When working with brides, Jamie McDaniel (@jamiemcdhair), Sam Villa ambassador, believes that their hair is just as important as the dress they wear. Why? Because the two elements simply must complement one another to tell the story. So, in order to fully understand what a bride will be wearing and what she envisions for her hairstyle, McDaniel has them fill out a Bridal Consultation Form and share an image of the dress. “I think it’s super important to be as informed as possible about the styling a bride is imagining for herself, it’s the best way to ensure you can meet their expectations and support the theme/vibe of their look,” she explains. Her consultation form is broken down into three categories:
1. Dress: Ask for a picture of the dress to see what the neckline and back look like. Are there sleeves, straps, one shoulder or strapless? This really helps with suggesting looks that will complement the dress and promote either wearing hair up, down or pulled to one side.
2. Face Shape & Profile: Often times, an inspiration image is a shot of the back of the hair, yet on the day of the wedding, brides are photographed from the front, side, back and every which way, so that needs to be taken into consideration. Face shape is important because, let’s be honest, it will be the main things the bride will be focusing in on in every selfie and professional shot.
- If the photo is of a low chignon but their chin recedes, move the chignon up higher to create a stronger profile.
- If the bride has a heart shaped face, suggest keeping the volume minimal up top.
- For a triangle shaped face, suggest adding volume up top, pulling it away from the jawline.
3. Environment: Will the wedding be inside or outside? If inside, style away and don’t worry about a thing. If outside, it can be a bit trickier. During the trial, develop two options for the day of. There’s nothing worse than having a loose, beautiful, boho style and then it being crazy windy, and the hair is flying every which way in their photos. Or having a beautiful curl set and the humidity is high, and it becomes one big ball of frizz. Options and back up plans keep stress down for both you and the bride.
McDaniel is a smart cookie, she leaves a few grips/bobbies behind as a 'just in case,' and shows the maid of honor/bridesmaids how to insert them so everyone is in the know. “I strongly suggest stepping away from the hairspray. We've been conditioned to think more hairspray is better, but the opposite is actually true. Too much hairspray can be very wet and eventually weigh down or deflate curls,” she explains. Find a beautiful working hairspray (Redken Brushable Hairspray) to use why styling and then go in with a higher hold hairspray (Redken Max Hold Hairspray) to finalize the look. And, having a charged Sam Villa Pro Results Cordless Flat Iron on hand for touchups can’t hurt either.
Credit:
Hair: Jamie McDaniel
Dress: @signaturebridalstl
MUA: @ali.armstrong4
Photographer: @deekeimphoto