What Goes Into the Cost of Wedding Hair? What You Can Expect From Your Stylist

Your wedding budget includes money for everything from candles to tuxedo rentals, but what about your beauty team? Many brides wonder if the cost of wedding hair stylists is worth it. Paying a professional is more expensive than curling your own hair, but the price tag includes these essential factors that you shouldn’t forget about.

Read on to learn what you can expect from your hairstylist and what you’ll pay for. These tips make it easier to understand a stylist’s fees and look forward to how they’ll make your wedding even more special.

Meet For a Consult

After researching stylists online to look through pictures from their previous clients, reach out to them. They’ll likely want to meet for a consultation. These are often free, so the meetings won’t likely add to your final fees.

Stylists will use the consultation time to discuss what hairstyles you’d prefer and if you’ll wear accessories. You might not want a traditional veil or you could dream about wearing a jeweled hair piece around an updo. Bring pictures you’ve saved or pinned so they know exactly what you imagine for your bridal look.

Expect a Hair Trial

Hair trials are the perfect way to test your bridal look before your big day. Sometimes the cost of the trial factors into your final payment, but it could also be a separate fee. It depends on which stylist you choose. 

After picking your wedding date, schedule your hair trial a month or two ahead of your big day. You can book your stylist long before that, but you’ll want to test your hair close to your wedding. It’ll be the length you need and possibly after a new dye job. You’ll also have more time to create your bridal beauty routine and add hair care supplements or products to improve your final look.

Schedule a Second Trial

You might book your hairstylist a year or two in advance. The extra time opens the opportunity for a second hair trial. You could test more bridal looks or prepare for your post-wedding brunch by working on a more casual style.

A second trial makes your stylist’s fees more expensive, but it’s worth it if your wedding will be a multi-day affair or if you’re not sure what you want to do with your hair. Given that brides spend $110 on average for their hair, you might have leftover money in your budget for more time in your stylist’s chair.

Greet the Team

The cost of wedding hair also includes paying for your stylist’s team. They’ll likely bring two or more people from their staff to work on other wedding party members. Brides often cover the hair expenses for people like:

• Their bridal party
• The mother of the bride
• The mother of the groom

Extra stylists increase the hourly rate for your wedding hair services, but the exact number will change for each salon. Compare these costs when consulting with different hairstylists to determine which estimates are worth working into your budget.

Remember the Supplies

You’ll also pay for the supplies your hairstylist needs on your big day. It might not cost much if you use what they already have on hand, but some styles require specific products. If your stylist has to buy new cans of hairspray or dry shampoo, they might add extra fees to your final payment.

Many brides prefer a hotel wedding after considering how much they’ll need to get ready. Your stylist and their possible team will require space to spread out their curling irons, product bottles and supply bags. Hotels offer connecting rooms with plenty of electrical outlets so no one has to wait or shuffle things around. Sometimes the cost of your wedding hair may be part of where you rent space to get ready with everyone.

Bring Your Accessories Home

Renting decor and venue supplies is common, but you’ll get to take your hair accessories home. That includes the crazy amount of bobby pins that hold up your wedding hair, any sparkly pins you fall in love with, your bridesmaids’ clips and any other accessories your stylist stocks in their salon. They’ll replace everything when the next bride pays her deposit, so some of what you pay results in new haircare supplies everyone can bring home.

The Cost of Wedding Hair Is Worth It

You shouldn’t have to worry about anything on your wedding day. The cost of wedding hair stylists covers everything from bobby pins to a team for your bridal party. You can sit back and relax knowing that they’ll take care of every last detail, even when you’re months away from walking down the aisle.