Weddings are my absolute favorite occasions! From the most glamorous to the simple backyard wedding, every woman should feel the most beautiful she has ever felt on this special day! If you are a soon-to-be bride, or maybe a M.O.H helping plan each detail, then I’m sure you have noticed that choosing the perfect makeup look, hairstyle, dress, shoes, and accessories is a very crucial decision!
When it comes to hair and makeup you may ask yourself; How do I choose the right look? What would go best with my dress? How do I choose the right hairstylist and makeup artist and how soon should I book them? Can the hairstylist do a practice run? What if I don’t like what she/he does in the practice run?… Well I’m here to answer all of these questions and more!
So lets get down to business!
How do I choose the right hair and makeup look for my wedding day?
STEP 1; Choose your dress or the style of your dress first! This is CRUCIAL when it comes to your hairstyle! Depending on the neckline, genre and fit of your dress, some styles may compliment your look more than others!
STEP 2; Think about how you feel most comfortable. Are you a person who wears their hair down most of the time because it makes you feel more confident? Or maybe you get constant headaches and can’t wear your hair up often. Perhaps your the opposite and prefer your hair out of your face most of the time and feel more confident with your hair tied up. This is a very important thing to think about when it comes to your wedding day hair. You want to feel the most BEAUTIFUL, CONFIDENT and COMFORTABLE!
Step 3; Once you have decided what genre of hairstyle you want as well as which way you feel more comfortable with your hair, you can then begin looking for photos! My absolute favorite place to look for wedding day inspo is Pinterest! Just type in what your looking for like. ‘hollywood glam wedding updo’, and you will get so much inspiration you won’t know what to do!
How do I know what hairstyle would go best with my dress?
Here are a few tips of how I like to guide my brides to choosing the right hairstyle for their chosen dress;
Strapless with an open neckline:
If you’re leaning toward a strapless dress with an open neck line, depending on your personality, you may feel more comfortable with wearing your hair down. If you choose to not have a large necklace or statement piece, your neck and shoulders will be open with an updo. Depending on the person, this may appear unbalanced.
Princess Dress with many intricate details:
Perhaps you have chosen to have your dream fairytale wedding! In this case, you may choose to lean toward an elegant updo! Updo’s, when done correctly, can really accentuate a dress. When your dress is the statement piece, you don’t want to take away her attention. A simple yet elegant updo would be a perfect fit!
High neckline with front details;
Have you chosen a dress with a high neck line detail? No problem! I would recommend a half up-half down hairstyle for this look! It will give the detail in the front the attention it needs as well as open up that gorgeous face for your guests and spouse to see! Having your hair pulled back yet cascading down behind you is an amazing accent to this type of dress!
Simple fitted sheath dress;
Maybe your a simple gal and went with a sheath dress! These looks are incredibly versatile and can pull off multiple themes. They can go from full glam to a simple rustic themed wedding. My favorite hairstyle to accompany this dress choice is a loose pinup with tendrils hanging and maybe a braid detail intertwined.
How do I choose the right hairstylist and makeup artist and when should I book them?
Choosing the right artist is another very important part of executing your vision perfectly! When looking for a stylist, I always say ask your friends and family for referrals! Generally, asking people who you love if they know any stylists who specialize in bridal will not lead you wrong! Did you notice I mentioned ‘stylists who specialize in bridal’? This is also an important piece! You want to look for someone who has experience in bridal styling and with being in a wedding day environment. Someone who knows how to execute their job efficiently, speedily, and calmly. Once the day of the wedding arrives, so many unexpected things can come up! Maybe the bride needs to take an important phone call in the middle of her service and it takes longer than expected; or maybe the maid of honor is an hour and a half late to her hair appointment and the bride is furious; Or maybe your groomsmen looses the ring…all of these things have happened to my brides by the way! EEeekkkk! Well, you need someone who can keep their cool through all of this and still get their job done!
Look through peoples instagram and facebook pages! Make sure you like their work before you reach out to them! With saying that I will say that you should start reaching out to your artists ASAP! The wedding industry is one that books out FAR in advance, so you want to make sure you secure the date with your hairstylist and makeup artist as soon as you can!
Should I do a practice run for my hair and makeup?
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!! ….YES!
Practice runs are a staple part of the final product on your wedding day! They ensure that both you and the stylist are comfortable and confident in what you have chosen and that it can be executed. Also, sometimes practice runs reveal that maybe you don’t like the style you have chosen as much as you thought you did and you need to change it. Can you imagine this happening on the wedding day for the first time? When you wake up on the morning of your wedding you will have enough on your mind so worrying about your hair or makeup should not be a concern!
So, what if you don’t like what the outcome is during the practice run? Thats ok! Make sure you tell your artist exactly what you do not like or what you want to tweak! Maybe you need another practice session to try a completely different look? That’s ok too!
What if you realize you don’t like the style of the artist you chose and you do not want to continue with them? As long as you let them know enough in advance for you to find someone else, THATS OK TOO! This is YOUR day!
What is the general pricing for bridal services?
This is all dependent on where you live and how large your bridal party is. If you choose to have your artists come to you, just know it will be a pretty penny, especially if you have a large bridal party! To travel to a venue, we have to pack all of our tools and product and set up in spaces that are generally not ergonomically sound. Traveling to a venue is a convenience for the party being serviced, thus it is more expensive to said party. I can’t give you an exact number because each artist is different, but you are looking to pay somewhere in the hundreds for hair & makeup for an off site bridal party!
What if I want to change my hair color for my wedding day?
I recommend doing your color change three to four months ahead of the wedding. The reason is so you can live with it and make sure you love it before the big day! This will allow for perfect timing to go in a week or two prior to the wedding to freshen up that color or even add more! We don’t want a “Bride Wars” situation after all! Be sure to go to a color specialist to to get the look you want, it has to be right!
Have any other questions regarding planning your hair and makeup look for the big day? Interested in doing a virtual bridal consultation with me? Be sure to comment below!
Thank you for reading!