In my opinion one of the most important parts of the bridal hair and make-up experience is the trials. Serving as a “dress rehearsal” for the big day - trial services will ensure that you are a radiant and tranquil bride! At the Wingate Salon & Spa our consultations are required in order to determine your hairstyle, headpiece placement and make-up needs. I always find it kind of crazy when brides tell me that they have contacted other salon and spas that do not offer bridal trials. Can you imagine being surprised how you look on the big day? It just is not smart to wait until that final day to see if that particular hair style or make-up colors are going to work for you. There are so many styles to choose from and they are not going to work for every bride. Your unique look is important to determine BEFORE the wedding date!
Our trials are typically scheduled 2-3 weeks before your wedding day so that the information is fresh in the stylists mind. If you wish to complete one sooner, we certainly accommodate that. Some brides want to know immediately what their “look” will be or desire a test run to see if the stylists and make-up artists are the best for them.
When having a hair consultation it is a good idea to have your hair washed and dried with no product in it. Bringing your veil, headpiece or tiara is extremely important. I always advise that brides wait until they have these in hand to do a trial. Of course when coming for a make-up trial, having a face free of any foundation, mascara, etc is important. Come clean! A good service provider will spend at least an hour with you to ensure that the look is perfect.
Share with your stylist and make-up artist how you want to feel as a bride. Good communication is the key to a successful trial so do not hesitate to share your thoughts and ideas. Pictures from magazines of what you want are helpful to guide the stylist and make-up artist. A picture of your gown is also helpful to fully understand the type of wedding look you are going for. Together you and the service provider will find a design that will suit your ideas, your dress, your face, your skin type, and your hair length and style. Keep in mind that the pictures of models that you rip from a magazine may have completely different hair and skin tones. The stylist and artists are really going to work with your individual needs and let you know if you are a good match for that particular fashion.
At the Wingate we will take a picture of you at the end of the trials and keep it on file. If you wish to have a picture of yourself, we recommend bringing a digital camera along.
At the end of your appointment you will get an idea of what you will look like the day of your wedding. No surprises! Some salon and spas will charge you the full price of an upstyle or make-up application. At the Wingate we offer the trials at a significantly reduced rate because we require it of brides. We feel it is THAT important to the bridal experience. This is the first step to ensuring that everything runs absolutely smoothly on your big day!
