Making the Most of Your Hair & Makeup Trial–part 2

Author – Gina Ludwig

Photos or No Photos? – Do you have to bring photos of styles you like to your preview appointment? The short answer is no. Based on the factors I talked about earlier including your personal style, the style of your wedding, your absolute dos and don’ts AND factors such as your hair type and face shape, your stylist should be able to determine the best style for you. However, that being said, photos CAN be a great way to illustrate your personal style and your likes and dislikes. But, I like to tell brides that you should think of photos as inspiration, not instruction. Everyone’s hair is different and every style is going to be different on everyone. So, if you do bring photos, it is best to use them to show your stylist different features of particular hairstyles that you like, not necessarily as an exact blueprint for what you want, that may not be realistic.

The Prep- As for your hair and face before your preview appointment, if possible make sure that your face is clean of makeup with maybe a light application of moisturizer. If you are coming to your preview straight from somewhere else and you don’t have time to go home and wash your face, it is a good idea to take your own face wash and moisturizer with you just in case. As for your hair, don’t worry too much about whether it is too clean or too dirty at the preview appointment. Part of your trial run should be your stylist educating you on how to best prepare your hair the morning of your wedding day for the particular style that you are doing.

Wedding Details- The preview appointment should also be the time that your stylist educates you on what happens next (when payment is due, how long you have to cancel, what time they need to start, how many stylists they are bringing, etc.) If they don’t tell you this information at the preview appointment, ASK! When you leave your preview appointment, you should have 100% confidence not only in your stylist and your hair and makeup but also that everything is going to run smoothly and that you will be done on time. If you are not feeling 100% confident, keep asking questions until you do. If you are dealing with a true professional, they are going to take the time to ease your concerns and make sure that all of your questions are answered.

Speak Up! – PLEASE don’t hold back your concerns because you are afraid of hurting your stylist’s feelings! This is your wedding day and your happiness is just too important. If you are working with a true professional, they are going to know that people have different styles and opinions and they are not going to be hurt if you don’t like something they have done. They know that if you want something changed it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t “good” it just means that it wasn’t good for you; it just wasn’t your style. So speak up!

Don’t Settle- Finally, when everything is said and done and your stylist has finished your hair and makeup, gone over the details of your wedding, you have spoken up about any concerns you may have, you should leave your preview with a sense of calm, confident relief and excitement for your wedding day. If you don’t, do something. Talk to your stylist about your concerns or about possibly doing another preview; find out if there is another stylist at the company you can try or try a different company altogether. I don’t think that brides realize how important their bridal beauty vendor is. It is not JUST about hair and makeup, your stylist also has the power to start your day off on a calm, peaceful, fun, positive note by being on time, calm, confident and accommodating OR on a stressful, anxious, frustrated note by being late, rude, anxious or insecure. I don’t say this to freak you out; I just want to make sure that you don’t settle! This day (and this vendor) is just too important to leave to chance.

Photos provided by Hair Comes the Bride

Making the Most of Your Hair & Makeup Trial – part 1

Author – Gina Ludwig

On your wedding day, it is your day to shine and you want to look and feel more beautiful than you ever have in your life. You also want to make sure that your look represents your style and the style of your wedding. Here are a few pointers to make sure you have a successful hair and makeup trial and that you walk away from your trial appointment with the confidence that your wedding day will run smoothly and that you will be the beautiful bride you have always dreamed of!

Paint A Picture- As I mentioned, your wedding day hair and makeup should represent your personal style as well as the style of your wedding, therefore, it is important to make sure that your stylist gets a clear picture of your event and your personal style. A good stylist should ask you questions about yourself and your event before they ever touch your hair and makeup but if they don’t, take the initiative and let them know yourself. Here is a list of the bare minimum that a stylist should know in order to create the perfect hair and makeup style for you:

1. The Location of Your Wedding & Reception: Are you having a casual wedding on the beach or a formal black tie hotel wedding?
2. Time of Day: You may choose to have a slightly different style for a morning wedding than you would for an evening wedding.
3. Your Dress: Have a photo if possible but at the very least, your stylist should take into consideration the style and cut of your dress.
4. Your Flowers: The style and color of your flowers should be taken into consideration when deciding on your makeup.
5. Your Bridesmaid’s Dresses: What color and style are your girls wearing?
6. Theme: Is there a particular feel or “theme” that you are trying to create with your wedding? Vintage? Classic? Romantic?
7. How much makeup do you normally wear everyday? When you go out?
8. Describe your personal style? (casual, modern, classic, trendy, etc.)

Absolute Dos and Don’ts- I have found that most brides are looking for at least some guidance from their stylist when it comes to their wedding day look. Some brides have a vague idea and some are completely clueless what style they want. Whichever one you are, that is ok. It is part of your stylist’s job to help you figure that out. Even if you are on the clueless side, most likely, you are going to have something that you absolutely do or absolutely do not want when it comes to your hair and makeup. Maybe you know for sure that you don’t want red lipstick or that you do want to wear eyeliner. Maybe you absolutely have to have fullness to your hair or maybe you know that no matter what, you don’t want to wear your hair in a bun. Whatever it is, have those absolutes ready for your stylist.

to be continued…

Photos provided by Hair Comes the Bride

Eyelash Extensions – Do’s & Don’ts For Your Wedding Day

Author: Ellie Blomgren

Every Bride wants her eyes to pop on her wedding day. It’s all about the lashes. Start with what you expect to end up with when you decide on how you’d like your eyes to look. Go through magazines (not necessarily just wedding magazines). Look on the internet as well and print out what jumps out at you. When you decide on what you want your final look to be or if you have a few different ideas and can’t decide, that is where you’re make-up artists come in.

Looking at an image should lead them to what you have in mind. A visual on make-up is always a must because guessing on intensity is never good for you or for your pro. If you were to just tell your make-up person, “I want to have smokey eyes and intense lashes on my wedding day”, you might not get the look you desire. Bringing your images with you will ensure good communication.

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