Indianapolis Wedding Photographer | Favorite Partner Spotlight: Laura Snyder Hair
Booking Your indianapolis Hairstylist for Your Wedding Day: A Comprehensive Guide
Your wedding day is one of the most important and memorable days of your life, and you want to look and feel your best. One crucial aspect of achieving that perfect bridal look is booking the right hairstylist. Planning ahead and making informed decisions about your wedding hairstylist can help ensure that your hair is picture-perfect on the big day. In this blog, we'll cover when to book, how many stylists you need, average costs, time requirements, and whether they should come to you or if you should go to their studio.
When to Book Your Hairstylist
Booking your wedding hairstylist should be a top priority on your wedding planning checklist. Wedding hairstylists often have busy schedules, especially during the peak wedding season. To secure your preferred stylist and date, it's advisable to book your hairstylist at least 9-12 months in advance, and you may need to find someone 12-18 months out for peak season Saturday weddings. This allows you to have ample time for trials and adjustments leading up to the wedding.
How Many Stylists Are Needed
The number of stylists you'll need depends on the size of your wedding party and the complexity of the hairstyles you desire.
Here's a general guideline:
The Bride + up to 4 others: Generally 1 stylist will be able to accommodate your group if there are 5 or fewer of you
The Bride + 5 to 9 others: Depending on how much time you have for getting ready, you'll need 1-2 stylists. Speak with your specific stylist to determine how much time they'll need per person and what they recommend for your group.
The Bride + 10 or more others: You'll almost certainly need 2 stylists, and you may need 3 if you have a large bridal party plus moms, grandmothers, and other wedding guests wanting their hair done.
Average Costs
The cost of hiring a wedding hairstylist can vary widely based on factors such as location, stylist's experience, and the complexity of the desired hairstyles. On average, you can expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $300 or more for the bride's hairstyle. Some stylist's bridal price includes a trial, and others have the trial as a separate, additional cost. Read through your stylist's service menu, which will detail what their pricing includes.. Keep in mind that these are just rough estimates, and it's essential to obtain quotes from potential stylists to determine the actual cost for your wedding.
Time Needed
The amount of time required for hairstyling on your wedding day depends on the complexity of the hairstyles and the number of people getting their hair done. Here's a general time frame:
Bride: Plan for approximately 1-2 hours for the bride's hairstyle. This time includes any touch-ups and veil or hair accessory placement. Don't forget to schedule a trial session with your stylist before the wedding day. This will typically take 1-2 hours and occur 1-3 months prior to your wedding date.
Bridesmaids: Each bridesmaid's hair may take 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the style. Multiply this by the number of bridesmaids to estimate the total time needed.
Other Attendees: Allocate time accordingly for anyone else requiring hairstyling.
Trials: Don't forget to schedule a trial session with your stylist before the wedding day. This will typically take 1-2 hours.
On-Site or Studio Styling
Whether your hairstylist should come to you or if you should visit their studio depends on your preferences and logistics:
On-Site Styling: Having the hairstylist come to your chosen location (e.g., your home, hotel, or wedding venue) can be more convenient, as you and your bridal party won't need to travel. It's particularly advantageous if you have a large wedding party.
Studio Styling: If your hairstylist has a well-equipped studio, going to their studio can be a great option. This is especially beneficial if you prefer a controlled environment or a classic blow out style, which may require a shampoo first.
In conclusion, booking your hairstylist for your wedding day is a crucial step in achieving the bridal look you've always dreamed of. To ensure a stress-free experience, start your search early, consider the size of your wedding party, budget for hairstyling costs, allocate enough time, and decide whether you prefer on-site or studio styling. With the right stylist, your wedding day hair will be one less thing to worry about, allowing you to focus on creating beautiful memories that will last a lifetime.
