Category Archives: Wedding Hair

Wedding makeup

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  1. Peach your cheeks

Choose a peachy blusher and apply to the apples of your cheeks for a fresh and natural look. When applying this type of wedding makeup, blend upwards and along cheekbones to finish.

  1. Wear eyeliner and make it gel

Gel eyeliner is magic! It creates real definition like liquid liner but is so much easier to apply. It looks great on and lasts all day, something you’ll need with all the attention. Opt for brown for fair skins and black for darker complexions.

  1. Line your lips for great definition

Use a lip liner (in a natural shade) all over your lips before applying your lipstick or gloss. It creates natural definition and the colour lasts for hours!

  1. Get your skin in shape

Seek professional advice to ensure your skincare routine is right before your big day. This way, your skin will be in tip-top condition and your foundation will look ultra-flawless. Try using a facial oil at night for powerful and quick results.

  1. Prime your canvas

For perfect bridal beauty on your big day, be sure to start with a primer all over your face to even out skin tone and texture, and help your foundation to last all day.

  1. Choose long lasting foundation

Choose a long lasting foundation to avoid shine and dullness throughout the day.

  1. Get rid of those dreaded bags

Do not use light reflective concealer under your eyes as you risk having white eye circles in your photographs. Instead use a matte concealer or your wedding makeup foundation to hide those bags.

  1. Focus on your eyes

When it comes to the best wedding makeup for eyes, use waterproof mascara to avoid panda eyes in pictures, but comb through your lashes after each coat to eliminate clumps.

  1. Eliminate creasing or fading around the eyes

If you suffer from creasing or fading, make sure you start off with a good base. Use an eyeshadow before your shadow to keep it smooth.

  1. A quick pit stop – touching up on the day

On the day itself, carry with you 3 essential products for touching up; your lip liner, lip gloss/stick and a translucent powder for stopping shine. This will ensure you look your best throughout the entire day. Why not buy yourself a little wedding makeup bag as a treat for the day

 

Get Wedding Party ready

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When you’re preparing for the biggest event of the year, managing your time and planning your look is really important. With all the organising that goes into making the day perfect, you might actually forget that this is a time of celebration! Whether you’re the bride-to-be or an honoured guest, here are a few tips to help you to adopt a positive attitude on your way to getting wedding party ready!

Be honest about your budget

Even if you’re not the bride, being part of a wedding can be expensive. A new wedding dress, wedding accessories, gifts, travel expenses – it all adds up. Before you buy your out t or even RSVP, it’s a good idea to be honest about your budget and what you can afford. Don’t go dress shopping “just for fun” and end up falling in love with the designer gown – this goes for brides, too!

Write down all your to-dos

This one goes without saying for the bride-to-be, but don’t think as a wedding guest that you don’t have a lot to get sorted! From hair and nail appointments, to finding the perfect gift, wedding dress and accessories to match, it’s a great idea to make a compact to-do list so that you’re not panicked at the last minute.

Practice those wedding picture poses

Hate how you look in photos? Many people become self-conscious and slouch over as soon as a camera appears. It might sound silly, but spending some time in front of the mirror practicing picture-perfect poses will give you extra confidence on the day. Holding a smile for endless pictures can actually cause you to frown, so remember to try and keep your smile natural.

Have your nails professionally done

Naturally, everyone will want to see your hands on your wedding day! Showing off your beautiful new wedding ring means that people will notice if your nails aren’t up to scratch – the same goes for bridesmaids who are holding bouquets. Take time to moisturise your hands in the week running up to the main event and get a chic matching manicure to your dress or accessories.

Avoid crash diets

Adding ‘clean’ foods to your diet, like fresh veggies, as well as cutting out or limiting your consumption of processed foods, is a great way to look and feel healthier. Avoid crash dieting – it can put a stress on your body and cause your metabolism to go into starvation mode, while also adding unnecessary feelings of guilt during an already stressful time.

Avoid last-minute treatments (facials, Peels, etc.)

