There are a bazillion options for wedding day hairstyles. But here are five practical tips that I gathered from my own wedding experience:

1. Choose a style you know works for you.

If you normally wear your hair back, go for an up-do on the Day. If you’re used to wearing your hair down, leave your mane to roam free. And if you know your locks go limp after an hour, look into to dos with lasting volume. But most importantly, go with the style that you feel like your fabulous yourself in and wear it with grace.

2. Do a trial run.

When I read this suggestion in wedding mags, I scoffed. I really did not think this was necessary. Whoops! Although I was fortunate enough to have my hair turn out as I wanted, I ran into an unanticipated snafu. My veil was attached to a comb, but with all the pins holding my bun together, the comb couldn’t get all the way through. To my dismay, a few ‘memorable-moments’ photos were ruined by the view of the comb peeking out of my bun. I’m sure I was the only one who noticed, but still! I wouldn’t have been constantly shoving the comb back in during the post-ceremony photos if I had been smart and done a trial run.

3. Bring a photo to your stylist.

No matter how anti naff bridal magazines you are, you will undoubtedly be tempted to gloss through a few during your early wedding planning stages. In them you are will likely find a photo of the hairstyle you want for the Day. Supplying your hairstylist with a photo will definitely decrease the chance of any surprises (but a trial run virtually eliminates the possibility of terrifying tresses on your special day).

4. Take the weather into account.

If you know you tend to easily get the frizzes and you are planning an August wedding in say…Miami, an up-do just might be the way to go. If it’s an outdoor wedding, factor in the wind. I’m not suggesting you let the location dictate the hairstyle but simply take it in into consideration.

5. Get your cut/colour done at least a week before the Day.

As you all know, it takes about a week for your new cut/colour to settle in. Plus, in the week leading up to your wedding, no matter how under control you think things are, you will be busy with last minute details. It is highly unlikely (and not recommended) that you will have the time to get a cut/colour done on the day of the wedding. So make an appointment with your trusted stylist for 1-2 weeks before the big Day and let your pre-wedding pampering begin!

Ultimately you want to be comfortable with your hair, and you want it to last through lots of hugs, kisses, photos, cake-cutting, and dancing. Thank god for our stylists, who have tricks us lay people know nothing about.

Click here for more posts on wedding hair and beauty and to get some top tips and inspiration for fabulous hairstyles for your special day.

Ems doing my make up

Is it the season for weddings?…it’s always the season for weddings according to my good friend, Emma Dennis, make-up artist extraordinaire! Ems did the make up for my wedding in Dec last year and I have to say I had a lot of great comments about my skin and the lovely natural look she created so she comes highly recommended. Ems is going to guest blog on this site for me with make up tips, ideas and real life examples of her work from recent weddings so hopefully you can get some inspiration from her and some of the pics.. this is a long post but a good one if you want to pick up some top make-up tips.

As she says…..

And I was lucky enough to have attended two this year in Europe, so great excuses for a couple of vacations! The second in Cognac in France was extra special and I was doing the makeup for the beautiful bride.

Laura Mercier Tint

I had already done the trial in London a few weeks back. Of course brides want to look their best and therefore on the makeup front usually less is more as it were, why mask their natural beauty and happy glow. You want them to shine through not be hiding behind heavy foundation and crazy eye colors! And in the French heat you certainly don’t want cake melting down their cheeks!

Under this I also used the Laura Mercier oil-free primer which not only smoothes the skin and creates a good base onto which to apply the rest of your makeup, but really helps it stay put during your day. I applied a touch of concealer round her eyes to cover any slight dark circles, not that she had any though really! Finally a dusting of light powder to set.

Brow brush

I then filled in her eyebrows a little, she is blond and therefore her eyebrows aren’t very dark. Eyebrows really frame a face so this is an important part of her ‘look’. You have to make sure though that you get the right colour, a light brown matt eyeshadow works really well, stroked in with a MAC 208 eyebrow brush. It has slanted, short, firm bristles which makes it easy to use.

Then for her eyeshadow, I used a very light brown, taupey colour swept over the whole lid, this gives a bit of colour and evens out the skin of the eyelid. Make sure before applying any eyeshadow the lid is well dusted with powder, this will ensure the longevity of your shadow and reduce creasing. Alternatively you can use eyeshadow primers, MAC and Screenface do them. I lightly lined her eyes with dark brown shadow for definition, shadow is less harsh than kohl and can be blended out so you don’t get such a sharp ‘line’.

Next I gave a good sweeping of mascara, sometimes you might find that actually a mascara in dark brown is better on blondes than black, it looks a little less showy and brash, which we don’t want for a bride!

Benefit Hoola

Her cheeks were almost made to look like she was flushed…I blended a pinky rouge onto the apples of her cheeks, NARS Multiple in Portofino is a great colour, a really natural rouge and its great to apply, very smooth…you can blend it in with fingers or a foundation brush.

I then used a little light bronzer, Benefit Hoola is a great matt bronzer, too much glitter and you look over St Tropez! I dusted this lightly under her cheeks bones and a little on her t-zone, i.e. over the forehead, browbone, then down her nose. She had a tan anyway, so this was just to slightly enhance this.

For her lips I suggested going a little darker than she would normally choose to wear. Making the lips stand out a little looks prettier and in photos a pale/beige gloss can disappear. I used a little lipstick just a shade darker than her natural lip colour and then gloss over the top, not too much though, you don’t want your vale or your new husband getting stuck on your lips! Not just yet anyway!

Emma Dennis make up artist - the end result!

So bride done! I then had her sister, her mother, her mother in law, and her two sisters in law to do! What a day, I only just made it to the wedding myself!

With thanks to Franck Prignet the wonderful photographer who have sent me this gorgeous sepia photo and captured the magnificent beauty of the day. You can check out more of my wedding and fashion make up at my site emmadmakeup.