One thing every bride has in common is wanting to look their best on their wedding day. After all, this is a monumental day in one’s life, so it should be an occasion to feel good about, and a happy memory to look back on in the heart, and in photographs.
Bridal beauty, especially hair style and color, can define the overall wedding day look. At Sophisticated Weddings: New York Edition, we decided to get some tips from the experts, as you begin to prepare your vision for the big day.
Here are some words of wisdom from a couple of our favorite pros:
Gather inspiration…
“Start collecting references of styles that you both like and don’t like,” says Andrea Donoghue, Lead Stylist at White Rose Collective. “Visuals definitely help the hair and make-up artist figure out your aesthetic. Look at images both current from some of your favorite designers, or past iconic beauties that you may admire.”
Show a little love, and make it a long-term commitment…
“If your hair needs a little love or repair due to heat or chemical damage, getting a treatment to improve the quality is something to think about at least 6-8 months ahead of time,” Andrea suggests. “Same with the skin. Doing a series of facials will help skin look bright, and make a great difference in how your skin appears in photos.”
Don’t let your wedding day be another fad victim…
“I would stay away from fad hair colors,” advises Nikki Ferrara, colorist at Marie Robinson Salon who is responsible for the hues on the likes of celebrities including Olivia Wilde and Mila Kunis. “You can use a small enhancement here and there with a highlight or two, but just remember that your wedding pictures externalizes your day. Don’t look back at your photos with regret of a color fad that’s going to be out of style next season.”
Be prepared to give your hair some time to settle into the right shade…
“Some brides really do want to change their color and more often it’s for a softer more natural (i.e. darker shade). I always suggest doing it 4-6 months before the wedding. This gives the color some time to settle into the shade that it wants to be. It also gives the bride, her fiancé, and family some time to get used to seeing herself as that deeper shade. Once the color has been perfected, I like to retouch them no longer than 2 weeks before the wedding,” says Nikki.
Slow down, Cowgirl. Save the color experiments for after the wedding…
Nikki Ferrara knows her spectrum of colors, but encourages brides to put the wild ideas on hold until after the wedding day. “Right before your wedding is no time to get adventurous with your color. No platinum, neons, pastels or anything that is not going to represent the prettiest, best version of yourself. If any of these colors are an itch that you just have to scratch, then I suggest a) thinking really hard about it, it’s harder to go back to the color you start with, and b) remember that different colors require maintenance– ask yourself how often you want to be at the salon. If all of these factors still point to yes, then I suggest to wait until after the wedding. You’ll thank your colorist in the end. Nobody wants to look at their wedding pictures and feel as though they are looking at a stranger when it is in fact them.”
The bottom line on color prep and maintenance…
“Bottom line is that your colorist isn’t going to steer you in the wrong direction for your big day. As long as you stay in the hair color palette that you already have (that is, if it is the right shade for you) then you can really do no wrong. Just make sure that you get back to the salon anytime between 2 weeks to a few days before the wedding, and the hair color portion of your wedding will be taken care of.”
Be true to your style…
And finally, at the end of the day, Andrea suggests keeping true to yourself: “Do something that feels like yourself. If you always wear your hair down and feel most comfortable that way. Look at references of your dream hair but down. You want to feel like the most beautiful version of yourself.”
To learn more about White Rose Collective, visit: www.WhiteRoseCollective.com, and be sure to check out the article entitled “Backstage Beauty” in the 2014 Edition of Sophisticated Weddings.
To learn more about Nikki Ferrara, visit www.NikkiFerrara.com, or go to www.MarieRobinsonSalon.com.