Wedding to go to? Hair colour advice

“In my experience, women often only start to think seriously about getting their hair coloured when they are engaged to be married, the same can be said for mothers of the bride. It’s part of wanting to look your absolute best on the day. At any one time I can have a dozen brides and their mothers on my books. And in an ideal world I would start working on the perfect colour around nine months to a year before the big day. This gives me time to earn their trust, to get hair in perfect condition – and to work with the stylist who is going to do the bride’s and mother's hair for the event. Obviously I often work closely with stylists at my father’s salon in London, the Daniel Galvin Salon on George Street, but have worked with many other stylists over the years as well.

It is so important that a bride feels comfortable with everyone that will be working with her on the day. Together we make sure that the chosen head-dress, most often a single flower or tiara, is perfectly complemented by the bride’s cut, colour and styling. The bonus is that during the countdown to the big day a bride can tap into my insider knowledge about London’s other top beauty gurus, with recommendations for brow shaping, (Vaishaly Patel), makeup (Fiona Jolly) or nutrition. So much of the way we look reflects what’s going on inside. Women need to know what vitamins and minerals they may be lacking and how it may effect their hair.

So many of my clients come and simply ask for ‘hair like yours’.I believe that hair should be multi-tonal, rather like a child’s kissed by the sun with darker undertones, with the upper sections streaked as it would be when you spend time in the sun. However I don’t just specialize in working with blondes, my strengths are in creating the perfect colour that is most flattering to an individual's skintone and eye colour. The Galvin philosophy is that the first thing someone should notice about you is the colour of your eyes, when the first thing they notice is your hair colour something has gone wrong!

My top tips for great hair on your wedding day are:

Don’t decide to go for a drastic new colour or style on your big day, instead plan with your colourist and stylist how you want your hair to look. Brides are definitely choosing softer less structured styles, which creates a more relaxed look and leaves the bride feeling more comfortable with her general appearance.

Do invest in a professional stylist on the day, even a natural look needs to be tended to by someone who knows what they are doing so the style lasts all day and into the night. A stylist can also make sure that hats are positioned correctly for mums and other family members. It’s important they don’t move around during the service or photographs.

Make sure you have a couple of trial runs with the head-dress to make sure you are truly comfortable and that the head-dress and veil, if wearing one, can be worn for the service and photographs. If possible, have your stylist on hand throughout the day to keep hair looking great – you will be looking at those photographs for years to come after all!

Seeking the advice of a professional at the beginning of your preparations will de-stress you as the day approaches. Get a good cut and colour in advance, and get your hair into optimum condition. This will ensure your hair looks wonderful both on the day and into the honeymoon.

For more information visit Louise's website at www.louisegalvin.com. If you would like to ask Louise a question simply post it in the comment box below or email us at editor@allaboutyou.com.

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Read Louise's answers to the most-frequently asked hair colour questions here