Let’s hear from one of our favorite hairstylists directly
Laura, with Laura Snyder Hair, is a licensed mobile cosmetologist who has won the Best of Weddings awards from Zola and theKnot.com every year that she’s been on each platform, earning the Hall of Fame designation from the Knot beginning in 2022 and every year since. She is a true formal hairstyling specialist, offering only formal styles and ensuring that the most photographed formal hairstyle you’ll ever wear is created perfectly for you. Laura will help you find a style that makes you feel like the most radiant version of yourself – while still looking and feeling like you. She will also create a custom timeline for you, be available from the moment you book through wedding day for any questions you have in the process, and be a spot of calm and relaxation during an often busy morning.
About the Artist:
I’m Laura, a licensed mobile cosmetologist and bridal specialist as well as a licensed marriage and family therapist. I love peonies, dark chocolate, and love stories, and I thrive in the behind-the-scenes hustle and bustle of a wedding morning. I’m known for sleek hollywood waves, frizz-free upstyles, and super voluminous party ponies as well as prompt response times and attention to detail. Creating customized wedding morning itineraries brings me joy (enough that it was actually referenced in my own wedding vows!), and getting to be the person in the background who makes you shine the brightest is what makes my day. If you need a bridal hairstylist who can create the clean, classic styles of your dreams while also bringing the calm, easing the stress, and chatting about Taylor Swift, true crime podcasts, and all of your group members’ adorable dogs and/or children, I’m your girl.
Most brides have never planned a wedding before and finding the right beauty vendors for your wedding day can feel intimidating. Let me be the convenient big sister who works in the Indy wedding industry and can give you the insider tips to help make this task a fun part of wedding planning instead of a stress!
A few quick tips off the bat when looking for your hairstylist:
Find a bridal specialist. Not the person who you’ve gone to for years for cuts and color. Find someone who does weddings every weekend as their primary focus. We know how to make a wedding morning run smoothly as well as confidently execute each of your bridal party members’ desired looks. This matters! If you get behind in the morning, catching up on the timeline only gets harder as the day goes on, and you want your bridal party to love their hair as much as you love yours.
Book early! Top bridal stylists book up 12-18 months in advance for Saturdays and 6-12 months in advance for many Fridays and Sundays. If it’s off season (January-March), you may be able to find someone on a shorter timetable. If it’s peak season (June or September), know that you’re probably going to need closer to the 18 month timeframe if you have a Saturday date.
Find their work and reviews. Most bridal stylists have their work on Instagram and can be found with a google search. Check out their work to see if they regularly post examples of the sort of look you’re hoping for. Just because your friend loved them doesn’t mean their work is right for you. Also make sure that you see in their reviews that they are communicative, organized, and punctual. This will reduce your stress immensely through the process if you have someone who isn’t just a great artist but also understands how to keep the planning process smooth.
I found someone I love. What now?
Many brides find their artists on Instagram these days, which is fantastic. However, many of us prefer to be contacted via email or an inquiry form on our website. We typically include this information in our Instagram bio. Please reach out to us this way rather than an Instagram DM. It helps us stay organized, and if you look through our site before messaging, it will typically answer a lot of your questions before you even message us (eg, What are your prices? Are you available on my date?). When you do message us, the more detail you can provide about your day - getting ready location, when to be ready by, how many people need services - the more helpful our initial response to you can be!
Do I come to you? Do you come to me? Does it matter?
Most bridal specialists work on location. We’ll gladly come to you, and it’s typically much nicer than a salon environment. You want to be able to lounge with your friends while everyone is getting glammed, not spread out across various salon chairs. You can expect to pay a travel fee to your artist based on travel time and/or distance as well as covering parking costs if there isn’t free parking at your getting ready location. Exact costs vary by artist, and often requires you to check in with them for a quote since it will depend on your location relative to them.
Make sure your getting ready spot has table height seating for hairstylists and barstool level seating for makeup. You’ll want as much natural light as you can get, plenty of open table space for our tool and product set up, and access to electrical outlets. Experienced artists in your area know the venue and hotel set ups very well and can let you know if there are any certain considerations for your chosen location that you should be aware of.
