Style her down the aisle
From the time she says yes to the time she says “I do,” here’s how to be there every beauty step of the way, maximize your revenue streams and help your client be the best bride she can be.
Your client comes to you to help her look her best, which is why you’re one of the first people she contacts when she starts planning her wedding. But are you making the most of your bridal business? From hair to nails, from the consultation to the final look, we spoke to the pros to break down all of the steps you need to hit and how to bank on this evergreen business.
hair
Next to the dress, hair is a key part of every bride’s look. We spoke to Mandy MacFadden, a platform artist for Pureology Canada and owner of Salon Decorum in Newmarket, Ont., and Cathey Salerno, a bridal specialist and education director for Picaso Artists of Hair & Make-Up in Woodbridge, Ont., to break down the business of this integral aspect of the big day.
package deal?
“Pricing is tricky because it depends a lot on your demographic, so I suggest that you charge for your time for each bridal party client, which, would take about an hour and a half for me.” – Mandy MacFadden
“I have a general rate per person within Toronto, but if it’s outside of the city, there may be a travel rate or even an overnight rate if it’s very far out of town. If there are lots of people in the bridal party, consider giving them a better deal.” – beauty expert Cheryl Gushue
clean or dirty?
Your bride’s hair, that is. Stylists are split between whether they prefer their bride and bridal party to come in with freshly washed hair or second-day strands. “If you have some of the natural hair oils, you won’t get as many flyaways,” explains Salerno. MacFadden suggests bringing her in for a blowout either the night before or the morning of so that “you know the shampoo and conditioner have been rinsed out thoroughly.”
the timeline
1 year
Have a consultation with your bridal client, book her day-of appointment for hair, and makeup and schedule her cut and colour appointments before her big day.
“We offer a pre-consultation and bridal packages and book her in for her cuts and colours while also paying attention to treatments and home care.” – C.S.
8 months
Tell the bride to start collecting hairstyle inspiration for her trial.
“More and more, brides are coming in knowing what they want because there’s so much available with Pinterest. If a client is unsure of what she wants, I tell her to look for what she doesn’t like because that can help us determine if she likes or dislikes something sleeker or looser.” – M.M.
2-6 months
Have the bride come in for her hair trial appointment.
“I like to do the hair and makeup trial together so that the bride can see exactly how she is going to look on the big day. Try to get her to do her dress fitting after her trial so she can take pictures and see the whole look together, then we can tweak it from there.” – C.S.
6-8 weeks
Have the final pre-wedding cut appointment.
“I don’t recommend that she get her hair cut closer than eight weeks because if the hair is a bit grown out, it will curl nicer and hold the curl longer. When it’s freshly cut, the ends will pop out right away, which could be problematic for your fine-haired clients.” – C.S.
1-2 weeks
Have the final pre-wedding colour appointment.
“If the client experiences colour staining on her skin, I would recommend that she come back about a week before the wedding, but if you’re just touching up her highlights, book her appointment as close to the big day as possible.” – C.S.
Wedding day!
TIP
“For creating body and adding texture, I use Unite Expanda Dust.” – C.S.
TIP
Salerno reminds us that your bride is “bringing in a few of her best friends who might be getting married or looking for a new stylist,” so it’s crucial to have all of your new talent and stylists on their game because they’re selling your services.
Add a finishing touch and some extra bling to her look with a hairpin or headband from Great Lengths.
TIP
Remind your bride to cut back on heat styling and up her at-home treatments to keep her cut looking fresh until the big day.
“For setting her hair, I like KMS Freeshape Hot Flex Spray because it offers, shine, heat protection and flexibility; I use it on every bride and bridesmaid.” – C.S.
Comments are closed.