Wedding season is in full swing at The Gilded Pear and it seems like every weekend this summer we are packed full of bridal parties getting their hair done to look fabulous on these special days! We are experts at doing beautiful bridal updos and styles to complement every detail on your wedding day, and we love completing all bridal party looks to make sure everyone is looking their best too.

There are some important things to think about when it comes to wedding hair so below is our list of Bridal Dos (and Don’ts!):

Get your dress first. If you haven’t decided on your dress, you probably shouldn’t be booking with a stylist yet. Having the dress before you consult with a stylist is going to be a huge help because you can bring all of the information they need to that consultation: information including the length and style of the dress, the neckline, the theme of the wedding and so forth. Don’t leave your dress purchase to the last minute either because chances are that you won’t be able to get an appointment with your top hairstylist if you leave it too late.

Go to the experts. (Well in advance) Once you have a wedding date booked, you will definitely need to book any and all hair appointments immediately to ensure that you can actually get in for trial appointments prior to the day and style appointments on your special day. If you are choosing a higher end salon like The Gilded Pear which specializes in bridal parties and wedding updos, you are going to have make sure you get in as soon as possible. On that note, we obviously recommend ourselves first and foremost since making brides and bridal parties look beautiful is part of what we do best!

Book a trial (on the same day as your dress fitting). Booking a trial consultation is one of the best things you can so with your stylist, especially if you are able to do it the same day as your dress fitting. This will help you to see both key components together to envision how beautiful you are going to look on your special day. If you have some wild ideas in mind, this is the time to discuss them (and even try them) with your stylist. It might be something that works, or it might be something that doesn’t work – either way, getting it out of the way at the trial is the best time to do it…not on your wedding day!

Inform your stylist. Your stylist needs to have an idea of how many people are in your bridal party, what colours they will be wearing, whether you want updos or long tendrils for them and the opposite for the bride, or if there will be a general cohesive look to the whole unit. Stylists need to know wedding themes and what will be taking place at the wedding as far as activities go because all of these things will inform how they style your hair and what kinds of products they use. If there are outdoor picture scheduled and there is a wind around, or you will be in a particularly humid hall, your stylist needs to be aware of anything can possibly influence the look of your style on your special day in order to mitigate shifting hair and keep everything firmly in place.

Don’t go nuts. Your wedding day is not really the time to try crazy new hair trends or do something that is drastically different than the hairstyle you have had for the last 15 years. It’s not the time to shave words into your undercut or get chunky highlights you have never had before. The pictures that you take on your wedding day will be with you for the rest of your lives together so make sure you are making small decisions to keep big faux-pas out of the camera!

Get a hair treatment. Deep conditioning treatments a week before your wedding day are an absolute must and this is another appointment to consider booking well in advance. The benefits of deep conditioning treatments include having softer and stronger hair that is easier to style and work with. Having shinier, healthier looking hair for all of those timeless photos is also a major benefit. And you will just feel more beautiful too!

Accessorize! Don’t be afraid to make a statement with hair accessories rather than going nuts with your hair. Special veils, hair pieces and other “blingy” goodies might be just what your stylist needs to take your hair to the next level. Many salons will actually carry an array of hair accessories to choose from and stylists also have their own personal arsenal for purchase. If you have an accessory in mind, you are going to want to bring it to your initial hair trial so your stylist has time to work with it and see how to best include in the look for your big day.

Wear a button-down shirt on wedding day. This almost goes without saying. The last thing you or your stylist want is to have to drag a tight t-shirt over a perfected coiffed ‘do just to put your dress on. Make sure you are wearing a button down shirt- even if you have to borrow one from the groom-to-be to ensure that every hair stays in place and your hard-earned time sitting in the salon chair isn’t wasted.

Leave yourself a cushion of time. When you are booking your appointment for your wedding day, be sure to tell your stylist that you want some “cushion time” for you and your bridal party. This is excellent so that no one is arriving late to the ceremony because hair time got behind. This also allow professional photographers to spend a bit of extra time capturing the preparation moments in the salon.

Be flexible. This is one of the most important days of your life. Don’t spend it as a puddle of anxiety-riddled goo. All of our previous recommendations are designed to put you at ease. Your stylist will have all the information they need to get the job done and you can just sit back, relax and enjoy getting pampered like a princess. If things aren’t organized down to the minute or your bridal party is a tad behind early in the morning, don’t fret – you booked yourself cushion time, your accessories are ready, you know you are going to look good and you’ve got a warm cup of tea from your stylist to keep the happy feelings flowing. You got this. We got this. Let’s make beautiful things happen together at The Gilded Pear.