“I am getting married in three months and one my bridesmaids mentioned about getting a hair trial. When I was a bridesmaid in the past, I never had a trial so I’m not sure how to approach it. Do a lot of bridesmaids get hair and make-up trials as well as the bride?” – Yvonne
From the Experts
1. Grainne (GG) from Loving Weddings – www.lovingweddings.ie
Hello Yvonne, firstly congratulations, I can imagine you have an exciting yet busy few months ahead! The short answer is, that it would depend on the individual and of course the budget. Generally a trial would relate to the bride herself and she might invite along her bridesmaids and mother to give their opinions. That said, it is not uncommon for bridesmaids and even the mother of the bride/groom to book a trial for themselves before the big day – they also want to make sure they look and feel their best too!
However, the addition of extra trials may impact upon the original budget and in that case, you may discuss with your bridesmaid the option of paying for the trial herself or looking at another way to facilitate a trial for the bridal party. Your salon may offer discounts on group bookings or charge for a trial service on an hourly basis so you can assign a certain portion of time for yourself with the remaining time spent consulting with the bridal party. This can be a good way to get everyone involved and relieve some of the concern. I hope this helps you and I wish you all the very best for you both on your wedding day.
2. Susan Hannon from Voodoo Hair Design – View Profile
Hi Yvonne. To answer your question from my experience, not many bridesmaids get trials and I personally don’t advise them as I think only the bride needs a trial. My advice to you would be to tell your bridesmaid to look up some pictures online of what they like. This way they can show the hairdresser on the morning what they like and don’t like! If they are still apprehensive, maybe offer to phone the stylist so that they can have a chat with them before the big day, but I still wouldn’t encourage a trial! Hope this helps!
3. Maricia Horan, Davey Davey – www.daveydavey.com
Hi Yvonne. Generally whenever we price for weddings, the price includes the cost of looking after the bridal party on the morning of the wedding and the bride’s wedding hair trial in the salon. Usually it is only the bride that requires a trial. In some circumstances if a bridesmaid has wanted to have a trial done it is at their expense – unless the bride requests the trial and then she may offer to cover the expense. I feel that if one of the bridesmaids wants to have a trial done before the wedding it would be best to explain that this is not part of the wedding package and any extra costs would be at her expense. I think most bridesmaids would understand this, as it can really add to the cost of the wedding to incur any extra unexpected expenses.
Main image by Fiona Morgan Photography via A Wedding at Home – Marquee Party in Dublin
