Unveiling the Top Bridal Accessory Trends for 2023

As we approach the 2023 bridal season we’re seeing a whole new host of wedding hair and makeup ideas and inspiration for your bridal style

Right about now, lots of wedding companies are launching their new bridal collections and ranges and there are some amazing pieces that I just had to share with you! Hopefully , whatever your wedding day hair and makeup style, this lot will give you some added inspiration …

The Bobby Pin. The most beautiful ( and extensive ) collection of Wedding hair accessories. This company are perfect if you wany delicate, feminine pieces to adorn your wedding hair upstyle ( one of my favourite being the gorgeous ‘Ela’ ) Be sure to go check them out!

Instagram: @thebobbypinuk

Wedding hats. No longer just reserved for mother of the bride, there are so many ways in which you can include a hat or fascinator into your bridal look. I love some of the inspiration from Jayne Taylor, handmade luxury headwear … head over to the page below to check them out

Instagram: @jtmillinery

Ok, so this final one I know isn’t technically directly related to wedding hair and makeup but still well worth a share. Plus – your wedding hair and makeup would look simply amazing when placed next to one of these handmade dresses. I’ve been a fan of Lucy Can’t Dance for a while now and I just love the colourful adaptations they make to the traditional white wedding dress. They’re super inclusive, personal and bespoke … check them out!

Instagram: @lucy_cant_dance

Oh and finally, I couldn’t not mention these beautiful pieces send to me from Sweet V , how amazing do they look, and they’re just a couple of some beautiful pieces you can find on their website….don’t forget to tell them Katie sent you!

Sweet V Accessories Collection

Top bridal accessory trends from Sweet V - Unveiling the Top Bridal Accessory Trends for 2023

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Trending Wedding Day Haircuts to Make You Look Stunning

A bride with wedding day haircut trend and a groom dancing on their wedding ceremony.

If you’re hanging around on social media then you’ve probably seen the latest trend of ‘wedding day haircuts’. As a wedding hair and makeup artist I absolutely LOVE the idea of someone being brave enough to go for the chop part way through their own wedding day.

For those of you that don’t have a clue what I’m talking about …Basically, the Bride completes the wedding ceremony with her hair styled in one way, and then sits in the chair before the evening guests arrive ( sometimes even as a complete surprise for their partner! ) and has it all cut off! A quick search on instagram or tik tok and you’ll quickly see what I mean.

Now I can honestly say that no bride has ever asked me to cut her hair on her wedding day…sadly. ( If you’re considering it please do ask me as I would jump at the chance! ) I would seriously love the chance to make such a dramatic change for someone as a part of their wedding day but it would certainly take some confidence, and a lot of trust on the part of the Bride!

Most ladies choose their wedding hair style on the basis of their dress, the neckline of the dress, and inspiration pictures they’ve found on pinterest when searching for ‘wedding hair’. This new trending wedding day haircuts just goes to show that actually there’s no such thing as typical ‘wedding hair’.

Wedding hair is simply the hair you wear on your wedding day – whatever that may be. I’m always telling my brides that just because its your wedding day, and just because you’re a bride, doesn’t mean you have to do something or wear anything that doesn’t feel 100% authentic to you. There’s no right or wrong way to be a Bride, and there’s no right or wrong style when it comes to Bridal.

The advice I give to my brides goes something like this….If you don’t normally wear your hair up because you hate your ears, then your wedding day probably isn’t the time to start. If you don’t usually wear red lipstick – even though it looks fabulous on the girl on pinterest, – again, it probably isn’t the day to start wearing it yourself!

The other thing to consider when it comes to your wedding day hair and makeup is that you can think a little ‘bigger’ than you normally would. By this I mean if the only reason you never wear your hair up in anything but a high ponytail is because you don’t know how to do anything other than a high ponytail then make sure you maximise the opportunity for your big day!

Take full advantage of the fact that you have a professional wedding hair stylist on hand able to help you create a look even better than what you can probably imagine! So many brides just don’t see what their own hair type is capable of and it’s just the best feeling when I’m able to create something that exceeds their expectations of their own hair!

So if you’re not sure, or you’re feeling a little disheartened about what you think you can or cant achieve when it comes to your wedding hair then get in touch. Id love to chat with you about what’s possible ( and maybe even try and talk you into a wedding day hair cut perhaps…?! )

Katie

p.s. here’s a link to exactly what I’m talking about! Would you brave it?!

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Wedding Day Preparation Venues: Where to Get Ready for Your Big Day

A hair and make-up artist getting ready the bride for her wedding day.

