Making Your Wedding Day a Great Hair Day

Beautiful, timeless hair is so important for creating the perfect bridal look!

Today we’re bringing you a special guest post from AIIR Force Team hairstylists Lauren Wohlin and Samantha Lindsay. When it comes to wedding day hairstyles, Lauren and Sam have seen it all! They are the founders of S&L Trends, an Arizona-based mobile salon that styles 3-4 bridal parties a month during wedding season.

Lauren and Sam are joining us to share all their favorite tips and tricks for achieving the perfect wedding day hair, plus a simple tutorial for one of this year’s hottest bridal hairstyles.

Getting Started

When you’re scrolling through dozens of gorgeous hairstyles on Pinterest, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the options out there! The biggest tip we can give for picking out your wedding day hair is to choose a stylist you feel confident and comfortable with.

Make sure the hairstyle you pick is timeless-- trends don’t last forever, but your wedding pictures will! Ultimately, your wedding day hair should complement your overall look and make you feel like your most confident, beautiful and radiant self.

Here are some questions to help you narrow down your perfect wedding day hair:

• When having your hair styled, what look makes you feel the most confident? Do you want to wear your hair down, all the way up, or half up and half down?
• What does the neckline of your wedding dress look like and what hairstyle choice would best complement it?
• Do you plan to wear a headpiece, such as a tiara or veil? If so, what hairstyle would best complement your chosen accessory?
• What vibe are you going for with your bridal look-- chic and polished, or soft and romantic? Do you want to look boho, glamorous, elegant, classic, ethereal, laid-back or more modern?
• How formal is your wedding? Your hair should match the formality of your dress and venue.
• What will the weather be like on your wedding day? If it’s a windy season and you want to wear your hair down, it might be best to opt for a half-up style. This will give you the look and feel of loose, flowing hair with less fuss (and fewer flyaways!) on the big day.

Trying out Your Hairstyle

You’ve considered all of the options for wedding day hairstyles-- an updo, half up / half down, or all down hairstyle. You have a good idea of the look you want, and a few of your favorite inspiration pictures. Now it’s time to find the perfect hairdresser to be a part of your big day and schedule a consultation.

It’s so important to do a trial run of your desired wedding day style! This will allow you to feel relaxed and confident on your big day, knowing that you’ll get the exact hairstyle you want. It also gives you time to make any adjustments if your look isn’t quite right. 

We always suggest doing the trial 6-8 weeks before your wedding date. Choose a day when you will be taking photos, such as your bridal shower or another special occasion. This way you’ll get to see how the style will hold up as well as photograph on you.

During your trial run we will go over a list of questions about what you are looking for and your personal style to customize the perfect hairstyle for you. We will also talk about hair extensions and how that could be an amazing option to add length and body while helping the style hold all day (and night!) long.

All these steps will help you go into your wedding day feeling 100% confident in your bridal look!

Making Your Wedding Day a Great Hair Day

Your trial run is a good opportunity to talk with your stylist about how to prep your hair for your wedding. We may advise you to wash your hair the day before the event, since second-day hair has a bit more grip. If your hair tends to be dry or frizzy, getting a professional blowout the day before can keep your locks smooth and polished on the big day.

Make sure to pack an emergency kit for last-minute touch-ups, especially if your hairstylist won’t be on location for your wedding. What should go into your touch-up bag? Bobby pins, clear elastics, a comb, dry shampoo and Flexible Hold AIIR Spray to smooth flyaways and add shine.

Get The Look | Romantic, Center-Parted Waves

One of the most popular wedding hairstyles of the 2019 season is loose, flowing curls with a sleek middle part. Thank you, Sophie Turner, for this epic wedding hair inspiration! Sam and Lauren recently created this style on one of their brides and want to break down the exact steps to create this look using AIIR Professional products:

• Prep the bride’s hair with AIIR Texture Mousse from roots to mid-shafts and AIIR Smoothing Cream on the ends. This product combo is the key to creating a voluminous blow-dry while controlling frizz. After applying the products, smooth out the hair by blow-drying with a round brush. 
• Create a middle part and curl the hair with a 1½ inch iron. Working up the head in horizontal subsections, prep 1-inch sections of hair with Flexible Hold AIIR Spray for all-day hold. Wrap each section around the barrel of the curling iron, hold for 10-15 seconds and release the curl into your palm. Clip up the curls and allow them to set for 15-20 minutes.
• While the curls cool down, begin to work on the main focal point-- the sleek, tucked center part. Start by creating a vertical (ear to ear) section in the front of the head. Place the comb on the center part two inches behind the hairline, and draw a line down to the ear on each side using the comb’s tail or parting pick.
• Apply AIIR Styling Paste to the two-inch front section, working from bottom to top in horizontal subsections. Work the product into the hair strands and comb through with a fine-tooth comb or smoothing brush. This will create a sleek, tucked look while adding control and shine.
• Once you get the look you want on each side, bring the left and right sections to meet under the rest of the hair. Secure with an elastic at the nape of the neck.
  
  (Make sure to consult with your bride before styling to find out if they are more comfortable with or without their ears showing. This will determine if your band will be tucked over the bride’s ears or behind the ears.)
  
• To finish off the style, break up the curls using Texture AIIR dry texturizing spray and set everything in place with Flexible Hold AIIR Spray.

Lauren Wohlin and Samantha Lindsay are part of the AIIR Force Team and share inspirational bridal and editorial hairstyles at @sandltrends on Instagram. Be sure to check out their page and give them a follow! ♥

Looking for more hair inspiration? Check out our video tutorials.