5 Top Tips Every Bridal Hair Stylist Needs To Know

1. Communicate With The Bride

The first consultation session is a great opportunity to begin to get to know the bride, but it’s equally important that a good line of communication is maintained during the run-up to the big day. 

This allows you to get to know the bride better: both personally, and in regards to their expectations for their wedding. You can also get a better understanding of their hair care routine — how often they wash it, the sort of products they tend to use, whether they use any straighteners or curling irons on their hair. These are all small details that will allow you to better understand what sort of style will or won't work with their hair, and will help you to create a final style on their wedding day that is everything they could have dreamed of. 

2. Have A One-On-One Trial Session

As exciting as a trial session may be for the friends and family of the bride, it can be a good idea to have the appointment one-on-one with the bride. 

This is your time to build a plan of action with one another, and for the bride to get a sense of what her hair might look like on the big day. That’s why it’s important that you are able to receive accurate and honest feedback from the bride. If she is accompanied by her friends and family, there is a chance that she may be overwhelmed by other people’s opinions, and left unsure of her own thoughts on the proposed look. 

By having a one-on-one trial session, you’ll be able to get the bride’s actual thoughts on the hairstyle. It will also be easier to communicate and work together to find a hairstyle that the bride loves. 

3. Encourage Honest Feedback

Remind the bride to be completely - and, if needs be, brutally - honest with you. Ensure that she feels comfortable giving you feedback on your proposed ideas.

Equally, however, make sure that you manage her expectations. Don’t promise the bride something that can’t be done, and make sure to be as honest with her as she is with you. Whilst the bride deserves to look just as she wishes, make sure that she falls in love with a look that is achievable for her budget and hair type. 

Encouraging the bride to give you honest feedback will reduce the risk of the bride second-guessing the look or changing her mind last minute. 

4. Consider Accessories In Advance

An aspect of having a good line of communication with the bride is that it will allow you to stay up-to-date with any accessories that she is considering. 

Ensure that the bride tells you well enough in advance whether she wants to incorporate any accessories into her look; aim to have her tell you before the trial session if possible. This way, you can work around the accessory, rather than having to struggle to work it into the hairstyle that the bride has already settled on.  

5. Stay Calm

Preparing the bride for the wedding can set the tone for the day. The hair and makeup session has the potential to be a memory that the bride will treasure, and can be a wonderful bonding moment for the bride and her bridesmaids.

There may well be a lot going on in the background; it’s important to put the bride at ease, and to be a source of calm in a sea of chaos. Even if something doesn’t go quite as planned, or if you happen to misplace something important, remaining calm will help the bride stay calm too. 

Create a comfortable atmosphere for the bride, perhaps by playing music that she likes or by chatting with her. This can turn the morning from an average hairdressers appointment into a moment for the bride to enjoy and look back on fondly.