Leanne Cordeiro of Salon Cordeiro in White Rock, B.C., shares her top tips for building your bridal business.
Salon Cordeiro opened its new, expanded location in White Rock, B.C., last year. With a modern, feminine aesthetic, the salon offers a range of hair and makeup services, with a strong emphasis on bridal styling. “I got into this industry because of bridal hair—that was more natural to me because I love styling,” says Leanne Cordeiro, owner of Salon Cordeiro. Just in time for wedding season, Cordeiro shares her top four tips for successful bridal styling.
1. Create a brideworthy space
“I love the culture we’ve created at Salon Cordeiro: It’s a team of 20 women and we’re all friends. It’s a girlie, fun vibe. Brides want to be in a decadent, fun environment and enjoy having other women around when they’re getting ready for their big day.”
2. Grow with your clientele
“Our clientele ranges from ages 15 to 65. It’s really important not to dismiss a client just because they are younger. Building trust with clients before they get engaged is key. I always say, the minute a client gets engaged, you have their pre-books for the next year and a half. I normally take their wedding, and a week before I book their colour and then book them backwards for the next six weeks so they have every appointment from then to their wedding. That’s important for brides.”
3. Keep learning (and teaching!)
“My staff and I are constantly taking classes and watching tutorials before wedding season so we’re always inspired—learning something new and seeing what the trends are.”
Cordeiro on her salon’s six-month apprenticeship program: “It’s what I get most excited about. I follow a lot of Redken educators on Instagram. Heather Chapman is amazing and she does quick, little tutorials on how she does things, so I just break it down and then reteach it to my employees and we have days where we just style each other’s hair so they’re constantly working on women’s hair to create a style that they would actually wear out, and not just that ‘typical bridal look’ where you get out your one-inch curling iron and curl every piece of hair and go from there, but try to create wearable looks that they and their friends would actually wear. It’s complete quality control. For myself and my head stylists, we share [techniques] throughout the six-month apprenticeship, alongside with us and our clients every day—from shampooing to colour application to blow-drying. They formulate every colour with me, we go through every cut together, and it helps them get used to the salon environment and the flow with their clients. It gives them the confidence to be here and gives me the confidence in my team because I know I trained them and I know their abilities.
4. Think beyond the big day
“Try to get a bride in for more than just a consultation before her wedding day. Get to know her and her style; how does she dress on a daily basis? How does she wear her makeup? That’s when you’ll know you can create the look of her dreams for her big day.”
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