Waxing, facial peels and other intensive skincare treatments can cause short-term in inflammation and irritation, so doing these one or two nights before the wedding is a bad call. To give your skin some time to recover, make sure you have all your treatments done at least a week before the event. This will ensure your skin is radiant and ready in time.

Experiment with hairstyles

Everyone’s hair is different and what suits one bride or bridesmaid might look disastrous on another. Check out some simple hairstyles in a magazine or online and try them out to see what suits. Don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit – if you usually go straight, try some loose curls for an elegant look.

Wear natural-looking wedding make-up

Painting on too much bold makeup will make you stand out in wedding photos – and not for the right reasons. If you love a bold lip colour, balance it out with light foundation and simple eye makeup. A natural-looking glow can be achieved with a good exfoliator, primer and highlighter.

Get to know the rest of the wedding Party

Especially if you’re part of the main event, spend a little time getting to know the rest of the party before the wedding. This is a great way to break the ice and you’ll all feel much more comfortable dealing with any last-minute stresses together on the big day!

Break in new shoes

Wearing new shoes that haven’t been broken in can mean taking them off before the night is through. If you find some new shoes that are perfect for your wedding, make sure you spend a few days walking in them around the house so that they’re nice and comfortable in time for the celebrations.

 

Bridal Countdown

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Six months to go

This is the time for any professional or cosmetic treatments to take place. Teeth-whitening is a great pre-wedding treatment as there’ll be lots of smiling and plenty of photos. If you can afford it, a professional teeth-whitening treatment, six months before the big day, will ensure teeth are pearly white, while giving you a chance to adjust to any increase in sensitivity and get used to how much whiter your teeth look. If the end result is too white, six months is the perfect amount of time for the brilliance to fade to a more natural shade. If a professional teeth-whitening treatment is not within your budget, find a good quality teeth-whitening toothpaste or whitening strips and start using now, on a regular basis.

Three months to go

See a brow specialist at least three months before your big day for an initial consultation and shaping. A brow professional will be able to assess your face shape and natural brows and can determine the most flattering brow shape for you. They will be able to wax, thread, tweeze and tint your brows, regularly, over the next few months, helping you to grow in any new hairs where necessary. Wait four weeks in between each session and then schedule your final shaping for a week before the big day so your skin has time to settle.

One month to go

Start using a regular facial exfoliator and skin oil. By regularly buffing and oiling your skin now, it will be silky smooth on your wedding day. Find an exfoliator and oil that are specific to your skin’s needs; there are so many different types, from daily bead exfoliators, to chemical exfoliators, designed to be used less frequently. Layering an oil under your daily moisturiser and night cream will help to retain moisture and will encourage a natural, dewy glow to the skin. Massage the oil in for a few minutes each day, to boost circulation and further encourage your skin to glow.

Two weeks to go

Make any hair removal appointments for this week. If you are planning on waxing any areas of the body that will be on show, you will need to allow a fortnight for any associated reddening or skin reactions to settle down and / or pores to close.

One week to go

Book in for professional lash extensions. Ideally you will have trialled these at least two months beforehand, to know which length and style suits you. You will also need to know which type of extensions you will be wearing, so that you can adjust your wedding makeup accordingly. For your big day, it’s ideal to have them applied a week before. Individual lash extensions should last 2-3 weeks, before needing to be filled in, so they should last until you return from your honeymoon.

 

Two days to go

If you’re planning on fake tanning, whether you are applying it yourself or are opting for a professional spray tan, this is the time to do it, to allow the colour to settle on the skin and develop a more natural hue with no tell tale aroma. A good wedding beautician with experience in spray tanning will be able to match the right colour, brand and formula to your skintone. If you would rather apply the fake tan yourself, spend time researching brands to find one that suits you. Remember hands and feet soak up more colour than the rest of your body, so dilute the tan with moisturiser before applying to these areas, and wash it off sooner than you would for the rest of the body. For lighter skin tones or winter weddings, wash the colour off after six hours rather than the recommended eight-12 hours. Exfoliating the skin, as well as hair removal, is a pre-tanning essential: We’d recommend doing both 24 hours before tanning.

