Consider your dream wedding hair style to be the crowning glory of your complete bridal look! It should be cohesive with your dress, everyday personal style, and overall vibe of your wedding day. But we mean…no pressure, right? Actually, it can be really scary to put that much trust in your wedding day hair stylist, especially if they aren’t someone who does your hair regularly. So just how do you communicate your desired look to this person you’ve likely never worked with before? Fear not! We went straight to the source – Christy of Simply Captivating Salon – for her best tips on how to do just that!
From Christy…
My goal when working with clients is to capture the vision of how they want their wedding day hair to look. I want my clients to feel like the best version of themselves, and being comfortable with their hairstyle is a big part of that. To make sure that is possible, here are some of the tips I share with my clients.
Schedule a hair trial.
Don’t bypass this appointment! It is VERY important to have a plan for your hair in place before your big day. It also helps your stylist tremendously by knowing how your hair styles with different tools and products. All the kinks are worked out before your wedding because of this trial, and you also get the chance to meet your stylist. This is very valuable and brings a lot of comfort and camaraderie on the morning of your celebration.
It’s all about PHOTOS!
Search the internet (Pinterest, Instagram, your stylist’s portfolio, etc.) for photo inspiration!
Look for photos of hair with the SAME COLOR and TEXTURE as yours. That will be the most accurate representation of how your style will look based off of the current state of your hair. If you are thinking of getting highlights, it’s okay to consider those photos as well. But if you don’t have the service done before your trial, it won’t look the same. Send these photos to your stylist BEFORE your hair trial. Even if you aren’t completely set on any of them, it gives your stylist an idea of what you like and don’t like. This also helps your stylist to brainstorm a custom look based off of several types of styles.
Find photos of the FRONT, SIDE, AND BACKS of styles to better communicate the look you are envisioning for yourself. There are so many photos on the internet of the back of a style, but most likely, many of your wedding day photos will be of the profile and front of your style!
Send photos of your current style so your stylist can see your length, color, and abundance of hair prior to your trial. This will help your stylist to make recommendations based off what you currently have on your head and what you want from your inspiration photos. For example, perhaps you need some clip-in extensions for the voluminous look you desire, but you have very fine, medium-length hair. Clip-in extensions do wonders in creating a look you might think you may not be able to obtain. Having them prior to the trial would eliminate a need for a second trial (thus, saving you money) and also allowing you to leave with the look you were hoping for.
Send photos of your bridal gown, veil, and any hair accessories. This allows your stylist to make recommendations that would complement the look you’ve already invested in and to help you create a cohesive look that all goes together.
Ask yourself some questions.
After choosing a style and finding some inspiration photos, reflect on a few things.
How does your hair hold curl? Does the style you love have lots of flowing curls but your hair won’t hold a curl? This doesn’t mean that you cannot have that style, but you may need to make a plan with your stylist to figure out how best to create lasting curls on your hair type (perhaps even having them come back to touch-up before your reception). If your hair is very curly but you want a smoother style on a humid day, that could also be something to consider when choosing your dream hairstyle and consulting with your hair stylist. Your stylist should be able to work with you and make recommendations after knowing your hair type and what you are envisioning.
How do you like to be photographed? Say you picked out an updo that looks amazing on the model in the photo, but you never wear your hair up and don’t like yourself photographed with your hair away from your face. Take this into consideration when looking at hair inspiration photos. Perhaps all you need to eliminate that issue is to have some soft pieces of hair framing your face. Or, maybe just having a side-swept style would be enough to have hair down around your face, yet still have a little more structure to your style.
What kind of look do you want to look back on in 20 years? Do you want a trendy style and does that fit the look of your bridal gown, or are you going for more of a classic look? The gown you have chosen most likely has determined the style you will likely be going for, but taking that viewpoint into consideration also helps while choosing your hairstyle.
Do you feel like YOU after the trial? My main goal for my clients is to help them choose a style that best fits them. Oftentimes, after a trial I will tweak a style a little bit after getting the vibe of my client. I can see that they like a little more texture or perhaps a little more volume. Maybe the style needs to be a little looser with more hair down around the face. Or maybe the part was all wrong and we need to move it. These little changes really help to create a one-of-a-kind, custom look just for you.
Don’t be afraid to communicate what you’d like to change, even if you want a whole different look all together!
I’ve had several clients schedule a second trial (although I do my best to go over a couple of options at the first trial) and I am not offended. I always compare trying wedding day hairstyles to trying on wedding gowns – sometimes you have your heart set on one style but realize it just isn’t the right one for you. It’s okay to change your look from your trial and your stylist should be open to working with you to make sure your feel like the best version of yourself!
