in! Leaving it until the wedding morning to discover this can lead to unnecessary stress for both you and your stylist!
Once your stylist is familiar with your hair and desired look, they can make recommendations to achieve the best results. In my experience, this is key to success.
A trial also provides the opportunity for your stylist to gather all the details of your wedding party to ensure smooth operations on the day itself and is a lovely chance for you to get to know each other a little before the day itself. Remember, on the day, you will spend up to seven hours in their company, so it’s important for you to feel confident in, and at ease with, your stylist.
Pick & Stick
There will come a point where you will need to just PICK and STICK! You don’t continue shopping after you’ve bought the dress! Likewise, after you’ve committed to a style, it’s best to stop looking out for inspo. You will only torment yourself with doubts. Many will give their two cents on what they think you should do.
Trust your stylist to steer you towards what is most suitable for you. They are basing their advice on experience, not opinion! Don’t over-analyze or worry; have faith that on the day, the whole look will come together, and you will look absolutely beautiful. We do weddings every day and have a good eye for what will suit and how the overall look will come together.
Fear not—we want you to absolutely love your hair and, equally important, have a lovely morning getting ready. It really is a special honor for us to be part of all the fun and excitement!
Ultimately, the perfect hairstyle is the one that feels most comfortable and ‘YOU’ on the day! Your hairstylist is simply trying to pluck the image of your dream wedding hair from your head and make it a reality. Best of luck with all the research and planning, and I hope you have the most fantastic wedding day!
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