Photography is the one wedding vendor you’ll choose for your big day that in some way or another touches or crosses paths with just about every other vendor or choice you make for the day. And the first of many on your wedding day will be your hair stylist and make-up artists. When it comes to your bridal beauty and wedding day photography, there are two overlapping goals: 1. for you to look and feel your absolute best on your wedding day (so you obviously love how you look in all of your photos too when looking back at them for years to come) and 2. to keep the getting ready time of your day running smoothly so everything stays on time and to schedule. 

I sat down with Detroit-based hair stylist, Hailey Ivankovics, to share our best wedding day bridal beauty timeline tips to keep everything on time. Now, Hailey is sharing her favorite bridal beauty tips to ensure you look and feel your best on your wedding day.

FINDING YOUR STYLISTS

Now that you have a date picked and a venue, I highly recommend reaching out to your hairstylist to secure a date with them as soon as possible. If you don’t have a stylist you see regularly, the best place to start is with your friends! Ask them who they used or who they know. Word of mouth is my go-to when searching for new stylists or makeup artists. If you are getting married out of your area, head to the internet and social media. There are so many on-site teams available but you should act quick. Chances are, you aren’t the only bride getting married that day and most teams can only handle one wedding party per day. If you have a stylist that you regularly see, ask them if they feel confident doing your hair for the wedding. As a stylist myself, formal hair styling is one of my favorite services to offer. However, there are many stylists that are not as passionate about formal styling and will likely recommend someone they trust to take care of you.

CHOOSING YOUR “LOOK”

Now it’s time to decide how you want to look on your wedding day. And no pressure. This is where your stylist will be a great resource to help you! First, think about what your dress looks like – this should be a major influence on your look. For example, if you love the back of your dress and want to show it off, wearing your hair up or to the side is the best way to expose details or an open back. If you have a detailed neckline or straps, wearing your hair up will allow them to be seen. Strapless? You have a ton of flexibility with your style.

Next, we’ll take into consideration how you typically style your hair. Your wedding day look should be an elevated version of who you are, not about trying out a new look or style. If you never wear a ponytail, then wear your hair down with a few pieces pulled off your face. Constantly in a messy bun? You probably don’t like having hair around your face and neck when you want to be comfortable so wearing it up will likely be best. If you have pin straight hair or hair that won’t hold a curl but wearing your hair down is a must, then you’ll want to invest in extensions. Clip-ins are great and can be found at reasonable prices (just make sure the hair is human – Remy hair is ideal). If extensions just are not your thing, that’s fine too. Just understand that once you leave the salon, or your stylist leaves you, between the weather and family members touching you, your hair could lose its style throughout the day.

MAKE-UP & SKIN

With a game plan for your hair, now, what about your face and skin? I always recommend getting your makeup done professionally because make-up to be photographed is a bit different than everyday make-up. But if you’re someone who typically doesn’t wear makeup, don’t panic! It doesn’t have to look over the top. Again, you want to feel like an elevated version of yourself – a look you could do on yourself if you only knew what you were doing. HA! For bridal looks, soft tones and dark lashes with a soft lip are what we do most often because it’s a more natural look and it photographs well. Dark and dramatic smokey eyes can make your eyes look smaller or get lost in shadow in photos so if a smokey eye is your thing, we’ll swap blacks for greys, purples and browns.

As far as your skin goes, a spray tan for you and your party is a must for an instant confidence boost and wedding day glow. If you can find a physical human to spray you, that is always more ideal than a machine spray tan. They can contour your body and give you the perfect, natural tone. You’ll want to schedule the spray tan appointment 2-3 days before the wedding and after your nails (the pedicure will soak off the solution).

THE WEDDING TRIAL

You’ll want to schedule a hair and make-up trial 1 to 2 months before the wedding on a day when you have somewhere to go after, like your shower or bachelorette party. Trials are for you, the bride, to see if your vision looks as good as you envision in your head. Hairstylists and make-up artists who do formal styling know how to create almost any look you throw at them. The trial is about making you feel comfortable, not testing their abilities.

That’s why it’s so important for you to document your look when you leave and throughout the rest of the day and night. This way, you can see how your style wears and photographs. Like if you wanted to wear your hair down and curly with black eyeliner and blue eyeshadow, but by 5:00 pm, your hair is flat and stuck to your face that is also smudged with runny mascara because it was humid out, then you know some changes need to be made.

 

There you have it. Hopefully these bridal beauty tips straight from a Detroit hairstylist help as you choose your wedding day look and start getting your wedding morning plans in place! From choosing the perfect getting ready location to remembering all of the bride’s and groom’s details to be photographed, there are a lot of moving parts and key details! Hailey’s bridal beauty tips and so so so much more are all in my free wedding guide too! This guide will walk you through everything from planning your engagement session to choosing the right DJ for your reception, all to ensure the most successful wedding day photography possible! Just click below to download the guide. 

 

 

 

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