Wedding Hair - Why Using Your "Usual" Stylist May Not Be The Best Choice

So as anyone who reads this blog knows I do A LOT of weddings.  Sometimes I do just makeup, sometimes it's just the hair and sometimes it's both makeup and hair.  The more I do weddings and the more confident I get w/ both bridal makeup and hair I will be honest the more I enjoy having complete control over the entire look...that means being in charge of both the makeup and hair (at least for the bride).

Of course that is not always the case and I'm totally cool with that but I will say there has been more than one occasion where I have thought "Oh she would have looked better if she just let me do her makeup or her hair" when I haven't been in charge of both services.  

A lot of times when I'm not booked for hair it's because the bride has opted to use her "Usual Stylist" for her wedding day hair.  Now I'm not going to say that this is always a bad decision because it's not - there are plenty of salon hairstylists that are good at wedding updos and styling...but there are also a lot that aren't!

I think a lot of times brides feel "guilty" if they don't hire their regular hairstylist for their wedding day or they just assume they are a hair stylist and they cut/colour my hair great therefore they'll do my wedding hair great...but that's not always the case.  Do not feel like you are "cheating" on your usual stylist if you don't use them on your wedding day.  

So this isn't to say you shouldn't hire the person that cuts/colours your hair it's just important to ask some questions and make sure they'll be the right artist to achieve you wedding hair dream.

Here's some questions to ask or things to think about:

Do they do weddings often/Have they done a lot of weddings in the past? Ask your stylist this don't just assume they do.  There are a lot of hairstylists nowadays that don't want to do weddings or almost never do weddings.  Either because they don't like them or their specialty isn't updos or wedding styling.

How comfortable are they with Wedding Hairstyles? Some salon stylists are amazing and cut and/or colour but you ask them to do an updo or half updo and it's just not their forte.  This doesn't make them a bad stylist it just means it's not one of their strengths.  If they aren't strong in updos do you really want to risk their skills on your wedding day.

Are they willing to come to you on your Wedding Day? Weddings typically happen on Saturdays which of course is the busiest day in the salon.  Are they willing to leave the salon for several hours to work your wedding w/ you and your bridal party or do you have to go to the salon? 

 If you have to go to the salon how will this effect your timing for your wedding day?  Is this going to cause more stress or anxiety for you having to travel to and from the salon vs. getting your services in your home or a hotel where the artist comes to you?  More and more brides are opting to have mobile services for this reason.  It's just so much more stress free to have an artist or team come to you and your girls where you are!

If the stylist comes to you or you go to the salon what's the timing like? I've also seen several times where b/c the bride wants her usual stylist to do her hair she's had to get it done HOURS before the ceremony or pictures b/c that's the only time the stylist could fit her in.  Either the stylist came to her and did it super early before their Saturday salon hours or the bride went to the salon super early in the morning.  If you have an updo this might not be the end of the world as they are typically pretty sturdy if done properly but if you are wearing your hair down and you get it done hours before pictures or the ceremony you have a much stronger chance that they hair is going to fall and not look like you had hoped by time the ceremony comes around. 

Remember to ALWAYS do a trial with your usual stylist! If you do want to use your usual stylist make sure to book a hair trial with them...don't just chance it and think they will do exactly what you want on the day b/c they are use to cutting/colouring your hair.  I personally find even with my own work I do a better job on the hair the second time around.  I figure out little adjustments and things I want to fix for the wedding day.  The trial is as much a practice round for me as it is for the bride so it's VERY important!

If you aren't happy with the trial DON'T feel obligated to still use your regular stylist!  I've seen and heard this time and time again.  A bride does a trial w/ their stylist and they leave unhappy but then somehow magically hope/expect that their wedding day will turn out better.  Speak up at your trial.  If the stylist isn't getting your vision let them know so they can try to fix things they aren't mind readers lol!  If they still don't get it and you are doubting they'll get it on the wedding day FIND ANOTHER STYLIST FOR THAT DAY!!!  It's one of the most important days of your life and you're spending so much money on every detail you HAVE to hopefully LOVE...at least LIKE your hair!  DO NOT stick w/ a stylist if you are judging their wedding hair skills.  It will cause more stress for you and you'll actually resent them later if you hate your wedding hair.

Like I said above just b/c a stylist is amazing at cutting and colouring doesn't mean they understand or can execute wedding hairstyles.  It's a VERY different skill set for a stylist and truthfully a lot of stylists don't get that much practice at it and it's not heavily taught in school.

I don't cut or colour hair but I specialize in wedding hair...you wouldn't want me to cut or colour your hair b/c it would be a disaster but I feel pretty confident doing your wedding updo lol!

