Congratulations! You’re engaged! As if finding the man of your dreams wasn’t hard enough now you have to become the ultimate party planner and start planning your I do’s. With no detail left unturned, from Pinterest boards, bridal magazines and family members chiming in it can all be quite overwhelming. Luckily, I have compiled a timeline for you brides to navigate all of your hair care needs leading up to your big day!

1 Year to Wedding – Start with Healthy Hair

First thing is first, let’s get this hair long, thick and healthy. For my brides to be I always recommend Vitafusion’s  Gorgeous Hair Skin and Nails gummy vitamins, these are not only a multivitamin but contain biotin, a B vitamin that helps with hair growth, hair needs to be nourished from the inside out. I recommend regular trims, every 8 to 10 weeks, this will ensure to cut off any split ends that may be forming before they can cause any breakage. In conjunction with trims I recommend conditioning treatments on a weekly basis as well as Oribe’s Split End Seal Treatment before styling.

10-8 Months to Wedding- Find Your Stylist

Pinterest and Instagram can be hard to navigate when looking for a hairstylist for your wedding day. If you aren’t using your regular stylist and need to find someone close to your venue ask your wedding coordinator if they have a preferred stylist or ask friends that have gotten married in the area, many stylist will travel to you. After you have pinned down a few viable options then make sure you are on the same page aesthetically by looking at their work from previous weddings.

6-4 Months to Wedding – Hair Trial

For my brides I always recommend they bring multiple pictures of what they may be thinking. Pictures of the front, back, and sides of different hairstyles you like will help communicate what you are going for. Also bring pictures of your dress and decor so the stylist can get a full picture of your chosen aesthetic. If your first trial does not go as planned, it is always a great idea to have a second one. If you feel that your stylist doesn’t understand what you are going for then don’t fret, there is time to find a new one! With multiple trials comes no surprises, and with all of the moving parts on your big day no surprises is exactly what you need.

4-1 Weeks to Wedding – Keratin – Color – Extensions 

If my bride to be doesn’t already color or highlight her hair I generally recommend a few highlights to show dimension in an updo, as well as a shine gloss to really make the pictures pop. These services, as well as any gray coverage, should be done one to two weeks prior to the big day, giving it time to settle in and for the future Mrs. to get used to it.

Many clients opt for a keratin treatment to fend off any frizz, this process can make the hair flat until after a few washes, I recommend having it done one month prior to the wedding.

Extensions are often used by brides that really want to give their hairstyle an added oomph whether they have already mermaid length locks and want more or have thin hair and want to fill out their dream style. Clip-in extensions are probably the most common and adaptable, but tape-ins and keratin bonded ones will keep your locks full and long all the way through your honeymoon. If you choose to go with some sort of extension for your big day work closely with your colorist so that your extensions and natural hair flow together seamlessly.