One day to go

Leaving your manicure and pedicure until the day before will leave less opportunity to chip the nail varnish or break your nails before the big day. For a longer-lasting and glossier colour that will see you right through your wedding day, to the end of your honeymoon, opt for a professional or home-use gel polish, which can last for up to three weeks.

Winter wedding hair ideas

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Winter brides can indulge not only in rich colours and fabrics but plenty of sparkle too. As the winter light fades and the crisp cold night starts to fall, a winter bride will look stunning with a glitzy hair accessory. Flowers may be a little more limited at this time of the year, but brides can experiment with feathers, diamantes and beautifully coloured jewels.

These days’ brides have a wide range of wedding hair accessories from headbands, combs, tiaras, fascinators, skull caps or hair pins to choose from – there’s something for everyone, regardless of whether you want an extravagant statement piece or a simpler accessory. Enjoy finding the right thing for you and don’t forget to show your wedding hairdresser what you want to use so they can factor this into your hairstyle on your special day.

Looking radiant in the winter will take some extra work and care – however, armed with the right products, preparation and mind-set you can ensure you look perfect on your wedding day. Winter weather plays havoc with our hair and causes it to dry out and become frizzy – especially in cold, less humid climates. Moisture is sucked away from your locks, causing hair to become static, so it’s best to use a natural bristle brush or a wide tooth wooden comb. 

Winter brides also need to think about their natural hair texture and type more than summer brides. Let your hair be itself and work with it instead of fighting against it. You can try to a degree to force your hair into unnatural shapes, but what with cold winds outside and central heating inside, fine straight hair will be more prone to drop curls, while naturally thick hair may frizz.

Updos are your best bet if you’re trying to tame unruly wedding hair, as they’re more likely to withstand changes in the climate. Choosing an updo will mean that your hair will be neatly tucked into a beautiful style that won’t budge throughout the day.

Ensure that your wedding hair stylist uses premium products to really help you avoid hair disasters on your special day. Hair products will vary depending on the style you choose, but for curls we recommend a good volumiser also a good helping of a high-quality hairspray to stop it losing its shape.

Consider your outfit

A lot of winter brides will wear a beautiful faux fur stole or shrug to keep warm while walking down the aisle and having their pictures taken outside. If you are considering a shawl, you must take this into consideration when choosing your hairstyle.

If you decide to wear a low bun at the side or back, the bottom of the bun may rub against your stole – this will not only make your hair look windswept, but will also weaken the hairstyle and cause it to fall out. You can still wear a bun, but just make sure that your hairdresser is aware that you’ll be wearing something to cover your shoulders so that they can make your hair high enough.

Many brides go for heavy luxurious fabrics when choosing their winter wedding dress and these may have many buttons at the back which you could get your hair tangled on. I would recommend having your hair up if you are going for this option so that you can avoid this nightmare scenario and also fully show off the intricate detailing on your wedding dress.

Why not get it all planned for you?

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No time to plan your wedding, your big day, the day of your dreams? By far the easiest option for busy modern brides is the all-inclusive package where all the big things like ceremony room, Champagne reception, evening buffet, and entertainment are all taken care of.

And just because everything is included in one handy price, it doesn’t mean that you can’t personalise your big day.

Here are a few other reasons that couples love all-inclusive wedding packages…

1. It’ll take the pressure off

The logistics of wedding planning can be very stressful even for the most relaxed couple so finding a venue that offers so many of the required services in-house, from your wedding ceremony to your evening entertainment, will really ease the pressure and free up your time for the all-important dress and honeymoon shopping!

2. You’ll have your own wedding planner

In-house wedding planners are another big hit at our venues and every package we put together comes complete with a personal Front of House Manager to listen to ideas and ensure the day goes perfectly to plan.

