Schedule a trial for your hair and makeup before your wedding
A special thanks to our Contributor: Gina Ludwig, HairComesTheBride.com
Be sure to read the related article:
Making the Most of Your Hair & Makeup Trial – part 1
Photos or No Photos?– Do you have to bring photos of styles you like to your preview appointment? The short answer is no. Based on the factors I talked about earlier including your personal style, the style of your wedding, your absolute do’s and don’ts AND factors such as your hair type and face shape, your stylist should be able to determine the best style for you.
However, that being said, photos CAN be a great way to illustrate your personal style and your likes and dislikes. But, I like to tell brides that you should think of photos as inspiration, not instruction. Everyone’s hair is different and every style is going to be different on everyone. So, if you do bring photos, it is best to use them to show your stylist different features of particular hairstyles that you like, not necessarily as an exact blueprint for what you want, that may not be realistic.
The Prep-As for your hair and face before your preview appointment, if possible make sure that your face is clean of makeup with maybe a light application of moisturizer. If you are coming to your preview straight from somewhere else and you don’t have time to go home and wash your face, it is a good idea to take your own face wash and moisturizer with you just in case. As for your hair, don’t worry too much about whether it is too clean or too dirty at the preview appointment. Part of your trial run should be your stylist educating you on how to best prepare your hair the morning of your wedding day for the particular style that you are doing.
Wedding Details-The preview appointment should also be the time that your stylist educates you on what happens next (when payment is due, how long you have to cancel, what time they need to start,
how many stylists they are bringing, etc.) If they don’t tell you this information at the preview appointment, ASK! When you leave your preview appointment, you should have 100% confidence not only in your stylist and your hair and makeup but also that everything is going to run smoothly and that you will be done on time. If you are not feeling 100% confident, keep asking questions until you do. If you are dealing with a true professional, they are going to take the time to ease your concerns and make sure that all of your questions are answered.
Speak Up!– PLEASE don’t hold back your concerns because you are afraid of hurting your stylist’s feelings! This is your wedding day and your happiness is just too important. If you are working with a true professional, they are going to know that people have different styles and opinions and they are not going to be hurt if you don’t like something they have done. They know that if you want something changed it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t “good” it just means that it wasn’t good for you; it 
Don’t Settle– Finally, when everything is said and done and your stylist has finished your hair and makeup, gone over the details of your wedding, you have spoken up about any concerns you may have, you should leave your preview with a sense of calm, confident relief and excitement for your wedding day. If you don’t, do something. Talk to your stylist about your concerns or about possibly doing another preview; find out if there is another stylist at the company you can try or try a different company altogether. I don’t think that brides realize how important their bridal beauty vendor is. It is not JUST about hair and makeup, your stylist also has the power to start your day off on a calm, peaceful, fun, positive note by being on time, calm, confident and accommodating OR on a stressful, anxious, frustrated note by being late, rude, anxious or insecure. I don’t say this to freak you out; I just want to make sure that you don’t settle! This day (and this vendor) is just too important to leave to chance.
Photos courtesy of: Hair Comes the Bride
Be sure to read the related article:
Making the Most of Your Hair & Makeup Trial – part 1
