What to Expect at Your Bridal Hair Trial

Your bridal hair trial is essentially a dress rehearsal. It's the most important appointment you'll have with us before the wedding day — and most brides don't quite know what to expect. Here's the whole thing, demystified.

What to bring Your veil if you have one. Any hair accessories — combs, pins, flowers, a piece you've inherited. A photograph of your dress (specifically the back). Three or four reference photos of styles you like. Your wedding shoes are useful if your dress is long — they change your posture, which changes how the hair sits.

What we do, in order First, we drink something warm and talk. We look at your dress photos. We talk through your venue, your morning timeline, your bridesmaids' looks. Then we wash and dry your hair properly — we want to start from the same blank slate we'll have on the day.

Then we try the style we've been planning. We photograph it from every angle, including from above (which most brides never see). We test how it holds when you tilt your head, lift your chin, and shake gently. We try two or three variations of pieces — flowers further forward, looser around the face, that kind of thing.

What we send you home with A folder. Photos from every angle. A written list of every product, pin, and piece used — that's your insurance policy if anything happens to me on the day, or if you ever want a stylist elsewhere to recreate the look. You also get a list of pre-wedding hair care: what to wash with, what NOT to do to your hair the night before, when to colour, when to last cut.

Why two months out, not two weeks A trial too close to the wedding leaves no time to change your mind. A trial six months out asks you to remember a feeling. Two months is the sweet spot — fresh enough to recall the conversation, distant enough that you can sit with the look for a few weeks before committing.

What if I hate it? Then we tell each other, and we book another trial. We've never charged for a second trial in seven years. We'd rather you feel right than feel obliged.