3. Your overnight stay is included

“Most of our brides and grooms choose to take bedrooms and a bridal suite for the night before and night of their wedding. It is such a lovely touch to have everybody in the same place for the duration of the wedding, spending quality time together.

4. You’ll get the best catering options

The issue of finding suppliers can be a big challenge in wedding planning with caterers and alcohol being the most difficult ones to choose and source. Wedding packages include all the food and drink you need- from Champagne and canapes to midnight munchies and everything in between. 

5. The whole day will be in one place

All venues offer the complete package in one place, the ceremony, the reception, the evening party and bedrooms- there is no need for wedding cars and no time wasted moving between venues so the whole party can just relax and enjoy the day!”

6. You’ll get expert advice

Years of experience mean that wedding planners are on top of the latest trends and can include these in our all-inclusive wedding packages to make planning even easier – from wedding stationery to favours and gifts for your wedding party.

7. There are no hidden costs

Finally, and perhaps most importantly wedding packages are very clear and agree all costs at the initial booking stage so you know exactly what they will be – there are no hidden extras – just fantastic wedding days tailored to you to create memories that last a lifetime.”

Common bridal hair mistakes

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It’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life. As the bride, you’ll be the centre of attention, and not only will your friends and family be present, but your photographs will capture the moment forever. On the big day, you want to look like yourself, only better. There’s nothing worse than a bride wearing a gorgeous gown, in the perfect location, whose hair is so dreadful that guests can’t keep their eyes off of it. 

Brides should always have a consultation with the stylist who will be doing their hair one to two months before the wedding date to ensure that their dream hairstyle fits in with their dream day. 

Here are 10 common hair mistakes that brides make.

1. You forget your veil or headpiece. The veil factors into your overall look, and its length and style may determine if you’ll want to wear your hair up or down. If the veil hasn’t arrived yet, ask the bridal salon to loan you a sample, or at least bring along a photo when consulting with your wedding hairdresser.

2. You cut your hair days before the wedding. Stay away from the scissors and don’t plan on getting a haircut right before the big day. Instead, do it a month or two prior to the wedding to ensure that you like the cut and it will work with the hairstyle you’ve chosen.

3. You don’t carefully choose your stylist. You will remember your wedding day forever, so choose someone you trust to style your hair. If your hairdresser doesn’t typically do wedding hairstyles, ask him or her for a recommendation, or speak with friends or other brides who have had hairstyles you’ve admired.

4. You experiment with hair colour. Talk to your stylist about how you envision your hair on the big day, and let your colourist know if you are planning on wearing your hair up or down. It’s also not advisable to dramatically change your hair colour before the wedding. You want to look like an enhanced version of you, not someone completely different. 

5. You only try one style. Just as you tried on several wedding dresses (even if you knew the first one was the best), have your stylist show you at least three different looks based on your description of what you want.

6. You go to your consultation without any ideas. Pictures speak louder than words. Gather photos of brides hairstyles you like. This will give the stylist an idea of the kind of style you’re seeking. The stylist can’t make you look like the person in the picture, but he or she can attempt to copy the hair as long as the texture and length are not an issue.

7. You forget about touch-ups. If it’s in your budget, consider having the stylist stay after the ceremony and throughout the evening to do touch-ups to your hair—or even give you a completely different look. If the expense is too high, ask the stylist for tips on how to touch up your own hair during the reception.

8. You forget about the dress. Your hair should always complement your gown. Select your gown first and then decide on the hairstyle with your stylist.

9. You think short hair is your only option. If your cute bob doesn’t jive with your dream of having long locks on the big day, ask your stylist for extensions. This temporary fix can be a perfect solution.

10. You forget about the groom. Although you’ll be the focus of the big day, you will want his hair to look just as good. Make sure the groom gets a good haircut a week before the wedding. 

Are you planning a beach wedding?

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Once you find the perfect wedding dress and booked an amazing seaside wedding venue, you need to start thinking about your look. 

