On your wedding day, it's 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. We have outlined the top 10 tips to ensure 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!
#1 Find the Right Stylist - First and foremost, to ensure you have the best bridal preview possible, find the right stylist! Do your homework and find a stylist who you feel absolutely comfortable with and whose work represents a look that you love! As Jana from Jana & Co points out, "Your wedding day hair and makeup is a collaborative effort between bride and artist to create that “perfect” look! Erin from Erin Blair Makeup & Hair Design also reminds brides to come to their bridal preview with an open mind. "Remember you have hired this particular artist for their expertise, and they are going to see your face in a way that maybe you haven't before and may have ideas on how to enhance your features in a way you've never considered before!" BTW....our affiliate stylists are some of the best of the best, if you haven't yet booked your stylist our affiliates are a great place to start!
#2 What's your style? Your wedding day hair and makeup should represent your personal style as well as the style of your wedding! As Ashley from Up Do's for I Do's points out, " This isn't the time to go overboard with something new that will drastically change your look! Remember that this is for a wedding day and the photos will be in your family for years". We agree and we also think that 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:
The Location of Your Wedding & Reception: Are you having a casual wedding on the beach or a formal black tie hotel wedding, etc.?
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.
Your Wedding Colors: The color scheme of your wedding should be taken into consideration when deciding on your makeup. Everything doesn't have to be "matchy-matchy" but you want it to flow!
Theme: Is there a particular feel or “theme” that you are trying to create with your wedding and/or your look? Vintage? Classic? Romantic?
How much makeup do you normally wear everyday? When you go out?
How would you describe your every day personal style? (casual, modern, classic, trendy, etc.)
#3 Absolute Do's 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 general idea and some are completely clueless what style they want. 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, make sure your stylist knows your "absolutes".
#4 A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words- Photos can be a great way to clearly communicate to your stylist your personal style and your likes and dislikes. Keep in mind though that everyone’s hair is different and every style is going to be different on everyone. If you do bring photos (even if they are similar to your own hair), they should be thought of as "inspiration" not "instruction" for your stylist, it is best to use them to show your stylist different features of particular hairstyles that you like (or don't like), not as an exact blueprint for what you want, which may be unrealistic. Jenna from Kiss This Makeup also suggests that if you need a little help creating a style that needs a little bit more volume or length, be open to adding clip in hair extensions!
#5 Be Prepared- When preparing for your hair and makeup trial, 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. Julie from Jewel Hair Design suggests, "Ask your hairstylist before the trial how you should prep your hair. Every stylist has their own preferences and hair prep can be based on your final style goal in mind." Great advice but also don't worry TOO much if you're hair isn't perfectly prepped for the preview, your stylist should be able to consult with you and give you advice on prepping for your big day which is the most important thing!
#6 The Peanut Gallery- When it comes to who should come with you to your wedding trial, be selective and keep it to a minimum! Too many opinions or even just one very outspoken, opinionated friend or relative can turn a fun experience into a stressful, confusing nightmare. Ideally, have someone with you whose opinion and fashion style you respect and trust and who will speak up and give their opinion but will also be respectful of both you and your stylist and won't try to be overbearing or take over the whole experience but rather will work together with you and your stylist to come up with your perfect wedding day look!
#7 Your Bridal Accessories- We suggest that (if possible AND if you haven't already) you wait until after your preview to purchase your bridal hair accessories and jewelry! Better yet, ask your stylist if they have accessories on hand for you to try different looks at your preview appointment, many of our affiliate stylists do and it will prevent you from running the risk of buying something only to find out that it doesn't really go as well as you thought it would with the style you ended up with.
#8 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. Andi from Something Blue Stylists sums it up perfectly, "When you have a plan, and someone that you trust to make your vision come true, you’ll be able to relax on the wedding day, knowing you’re in good hands."
#9 Speak Up!- I mentioned this before but it's so important that we felt it needed to be added to our list...PLEASE don’t hold back your concerns because you're 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 wasn’t your style. So speak up but, please do so in a kind way....stylists do have feelings too.
#10 Don’t Settle- When everything is said and done after your preview appointment...your stylist has finished your hair and makeup, has gone over the details of your wedding and you have spoken up about any concerns you may have, you should now have a sense of calm, confident relief and excitement about your wedding day hair and makeup. If you don’t, do something! Talk to your stylist or the owner and find out about doing another preview; find out if there is another stylist at the company you can try or worst case, find someone else to do your hair and makeup. I don’t think that brides realize how important their bridal beauty vendor is....it's not JUST about hair and makeup! Your stylist is typically the first vendor you see and the one you spend the most time with before you walk down the aisle! They have the influence to help start your day off on a calm, peaceful, positive note by being on time, calm, confident and accommodating OR they could have an opposite negative effect by starting your day off 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 and that you have complete confidence in your stylists and your wedding day style before the your big day!
We hope that these tips will help you to have a fun and successful bridal hair and makeup trial! Remember to visit our Affiliate Stylist Page to find an expert in your area. Thank you to our wonderful affiliates who contributed to this blog post; Jana & Co, Something Blue Stylists, Kiss This Makeup, Jewel Hair Design, Erin Blair Hair & Makeup Design, Up Do's for I Do's. Click on an image below for more information on these particular affiliates.