I've had it happen multiple times where a bride who I was doing makeup for contact me after and ask to do a hair trial b/c her regular stylist just didn't seem to get her vision.  I've also seen brides cry b/c they had their regular stylist do their hair while myself or my team has done their bridesmaids' hair and it's looked better.  And of course I've seen salon hairstylists do work that's amazed me where I've wanted their card lol!

All I'm saying is think about what's right for you on your wedding day and don't feel obligated to make a choice b/c you feel pressure or a sense of loyalty if it's not what's right or convenient on your wedding day.  

Fav Wedding Hair of 2014 - Updo Edition

Last year I did a post where I looked back at some of my fav. hairstyles/make up looks from the previous wedding season.  I really liked the post and thought it was a great way to share w/ my readers some of the creative and beautiful hairstyles I got a chance to create last year.

One thing for sure I'm really loving the fact that a lot of bride's are now incorporating extensions into updos as well...not just down hairstyles (where it's often necessary to create volume and length). When using extensions in updos it's often not length that we need more of it's the volume.  To create a lot of those big bun or elaborate updos you just need a lot of hair...and let's be real not everyone has it naturally lol!

Can't wait to see what new and awesome hairstyles I'll get the chance to create on this year's crop of brides and bridesmaids!

LOVED LOVED LOVED this updo I created for Adrianna - we did add additional clip in extensions to get the volume and fullness for the style.  Photos courtesy Azure Blue Photography

Erin changed her hairstyle right at the last minute as her original hair idea was a lot more smooth and sleek.  I'm so glad she did b/c this style was so much better for her features and dress!  Loved the few loose pieces we left around the face and her hair piece.  Photos courtesy of Avenue Photography

Kadie had so much hair to work with!  It was wonderful for this full curly updo!  Loved the addition of the headband.

Lanette naturally has very thin, fine hair so I was really happy w/ the amount of volume and fullness I was able to achieve in this curly side updo style.  Photos courtesy of Taylor Roades

I worked with Laurel on another wedding a few years prior to hers so I was so happy when she contacted me for her wedding.  Loved this smooth, layered low bun we created for the day.  Photos courtesy of Jer Wilcocks

I'm really into creating soft, romantic, textured updos and I think this updo for Lori really captured exactly what my style is all about.  So pretty!  Photos courtesy of Renaissance Studios

Loved Bailey's soft curly, messy bun!  Her hair wasn't super long but sometimes brides are surprised w/ how much we can achieve even w/ shorter hair.  Her hair was thick though so that definitely helped! Photos courtesy of Meghan Andrews

Martha had thinner, finer hair but doing doing a tighter curl and then running the fingers through the hair to create the tousled, textured and fuller look really worked great.  Plus I loved her headband so much!  And the fact that that she left some pieces out around her face.  Photos courtesy of Reid Lampshead.

Sophia's hair was another updo where I added extensions.  Her hair wasn't that long and it's super baby fine so extensions were definitely necessary!  Photos courtesy of Diane at DNA Weddings

With finer hair adding this flower was a great idea to create the illusion of bigger, fuller updo.

I love working a braid into an updo sometimes.

Again this was another updo where the bride had shorter hair but I was still able to create a really nice full updo.  Photos courtesy of Little Blue Lemon

Just a great shot of me working lol! Photos courtesy of Avenue Photo

Another updo where we added extensions for length and thickness.  Her updo is also actually the lead picture at the top of the blog.  Photos courtesy of Jennifer Ballard

The rest of the updos are just snapshots I took w/ my phone...really love some of these looks though!

Adrianna - Bridal Updo with Extensions

 I had the pleasure of working w/ Adrianna back in June for her gorgeous wedding.  I also got to fancy her up for not 1 but 2 different bridal showers (one her sister in law and one was her own) before her wedding so I definitely got a good chance to work w/ her hair and face before the day and learn the tips and tricks to make her look her absolute best!

After the first makeup and hair appt. (about a yr before her wedding) we both agreed to get the style she wanted for her hair she was going to need some clip-in hair extensions.  I've talked on here and to my clients quite a bit about the importance of hair extensions for when clients want to wear their hair down...pretty much every girl needs them to get that luscious "pinterest worthy" voluminous, long, big curl look but I haven't really talked that much about their importance and how much they can help a style when a bride wants an updo but has less than thick hair to fill it out.

Let me just say that Adrianna's updo on her wedding day has to be one of my fav updos that I've ever done on a bride!  And let's be real we all know how many updos I do EVERY wedding season so that means a lot!  It also helps that Adrianna hired an amazing photographer Azure Blue Photography and they took some gorgeous pics to capture my work.  Sometimes it's so sad when you know you've done amazing work and yet when the bride sends you pics you're disappointed b/c the photographer just didn't capture it...definitely not the case here!  There's also a video if you want to see a bit of my work in action...I always love videos b/c there is no hiding behind retouching in them - your work is on full display whether it's good or bad!