What constitutes beachy wedding hair for you? Braids, texture with waves. A fresh unstructured playful look.

What should a bride do if she’s marrying on a beach in a humid climate and is prone to frizzy hair?

The best thing to do would be to have braids or twists in the hair, or have the hair pulled back fairly tightly. Always embrace the texture and using salt spray to add to it, perhaps have some braids around your face for some pretty detail and then it doesn’t matter so much if the rest of the hair gets a little frizzy as it adds to the look. You can also use a strong hairspray to seal the hair but it can look quite fixed so although it seals away moisture it may not fit for a relaxed look as much.

What styles work for a breezy beach in the UK and why?

It depends on how warm it is, but if it’s really breezy, a loose chignon of some sort to keep the hair away from the face. A look with loose tendrils and texture would be ideal, nothing too fixed and neat. Then if it isn’t too structured the odd hair being blown about will add to the look and it will not look as though anything is out of place.

How can a bride master boho, beachy waves?

The conical wand is best to create natural looking waves in the hair, and salt spray for adding texture is brilliant. Adding a few fishtail braids woven through or around the face can look very boho; a fine floral crown looks amazing with this style or a few small flowers dotted through the hair also will look beautiful.

What type of wedding hair accessories would you recommend for a beach wedding?

Definitely a flower head crown– Or a few faux flowers dotted through the hair.

Stress free wedding hair

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Although we all hope to be thoroughly organised for the big day, it’s always a good idea to have a back-up plan and do as much in advance as possible, especially when it comes to children’s hair!

Before the big day

The dreaded visit to the wedding hairdressers – it can sometimes be a battle to get children onside when it’s time for a haircut but you’ll likely to want their locks looking fresh for the wedding day.

Try chatting to your children about their impending haircut in the days leading up to the event – treating a haircut as a grown-up treat can help to get children excited about the experience. It can be worthwhile to spend a few minutes in the salon with your child before their appointment. Allowing them some time to watch other children in the salon chair can help them to feel more comfortable. 

A little snack often works wonders for keeping little ones still in the salon chair, and small rewards such as a lollipop or a play in the park on the way home can help to make their experience a positive one. 

If your child finds the salon environment particularly stressful, it might be worthwhile looking into a mobile wedding hairdresser, since your child is much more likely to feel at ease in familiar surroundings.

The night before

Washing hair, the night before can help relieve pressure on the wedding day, and gives you at least one less thing to worry about!

Brush through any tangles before bed, and wash and dry their hair before they go to bed. Using a 2 in 1 shampoo can help to reduce the stressful process too by keeping hair washing time to a minimum whilst also easing any tangles. 

To help reduce tangle – try to squeeze as much water from their hair as possible after washing, and try not to rub it with the towel as this can encourage tangles.

A little conditioning spray can help so try to do this when combing through wet and through dry hair using a wide-tooth comb, always starting at the ends. If your child has longer hair it can be beneficial to plait it back or tie it into a loose ponytail as they sleep.

On the wedding day

There are lots of simple styles that even dads can help with! If your daughter has static hair, before diving right in with a bucket of product, he can lightly spray a hairbrush with some low strength hairspray and brush through to tame any fly-aways. 

Plaits can be a little tricky so unless he sees himself as a secret hair wizard, try gathering two pieces of hair at the front, twisting them individually to the back of your child’s head. Secure the twists with a couple of bobby pins – if you put them wobbly side down, they’ll grip better. Spraying a clean toothbrush to deal with any tricky flyways can also help. 

If you are feeling adventurous, you can create some additional twists using the remainder of the hair, and remember – cute accessories can cover all manner of sins so don’t be afraid to keep things simple and let a couple of nice clips or matching ribbons do the talking!

Things to Avoid

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After months of planning, you want your wedding day to be perfect and for that reason there are a few things to avoid the day before your wedding! Take on board these points to avoid some easily made mistakes.

