Hair for Bridal Occasions

The church is booked, the reception hall is reserved, florists, caterers, and a band are all on retainer, the invitations have been sent out and the responses are coming in daily. With all the preparations and planning involved in having a wedding, the last thing you want is to have one more thing to be concerned about. However, the topic will come up sooner or later (usually later when there's more pressure on making the decision) so it's best to think about it in advance and be prepared for it.

I'm talking about the hairstyles for the Bridal Party. In most cases, it's a topic that gets thought of a little during the planning stages for the wedding, most often when trying on and selecting a wedding dress and the bridesmaids' dresses. Usually, the bride will have a general idea of what she wants, and maybe she'll choose a salon or stylist to "do the bridal party's hair" on the day and leave it at that. After making that decision, she usually puts the subject at the bottom of her "to-do" list.

But there are things to consider when choosing the hairstyles for a bridal party. Your bridesmaids are going to be wearing the same dress (or at least very similar ones) and you don't want wildly varied hairstyles to ruin the effect and detract attention from the bride. If you take a little extra time to discuss hairstyles with your bridal party and plan them out beforehand, you can avoid potential disappointment with the results on the big day.

Here are some tips:

Start Wedding Hair Consultation Early:

If you're planning to have a stylist create the looks for you and your bridal party, arrange for him orher to meet with you and your bridesmaids as soon as possible. Invite her or him to your bridal shower(s) so that he/she can sit and talk with you and the bridesmaids about the kind of styles you want. Morning and afternoon weddings usually have slightly more "casual" hairstyles (hair worn down or only half-up) while evening weddings are more formal (requiring elegant and sophisticated up-dos).

You should also discuss the current hairstyles and possible planned hair services that will occur before the wedding (perms, coloring, etc.) for both you and your bridesmaids. If your wedding is more than six months away, and you or a bridesmaid is planning to let your hair grow, you can be looking at a significant change in the way your hair looks. Six months can mean as much as 3 inches of hair growth, which can provide you with more styling options depending on your hair's current length.

Conversely, if you had a picture in your mind of all your bridesmaids in simple French twist up-styles, it could come as quite a shock if a week before the wedding one of them suddenly turns up having decided on a whim to get her hair cut in an ear-length bob, or a super-short, razor-cut, gamine style. Make sure everyone understands what you have in mind, or at least that you know what everyone plans to do with their hair.

At the very least, a great idea would be to plan a "Girls' Night" during the week before the wedding where you and your bridesmaids get together, invite your stylist, and make a definite plan about the hairstyles for the wedding. You can have some food and drinks, bring your favorite movies, and your stylist can lead you through giving each other manicures, pedicures, and facials. Your stylist can also work with everyone in turn to create the style they will wear on your big day, and can take photos to remember what was done.

Doing this has the benefit that there will most likely be no surprises on the day of the wedding, and it gives your stylist a chance to give everyone instructions on what to do or not do to their hair before coming in to be styled for the wedding. Besides, the evening will be a lot of fun, and makes a great idea for a bachelorette party for those who aren't big on clubbing and wild parties.

Of course, you won't expect your stylist to do all the extra work for free, but the added cost will more than pay for itself on the day of the wedding, when things go much more smoothly. It's well worth a little more money to have so much less stress. Most stylists will even offer a "package deal" which can save you money when compared to the à la carte pricing for the same services in the salon.

We all know that the most important person at any wedding is the bride. After all, it is HER day.This should also be kept in mind when deciding on hairstyles for the bridal party. The bride's hairstyle should be the most intricate style of any member of the wedding party, or if the bride is wearing a very simple hairstyle (for example a sleek and smooth bun at the nape of the neck) then her bridesmaids should have nothing more elaborate. It would be acceptable in the case of a very simple bride's hairstyle for the bridesmaids to have the same style, but any accessories worn by the bridesmaids should be smaller and more subdued than the bride's.

Continue reading ...