How To: Plan Your Perfect Wedding Hairstyle and Makeup
A Bride’s Vision
From the moment you say the word, “yes!” visions of your wedding day begin to materialize. Whether you see yourself exchanging vows barefoot on a beach or outdoors shaded by live oak branches beneath billowing blue skies at a ranch, possibilities for today’s wedding celebrations—and wedding hairstyle—are as individual and unique as you. For every bride, one ideal is the same. A bride’s vision for her special day is that she looks and feels her most beautiful.
Janet St. Paul Studio for Hair and Beauty is Austin’s wedding hairstyle and beauty authority. Our talented, award winning team is well-versed in helping achieve the perfect wedding hairstyle that is tailored to fit your day, from sophisticated updos to goddess-like flowing tresses.
Finding Inspiration for your Wedding Hairstyle
Our accomplished senior stylist, Shannon Briggs-Hack has created stunning bridal looks on the runway for Oscar De La Renta Bridal at New York Fashion Week, as well as on location across the country. Her work has been featured in major publications and blogs including Bride Magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, The Knot, Style Me Pretty, 100 Layer Cake, and Green Wedding Shoes. We are confident that we will be able to provide you with the perfect style for your wedding.
Today, brides are able to peruse countless ideas for weddings online. From magazines and blogs to Pinterest, there are excellent resources for wedding inspiration. However, if you just have the date but have not quite defined the direction you’d like to pursue, we’re happy to provide you with our recommendations. After all, this is not our first rodeo! We have done countless weddings in and around the Austin-area (and beyond) since Janet St. Paul opened her Austin salon back in 2011.
Janet’s (Wedding) Loves
In fact, because of our extensive experience we can enthusiastically recommend a few local wedding resources that Janet loves. If you are looking for distinctive bridal resources, consider these:
- For a wedding dress, we love Unbridaled “The Cure for the Uncommon Bride.”
- For bridal hair accessories, shop NET-A-PORTER.com.
- The Allan House is an elegant choice for a wedding venue.
“We are always happy to share our experience with weddings all around Austin. As with anything, if you have a special request, don’t hesitate to ask! “
Photo: Culturemap Austin
Bridal Style Trends
Trends with bridal gown fashion inform the hairstyles that our discerning brides are seeking to complement and complete their look. Body-conscious, feminine styles are still very popular. We are excited about the new Victorian-influenced gowns with Watteau backs and the festive non-traditional gowns with high-low hemlines. We are seeing a surge in bows, fancy sleeves and classic-inspired shapes.
Photo: Glamour Sareh Nouri
Photo: rime-arodaky.com
Photo: Amsale
The wedding hairstyles and beauty that accompany these trending bridal looks are also experiencing a renaissance. Tight perfectionist formality is being eschewed for a more clean and effortless look with less structured hairstyles and natural, elegant makeup. Simple grosgrain or satin bows are adorning hair pulled back off the face. Naturally swept back updos that softly frame the face are also a beautiful, feminine look that is in high demand.
Many brides desire long curly tendrils, waves, or bohemian-inspired braids, but may not have sufficient time to grow the length they desire. Some simply want to boost the volume of their hair for this momentous special day. We often recommend hair extensions to elevate the look to perfection. Our Janet St. Paul Studio for Hair and Beauty hair extension specialists are acclaimed industry superstars and have a variety of extension options that will suit your needs.
Bridal Makeup
In addition to ensuring your hair and beauty are a perfect fit with your gown, we want to make sure you feel comfortable with your style. In Austin, outdoor weddings are more popular, so as stylists we always take the environmental elements into consideration when planning your bridal look. To create your ideal wedding hairstyle and makeup in addition to your fashion, we will assess what’s best for the time of day, location of venue, type of reception.
When it comes to your bridal beauty, this is not the time to experiment or wing it. Having a beauty palette professionally designed in advance will ensure that not only will everyone look amazing, your pictures will reflect a pulled-together consistency that add a level of finesse. Natural luminescent makeup that is picture-perfect and brings out your best features is what we are known for. If, however, you are a frequent fan of a bold red lip and wish to energize your bridal look with color, it can be a beautiful choice with the right fashion. In fact, this particular look was quite prominent in recent bridal shows at New York Fashion Week.
Our goal is always to design beauty that is sophisticated and authentically “you”. We’ll consult with you and agree on the correct palette. Janet and our talented team has amassed decades of experience in Manhattan’s leading salons, and we can ensure that your makeup is flawless, appropriate for your fashion, and your finished look is fresh, stylish and beautiful.
Beyond haircuts, hair color, styling and professional makeup services, rest assured, we have all your bases covered. Janet St. Paul Studio for Hair and Beauty has a complete beauty team for all of your skincare needs. Schedule a rejuvenating, brightening or hydrating facial with our skincare specialist, Gricelda Fuller. Get your eyebrows in shape with our brow specialist, Amber Thompson. We offer all of these five-star services in the comfort and convenience of our luxurious downtown Austin salon.
Bridal Assessment
A huge help in coordinating your wedding look is scheduling a bridal assessment with our team. This preliminary consultation is a fun and creative exchange of ideas. In this initial meeting, we review your goals, the images you’ve pulled as inspiration, and then we discuss what we can do to accomplish your best look for your wedding. If we will also be doing the hair and beauty for the wedding party, we will talk about ways to bring out the beauty of each individual bridesmaid and mother, while ensuring they are all in sync with the aesthetic you’ve chosen.
The assessment is where we begin the process of turning your dream into reality, while you sip champagne or cappuccino. To schedule a bridal consultation, we’ll need to know the answers to a few questions:
- Wedding Date & Time
- Time the bridal services need to be completed by
- Location where the services will be performed
- How many in the wedding party will require services
Bridal Trial
Once we’ve established our plan for the style you’d like for your bridal look with your initial assessment, we often schedule a bridal trial. A short time before the wedding, you’ll come in (with your headpiece) and we’ll do a practice run so you can feel confident that we’re in sync. It’s a lovely and exciting appointment as anticipation builds for your wedding.
The Big Day
Our Janet St. Paul Studio for Hair and Beauty stylists can come to your location. However, many brides also choose to come to the salon with their bridesmaids and mothers-of-the-bride/groom to have their hair and makeup done the day of the wedding. Because our 2nd street salon is surrounded by some of Austin’s best restaurants, we can cater pastries, lunch or brunch, or sandwiches or salads for your group from Flower Child, Le Politique, North Italia. Either way you choose, it’s a special ritual to share, and we are always thrilled to be a part of the festivities.
“This is the bride’s day. I want to make sure the bride and anyone else I’m working with feels the most beautiful they can on such a special day.”
Shannon Briggs-Hack
Senior Stylist
Next Steps
The secret to having a bridal look turn out the way you imagined comes from a combination of great communication and technical proficiency. When you have your date:
- Call us or fill out our form to schedule your Bridal Assessment.
- Meet with the unparalleled professionals at Janet St. Paul Studio.
- Confirm your wedding day plan, on location or in the salon.
- Schedule a bridal trial a few weeks prior to your wedding date.
- Relax. Rely on the skills and experience of our team to ensure you achieve the style and beauty that your wedding day deserves.
We understand that weddings require a lot of planning and energy. When you choose our award winning wedding specialists for your bridal hair and makeup you can count on unparalleled professionalism and five-star service throughout the process to your special day. We are honored to share in this memorable moment in your life by bringing you our best so you can look and feel your best. It’s why we do what we do!
If you have questions about our Bridal or Wedding hair and makeup services, or would like to schedule a consultation to learn more, please call the salon at 512-474-5000. We look forward to meeting you.