Making Any Extreme Changes to Your Hair

If you want to do something a little different with your hair before your wedding day such as dying or cutting it, the day before your wedding day is not the time to start experimenting! It is recommended that you try out your new look about 6 months in advance giving you plenty of time to change it if it goes horribly wrong! Even a basic trim is recommended to be done a week before your wedding and a refresh of colour 10 days before.

Drinking Too Much Alcohol

I’m sure we don’t need to remind you how you feel after too much booze! We appreciate that you may want a glass or two of champagne to celebrate your wedding eve, but leave it at a couple and make sure you drink plenty of water between glasses. You have the whole of the next day to go crazy on the bubbly stuff so keep it modest the day before.

Fake Tanning

To ensure you get the perfect skin tone and don’t end up with your dress a delicate shade of tan, apply your fake tan 48 hours before the wedding, not the day before.

Going to Bed Too Late

We know it might be difficult to sleep with all the excitement, but endeavour to hit the sheets at a reasonable time. Even if your still awake, lying down in the dark will help rest the mind and body so that you are fresh for the next day.

Extreme Physical Activity

A bride should glide down the aisle, not be hobbling because of achy muscles or worst yet, a broken limb! Let’s keep any extreme physical activity that could cause injury to a minimum the day before your wedding.

Sunbathing

It can be tempting to top up your tan the day before your wedding, especially if you are getting married abroad, but the last thing you want is to burn, strap marks or sun stroke! However, if you can’t bear the thought of missing a day out in the sun make sure you apply a high factor sunscreen, wear a hat and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Leave Everything to the Last Minute

The last thing you want to be doing the day before your wedding is panicking because there are still things to be sorted. Don’t be afraid to enlist the help from friends and family the week before the wedding to get any last minute things sorted, leaving you to do nothing but relax and pamper yourself the day before the wedding.

Using New Cosmetic Products, You Haven’t Tried Out Before

Whilst you may never have had an allergic reaction to cosmetic before, don’t take the risk right before your wedding. Have a trial run of all the beauty products you intend to use (including makeup, creams, oils, face washes etc.) well in advance so that you can ensure you look nothing but radiant.

How to get your wedding makeup just right

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Make-up

1. Get your skin in shape

Seek professional advice to ensure your skincare routine is right before your big day. This way, your skin will be in tip-top condition and your foundation will look ultra-flawless. Try using a facial oil at night for powerful and quick results. 

2. Prime your canvas

For perfect bridal make up beauty on your big day, be sure to start with a primer all over your face to even out skin tone and texture, and help your foundation to last all day. 

3. Choose long lasting foundation

Choose a long lasting foundation to avoid shine and dullness throughout the day. 

4. Peach your cheeks

Choose a peachy blusher and apply to the apples of your cheeks for a fresh and natural look. When applying this type of wedding makeup, blend upwards and along cheekbones to finish. 

5. Wear eyeliner and make it gel

Gel eyeliner is magic! It creates real definition like liquid liner but is so much easier to apply. It looks great on and lasts all day, something you’ll need with all the attention. Opt for brown for fair skins and black for darker complexions. 

6. Line your lips for great definition

Use a lip liner (in a natural shade) all over your lips before applying your lipstick or gloss. It creates natural definition and the colour lasts for hours! 

7. Get rid of those dreaded bags

Do not use light reflective concealer under your eyes as you risk having white eye circles in your photographs. Instead use a matte concealer or your wedding makeup foundation to hide those bags.

8. Focus on your eyes

When it comes to wedding makeup for eyes, use waterproof mascara to avoid panda eyes in pictures, but comb through your lashes after each coat to eliminate clumps.

9. Eliminate creasing or fading around the eyes

If you suffer from creasing or fading, make sure you start off with a good base. Use an eyeshadow before your shadow to keep it smooth. 

10. A quick pit stop – touching up on the day

On the day itself, carry with you 3 essential products for touching up; your lip liner, lip gloss/stick and a translucent powder for stopping shine. This will ensure you look your best throughout the entire day. Why not but yourself a little wedding makeup bag as a treat for the day