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“Hair and makeup is the ultimate thing on your wedding day as a woman. It’s the one thing you have the most anxiety about, you want to feel secure that that you know what’s going on. I feel like if you walk into a wedding and you aren’t prepared on every detail and aspect of the look, there’s a good chance you’re going to ruin someone’s wedding day by causing them stress”

We sat down with Katie from Bridal Hair Couture to talk about Bridal Consultations. Why do you need one? Should it be mandatory? What should you be asking? When we recorded this episode, Katie was in the pre-launch stages of her new branding and since then is teaching again. You can find more details about Katie and her training here:

https://www.bridalhairtoronto.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bridalhaircouturebykatie/?hl=en
https://www.pinterest.ca/bridalhaircouturebykatie/bridal-hair-couture-by-katie/

Episode Notes:

⁃ Progress over perfection, just get started and adjust as you go along

⁃ Re-invest into education and training to boost your confidence

⁃ When a client relationship doesn’t feel right, follow your instinct and set them free respectfully

⁃ Trials build a relationship with your bride. It allows you to feel out the vibe and gives you the opportunity to ensure you’ll have everything you’ll need to execute the hair and makeup look that they want for their wedding. Trials are also the perfect time recommend add-one and accessories and inject your style into their inspiration images

⁃ During a bridal trial/consultation you want to ask the important questions. Ask questions about their hair: does their hair hold curl well? Is it difficult to get volume in their hair? Establish what the hair will or will not do and set the expectations with your bride. When something isn’t possible, provide alternatives.

– Really get to know their story and their vision for their wedding so you can design a look that fits within their theme

– Don’t forget the bridal party! Establish a theme for the rest of the bridal party and control their options via an inspiration board (genius!)

⁃ When you can’t seem to nail a trial or the bride isn’t entirely happy but you feel like you have a good idea what she wants, recap what the style should/will look like and focus your attention to the front of the hair. Ask them how they style the front, how they like it and spend a little more time there. Have a folder on your phone of different pictures of hair just from the front.

⁃ For brides that don’t book a trial, take time to communicate via email, a Skype call or schedule extra time on the wedding day

⁃ To save time with email correspondence, Prep email drafts so you can just copy and paste with the customized areas to save some for (We at the BBB Podcast especially love Tave for all our client management and emails! Use our refferal link to get an extended 60 day trial absolutely free! https://tave.com/join/red-carpet-glamour **

⁃ Perfect the areas you struggle on during practice time, not the stuff you already know how to do

** update: we’ve actually switched over to HONEYBOOK and are completely obsessed! The link above still works but if you’d like to try Honeybook (there’s a free trial!) I’m sure you’re going to love it as much as we do. Here’s a link: http://share.honeybook.com/bridalbeauty

Audio Bookmarks

04:39 – Who is Katie, How she started her journey

12:58 – putting the career on pause for motherhood, moving countries

16:00 starting a career over as a mother, dealing with vulnerability and confidence

18:30 building your brand

19:15 – Why Trials so Important in Bridal Work

21:45 – How and When to BREAKUP with a bride

25:25 – The Purpose of a Trial: Key questions to ask and info to gather

27:14 – 3 Key Pieces of Info you Need to Get at The Trial from your Bride

32:10 The Bridal Party and Taking Control of the Styles for a Cohesive Look

34:19 – Indecisive Brides, Not Getting the Look Right, Trials going above Allocated Time

38:43 – Do You Charge More when you go Over the Scheduled Time for Trials?

39:22 – Changing Looks on the Wedding Day

40:50 – Brides from out of Country, Not Being able to Book a Trial

41:50 – Bridal Client Correspondence, Emails &, Saving Time
43:43 – How to Price Bridal Consultations and Trials

43:56 – Time and Confidence with Bridal Work vs Editorial

46:23 – Dealing with Stress / How to Cope when a Hair or Makeup Look isn’t Working

48:08 – Practice and Prep