As a wedding hair and makeup artists it’s my job to come to you on the wedding morning and get the bride and the bridal party hair and makeup ready for the big day. Over the years I’ve managed to fine tune my kit, prep for any make up eventuality, and even pack an extra little ‘just in case’ kit for those last minute ‘oops’ moments! As much as I love to make sure I’m prepared and ready to do my job to the very best of my ability, one thing I simply cant control is where my brides choose to get ready on their wedding morning.

For some the decision is easily made as they are offered a prep room at their venue. This is ideal, no travel time to consider and often the rooms are large enough to accommodate the entire bridal party and then all of the suppliers that are involved too including videographers and photographers, as well as myself and any assistants that I may have.

One of my favourite venues Cooling Castle Barn have a purpose build room with styling stations, a comfy sofa and large widows for plenty of natural light. Another favourite of mine, The Old Kent Barn, has a beautiful dressing room, complete with hanging space for several dresses and outfits and a fully stocked hot drink station too!

However some venues, especially the more rustic ones, can mean that there isn’t a dedicated or purpose built space to get ready. This might mean issues like lack of natural light, no plug sockets, no mirrors, and restricted space to accommodate a group of people such as a wedding party on the morning with the space for them all to get ready and dressed.

Kent based Sam Beaney has provided brides with her very own solution to this exact problem in the form of The Pretty Prep Studios. Now local ‘Brides to be’ looking for a suitable and best space to get the absolute most from their wedding morning can host it at the studios and have everything they need all in one place.

The studio is light, bright and both feminine and floral. With various styling stations, seating areas and even a separate kitchen. There is a second main room, where brides can get into their dress and make all the final touches with large mirrors and simple yet tasteful décor meaning that the studio lends itself perfectly, whatever your bridal theme. The natural light and various styling stations and plug sockets means that this really is the ideal place for your wedding hair and makeup prep, with so much space for us to work in both comfort and style!

So if your getting married in Kent and worried that your venue doesn’t have the space or the set up to accommodate everything you might need on your wedding morning then make sure you check out The Pretty Prep Studios, and contact Sam directly to book a show round!

Photographer- @shotbyjfk

A bride getting ready herself on her wedding day.

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Choosing your wedding hair and make up artist

When it comes to choosing your wedding hair and make up artist you want to get things right. It’s important that you find someone who you like and trust to create your bridal vision exactly how you imagine it. With lots of artists offering different things I wanted to break down what I can offer so you have a really clear understanding of what to expect if you book me as you wedding hair and make up artist.

A professional, personal service

No two weddings are the same. No two hair styles or make up looks are the same and no two brides are the same either! When you book Pretty please by Katie for your wedding hair and make up you’re not just booking a business – you’re booking a person. I love what I do and I’ve put years of hard work into making sure I get it right for you on the most important day of your life! I want to play my part in ensuring that you look amazing and that you feel it too. I might ‘just style hair and apply make up’ but what I’m actually doing is so much more than that. I’m helping transform you into a bride. It takes a lot of trust to have the confidence in someone to create exactly what you want for your wedding day and it’s a privilege to be chosen to do that for you.

Insured

Now more than ever its important for people to know that they’re safe when it comes to booking services for their wedding day. I run my business professionally and I have all the necessary insurances in place to ensure that we are both protected at all times

Experience

I’ve been a wedding hair and make up artist for 7 years now. I’ve been to well over 500 weddings in that time and I’ve learnt a lot! For you this is probably the very first time you’ve ever experienced a wedding morning, and I take my role in that really seriously! Whether it’s helping to lace your dress or even make the coffee – when you book my services you’re booking me to be there for your entire wedding morning. I do everything I can to ensure that your morning runs smoothly, and one of the biggest compliments I get is when brides tell me that it was just like having another friend with them to help them get ready.

Booking process

I have a brochure I can send you which contains all the information you need in regards to making your booking. I provide a personalised quote detailing your costs and outline all of the prices and T & C ‘s from the very start. It’s really important that you understand what you’re booking and what you’re getting for your money. My prices don’t change depending on where you get married or what style you choose. You can be confident that there are no hidden charges and I only work with one bride per day to ensure you have my undivided attention – just as it should be!

Before the big day

You’ll be invited to attend a preview session so that we can have a trial run of your complete wedding hair and make up look. It’s at this session we will discuss all the details of your day, your likes and dislikes and exactly what you can expect on the day itself. We will organise timings and I’ll talk you through exactly what will happen when it comes to your big day.

On the wedding morning

I’ll arrive at a pre arranged time and set up ready to work. I’ll tell you when it’s your turn to have your hair and make up service and I’ll be keeping n eye on the time so you don’t have to. Its important that you relax and enjoy your wedding morning as it’s an event in itself! I’ll help with whatever I can to ensure your wedding morning runs smoothly and offer you any guidance or advice should you need it.

