How to Find a Wedding Hairstylist – What Every Bride Should Know

Updo. Side do. Which do is your do when it comes to your wedding?

That was the question on the mind of hundreds of brides at the recent Urban Unveiled wedding show in Seattle. I met up with Evan, a stylist at the swanky 7 Salon in Seattle for the wedding hairstyle tricks of the trade every bride and groom should know for their big day.

Secrets to Finding the Best Wedding Stylists

3. Consult Early and Often

As wedding planning goes, every bride should meet with three different vendors for each service. That means three DJ interviews. Three cake-tastings. And you guessed it – three style consultations. Even Evan from 7 Salon says that it’s important to shop around. If you don’t have a stylist yet, have fun with it. Meet with a few respectable stylists, ask for a consultation, and don’t be afraid to ask questions or take notes.

Be detailed. Be picky. Get what you want. That’s the code of the bridezilla. Look to lock in your stylist around six months before your wedding date.

2. Bring the Dress for Success

The best piece of advice Evan bestowed was his insistence to see the dress. Not a picture of the dress. The real thing. In the salon. The wedding gown dictates your style, and your hair is your best accessory. There’s no better way to match it with your dress than to see it up close and personal.

1. Pre-Style with Intent

When you find a stylist, stick with them. Build a relationship with your stylist to cut your hair with the intention of styling it a certain way. This will cut down on styling snafus on your wedding day, while giving you a chance to transition into that chignon you’ve always wanted.

image from: http://www.knotforlife.com/style/hairstyle/low-chignon-flowers.shtml

Grooming for the Groom – Your Man’s Big Cut for the Big Day

The groom’s haircut might not seem as important as the bride’s Brazilian blowout, but like it or not, your future Mr. is going to be your right-hand man in the most important pictures of your life. As the resident Groomzilla, I know looking good for my wedding is step número uno in living out the “happy wife, happy life” mantra.

How to Find a Wedding Hairstylist – Guy Style

3. Take a Preemptive Strike on Fashion

The average Joe doesn’t have to find a premier stylist six months in advance, but he does need to pick a hairstyle. Is it long or short? Messy in the front or the classic Draper slick back? If your guy gets a $12 buzz from the local Wonderful Snips, make a Google search for “men hairstyles 2010” and invest in some non-gel product (I’m a big fan of TOUGH Fortifying Styling Paste by John Allen for short and straight hair). Your goal should be to get him on the fashion fast track no later than three months before the wedding.

2. Avoid Color (Unless He’s Already Coloring)

A wedding isn’t the premier venue for a man to show off his experiments with Just for Men. If he’s gray, keep him gray. If his roots are showing, have a professional fill them in. If he has frosted tips, reconsider the fact that he might be too young to get married. The main rule of thumb is to keep a classic, polished look that he might actually pull off on a normal day (when he’s really, really attractive).

1. Get Cut with Scissors, Not Clippers

Our expert at 7 Salon says scissors are the only way to go. It creates a vintage, layered look that adds just enough subtle detail to POP in your photos. In the guy world of going to the salon, the less the stylist uses the clippers, the more the haircut is going to cost. For most all scissors/sans clippers haircut, your man is looking to drop about $50 bucks on a top-tier haircut (which is a lot for someone who has to get cut every four weeks). The groom-to-be should get his haircut no later than one week before the wedding to avoid the fresh-cut look.

Need more wedding hairstyle tips? Check out the Knot for a great photo gallery of classic to modern wedding hairstyles that will make any bride blush.