And They Lived Happily Ever After - what a bride should know before visiting their hair stylist or m

Good morning beauties,

This month I wanted to dedicate my blog to my brides. It is that time of year that I begin to spend my weekends working with the most beautiful bridal parties in and around St. Louis, Missouri.

There is always an amount of stress put on you when making the decision for your special day. From picking out the perfect wedding dress, tasting the cakes, picking the venue, and finally choosing who will do your hair and makeup. Allow me to give you a few tips that will relieve the stress from both you and your hair stylist and makeup artist.

What you need to know before meeting your stylist

1. You should have an idea of how many ladies will be needing hair and makeup or both.

Remember to include both your mother, mother in-law and your grandmother if she's one for getting glammed up. If anyone in your party has short hair ask them if they would like a blowout or curls and than mark it down.

2. Have a timeline leading up to the wedding.

As a stylist I need to know what time I must be finished by. I usually like to be done at least 30 minutes to an hour before first looks or the time of the ceremony. That way I have plenty of time for last minute touch ups.

3. Know if your party will be coming into the salon or if you will need the stylist to travel to you.

Now a days I am willing to travel ANYWHERE (a weekend in Mexico included) to get you and your party ready for the big day. Some brides find this easier because it gives them one less thing to worry about. I also offer to shut down my salon to give your party a VIP in salon experience.

4. Have an idea of how you would like your hair and makeup done.

- Pinterest is always a great place to start organizing your ideas. When searching think about your theme than choose keywords that would go with it. For example if you have a bohemian wedding start the search with "boho wedding hair" and "natural earthy makeup".

- Always keep in mind the shape of your hair when choosing the perfect style. If you have layers and want a braided up style be aware that you will need to grown them out a bit so you won't have stragglers hanging out.

Another thing to watch out for are your bangs. I just a client come in for her haircut. She will be getting married in a year but she was thinking about getting an up style. Even though it is still 12 months away we still need to think about growing them out. Reason being is that the bangs are the hardest to pin out of the way and stay in place. Remember that you will be dancing all night long so with shorter bangs they almost always come down in your face at some point. Now if you like having hair pulled over your forehead I am still able to do that and have it stay in place by having the extra hair to work with and pinning.

- For brides with the finer hair I will always recommend adding hair usig clip-in extensions or more long term extensions like Hotheads Hair Extensions. Last year I had 3 brides choose clip- ins and 2 choose hotheads. Both will get the job done! If you choose to get extension remember that you have to match your hair to the extensions color. With Hotheads I am able to customize the color of the extensions more to your hair color because it is a higher quality hair. Now with clip-ins they only come in 10-15 shades. In either case it is important that we take our time when choosing the perfect color.

I hope these tips help you when planning the perfect look for your special day. I still have a few openings left this year. If you are looking for a fantastic hairstylist and makeup artist look no further. I have a team of artist that are ready to cater to your bridal party and make your wedding a dream come true. If you have any other questions please comment below and I will respond as soon as possible. Please feel free to reach out to me via email or phone call. Below is a link to my bridal page with all the information you will need when booking your wedding.