After the wedding day

I often find myself wishing that I could do your wedding all over again! The wedding morning goes so fast and I really do enjoy the buzz of it all. After the wedding I’ll email you to ask for some feedback and maybe even a review. These really help me when it comes to making sure I’m doing everything right, and it also helps future brides when it comes to making the decision to book my services. If you want to take a look at some testimonials from my previous brides then you can find them here XXX – addlink to about page with testimonials

If you do have any other questions or perhaps you’re thinking you’d like to book me for your big day then please do get in touch. As I mentioned I only work with one bride per day so if you have your date booked and would like me to join you then don’t delay!

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Using hair extensions for your wedding hair style

As a wedding hair and make up artist one of the most commonly asked questions from my brides is to whether I can help them with hair extensions for their wedding day.

There’s a variety of reasons that a bride might want to add hair to her wedding hair style. Sometimes it’s because the style has a lot of volume and the bride wants it to look large and full. Other times it might be a more personal reason such as hair loss or alopecia.

Regardless of why you wear added hair on your wedding day there are some reassurances that I can give you when it comes to using extensions:

I can personally source high quality hair for you. A lot of the time when people think of hair extensions they think of shiny looking and plastic feeling straw hair. I only use 100% human, high quality hair. This is so important when it comes to being able to style and blend any additional hair in with your own.
I can personally colour match your hair. Hair colour is certainly not one size fits all. I can match to the correct tone and colour of your hair to ensure that we can get the perfect match.
I can disguise the clips. One of the biggest worries for a bride is that people will be able to tell she’s wearing extensions. This is absolutely not the case. I can fit the extensions within your style so that no one will ever know that’s its not your very own hair.
They won’t fall out on the dance floor! Another concern I quite often here is whether the hair might come lose or fall out throughout the course of the day. I will ensure that all hair is fitted properly and securely so that your style will last you all day and all night ( no matter how wild the dancing gets! )
They’re easy to remove. My preferred method of hair extensions when it comes to wedding hair styling is clip in. This means that you can easily remove the additional hair yourself without any damage to your own hair. The hair is then yours to keep so you can continue to wear it as often as you like! I’m even able to offer styling hints and tips should you wish to create your own style using the hair again after the wedding day!

If you’re considering wearing hair extensions for your wedding hair style then please don’t feel concerned or anxious. If you wanted to give me a call so we can talk it through then by all means please do and I’ll do my very best to help!

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When it comes to your Bridal Hair and Make up why risk it

Why risk it?!

Everyone has something about them that they dislike, that’s a fact. Every time some one sits in my chair they almost always start by apologising for their ‘wonky smile’ or ‘uneven brows’ or something else that simply doesn’t matter. The truth is that as Ladies we give ourselves a really hard time when we don’t think we look exactly how we imagine ‘perfect’ should look. Multiply that by ten and that’s how we feel as brides. Everyone is going to be looking at you, you’ll be the centre of attention, it has to look perfect…does that sound familiar?!

I’ll let you in on a little secret – no one is perfect. Nope, not even the gorgeous Michelle Keegan or flawless Jennifer Aniston. When people come for their preview sessions and style trials they will often bring along pictures of airbrushed celebrities with a desire to look just like that. Of course, on your wedding day you want to look your most beautiful, but you always want to look like you. I always tell my brides that you simply want to be an enhanced version of yourself. The ‘you’ that you could quite easily achieve if you had three hours every morning and an extra pair of hands, trained specifically for that purpose, to help you create it! A big part of your day is your photos, after the day itself has passed , alongside your memories all you have are those images captured by your photographer to remind you or just how wonderfully it truly was. You certainly don’t want to look back upon those pictures and wish that you had invested a little more in a professional for the guarantee that your hair and make up would be exactly how you wished it would. I get a lot of last minute enquiries from bride to be’s that had opted to use a ‘friend of a friend’ or a ‘cheaper’ alternative, and whilst some of them are so lucky – finding some amazing new talent and stylists with real skills who are building a name for themselves – so many of them aren’t so fortunate. Brides have called me in tears the night before their wedding, begging for help when their ‘cheaper alternative’ has text to say they wont be turning up the following day.

Of all the things that you invest in on your wedding day and all the ways in which you choose to allocate your ever growing wedding budget , be sure that you don’t compromise in areas that you will regret later. Bridal hair and make up is what I do, It’s what I specialise in, and its what I love. The way you look on the very best day of your life is a very big deal – not just on the day, and not just for you- but for the next 50 years that you’ll spend looking at those amazing photos that yourself and your family will put up in pride of place on their mantelpiece or hang on their wall. (No pressure then!) If you’re looking for someone who can help you and work with you to create the very best version of you, for the very best day of your life then please do get in touch – I look forward to getting excited about your wedding with you!