Bridal hair is a big deal, not only for your clients but for you too. You have to think about many factors when it comes to bridal hair; it’s not just about styling; it’s emotional for everyone involved. It is a real craft to manage the emotions and expectations of many people.
Firstly, chat with your bride to find out when the wedding is, as the time of year can have a huge impact on the style of hair your bride chooses. For example, if a wedding is in the depths of winter and your bride wants a romantic soft waved style, you may have to explain that the weather may play havoc with soft curls. Damp, cold weather will make curls drop, and gale force winds could have the hair covering the bride’s face. If they are wanting romantic pictures outside, they might end up looking like Cousin It from the Adams family rather than the image they had in their mind’s eye. Hot weather also has its downsides, as it can make curls frizzy and cause them to drop. So, if your bride is getting married indoors in the winter, then great; they can have whichever style they desire. It’s just good to be open and honest with your brides, as they may not have thought of any of these factors.
The second factor has to be the style of the dress. What’s the neckline like? What’s the back of the dress like? How extravagant is the dress? Backless dress styles tend to suit low, romantic, soft buns in the nape of the neck to show off the back of the bride or a style that sweeps over to the side would also be perfect. Sweetheart necklines are the easiest, as they suit many styles, up, down, half up half down; you have much more choice.
The style that your bride has shown you will determine if they need to grow their hair or add hair with hair extensions. If it’s the latter, you may wish to trial that sooner rather than later, as some people just don’t get on with hair extensions. They may wish to explore other options, or they will absolutely love them and never return to normal hair again. I find extensions are like Marmite; some people love them, some people hate them, and some people are also pickers or non-pickers. This means that they can either leave their hair alone or they can’t. You will notice the pickers out in the streets fiddling with their fingers at the roots of their hair. If they turn out to be pickers, extensions aren’t the way forward. It’s not a good look on the day to look like a monkey fiddling through the hair.
Accessories for the hair? What does your bride have in mind? Are they wanting simple accessories placed into the hair, or are they wanting a veil? That will also help make the decision of what style they can have in the first place, as some veils are tricky to place into the hair with certain styles. Do they want a flower crown? If they do, please make sure you measure the circumference of the head. If you don’t and they just go and order a fresh flower crown without knowing or giving the florist the circumference of their head, it may not fit properly and will easily fall off. No bride needs the pressure of a balancing game of a flower head on the day of their wedding.
Bridesmaids… How many does the bride intend on having, if any at all? Finding out this information will affect timings on the big day. In my experience, it’s very difficult to get all the bridesmaids in the same place at the same time for trials. So, even if I don’t get to trial all of the bridesmaids, I always like an up-to-date picture of them, not one from five years ago on Facebook. The last thing you need as a stylist on the day is to be caught off guard by Rapunzel suddenly sitting in the styling chair because the last photo you saw of them was when they had a cute little bob.
Styles of the bridesmaids’ hair… Are they all having similar styles to each other, or are they all choosing their own individual hairstyles? Knowing this information will make your day much easier and give you time to prepare not only physically but mentally.
Even the nicest brides can get stressed and change their minds countless times about most things related to hair. My advice is to be patient, be calm, and talk to them about their concerns. Hopefully, if you both listen to each other and are honest with each other, the day should go without a hitch. It’s a special moment to be able to make brides and the bridal party feel like a million dollars on the big day.