When should I expect to start beauty services on wedding morning?
It depends on the size of your group and when you need to be ready by! It also depends on how long your artist needs per person. For this, you’ll need to speak to your individual artist as we all work on slightly different timetables, generally somewhere between 30-50 minutes for bridal party members and 50-90 minutes for bridal styles, but again, check with your artist. As an overall rule, anticipate an early morning. You don’t want to feel rushed, and wedding days go by quickly. Typical end times are between 12-2 pm, depending on ceremony time. You can work backwards from there to begin estimating your start time based on your group size.
As the bride, do I go last? Which do I do first - hair or makeup?
Most hair and makeup artists prefer to have makeup done first, then hair. That keeps the face framing wispy pieces of your style out of your makeup artist’s away (and keeps foundation off your hair!) and avoids your hairstylist having to touch up the face framing after. But we don’t want you last! That can create a sense that you’re behind, even if you’re not, when everyone else is done except you. Most artists want the bride in the 2nd or 3rd to last slot in the timeline. And as for who goes first, your most reliable person, whoever you know will arrive on time or early, should have the first spot. Typically, we plan to style the bridal party first, then the bride, then the moms at the end (while you and your girls can take photos together in your getting ready outfits with your glam complete).
How should I prep my hair for a formal style?
The “dirty hair is best for styling” is a myth. Bridal stylists want clean, blow-dried hair. Washing it within 24 hours of styling time, blowing it out after, and keeping it down, in a low ponytail, or a loose braid is ideal. Coming with wet hair will cost valuable time and incur extra charges for us having to blow dry you on wedding morning. Keeping your hair up in a messy bun on top of your head is also going to put bends in the hair the work against you later on. Most critically, make sure there isn’t oil at your roots - this will keep your hair from holding curl well and will leave your hair limp and flat instead of voluminous. If you have natural curl you want to use in your style, dry your hair using your normal routine and products, and we’ll amplify and define your texture further from there.
Do most hairstylists do makeup (or vice versa)?
No. Plenty do, but nearly all that do both still have 1 skill that they feel stronger in than another. They are different skill sets, totally different products and equipment, and honestly, if you have more than 1-3 people in your group, you’re likely going to need more than 1 beauty artist to have everyone ready on time anyway. It’s best to hire a separate specialist for each service.
What if it’s just me, without a wedding party? Does anyone book for just the bride?
Yes, some artists accept bride-only bookings, but you can expect to pay more. Beauty vendors need to pay their bills too, and a small bridal party or a single bride could force them to turn away a larger group they would have otherwise booked. Many artists have minimums of 4-5 people, and those that don’t will increase prices if you want to book just for yourself. This isn’t to gauge you. Most of us love being able to focus on just a bride or a smaller group. We simply have to price to protect our livelihood.
Does it matter if everyone in my wedding party gets professional hair and makeup, or should I let them choose?
It’s your wedding, and you make the rules. But professionals know what they’re doing - the curls will last longer, the makeup will photograph better, and the updos will stay in place all night if the professional does it. I’ve seen plenty of groups where half of the bridesmaids (the ones who styled themselves) didn’t have much curl left by the time group photos were taken, while the ones who were professionally styled had hairstyles that still looked fantastic. These photos aren’t going to be my memories, but they are going to be yours, and if those details matter to you, keep that in mind.
What if I don’t even know where to start with finding someone?
Check with your other booked vendors! Your planner, photographer, and venue often keep a list of recommended beauty vendors on hand, and if you already have hair or makeup booked, they can typically recommend artists for whichever service you still need. We work together every weekend, and we know which makeup artists specialize in natural glam or dramatic looks and which hairstylists are best at boho braids or seamless waves. The Indy wedding community is a warm, welcoming place, and we love to share the names of vendors we trust with you!
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