How to Prepare Your Hair for Your Wedding Day

Once wedding planning is in full swing and as soon as you’ve chosen your dress, you need to start thinking about your hair.

I know that many of you will probably think ‘oh $*@!, I need to grow it!’ (tips here) Even women that have had their hair short for years will sometimes get sucked into thinking they have to have long hair on their wedding day and that it has to be worn up, but that’s totally not the case. It really does depend on which style you desire. Having said that, in most cases the more hair you have, the more there is to play with, giving you more style options to choose from.

If you do decide you want longer locks, you need to read my post full of tips for growing your hair.
Remember, just because you’re growing it, doesn’t mean you can’t pop in for a TRIM. Dry ends are very noticeable when your hair is curled and no one wants a frazzled looking up-do. Have your last trim 6 weeks before the big day and preferably before your hair trial.

You also need to think about your hair colour sooner rather than later. Months before my wedding, I had ombre hair. Although I’d spent ages perfecting those beautiful blonde ends, I knew I didn’t want to look back at my wedding photos and not have my natural dark brown hair, especially as I was planning to wear my hair in a bun. This would have resulted in a horrible two-toned look.

If you’ve been colouring your hair dark and want to be blonde, you need to start this process at least 3 months before. In some cases, the change could take place in one appointment, but it depends on a lot of different factors. Is your hair salon coloured? What’s the condition of your hair? How much are you willing/able to spend? These will all determine how long it will take to achieve your desired colour without causing any damage.

Even if you don’t want to go back to your natural colour, existing highlights may need a little TLC. Do you want to stick to the same shade or go a little lighter? If you normally have a half head of highlights, do you need to lighten up the underneath colour for an up-do? Either way, I’d make sure you get them sorted 1-2 weeks before your wedding day. If you’ve been colouring your hair dark, book in to have your roots done at least a few days before.

If you don’t feel your hair has grown enough or is not thick enough for your desired style, then there’s always hair extensions. YAY!

I often recommend adding a few clip-in extensions to a half-up-half-down style as they give gorgeous thickness and volume. These are also great if your hair simply doesn’t want to keep a curl. You don’t need to spend the earth on these, but they do need to be colour matched, of good quality and, most importantly, heat resistant. If you have extensions already, then bring them along to your wedding trial.

An up-do is possible with bonded extensions, but they will limit your options. If you have never had extensions before, I recommend having a consultation with your extensionist to explain your reasons. You should also discuss it with your bridal hair stylist to see if she thinks they are necessary. In my case, I’m both those people, so I would probably suggest trialing the extensions up to 6 months before. This should help you decide whether you like them and tell you how comfortable they are and if you’ll be able to cope with them on your wedding day.

I realise I may have bombarded you with lots of things that you hadn’t even considered, but there is always a solution and a good stylist will never let you walk out the door with a do that doesn’t put a spring in your step…especially when that step is towards the aisle.