Wedding Dos (and Some Don’ts)

By Vanessa LaFaso Stolarski

We all have them. Salon nightmare stories of fried hair you paid for and over-easy dos you could have done yourself. No need to enter a chapter for your wedding day in that book of woes. Prevent coif catastrophes and makeup messes with this handy guide. The talented stylists at Circe salon in Alexandria offer a few tips for teasing and taming a tantalizing do.

Photography by Hana Jung

Pro Hair Flair
Between mailing invitations and choosing the menu, getting your dress fitted and buying bridal party gifts, you’ve been pulling your hair out trying to get it all done. So sit back, relax and put your hair in someone else’s hands.

Angie Orwig, stylist and makeup artist at Circe, makes a few recommendations that will ensure a positive experience while in the salon chair.

1. Bring several photos with you to your trial in case your ideal do is not practical for you.
2. Use a damage remedy treatment on your hair one week prior to styling.
3. Color your hair at least two weeks before the big day, and do not go too dramatic. “It’s not a good idea to try anything new right before the wedding,” Orwig suggests.
4. Arrive with slightly dirty hair. Although this suggestion might get your crinoline in a bunch, Orwig says the natural oils help make the hair more manageable and give it some weight, which will better hold the style.
5. Make sure your stylist starts the curling iron at the center of the hair section to avoid frying the ends.
6. When touching up your do, crisscrossing the bobby pins will ensure a firmer hold.
7. During your trial run, your stylist should get your feedback while he or she is doing your hair. Be sure to ask questions and speak up if you do not like what he or she is doing.
8. Orwig says thermal styling sprays are a must. “They create a shield between your hair and the heating implement.”
9. Bring your veil or other head pieces to your trial run so the stylist can teach you how to put it in.
10. Stay still! Another Circe stylist recommends bringing someone with you to the final appointment to answer your phone and take care of business while you are in the chair.

Photography by Hana Jung

The DIY Do
Maybe your taste is simple. Maybe you’re a bit of a control freak. Or maybe you’re just looking to save a few extra bucks. Either way, with the help of a friend, you can wow your spouse with locks you fixed yourself.

Maria Escobar showed us how to fashion curls and coax your hair to its maximum fullness. Keep a friend nearby to hand you bobby pins and help section your hair evenly.

1. Curl the top of the hair and hold the curls in place with pins. Do not let the hair fall or the curls will straighten after they cool.
2. To get lift, before curling, Escobar recommends teasing at the root area and then spritzing with hair spray.
3. For added height, brush hair over a roller pinned at your crown. The roller stays in for the duration of your do. For a half up-do, comb hair back over crown. Smooth with fingers.
4. Using small sections, bring pieces back little by little. Comb, smooth and pin according to where you want the pieces, and then separate them with the end of a comb.
5. Experiment with crisscrossing strands or pulling them through other curls.
6. Separate hanging half-do strands with your fingers and then finish them with a curling iron.
7. Work from the top to the left to the right. “The key is dividing the portions evenly.” Half-do self-stylists should focus on creating an evenly swept frame around the face.
8. Position your bangs across your forehead and pin back, if desired. Smooth wispy strands with hair spray.
9. For more fullness, twist remaining half-do hanging strands, then tease them up.
10. Once you are happy with the style, ask a friend to help pin flowers to the back of your hair or talk to a florist about fastening them on a hair clip.

Coiffure Couture
Gwen Gattsek, owner of Stems florist in Alexandria, offered her professional advice for ordering fresh flowers for your hair. “First you should figure out if you need them to match your bouquet or your dress,” she says. Then Gattsek says the florist will need to know your hair type. Brides with thin hair will want to avoid flowers that are too heavy or too large. “Talk to your stylist first,” Gattsek recommends. From there, Gattsek says brides have a few options. The florist can fasten the flowers onto a barrette or other hair accessory or, if the bride would like to weave them through a French braid, the flowers can be glued to a chenille (similar to a pipe cleaner). A halo of posies, on the other hand, has more to do with your florist than your stylist, she says.

(December 2007)

Tags: wedding