If I didn't know better I'd never know that there were extensions in Adrianna's hairstyle...sometimes brides and their fiances get a little freaked out about the idea of "fake hair" and not looking "like yourself" but anyone who knows me and my work knows that above all I strive to make my clients look and feel like the best versions of themselves.  And the truth is not all of us are blessed w/ thick, gorgeous hair so what's wrong w/ supplementing it to get the style you want on your wedding day!  Yes, it will cost extra but when you think of all the money you're spending on the day anyway isn't it worth it if it's going to bring your hairstyle from a 6 to a 10!  I just love the texture and tousled curls in this style!

Another great thing that Adrianna invested in on her wedding day was a return visit for her and her girls.  If it's in your budget and you're starting early in the morning w/ an early church ceremony before pics and the reception a return visit can be very beneficial to your wedding day look!  Yes, I do always give my clients an extensive touch up kit but at a return visit I touch up all the bridesmaids makeup/hair (if they got services in the morning) plus I touch up or adjust/change the bride's makeup and hair look.  Often times I darken the makeup a bit for night - or in Adrianna's case added a gorgeous bold red lip and a smokier eye.  Plus sometimes I'll change the hair going from an updo to down.  Plus after pictures...especially in the Summer when it's hot touching up the hairstyles and makeup can be a real lifesaver!

So here's some more of Adrianna's beautiful wedding look...there's even a couple of me looking serious as usual ;)

Adrianna and her girls

 Teaching how to take out the veil

Great shot of the back!  So often photographers don't take nice shots of the back of the hair :(

A Look Back At Some Of My Winter Weddings!

As Spring is FINALLY here and I'm officially full force into wedding season I thought it might be fun to share w/ you all a collection of some of my weddings from the Winter mths.  People who aren't in the business always find it surprising how many weddings I actually do during the "off season".  Of course it's not as busy as the Summer mths but I do still average about 3 weddings a mth even in the "off season".

So here's a collection of a few weddings and brides I had the pleasure of working w/ during these colder months!

Noeline

I did this wedding right in the beginning of Nov.  In fact it was suppose to be a sort of Gothic/Halloween type theme without it being "too Halloween" or "tacky".  The bride made the hair fascinators and bouquets herself!  I loved the old hollywood glam look we created which I thought was perfect not only for her personality but also the complete look of the day! 

Chelsea

Chelsea actually got married the day after Noeline.  Definitely a change in style but that's what I love about my job...getting to work w/ so many different people and different ideas for what they want on their wedding day!  Chelsea had very long, straight hair so I was very happy to see how well the curls held for the side pony style!

Photographer Joanna Balcerak

Rebecca

Like Chelsea, Rebecca had very heavy, long, straight hair and one of the big concerns and worries with a Winter wedding is the wind and cold ruining the hair (unlike the Summer when the big concern is the heat and humidity).  I remember it was definitely a chilly, windy day in Dec. so I was so happy to see how well her hair held up and I love the added volume through the top that we decided on the day which I think made it a bit more dramatic and bridal!

Anna

Anna and her husband Mark live in Japan (where they met) and were actually already married over there.  They decided to do another wedding here for all the guests from Mark's family that couldn't make it to the Japanese wedding.  They got married on New Year's Eve...I wonder which wedding they count as their "anniversary" lol!  One of the biggest compliments I got was when Mark emailed me after the wedding to tell me how thrilled Anna (and her mother) were w/ the hair and makeup and they never thought they could find someone here in Canada (and I'm sure not a white girl lol) that could do an updo w/ the Japanese aesthetic and style in mind (b/c it definitely is different than a lot of Canadian styles).  

Photographer Jessica Li

Carol

Carol is another example of the "typical" Jessica Jean Myers bridal client - clean, fresh and pretty!  She wanted an updo that was sort of like smooth ribbons to show off the beautiful back of her dress.  She got married in January and believe it or not my company actually had 2 weddings on this day!

Photographer Tara McMullen

Kyla

Kyla got married on a Sunday on the long weekend in February.  She's actually American so her and her then fiance wanted a weekend that was holiday weekend for both countries for all the guests coming in.  It was a traditional Jewish wedding so it had to be held on a Sunday.  Kyla has a very girly aesthetic and I love the soft pink smokey eye I did and those lashes just look amazing on her.  It was such a fun and relaxing afternoon w/ both her and her mother.

Can't wait to see all the beautiful pics from all my brides this upcoming season!  It's going to be another busy one!